Rolled one, one spontaneously combusted, now one blew a cylinder at 140K miles - I am out

[Nature Calls]

I have been a diehard land cruiser fan for years...convinced several friends to buy them, 100s in particular...but I have not had the best luck with them and I think I may be moving on...to where I don't know...but I know that it will be hard to buy another 100 at this point.

The 99' wasn't its fault, the wife hit a patch of ice in '15 and rolled it, no one was hurt, the '01 self-ignited and was totaled by fire in '21 and now the '04 just blew a cylinder in '24. Totally bummed and not sure where to go next, but pretty sure I am moving on from 100s and LCs in general for now to try and change my overall car-luck.

The 2004 is in great shape and it is posted in the classifieds for anyone interested in a DIY project.

Cheers and good best of luck...I will be watching from the outside with my sad face pressed up against the glass.

 

[76FJ40]

Quitter.

 

[Zuberg]

4th times the charm....

Did the 04 blow a plug? Just curious if you've seen the pics from actual scope on cylinder 5. Others have had mechanics says their engine is dead, etc but when they looked closer, that wasn't the case. Might be a helicoil away from continuing the cruiser journey....

I also can appreciate and understand wanting to wash your hands of it and move on. Best of luck in either case.

 

[excessive]

what caused the fire? Fires seem to be really rare on these, this is the first i've ever heard of it happening

 

[Nature Calls]

not sure...it was right at the back of the engine/start of the dash...when I jumped out I saw material on fire dripping from that location onto the road. There wasn't much left it about 10 minutes after that.

what caused the fire? Fires seem to be really rare on these, this is the first i've ever heard of it happening

 

[Nature Calls]

4th times the charm....

Did the 04 blow a plug? Just curious if you've seen the pics from actual scope on cylinder 5. Others have had mechanics says their engine is dead, etc but when they looked closer, that wasn't the case. Might be a helicoil away from continuing the cruiser journey....

I also can appreciate and understand wanting to wash your hands of it and move on. Best of luck in either case.

I am not sure if a plug blew....they scoped it and found damage to the cylinder. I know what it is like when a coil goes...this was a little different when it happened, so while I had my hopes up, I knew it was probably something else.

 

[hoser]

The only other vehicle I would consider buying in the same class/price range of an LC100 would be Y61 Nissan Patrol (1997-09). The tough part is finding one with the options I want... and then importing it.

 

[Mike NXP]

Ford Bronco

 

[dbleon]

Ford Bronco

Just threw up in my mouth

 

[NE Snowman]

Sorry about the ice, the fire is pretty rare did it have after market wires installed behind the dash?

The most recent “blown” cyl is odd. Do you have pictures of damage? Did it start missing real bad? We have the spark plugs coming out pretty well documented here, lots got a way with a heli.

Good luck with the next platform, I wouldn’t know what else to go to 100s/200s are tough to beat.

 

[Foehammer]

Chevy suburban (80's one with a Cummins swap or else big block). Chev k5 blazer. Ford excursion 7.3 diesel. Early 2000s Suburban or Yukon 2500 with 6.0. LC 200 if you can swing the cash.

Edit to add: 4th gen 4runner v8. 3rd gen Hilux surf. 2nd gen 4runner with VW tdi swap. Lots of cool stuff out there.

 

[rexington14]

Mid 90's 3/4 ton 4x4 Suburban with 6.5L diesel

 

[GerLC100]

puuhhh.. LX it is I'd say :-D

depending on the targets/ use case: stiff front axle? 7 seater? ...

 

[newbielx470]

Sorry to hear all the bad experiences you had with your Hundys. Sometimes I also think about what other trucks can be possible options at similar price range (adding reasonable baselining/repair to the overall budget). All heavy SUVs/trucks older than 7-8 years need some extra maintenance and repair. But I feel that the 100 series is the only one worth fixing The other SUVs/trucks (Nissan, Honda, domestic, cheaper Toyotas etc.) have more problems, cost about the same to fix, but would likely have repeated issues and subpar ride/build quality/off road capability/cool-factor.

 

[Nature Calls]

I hear you, you listed all of my KPIs that keeps me coming back for more (ride/build quality/off road capability/cool-factor)....I am still going through the raw emotions of it...who knows, in a few months or so, I may be back with one more hundy...but maybe at the risk of one less wife ...that is perhaps the real issue at this point, she is tired of all of this...it's as if I have had 3 mistresses over the years...finding one after the other just when my wife thought with each unexpected break-up she finally had me all to herself!

Sorry to hear all the bad experiences you had with your Hundys. Sometimes I also think about what other trucks can be possible options at similar price range (adding reasonable baselining/repair to the overall budget). All heavy SUVs/trucks older than 7-8 years need some extra maintenance and repair. But I feel that the 100 series is the only one worth fixing The other SUVs/trucks (Nissan, Honda, domestic, cheaper Toyotas etc.) have more problems, cost about the same to fix, but would likely have repeated issues and subpar ride/build quality/off road capability/cool-factor.

 

[OEMGUY0720]

The only other vehicle I would consider buying in the same class/price range of an LC100 would be Y61 Nissan Patrol (1997-09). The tough part is finding one with the options I want... and then importing it.

I second. Proof is in the pudding:

 

[FJ404345]

Toyota Landcruisers are s***ty cars, the other brands are just more s***tier

 

[GerLC100]

completely different alternative: 4x4 E-Series U-Joint kit and go anywhere the van fits through. as many seats as you want, my 5.4l has much better mpg than the 4.7 2UZ, diesel available, cheap spare parts and good selection of manufacturers at every car shop and everyone know how to work on them. Very capable, but a bit bigger. The 250 and 350 share the same frame, the 150 is spec'ed down.

 

[NE Snowman]

Homepage - https://www.quigley4x4.com/ is actually pretty close to me, they convert those 4x4 E-vans. Also build the vans on Mount Washington with tracks, they run the auto road in winter up to 4k feet, which is pretty crazy up there in February. The machine that makes the summit run is a totally different machine with a plow built in.

 

[Broski]

completely different alternative: 4x4 E-Series U-Joint kit and go anywhere the van fits through. as many seats as you want, my 5.4l has much better mpg than the 4.7 2UZ, diesel available, cheap spare parts and good selection of manufacturers at every car shop and everyone know how to work on them. Very capable, but a bit bigger. The 250 and 350 share the same frame, the 150 is spec'ed down.

I had no less then 4 of these, the last one is one of the only vehicles I wish I never sold !!
Except Quad Van out of Portland Oregon does the best conversion. and what I had
And all the E series Vans E150 - 250 - 350 share the same chassis and frame.