what do I have. (1 Viewer)

[batman]

A week ago my 2002 SLT Yukon burned to the tires. The Insurance Company didn't give me much so I bought something I have always wanted, A Land Cruiser ($1300). I found a 1988 LC with 200K miles and it seems to run ok. This will be an everyday driver for me so I need to wait on the major projects.
I have been reading and I am confused what I have now. Do I have a FJ60-62? A little about this LC Auto ac, ps, Pb, pw, pdl, Throttle knob (what is this for). The motor runs strong but it sounds like a diesel, the sound isn't knocking but a ticking like a diesel at idle. Sounds similar to a ford power stroke.
This LC sat for 6 months to a year w/o being started and it started right up. I changed the oil (20w50 high mile oil) and it was blacker than black w/ slight smell a gas. I drove it 100 miles and I used only 5 gal of gas (20 mpg). Is this good or bad? The AC doesn't blow cold but it runs. Is there a kit to change from R12 to 134a? After I do a complete fluid change and a tune up. Where would be a good place to start improvements on the drive train? Is there anything I should look for or keep my eye on? Any suggestions would be great

Thanks in advance
Bruce W. J.

 

[MiniPigg]

A week ago my 2002 SLT Yukon burned to the tires. The Insurance Company didn't give me much so I bought something I have always wanted, A Land Cruiser ($1300). I found a 1988 LC with 200K miles and it seems to run ok. This will be an everyday driver for me so I need to wait on the major projects.
I have been reading and I am confused what I have now. Do I have a FJ60-62? A little about this LC Auto ac, ps, Pb, pw, pdl, Throttle knob (what is this for). The motor runs strong but it sounds like a diesel, the sound isn't knocking but a ticking like a diesel at idle. Sounds similar to a ford power stroke.
This LC sat for 6 months to a year w/o being started and it started right up. I changed the oil (20w50 high mile oil) and it was blacker than black w/ slight smell a gas. I drove it 100 miles and I used only 5 gal of gas (20 mpg). Is this good or bad? The AC doesn't blow cold but it runs. Is there a kit to change from R12 to 134a? After I do a complete fluid change and a tune up. Where would be a good place to start improvements on the drive train? Is there anything I should look for or keep my eye on? Any suggestions would be great

Thanks in advance
Bruce W. J.

You have an 1988 FJ62. 20mpg is pretty good... I only got about 14mpg in my FJ62. Unless the AC was converted it is still using R12.

Me I would change out the sparkplugs first.... Go to the dealership and get Nippondenso or get some NGK's or Denso plugs. Then need plugwires, cap/bug. Then flush out the coolant and replace it... inspect your coolant hoses as well as all drivebelts for cracks, wear, etc... if hoses are balooned out they are bad. Change oil and use a good quality filter... I like Bosche. Just empty and replace filter on transmission. No need to have it flushed... then in a month dump and replace transmission fluid.... Take a high pressure hose at the carwash and wash out the radiator fins. Drain and replace all drivetrain fluids. Bring rig to midas or some place that will give you a free estimate of work needing to be done on the brakes and exhaust system. You might also think about replacing the O2 sensor being its so old. thats all i can think of for now.

oh.... I like using Seafoam or B12 FI cleaner... use a can in each tank for the first month just to be sure all the crap is cleaned out. Dont use it to often because it can breakdown orings.

 

[sisukid1975]

[

...Throttle knob (what is this for). The motor runs strong but it sounds like a diesel, the sound isn't knocking but a ticking like a diesel at idle. Sounds similar to a ford power stroke.

Thanks in advance
Bruce W. J.[/FONT]

Throttle knob: I think it's for use with the Power take off???

Ticking? Like a puffing kind of tick? Or a metallic resonance to it?

If it's a puffing kind of tick, it might be an injector clicking.

If it's a metallic sound, it might be a loose valve or the valve lash needs to be adjusted?

Just Ideas. Welcome to the club, by the way! This thread is useless without pics.

Fred

 

[batman]

I will have pictures soon, thanx for the advice. I have another question about OEM products; why does every one say use oem, are they that good. and spark plugs will auto lite work, I have had good results with them in the past?

 

[sisukid1975]

I will have pictures soon, thanx for the advice. I have another question about OEM products; why does every one say use oem, are they that good. and spark plugs will auto lite work, I have had good results with them in the past?

I guess it depends really.

As a Volvo owner, I put nothing on the car that is not made by Volvo. I have tried some aftermarket parts, and I have not been impressed with quality and feel.

