New owner beginning baseline

[shawnc]

I've been trolling for a while for an 80 series, and I finally found one I like. I'll try and post pics pretty soon, but I landed on a black 95 with lockers in decent condition for $4000, but it has 209K miles.

It was owned by a small company and I don't think it's ever been off pavement. I paid for a PPI so I got a good look underneath. The underside is pristine except for a pretty bad power steering pump leak and maybe a front main seal (rear main is dry, so it may have been serviced at some point). There is a rubber cover on the transmission housing the mechanic pulled off during the PPI, and it looks like the torque converter is green. Does this sound original? It also will need CV joints before long, but they're not too bad yet.

Body and glass is all in good shape (except it looks like someone threw a cat across the hood), tires look new (Yokohama Geolanders), but the leather front seats are split with exposed foam rubber. If anyone has any suggestions for decent fitting slip-on seat covers or possibly even leather replacements, I would appreciate it.

Other than the CV joints, my main concern so far is that pretty much everything seems to be original. At least it hasn't been farmerized or abused, and I think routine maintenance has been done, but heater hoses (probably even the PHH, but I haven't checked yet), plug wires, cap, rotor, etc. all appear original. The sealant on the little half-moon covers on the valve cover fronts is black, so I assume the head has never been off.

I'm starting to baseline it (I've only had it for a couple of days), so I've changed the plugs, PCV valve, and battery so far, and I have a cap, rotor, and air filter on order. I'm not at all familiar with Land Cruisers (this is my first), but it idles and runs perfectly, doesn't smoke or apparently burn oil, and the suspension and body is tight. I know from reading through this forum that head gaskets seem to be kind of a weak point with the 80 series, but hopefully everything will hold at least for a while.

There are several relatively small things which need attention (power steering pump, hoses, belts, CV joints, seat covers, power seat gears, slow power windows, valve cover gasket, possibly front main seal), but so far I'm optimistic.

I'm going to PM nakman about his seat gears (hopefully they are still available). Neither of the front seats move forward or backward, so I checked out the driver's seat tonight. Sure enough, one of the gears is badly stripped, and I'm assuming the passenger seat has the same issue.

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to summarize everything in case anyone has any advice on what to do next. I don't have even an owner's manual yet, so I'm trying to find a source for that as well as a service manual. The forum has been very helpful so far, and I would appreciate any comments or general advise. I have a few specific questions I plan to post in the next few days.

 

[Romer]

Welcome. You will find a lot of what you are looking for in the FAQ which is a ticky thread near the top of the page. here is a link https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/84888-faq-80-lx450-july-24-2008-added-lspv-modification.html

In the maintenance section, there is a right up on the Front Axle rebuild. Those are Birfiels, not CV joints. Godd time to do your vrakes and rotores

Pesky Heater Hose (PHH) is something that sometimes goes. Starter Contacts, and other items depending on if they have been dome.

I think there is some discussion on what is good to beaseline in the General sectyion thread on buying a Land Cruiser.

Fluids is the fiirst thing to do.

Your power steering leak may be the power steering pump, much easier to replace and cheaper.

Hopefully you have been in contact with several of the Club supports like Cdan who provide significant discounts for OEM parts.

Look the FAQ over and post up any questions you might have.

Also, using the search feature helps find info as well.

I click on search in the masthead, selecet adavanced, highlight the 80's section and then type in my key words. Might set filter to titles only at first

BTW- add your vehicle info in your signature so it will help when you ask questions as to which year 80 you have.

 

[BACruiser]

Your 80 sounds alot like mine. I got mine a month ago. It's blue 95 206k with lockers. I noticed when checking mine out that it had a leak coming from somewhere around the valve cover, it was running down and the rear main had some wetness to it also. I had dealer replace valve cove, front crank and rear main gaskets before I would sign papers. They also replaced plugs, wires and cap because CEL indicated a missfire on a couple plugs. It has not leaked one drop since then. My seat gears are busted need to have them fixed. I just flushed out the brake system and the power steering system this weekend. That was some nasty stuff. Flushing the power steering system got rid of the groan it had at start up. The brakes seem to be smoother now. Everything else on mine seems to fine. I'm surprised at how well it run and how smooth the transmission is for something with that many miles. Good luck with your PM's and enjoy your new ride.

 

[shawnc]

Thanks for the info. The mechanic that did the PPI was a Land Rover guy, and he called the Birfields CV joints. I'll correct my terminology. They only click on pretty hard acceleration in a turn, so hopefully they just need new seals and a repack.

I think you are right on the power steering pump. The reservoir looks dry, but the pump is a mess. I found your very helpful PS pump FAQ, so I'll start by cleaning everything up to verify it's the pump leaking.

 

[sparkplug]

I thought the sealant on the head gasket was originally gray? Maybe someone can chime in.