Sell or Commit (1 Viewer)

[Lyle Kilson]

Just putting it out there if you're that determined to have boost in the future you could go with an aftermarket ECU and/or put together your own turbo kit. The Wit's End one is absolutely a great option, but with the future of it up in the air (and who can blame Joey he has had a bear of a time getting the parts together apparently) and the potential to have more control and MO POWA the cost is definitely worth considering.

Quite a few Aussies (and a few Mudder's in the states) have put together their own turbo kits and are running aftermarket ECUs. Not everything has to be

The fact that Joey's turbo is "99.99%" bolt in is a game changer for me. I'm not a mechanic. I'm pretty novice. This is going to be my first complete engine rebuild. It could take me months. I look forward to taking apart the 1fz to learn all I can about the rig. A bolt in turbo that I have reliable support for via Wits-End would save me alot of headache/research and worry about me screwing something up.

You're right though. Maybe I just need to grow a pair and figure out my own. Something to think about for sure.

 

[Francis K]

Well at the least you know your truck you know exactly what it needs and what it doesn’t, if you go pick up a new truck that definitely won’t be the case.

There is also the aspect that this is the absolute worst time possible to be looking for a vehicle.

I severely regret selling my old LX and wish I had her instead of the the LC I am building up now.

 

[Lyle Kilson]

Well at the least you know your truck you know exactly what it needs and what it doesn’t, if you go pick up a new truck that definitely won’t be the case.

There is also the aspect that this is the absolute worst time possible to be looking for a vehicle.

I severely regret selling my old LX and wish I had her instead of the the LC I am building up now.

^^Facts

 

[AndrewInf]

Not saying this is absolutely your situation, but my '95 had a high amount of oil use when I got it at ~262k miles. "High" to me was about a quart every other tank, so maybe two quarts per 1000 miles.

I just lived with it and would add oil whenever the low oil light came on (or when I noticed it was low on the dipstick).

4 years in my head gasket blew on the #6 cylinder in the usual spot, maybe only at ~280k miles. I was living in an apartment with no garage at the time so I took it to a local LC specialist in Austin. A rebuild of the head was in order -- at the very least the head needed to be machined in case of warping so it made sense to do all the other stuff. I asked the mechanic if they thought the bottom end needed any work and he said "no, I doubt it, they're usually bulletproof," so we went ahead with the head rebuild and HG replacement. The oil consumption went to nearly zero with the rebuilt head, I guess the vast majority of my oil loss was through the valve seals as others have suggested here. 6 years and another 25k miles later and that is still the case. I personally haven't checked the compression on the cylinders since the head rebuild (sold my test kit to a Jeep guy in a moment of financial desperation) but it runs well.

I still have some oil loss but it is every small, maybe a half a quart every 1500-2000 miles. I have been attributing this to my badly leaking oil pump cover seal. I was geared up to change that before my landlord decided I should not be allowed to work on my car in my rented garage anymore, "just because." That's life as a serf.

Anyway, if you're looking down the barrel of a full rebuild, it may be worth your time to see if there's a huge cost tradeoff in just starting with the head and seeing how things go. I know you can check if the rings are preventing blowby by testing compression before/after squirting a little oil in each cylinder. Not sure if that will tell you how well oil is being kept south of the piston, though.

 

[baldilocks]

The problem is only that you want a turbo. Forget forced induction and save thousands keeping it pure like a true snob. Wanting equals stress and then we ask a bunch of motor heads what we should do.

 

[White Stripe]

I used to have a 94. It was a great cruiser. I can see the appeal of keeping the 1fz in some ways and turbocharging it when I had it. But now I have a v8 in my current cruiser and my perspective is different now. Your cruiser has 300k miles on the motor and trans. If you find a shop that does nice v8 swaps, you won't miss the 1fz anymore. I could care less it's not toyota anymore because I enjoy driving it so much with the v8. It's how they should have been made and it's made my cruiser way more useful. My opinion anyway. But if your that determined to go 1fz yes I would sell your cruiser and buy a 95 to 97.

 

[JunkCrzr89]

Since everyone is throwing out their opinions, I’ll do so as well: Replace HG, have head job done, slap it back together, and drive ‘er till she decides to change her own oil. Then sell the head and whatever decent components exist and swap in something else of your choosing. 2uz would be my first choice theoretically/ideally, but practically the swap seems overly complicated and possibly not worth the electrical nightmare. But wtf do I know The reality is I’d just put another dying 1FZ back in it and repeat the cycle.

 

[pkniland]

Regear it to 5.29's

 

[SaturnAscends]

As a matter of fact I might be forced to get rid of my 1997 model sometime in the near future. You seem like you might be in a better position to give it the love it needs. Just a thought.

 

[SaturnAscends]

Also, I'm hardly the authority ion these topics, but perhaps another option is to swap in a newer 1fz, or maybe a new long block from Toyota or some other specialty supplier?