The Land cruiser is different, as it's being completely resurrected from the ground up, and many of the parts will be mods, which are different as they are designed to supplement and enhance the capabilities as opposed to just duplicating them... However, on the cruiser, whatever I do not mod, I will use OEM parts on. I suspect I will soon become one of CDan's top customers one of these days when my truck is coming back together. (CDan is a guy on the board here that gets Toyota parts, if you need stuff, he can get it for you)

I once had to replace a fuel pump alongside the road in the Volvo. I was in Nebraska and there was no Volvo place close by, so I had to get a generic pump at a Advance Auto parts type place... TO make a long story shot, it didn't fit right, I had to wrap it in strips of rubber to get it to stay in it's bracket, I had to cut the waterproof connectors from the OEM wires, and the pump was louder than my entire engine. Did it work? Yeah. But I didn't like it. WHen I got home, I put a Volvo OEM one on.

Filters are a big deal. My cars get nothing but either MANN filters, or OEM Volvo filters (which are made by mann) Never, ever put a Fram filter on a vehicle!

The way I see it, the OEM parts are designed to work with the vehicle, as it's engineers intended, opposed to aftermarket that most likely will work OK with it.

To me there is a big difference in OEM parts and ones that just fit on there somehow. Maybe I'm wrong, but to me, the OEM parts are worth the extra few dollars in quality, durability and fit and finish.

THis of course does not apply to mods. Kind of a fine line there, huh?

Fred

 

[Doc]

Never, ever put a Fram filter on a vehicle!

You should change that to never put a CHEAP fram filter on a vehicle. The fram X2 filter is a good one, and what I use on all my trucks.

Don't forget the PCV when you do your tune up.

 

[Satamax]

Change the T case oil yourself and filter it so you can see the metal particles, if there's a fair amount of golden (brass) and silvery flakes, be carefull, you'll certainly have to replace the bearings, iddler gear axle and bearing plates in the near future.

 

[RoddQLD]

A common cause of ticking noises in an engine is an exhaust leak. It can sound just like a noisy tappet, but I'd say your noise is probably due to it sitting so long. Might pay to put some sort of oil treatment through it.

 

[zcruiser]

Here's a good site for the different Land Cruiser models:

http://www.tlc4x4.com/2000/History/history.htm

The FJ62 was made in 1988, 89, and 90. The only difference (that I know of) is that the 89 and 90 models have shoulder belts in the 2nd row bench, whereas the 88 only has lap belts.

I would also recommend changing the fluid in your front and rear diffs along with the other recommended fluid changes above.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Change the fuel filter as well just to know when it was changed last. Little things like that can become neglected during the life span of a truck.

More importantly, drill the PO about anything that went wrong with the truck while they owned it. In my case, I did not find out until months after I had dived into my engine that the radiator had plugged and overheated the engine twice. That info would have been helpful in the diagnosis of problems that my truck experienced.

That exhaust tick could be coming from the EGR system where the pipe meets the exhaust manifold. That damn pipe broke a stud and made all kinds of noise.

 

[swank60]

One thing on the tapping noise - these don't have hydraulic lifters like newer vehicles. It'll sound a bit like a sewing machine. There's a balance that's hard to get at - if it's too quiet, it's bad for the engine (valves not having enough slack in them) - and too loud is bad, also. You're kickin' it old school now - still wouldn't be a bad idea to have the clearance on the valve train checked.

As for the Autolite plugs, I'd say no. It's been my experience that the NGKs really work better than anything else - I haven't tried the Denso - but I've tried Bosche dual plats and Autolites...there's a huge difference.

As for OEM over anything else, the way I figure it, they OEM stuff has held up for 200k miles. A lot of us here on the board have experimented with non-OEM stuff, but it tends to fail pretty quickly. Personally, I don't like to redo things every 25k miles, so OEM is the way to go.

 

[MiniPigg]

Knob is for the PTO/Winch.

Filters, As advised change out all filters as well as the PCV valve. I like using Bosche oil and fuel filters. They work awesome and are premium filters but you about half the cost of K&N, Mobil, etc.

Change out all your fluids, Engine, Coolant, Diffs, Transmission/Tcase.

Adjust your Valves... like mentioned this is a solid lifter cam and the valves need to be adjusted on a schedule.

sparkplugs... as mentioned NipponDenso (ND), NGK, Denso all make superior quality plugs. You should be able to get the ND's at the Toyota dealership for less then 1.90 per plug. Stay away from Autolites... when I bought my last pig the PO used them and they suckass. I dont like Champoins either.... I used their truck plugs in my 1985 4runner with a 22RE. I just did a complete tune up and plugs were brand spankin new. I failed the smog test. I changed out the plugs to NGK that same day and passed. Also change out your plugwires and rotor and cap. If you can afford it I would look at also replacing the ignition coil. I like using MSD Blaster 2. Dont forget to check your timing.

