New to me- FJ80. I have ?'s

[radioguy]

Just bought a 92 with 146k miles. I have a few questions:

1. Oil pressure looks a little low. I'm used to my old MB diesel that pegs when I accelerate. Are the factory gauges accurate ? Or do they get tired ?

2. Service Manuals- Does Bentley publish a manual for these ? What is the best manual to buy ?

3. I hear a whine in the front end when accelerating. It goes away when I let off of the gas. What should I check ? Is this just part of have AWD and semi-trail tires ?

4. Relocating to Richmond VA in a couple of weeks. Does anyone know a good shop in the area ?

5. Recommendations on fluids ? Oil (I con't mean to start an oil thread here), coolant (stuff in there looks awful), tranny etc.

The forums here look great so far. I appreaciate any input. I've got a mechanic that I will have spend some time going over the truck before driving it to VA.

Thanks,
Todd

 

[firetruck41]

Check the 80 series faqs.

Oil gauge does not usually peg out, what you see is probably normal.

Best manual is the factory service manual, buy it, along with all your OEM parts needs from cruiserdan at American Toyota (banner ad or vendors section or look up the user name cruiserdan)

 

[e9999]

Welcome!

Fortunately, my Cruiser wasn't made by Bentley, was made by ARACO! Way better!

 

[Trailbus]

1. On my '91 the oil press gauge stays right around the 1st mark up from the bottom (like 1/3rd up the scale). Been like that since I bought it 13 years and 110,000 miles ago

3. No whine coming from the front of mine. Check the fluids in the axle & center diff.

5. I've used all kinds of brands of oils in my drivetrain. I jumped on the amsoil bandwagon a while back and had to drain my axles only a few months later. Everybody has their own opinion on this but I've got Amsoil in the center diff, and just a good quality straight oil in the axles drained regularly and after extended water wheeling.

As for coolant, I went to green ~8 years ago but was always fighting slight overheating going up long hills. I went back to toyota red after a thorough flushing and the temp gauge stays in the happy area now. Well worth the $17 a gallon in my book.

 

[radioguy]

Good info- Thanks

Thanks guys. I found some good oil info in the FAQ. Green or Red coolant seem fine, just not both. As for service manuals, the one published by Bentley doesn't have good reviews on Amazon. I found another by Max Ellery that looks more appropriate.

Gracias gentlemen,
Todd

 

[TroutRunner]

Thanks guys. I found some good oil info in the FAQ. Green or Red coolant seem fine, just not both. As for service manuals, the one published by Bentley doesn't have good reviews on Amazon. I found another by Max Ellery that looks more appropriate.

Gracias gentlemen,
Todd

Get the factory service manual as described. Buy the good one first sot you dont have to repeat a purchase later. It has everything you will need....That is if you plan to do some work yourself.

TR

 

[MaddBaggins]

I have the factory manual and the Haynes manual. The Haynes has photos in it, a good supplement to the FSM.

 

[woody]

I keep the Haynes in the truck for emergency use and the FSM on the bookshelf for the real projects...

Amsoil in all my cases too....

also re-grease the driveshafts. it may be worth pulling them apart and cleaning the splines before regreasing...overdoing those is common and can cause whines.

my oil pressure runs below the 1/3 line at idle and will just touch the 2/3 line on hard accel....

welcome

 

[Proven]

My oil pressure bounces around in the lower third of the guage. That's just how it is. No warning buzzers have ever gone off...so I don't worry.

By the Factory Service Manual direct from Toyota. I am sure if you do a search you will find the phone number and the part numbers to order. They will ship it to your door and it will be THE manual that THE Toyota Tech's use.

Mine has a whine coming from the front, it is most likely a bearing in one of the idler pulleys or the belts need to be changed to factory belts. The Napa belts that the PO used are craptastic on mine. Will be replacing them very soon.

As for shops in Richmond. If you have a driveway I suggest you buy the FSM and a nice set of tools. Order all your parts from CDan, and get to it. You might be suprised at the number of little things you can take care of on your own. Save money, Be more confident about your Truck, and know that it was done right. Doing your own work really pays off when you have an issue off road that you know how to fix.

 

[Heffenoche]

Just bought a 92 with 146k miles. I have a few questions:

4. Relocating to Richmond VA in a couple of weeks. Does anyone know a good shop in the area ?

Thanks,
Todd

Todd, go with the FSM and C-Dan for parts as others have mentioned. In Richmond I would recomend Craig at the Village Exon on Three Choped Road. He usually has a cruiser or two out from waiting to be worked on.

You may also want to Bay to Blue Ridge Cruisers in Richmond/Fredricksburg VA. www.bbrcva.org and/or the message board in the Club Corner section of this sight.

 

[firetruck41]

Thanks guys. I found some good oil info in the FAQ. Green or Red coolant seem fine, just not both. As for service manuals, the one published by Bentley doesn't have good reviews on Amazon. I found another by Max Ellery that looks more appropriate.

Gracias gentlemen,
Todd

You must've had a european car before... Unless you don't have the $$$, get the factory service manual, it is 5-10 times bigger than any of the other manuals, and covers just your one year of production of your specific vehicle, in other words, tons more info than all the other manuals put together. It is probably ~$70-80.

 

[harveya]

Whine in the front will be front diff.Just had mine done. Front diff is a weak point, crown wheel will most likely be on the way out however a rebuild with new pinion and side bearings might help. Or you can live with it, may last another 50 or 60k miles with no problems. Mine did 25k miles sounding like a metro train and was still just about ok when it went for scrap when a replacement was fitted albeit it was not rebuildable at this point cos the case was damaged.

 

[jfz80]

not exactly in town; but lance and ironpigoffroad arent tooo far away.
ironpigoffroad.com depends on the type work being done

 

[radioguy]

You guys are great! I have owned and maintained euro cars in the past (VW and Mercedes). I have the full set of factory manuals for my 83 SD. I'll check out the FSMs for the cruiser.

I plan on doing most maintenence myself, but I like having someone to turn too if time and space are an issue. I haven't reviewed the "rules" on car maintenence in the new neighborhood.

Thanks again,
Todd