New-to-me Fzj80. PHH condition — opinions? (1 Viewer)

[tedtonks87]

Just got a ’97 FZJ80 and I’m going through the work of baselining and building confidence in the rig before taking it on longer trips from home. I’m new to the platform so really didn’t do good due diligence wrt common Fzj80 problems before purchase but so far seems nothing is terribly wrong with the truck

I haven’t had any coolant loss issues in the two months of ownership so far — but only about 600 miles driven. I do have full service records from the PO and from what I can tell, all the hoses are original. After spending too much time in the forums and learning about how frequently the PHH fails, I took a look at it. Rubber seems to be in good shape, no bulging, but I do see signs of leak in the rust at the junction of the metal and rubber. Wondering if others think this is an urgent, do-now fix or if I can get by until a trusted shop can get at it.

Obviously there a lot of threads about PHH so apologies for starting another. I have done search but each PHH is different and hard to search images for similar looking ones

 

[ppc]

Replace it as the rubber is swollen as well as all other hoses. You don't want to make those repairs on the road.

 

[SpenserAK]

That's original. You'll see its true condition when it comes off. Replace it & all the other coolant hoses, using constant tension clamps, not worm drive. Replace the heater control valve if it's old (top center on firewall, typically it will have turned brown if it's old)

PHH is done w/ wheel removed, and the skinny hose in front of it going up under the throttlebody (I believe bypass #1?) is easy with the throttlebody off. Then you can easily clean the TB, and while you have it off, it's a good time to do valve cover gasket, spark plug tube seals, and if it needs a tuneup - spark plugs, plug wires, etc

Putting a little time & money into these normal baseline items is very worth it. Do it once and parts are good for another long service life. Spend time going through the FAQ section - everything is well covered. Last tip that I frequently share is to use Google for searching, as the forum search isn't great

 

[LandCruisinMy93]

I'm of the mindset that if it's a known issue that can leave you stranded and your wallet devastated...just spend the hour, $20 and 300 expletives to fix it.

 

[manofthewoods]

I'm of the mindset that if it's a known issue that can leave you stranded and your wallet devastated...just spend the hour, $20 and 300 expletives to fix it.

Only half kidding...
Or do what I did. Mine was leaking. So, I pulled the engine. PHH job becomes laughably easy, as does every other job.
Full disclosure, I really wanted to rebuild everything anyway. Net result is (was) a "new" old beast.
I smile every time I fire it up. Still lousy miles per gallon, but, plenty of smiles per gallon!

 

[lp2k]

its not so much how it looks. No lie, mine looked just like that. Driving just 2 miles from walmart, I noticed a leak and sure enough, it was the PHH. Didn't have a mechanic but I was able to read a lot of threads and took the job on myself and addressed a bunch of cooling hose issues along the way.

bottom line, its 25 years old, you should make it a priority to fix it.

 

[LandCruisinMy93]

Only half kidding...
Or do what I did. Mine was leaking. So, I pulled the engine. PHH job becomes laughably easy, as does every other job.
Full disclosure, I really wanted to rebuild everything anyway. Net result is (was) a "new" old beast.
I smile every time I fire it up. Still lousy miles per gallon, but, plenty of smiles per gallon!

I found the best way to do the PHH was taking off the driver side tire and fender apron pieces and working through there and underneath....but I've put off work on the current setup for precisely this method...so much easier to do stuff with the engine out, Lol.

 

[mudgudgeon]

After spending too much time in the forums and learning about how frequently the PHH fails

Mine failed after 27 years of service.

It damn near keeps me broke with how frequently it fails!


That said, a few dollars and a few hours to replace it is good insurance

 

[mudgudgeon]

looking ones

I wouldn't sweat on that.

Rubber is "bulging" because its pushed over two spigots. Looks good to go to me.

A small amount of corrosion is fairly normal at hose/hard pipe junctions.

Keep it on your PM list, but i wouldn't stop driving it because that. YMMV

 

[greentruck]

I wouldn't stop driving it, but I wouldn't go on any long trips with it, either. It's well down the road to eventual failure, how far that is is anyone's guess, but I'd rather fix it sooner than find out how far away later is.

Pull the wheel and reach in after taking the splash skirts off. I found it rather easier than it often sounds here. IIRC swiveling the down pipe helps line things up, I think it took maybe 90 minutes.

 

[Timpanogos Slim]

It's more than 25 years old and it's the original factory hose. Consider it preventative maintenance.

Be mindful of the rear knock sensor while working on it. Lots of them get broken during this job.

Also replace the heater bypass hoses under the throttle body and the thermostat while you have the cooling system drained.

 

[ToothDr]

Original. Replace yesterday.

 

[nhall80]

If you're up to it, I'd suggest replacing it. Peace of mind is worth alot. I changed mine during baselining, so I pulled the intake and swapped fuel filter, PHH and other hoses along with a few sensors.

I'd suggest this hose:

Pesky Heater Hose Kits