Totally new to Diesels: Summary of what I've learned, questions, concerns (1 Viewer)

[ClassicYotas]

Hello,

I recently bought a 91 HDJ81. I mostly bought it because it was a 5 speed, low mileage, practically rust free, and within my price range. This is my first diesel. I have read the FAQ. This is a summary of what I have learned, and I would like some feedback and advice:

Summary & Questions:

Oil needs to be changed every 5000km. Change all filters.
Heat is the killer of these engines.
Need to get an EGT ASAP. Post Turbo. 1200 degrees is super bad. Want to stay between 400-600. Auber instruments is strongly recommended. Is there such thing as a Scangauge/Ultra gauge for this model diesel LC?
Change Big End Bearings.
Idle the diesel when starting (5 min), Idle it when done with driving it (if from highway driving 10 min).
Get an intercooler. (Do I need this even though mine is a 5 speed? If so what would you recommend?
Is any of this wrong? Did I miss anything to properly maintain this?

Concerns:

So I bought this LC to live out of when I quit my job and travel (2 years from now). I'm not mechanically inclined, but I do want to learn in the next 2 years as I will be on the road living out of this LC. I am told these are simple to work on. My concerns begin with searching this forum and seeing all of these scary questions of "X is making Y noise". I was always under the impression that these trucks were bulletproof; however, do I need to be mechanically inclined for that to be true? With all of the "babying" of this truck (idling to warm up and cool off, plus monitoring heat, oil levels, water temp etc) and increasing cost of parts, is this LC becoming the new G wagon/Land Rover in terms of maintenance and cost?

It has under 140k original miles. It has surface rust on the axels, and a small amount of surface rust on the body. Other than that it "seems" fine. Having a local mechanic look at it is $250 since they are an LC specialist.

Am I in over my head? Would a gas engine/newer truck be worth the extra $$$ for my current knowledge?

Thank you for your feedback and advice.

 

[Dork]

My experience is limited, only having mine for a year now, but here's a couple things I've learned. Some I've done, some i still need to get around to.

Egt needs to be PRE- turbo, not post. The turbo itself will cool things by a couple hundred degrees, then your measurement doesn't mean much.

No scan gauge because you don't have a computer or obd port for it to read.

As your first diesel, you will always feel like the engine has something wrong with it: it will shake, vibrate like crazy, the exhaust will smoke varying amounts, make noise, but it will likely just keep going regardless.

Make your exhaust 3" all the way back.

Intercooler is something you can easily live without until you desire the extra power and lighter wallet.

People will walk up to you in parking lots to ask questions and talk about it. You will get sick and tired of telling people how quickly you got used to driving "on the other side of the road", and even more sick of people telling you how they "could never get used to it". Someone will ask you if its a diesel, then begin to tell you a story about that time they owned a diesel Chebby or Ram 20 years ago as if its anywhere near the same thing.

Its still infinitely cooler than a gasser, so stick with it.

That's all i got for now.

 

[ClassicYotas]

My experience is limited, only having mine for a year now, but here's a couple things I've learned. Some I've done, some i still need to get around to.

Egt needs to be PRE- turbo, not post. The turbo itself will cool things by a couple hundred degrees, then your measurement doesn't mean much.

No scan gauge because you don't have a computer or obd port for it to read.

As your first diesel, you will always feel like the engine has something wrong with it: it will shake, vibrate like crazy, the exhaust will smoke varying amounts, make noise, but it will likely just keep going regardless.

Make your exhaust 3" all the way back.

Intercooler is something you can easily live without until you desire the extra power and lighter wallet.

People will walk up to you in parking lots to ask questions and talk about it. You will get sick and tired of telling people how quickly you got used to driving "on the other side of the road", and even more sick of people telling you how they "could never get used to it". Someone will ask you if its a diesel, then begin to tell you a story about that time they owned a diesel Chebby or Ram 20 years ago as if its anywhere near the same thing.

Its still infinitely cooler than a gasser, so stick with it.

That's all i got for now.

You raised some questions I forgot to ask regarding the sensitivity of it.

So every time I shift it clanks like a mother. At first I thought I was shifting too low, like I barely got the gear, but it doesn't like to be rev'ed high as its practically howling. I shift at around 1800/2000 rpm. The other thing I noticed is the complete vacuum of power when I let go of the gas. As soon as I let it go it jerks. Only way I can describe it is as if it were going to stall. Like all momentum is being taken away. I remedy this by easing off the gas. I feel that if I don't do this I am going to rip that motor right off the mounts. Is this a normal diesel thing?

I was recently on a diesel bus and I felt similar attributes. Im hoping its a diesel thing.