I'm not sure if this is possible or has been done, but I think they made improvements to the 1fz for the 105 series in Aus and elsewhere, which . Some even had VVTi, but I have no idea if these would be included in a new 1fz longblock, if they are even available.

 

[leonard_nemoy]

I'll get right to the point. I have a 1994 TLC. It's got 300k miles and burns ALOT of oil. The plan is to completely rebuild the motor over the winter season. I've been getting quotes from a few shops for kits and I want to get started ASAP. I've always loved the 1FZ-FE and DON'T want to swap it. The only complaint I have is my 1994 is OBD1. For me thats a problem because in the next 1-2 years I also want a Wits-End Turbo form @NLXTACY. Should I take a leap and sell my 1994 and search out a OBD2 (1995-1997)? Or is the market so crazy for these rigs right now that I should be happy with what I have?

I'd love to hear some outside perspectives.

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Just keep it original and scrap the turbo idea.


P.S. I am pretty sure I saw that sexy 60 series monday on Brigham road. Good looking rig!!!!

 

[A2ShedsJackson]

I rebuilt my engine at 180K on my '94 when the head gasket went. Now at 340K and only have a few drops of oil here and there. My future plan is to convert to RusEFI for the ECU, swap to wide band O2's and replace the distributor with coil packs. I really don't need a turbo and I occasionally tow my weight with a trailer. I don't need to get rubber into 3rd gear doing so from a stoplight. If there are no problems before 500K I'll wait until then to pull it all apart again for fresh bearings, rings, gaskets and seals. I'd rather have reliability then a few extra HP.

 

[mudgudgeon]

If you've caught up all the PM, and the rest of the rig is in good shape, I'd stick with what you have.

If you're deadset on turbo charging, and you're gonna do a full rebuild, source a 105series 1fz-fe head, oil pan, crank and cam angle sensors, aftermarket ECU, MAF, coil packs etc for distributor-less ignition, and piece together aftermarket pistons, head studs, manifold, turbo etc etc etc.

That puts you about at least $15k in the hole . . .


There loads of Aussies who have turbo'd various 1fz-fe.
If you can cope with Facebook, search for 'turbo 1fz-fe' there's loads of info available

 

[Njck22]

Fix the 1fz. Do what you can yourself and send it off. when you get tired of burning oil or want to go faster, go UZ.

I wouldn't even be afraid of the electronics if you run a manual transmission. lextreme can make standalone harnesses, even for VVTI motors. The rest is just integrating body functions, which fortunately in an 80 series land cruiser is far from integrated into the ECU.
A custom coil-packed 1fz is probably sweet as and definitely gets the cool award. but maintaining that won't be fun. whereas there will be plenty of 4.7l parts and support, state-side.

 

[Cruiserhead05]

I've been fortunate enough to own various 80's over the last 15 years. Most were 1fz power plants, some were not. I've got a year under my belt with an LS swap now, and I honestly cannot see ever wanting an 80 with any other motor in it. If you plan to keep your 80 and drive it routinely for the next 10-15 years, this is the route I'd go.

I think most (not all) of the purists might be surprised how quickly they can let go of that 1FZ-or-nothing mentality once they realize how pleasant an 80 is with a 400hp V8 pushing it around effortlessly. Absolutely nothing has changed how much I enjoy my 80 like the LS Swap did.

 

[thatcabledude]

.......2uz would be my first choice theoretically/ideally, but practically the swap seems overly complicated.....

It's not.

 

[Lyle Kilson]

As a matter of fact I might be forced to get rid of my 1997 model sometime in the near future. You seem like you might be in a better position to give it the love it needs. Just a thought.

If your looking for a good home for that 97 I could help you out with that for sure

 

[Lyle Kilson]

Also, I'm hardly the authority ion these topics, but perhaps another option is to swap in a newer 1fz, or maybe a new long block from Toyota or some other specialty supplier?

I'm not sure if this is possible or has been done, but I think they made improvements to the 1fz for the 105 series in Aus and elsewhere, which . Some even had VVTi, but I have no idea if these would be included in a new 1fz longblock, if they are even available.

I've called a few shops about this. Short blocks are available, but long blocks are not. I thought about sourcing the short block and then adding the rest myself. Most shops will source the short block and even make it a long block for you. it just cost $$$$.

 

[Lyle Kilson]

Just keep it original and scrap the turbo idea.


P.S. I am pretty sure I saw that sexy 60 series monday on Brigham road. Good looking rig!!!!

I am not gonna lie, this has been the most appealing option. Less work. Less stress. Less money. More time cruising.

I wish that 60 was mine! It's my buddies DD. He gets alot of looks for sure. Are you in Saint George?

 

[Lyle Kilson]

I'd rather have reliability then a few extra HP.

This is a BIG reason why I want to KEEP the 1fz. You're spot on.