I’m not new to the Land Cruiser world but i am new to ih8mud. I’ve been reading on here a lot and thought I would introduce myself and my current project.
My father in law purchased this fj60 in 1986 (also the year my wife was born) and it was an everyday driver for him until 2015. He had some serious running hot issue and was smoking and loosing water and mixing antifreeze and oil. The mechanic he had been using said it was probably a cracked block and they were looking at tearing down the motor for exploration or doing a motor swap. He decided to put it in storage and purchase another daily driver. Fast forward to this spring. I was looking for a project. So I decided to drag this old truck out and get it back on the road. I went by where the truck was in storage and to my great surprise no rust and the interior looked incredible. Unknown motor status was the big question. I decided I’d take it on regardless of the motor outcome replacing if necessary.
So with the cruiser loaded I headed to my shop. I wanted to get a bead on the motor before I get to work on other parts of the truck as there were no glaring issues before it was parked. And the exact motor state was unknown. I really wanted to hear the motor run before i tore into it.
I removed the spark plugs and put a mixture of trans fluid and kroil oil in each cylinder and let it sit over night.
I changed the oil and filled the coolant system, replaced the spark plugs and removed the valve cover. With a new battery it would turn over but a couple of the rockers were stuck. Light tap got them rocking again and pouring gas into the carb it fired up fairly quickly. Still running on the 9 year old gas in the tank it ran rough but it would idle on its own after a couple minutes. I was thrilled to say the least.
Next day I took a couple more steps and changed the oil again and drained the gas tank. I pressure washed the windows where I could see out and I actually drove it down the alley behind my store. I didn’t go far but was elated that it drove. 4 speed manual shifted out and ran decent. But it started to skip and smoke and when I parked it I confirmed what i suspected that coolant was getting in the oil again.
So at this point I knew I needed to get the head off and try to learn the whole story.
I had plans to desmog so I removed and put in a box all the unnecessary (for me in Alabama) egr and smog parts. Two of the air injector rail ports were twisted into already so this thing couldn’t have been running good. So I removed all the motor accessories and pulled the carb and intake and exhaust manifolds and pulled the head. By the way lifting a f2 head is not a 1 man job. And there it was pretty as you please. Blown head gasket.
It looks like the gasket blew between the first water jacket and the first cylinder and then again between the first and second cylinders. This was really what I’d hoped I’d find given the history and the symptoms. So now I have a plan.
I sent the head out for surface grind and valve job and pressure check and have been ordering parts and cleaning up the motor waiting for it to come back. I hope to have it in the next couple weeks and begin the process of putting it back together.
My plans are to replace all relevant gaskets and water pump and thermostat and a city racer carb. Recurve the distributer. Replace all coolant hoses and clamps and then put a few miles on it. I’m sure there are some things I’ve forgotten.
I’ve read enough in here in the last 6 months to know the wealth of knowledge this forum holds. I’m excited to hear some feed back and recommendations. I know I’ll have some questions and plan to move to suspension when I get the motor lined out. Then to interior as it’s pretty good anyway. I’m not shooting for a frame off restoration rig. Just a good dependable truck to drive around looking for creeks to fly fish.
My father in law purchased this fj60 in 1986 (also the year my wife was born) and it was an everyday driver for him until 2015. He had some serious running hot issue and was smoking and loosing water and mixing antifreeze and oil. The mechanic he had been using said it was probably a cracked block and they were looking at tearing down the motor for exploration or doing a motor swap. He decided to put it in storage and purchase another daily driver. Fast forward to this spring. I was looking for a project. So I decided to drag this old truck out and get it back on the road. I went by where the truck was in storage and to my great surprise no rust and the interior looked incredible. Unknown motor status was the big question. I decided I’d take it on regardless of the motor outcome replacing if necessary.
So with the cruiser loaded I headed to my shop. I wanted to get a bead on the motor before I get to work on other parts of the truck as there were no glaring issues before it was parked. And the exact motor state was unknown. I really wanted to hear the motor run before i tore into it.
I removed the spark plugs and put a mixture of trans fluid and kroil oil in each cylinder and let it sit over night.
I changed the oil and filled the coolant system, replaced the spark plugs and removed the valve cover. With a new battery it would turn over but a couple of the rockers were stuck. Light tap got them rocking again and pouring gas into the carb it fired up fairly quickly. Still running on the 9 year old gas in the tank it ran rough but it would idle on its own after a couple minutes. I was thrilled to say the least.
Next day I took a couple more steps and changed the oil again and drained the gas tank. I pressure washed the windows where I could see out and I actually drove it down the alley behind my store. I didn’t go far but was elated that it drove. 4 speed manual shifted out and ran decent. But it started to skip and smoke and when I parked it I confirmed what i suspected that coolant was getting in the oil again.
So at this point I knew I needed to get the head off and try to learn the whole story.
I had plans to desmog so I removed and put in a box all the unnecessary (for me in Alabama) egr and smog parts. Two of the air injector rail ports were twisted into already so this thing couldn’t have been running good. So I removed all the motor accessories and pulled the carb and intake and exhaust manifolds and pulled the head. By the way lifting a f2 head is not a 1 man job. And there it was pretty as you please. Blown head gasket.
It looks like the gasket blew between the first water jacket and the first cylinder and then again between the first and second cylinders. This was really what I’d hoped I’d find given the history and the symptoms. So now I have a plan.
I sent the head out for surface grind and valve job and pressure check and have been ordering parts and cleaning up the motor waiting for it to come back. I hope to have it in the next couple weeks and begin the process of putting it back together.
My plans are to replace all relevant gaskets and water pump and thermostat and a city racer carb. Recurve the distributer. Replace all coolant hoses and clamps and then put a few miles on it. I’m sure there are some things I’ve forgotten.
I’ve read enough in here in the last 6 months to know the wealth of knowledge this forum holds. I’m excited to hear some feed back and recommendations. I know I’ll have some questions and plan to move to suspension when I get the motor lined out. Then to interior as it’s pretty good anyway. I’m not shooting for a frame off restoration rig. Just a good dependable truck to drive around looking for creeks to fly fish.
Good luck and enjoy, they are incredible for exploring.