Regarding the exhaust, that I'm aware mine is OEM. Should I go after market?

Why do you say the intercooler can wait? Would it not alleviate more of the heat? I do live in a hilly city.

Thanks for your feedback. I've only driven this thing like 4 times since I got it. Just got it legal today.

 

[77cruiser77]

sounds like a nice 80 you have.

I recommend changing the oil every 5K with Shell Rotela 15w-40. Change the oil filter with an OEM Toyota filter every oil change. Fuel filter doesn't have to be changed out as often as I do mine every few months after driving. We have clean diesel here but its low sulphur so make sure you add something like Stanadyne. This will save your injector pump.

Heat is the killer of all engines. These ones aren't as prone to it and being direct injection helps

PreTurbo, not Post Turbo otherwise you're wasting your time. EGT isn't a bad idea.

Change the BEBs - YES

Letting it idle is a good idea but I probably only idle for 2min-15min on warm up (depends how long it takes me to get ready out the door for work) and cruise the last stretch to my house in neutral so I get an extra couple mins of idle then gather my stuff while it idles some more so I get a solid 5 mins after I'm done. Not sure how necessary it is but it calms me so I do it.

Intercooler can wait. They never came with them and they do just fine. If you begin asking more of your cruiser get better exhaust first, then make sure your injectors and pump are good, then look into an intercooler.

If your cruiser is solid with good maintenance it should only need oil and filters.

 

[jurassic cruiser]

I got a madman gauge for mine it does egt oil pressure tranny temp water level water temp and boost plus u can hook it up to a relay so a buzzer or light goes on if any of the limits u set are reached . I did 3" exhaust made little to no difference. The only place I would ever get parts from is Onur at landcruiser parts and consulting. I have spent over 20k in cruiser stuff over the last 5 years and almost everyone else is a joke and will mess up your order (cruiser outfitters, cruiserparts.net, or your bumper (4x4labs)). Always order parts ahead of time and before u need them as it can yes it can I don't care what anyone on here says it can take 2 months to get a part sometimes. If u have a 12/24 relay in yours they can and do explode and leave u stranded. I will Intercool mine eventually only because I build heavy very loaded trucks and drive fast. Hope that helps pm me if u ever wanna talk diesels and spend your money with onur he is honestly a super smart guy super helpful and professional. I cannot stress this enough I really can't but spend money dont just water his time asking for few advice the guy should be charging $100 plus per hour for consulting

 

[jurassic cruiser]

Also get a tranny cooler from a 19951997 cruiser

 

[DancesWithMutts]

Your EGT ranges, make sure you are specifying C or F when talking temps. 1200F is considered the safe ceiling by many. You will never even make it out of your driveway with EGT's below 600F.

I don't think that you need to be super mechanically inclined to own one of these, but you DO need to be the expert on it. You can't take it in to any shop you run across on the road and expect them to have any clue about how to work on it. Keep reading and researching, start with small projects like adding an EGT gauge and work up to bigger things. Before you know it you'll know every bolt and wire on the rig.

 

[ClassicYotas]

Thanks guys. You all made me feel better.

So get an intercooler when I start running it harder. What is "harder". I feel like i can barely go 80 kilometers. I am VERY scared to push this rig since I know they are expensive. i feather it and let her slowly build up to speed. People probably hate me on the road since I'm "that guy".

 

[ClassicYotas]

I got a madman gauge for mine it does egt oil pressure tranny temp water level water temp and boost plus u can hook it up to a relay so a buzzer or light goes on if any of the limits u set are reached . I did 3" exhaust made little to no difference. The only place I would ever get parts from is Onur at landcruiser parts and consulting. I have spent over 20k in cruiser stuff over the last 5 years and almost everyone else is a joke and will mess up your order (cruiser outfitters, cruiserparts.net, or your bumper (4x4labs)). Always order parts ahead of time and before u need them as it can yes it can I don't care what anyone on here says it can take 2 months to get a part sometimes. If u have a 12/24 relay in yours they can and do explode and leave u stranded. I will Intercool mine eventually only because I build heavy very loaded trucks and drive fast. Hope that helps pm me if u ever wanna talk diesels and spend your money with onur he is honestly a super smart guy super helpful and professional. I cannot stress this enough I really can't but spend money dont just water his time asking for few advice the guy should be charging $100 plus per hour for consulting

How do you like the madman? Is it better than the Auber Digital Gauge?

Thank you for the connect. I will definitely reach out to him when I need parts. *crosses fingers*.

I was told I have mostly 12v, with the exception of the alternator.