 

[yooper]

Congratulations, you will love your FJ62.

YES, the Toyota OEM parts are that good. Use them. Get your parts from cruiserdan - the best prices on OEM parts AND the best service. See the vendors section here on IH8MUD to find out how to contact Dan.

ND or NGK spark plugs only - Cruiser engines don't like Bosch plugs. Champion and Autolite are just crap.

Change ALL the fluids: motor oil, diff oil, transfer oil, ATF, P/S fluid (use ATF), coolant. Changing the ATF is important - it's probably never been done and will greatly enhance the life of your tranny. I recommend Mobil-1 or Amsoil synthetic lubricants in all places, but use your own judgement there.

All 3FE's tick a little bit, but if it's ticking a lot you probably need to adjust the valves.

Two very important pieces of advice:

Your engine is the 3FE. Join the 3FE list and peruse the accumulated knowledge on the 3FE website. Go to http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/3FE/, go to the files section, read the introductory welcome message, then start reading all of the stuff in the fixes/lessons learned folder. Send a message to the list introducing yourself. Search the 3FE archives at http://www.birfield.com/archives/ for specific questions

You MUST buy a Toyota Factory Service Manual. Get the 1989 or 1990 Land Cruiser manual - the same info as the earlier manuals, but all in one volume so it's less expensive. About $67 plus shipping directly from Toyota Publications, 800-622-2033 - the best spent $70 you will ever spend on your Cruiser. Other manuals (Haynes, Chiltons, etc) are crap in comparison.

 

[MiniPigg]

The Factory Service Manual (FSM) is worth its weight in gold. My 7 year old daughter can work on an FJ62 with that manual. Everything you ever want to know is laid out in easy to follow instructions. Nothing else will ever come close to an FSM. Even though I sold my FJ62.. the guy wanted my FSM's too... I said no way even if that was a deal buster. I keep all my Toyota FSM's.

 

[batman]

To all replys above, thanks so much for your input. I am all about listing to what others say, and I guess you all have been there and done that. What would we do if we did not have the w.w.w.?

I replaced the therm stat today and flushed out all the old fluid. I ran a water hose throught it for a few hours to make sure there wasnt any lose debris. Then the wife got home. Had to go to dinner. I have to take this tune up one step at a time and I need to get my 62 inspected. I know it will fail due to the tires so I need to get tires asap. any suggestions on wheels and tires? I want to put 33's on it and I am not sure if I need a lift or not, Im not sure what tire size to get, and I am going to go with a 15'' rim.

What lift should I get if I need one? I need someting kind of cheap and easy for now. I am thinking about the black Mickey Thompson steel wheels, do I need to get them w/ or w/o bead locks? Any suggestions would be great.

 

[yooper]

You can put 33x9.5x15 BFG All Terrains on the stock wheels and spend your money on the lift instead.

Buy the Old Man Emu Dakar Springs from UrbanLandCruiser.com or CruiserOutfitters.com Another OK choice is the HFS springs from coolcruisers.com.

 

[batman]

Yooper, you are a LC plethora of knowledge, how long have you been toying with these Toys?

 

[yooper]

I have had the obsession since I bought my first Cruiser, the FJ62, 3 years ago. I started learning right away, as I had to replace my springs, tranny coolant lines, rear heater lines, and brake rotors pretty early on. Then my fuel pressure regulator failed and I had to learn all about the fuel system. Since then I've done a couple of front axle rebuilds, replaced the fuel injectors on the FJ62, and rebuilt the steering on my FJ55, among other learning experiences.

I am only average on the knowledge scale among the members of this forum. On the 3FE list you will likewise find many people more knowledgeable and obsessed with the FJ62 than I.

A pearl re: the thermostat replacement. Make sure you got the o-rings back in the right place. If not you will get bypass flow and your heater won't work very well. I'm afraid I don't remember what the "right place" is, but if you do a search in the tech sections here you will find it, as it's a common problem.

 

[Liam]

what you need to do first is lower it 8 inches, buy some bling rims and put green neon lights under it......





Welcome to the group

 

[batman]

Yea Noah, or I could put some really small but very wide tires with spacers, so the tire sticks way out the fender. then hang some dingel berries around the overhead. For the back window I can put my last name in old english lettering. Then drive it wearing a bandanna pulled down over my eyes. Freaking awsome!!!! Thats what I am going to do....

The good news is I let my wife drive the beast last night and she wants one now! The bad thing is I can see it comming why does yours have more than mine or why this and why that....