One thing I noticed which was odd was that my oil gauge does not move. At all. I don't know if its broken, or if its supposed to be between the bottom line and the 2nd line from the bottom. (1/8th). Is this normal?

I would definitely love to talk cruisers. I would like all the guidance and advice I can get. Thank you for offering.

 

[DancesWithMutts]

Thanks guys. You all made me feel better.

So get an intercooler when I start running it harder. What is "harder". I feel like i can barely go 80 kilometers. I am VERY scared to push this rig since I know they are expensive. i feather it and let her slowly build up to speed. People probably hate me on the road since I'm "that guy".

Just get an EGT gauge. It gives you instant feedback on how hard you are pushing your truck and what is safe. IF you are driving it around like a grandpa, I'm sure it's doing fine. EGT's are directly related to how much fuel is going into the engine. The harder you are pushing that petal the hotter your engine is getting. I am driving a mostly stock automatic and the only times I get into high EGT's is when getting on the highway and pulling long hills at highway speeds. However, my injection pump settings had been mucked with by the Japanese owner, so I had to immediately de-tune it back to safe levels. Hopefully it wasn't damaged too much before I tuned it.

 

[ClassicYotas]

the only times I get into high EGT's is when getting on the highway and pulling long hills at highway speed

That practically describes my city. I will get the egt asap.

 

[DancesWithMutts]

That practically describes my city. I will get the egt asap.

You're not anywhere near Denver are you?

 

[ClassicYotas]

You're not anywhere near Denver are you?

I wish.

Austin. The stop before Denver.

 

[Dork]

Thanks guys. You all made me feel better.

So get an intercooler when I start running it harder. What is "harder". I feel like i can barely go 80 kilometers. I am VERY scared to push this rig since I know they are expensive. i feather it and let her slowly build up to speed. People probably hate me on the road since I'm "that guy".

I'm totally "that guy" on the road too. Not by choice though. Ever since i got this truck its been slow as molasses to accelerate. Seriously, i got an app on my phone to record 0-60 times and I'm looking at 28 seconds. Once its up at 110kph it'll hold there decently, but just horrible getting there. Gearing with the larger tires is part of it, but I'm sure something else is wrong with it that i haven't narrowed down yet, but it just keeps going so ill get to it eventually.

 

[ClassicYotas]

I'm totally "that guy" on the road too. Not by choice though. Ever since i got this truck its been slow as molasses to accelerate. Seriously, i got an app on my phone to record 0-60 times and I'm looking at 28 seconds. Once its up at 110kph it'll hold there decently, but just horrible getting there. Gearing with the larger tires is part of it, but I'm sure something else is wrong with it that i haven't narrowed down yet, but it just keeps going so ill get to it eventually.

Do you have the turbo?

Even with it I feel the turbo the engine doesn't like being in the higher kilometers. Like its comfort zone is 60 kmp. Getting it near 80 makes it seem like I'm pushing it, even though the RPM's are slightly above 2k.

What is the general "pushing it hard" speed?

 

[Dork]

Do you have the turbo?

Even with it I feel the turbo the engine doesn't like being in the higher kilometers. Like its comfort zone is 60 kmp. Getting it near 80 makes it seem like I'm pushing it, even though the RPM's are slightly above 2k.

What is the general "pushing it hard" speed?

I have a '95 with the hdft, the 24 valve with turbo. By all rights it apparently should be a rocket comparatively. I sit at about 2100 rpm at 100kph because I'm on 35s with the stock gearing. Compared to other vehicles I've owned, yeah it doesn't feel like it likes it, but it will do it.

Other people have told me they sit at 120kph+ all day long with no worries, though, but I'm not sure exactly what i should expect either. For now, it seems to run reliably slowly

 

[mudgudgeon]

Also get a tranny cooler from a 19951997 cruiser

Tranny cooler is of no use on a manual.

 

[mudgudgeon]

Diesels are far more torquey to drive than a gasser.
The clunking you describe will be partly poor driving technique. You can drive these like a race car if you're smooth on and off the throttle, and smooth with the clutch.
If you aren't smooth with your driving, they'll lurch and clunk badly and punish you for it.

It's common for the drive flanges on the front hub to wear out and cause a harsh clunk on deceleration.

 

[mudgudgeon]

What is the general "pushing it hard" speed?

How fast do you want go?
How much can your ears handle?
So long as your EGTs and cooling system are ok, push it as hard as you're comfortable with.

 

[Douglas S]

I run 120kph all day long on the flat highways around here. EGT's are fine, trans temp is fine.

Why buy a Land Cruiser to handle it with white gloves? I think the truck is a lot tougher than you are giving it credit for.