What gives with the HDJ81 JDM scaremongering?

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[steezy]

I am throwing in the towel on my HDJ81.

I bought it 3 and a half years ago at auction seeing only the 24 valve turbo engine with 219km on the clock. At the time of purchase I had not even realized that it had been converted from RHD to LHD. Badly. People here on Mud set me straight soon enough. I spent easily 1.5 times the original purchase price working to address the problems introduced by the poor RHD to LHD conversion. I'm talking a new frame even, because they neglected to reinforce the frame at the steering box attachment point. Anyways, I have now returned it to registerable status here in Dubai, twice. The final straw was when I could not get the 24v starting solenoid to operate reliably so I started pulling kick panels off only to discover that they had done an even worse job when it came to addressing the wiring harness changes from RHD to LHD. That and the fact that is was an auto with the gear shift poking into my leg and the accelerator pedal was not in the standard position. Yes, it all could have been addressed, but it just, frankly, beat me into submission.

But I do -love- that engine. Plenty of pep and I was getting 18 MPG out of it, or something like that. So I actually pulled the 24 valve turbo engine out of the HDJ81 and swapped in a 1HD before sending it back to the casino / auction house. The 24 valve engine is going into a nice but worn Omni diesel 80 that I bought a couple of years ago-the Omani truck having donated its 1HZ to the 81.

Well this is unique!

 

[george bluth]

I am throwing in the towel on my HDJ81.

I bought it 3 and a half years ago at auction seeing only the 24 valve turbo engine with 219km on the clock. At the time of purchase I had not even realized that it had been converted from RHD to LHD. Badly. People here on Mud set me straight soon enough. I spent easily 1.5 times the original purchase price working to address the problems introduced by the poor RHD to LHD conversion. I'm talking a new frame even, because they neglected to reinforce the frame at the steering box attachment point. Anyways, I have now returned it to registerable status here in Dubai, twice. The final straw was when I could not get the 24v starting solenoid to operate reliably so I started pulling kick panels off only to discover that they had done an even worse job when it came to addressing the wiring harness changes from RHD to LHD. That and the fact that is was an auto with the gear shift poking into my leg and the accelerator pedal was not in the standard position. Yes, it all could have been addressed, but it just, frankly, beat me into submission.

But I do -love- that engine. Plenty of pep and I was getting 18 MPG out of it, or something like that. So I actually pulled the 24 valve turbo engine out of the HDJ81 and swapped in a 1HZ before sending it back to the casino / auction house. The 24 valve engine is going into a nice but worn Omni diesel 80 that I bought a couple of years ago-the Omani truck having donated its 1HZ to the 81.

Wow. Sounds like a nightmare.

 

[John Young]

Wow. Sounds like a nightmare.

Think of it as a boiling frog scenario.

"The boiling frog is an apologue describing a frog being slowly boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is put suddenly into boiling water, it will jump out, but if the frog is put in tepid water which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. The story is often used as a metaphor for the inability or unwillingness of people to react to or be aware of sinister threats that arise gradually rather than suddenly."

=Wikipedia

 

[jellis]

I was almost to that point with my HDJ, but mine was due to Death Wobble from a poorly implemented lift. I had to upgrade most of structural suspension components and drivelines, even with that DW still happened until I switched to Nitto tires. Fortunately now I'm two years in with no DW, so I'll keep it.

Super sorry yours was such a hack job! I'd like to think in hindsight that I wouldn't have bought this truck if I had inspected it closer, but honestly I just didn't know what to look for on a lifted rig to know if it was done well or not back then.

I'd be willing to bet that a lot of the HDJ horror stories out there are due to PO mods and not such much the model itself. The problem with the way that the import process typically works is that they come into Canada first because they have less years they have to wait, they get modded before or get modded there, then they get imported to the US. Thus the history is typically gone so you don't even know what to look for or where to look. For example, who would pull off kick panels on an pre-purchase inspection? In my case, I would have required putting the rig on a lift to know that the front driveshaft was too long and fully compressed before the tires hit the ground, etc.

 

[mehbohdi]

My 2cents: Take the Toyota out of the equation, I DD 2001 Dodge Cummins, 250,000mi. Injection pump $2200.00 (100,000 miles out of last 1), Injectors $800.00 (working on 80,000 miles so far), Turbo $1500.00 (original turbo...). Diesel's are expensive that's just how it is, I would not get rid of this truck it was my late Fathers last ride and I will probably keep fixing it til I can't. My experience is you get a lot of miles in between major expenses so enjoy it, there is no replacement for the low end torque that a diesel can produce. And making more power is relatively easy with simple bolt on's, but not cheap...... Don't be afraid just do it.

 

[Thepeopleperson]

I've got a spreadsheet tracking 21k miles with pretty good stability on mine.

21 is my best tank.

18 was average when commuting to work.

15.5 is average city

14 is my worst tank

This is on 35s and corrected for the tires.

Injectors are about $600 USD to rebuild.
A turbo rebuild is $500 USD
Expect $1500 used to rebuild an IP.

But these are inline with any diesel really. So not scary.


Other than cruise control cable I've had zero issues getting parts.

Where do you go to find parts? My transmission crapped out and the guy working on it is afraid that a torque converter is going to be difficult to hunt down

 

[codgn]

Where do you go to find parts? My transmission crapped out and the guy working on it is afraid that a torque converter is going to be difficult to hunt down

I would check partsouq, megazip, amayama and then theres probably some Australian companies that make after market components

 

[codgn]

Where do you go to find parts? My transmission crapped out and the guy working on it is afraid that a torque converter is going to be difficult to hunt down

80 Series Turbo Diesel from 08/1992 with 4 Speed Auto

automatictransmission.com.au

 

[John Young]

Where do you go to find parts? My transmission crapped out and the guy working on it is afraid that a torque converter is going to be difficult to hunt down

I would have a hard look at ordinary 80 parts. I just swapped engines between an 81 with an automatic transmission and a manual normally aspirated diesel. I'd suspect you may be able to use an ordinary 80 torque converter. It's worth investigating anyways.

 

[Dusten]

Where do you go to find parts? My transmission crapped out and the guy working on it is afraid that a torque converter is going to be difficult to hunt down

My trans shop sourced it all. Can't help with that

 

[Dusten]

I would have a hard look at ordinary 80 parts. I just swapped engines between an 81 with an automatic transmission and a manual normally aspirated diesel. I'd suspect you may be able to use an ordinary 80 torque converter. It's worth investigating anyways.

The stall speed should be significantly higher

 

[John Young]

The stall speed should be significantly higher

Yes but it could get you back on the road. Plus, I haven't noticed huge differences in terms of RPM when I'm driving between my 1Fz carbureted and the one HZ. I'm doing most of my driving in the mid 2000 RPM range on both. Sure it won't be exactly right but if the alternative is not driving it at all...

I should add that I'm talking about two manual transmission vehicles. I really never like the way the automatic transmission shifted on my model 81. It's one of the reasons that I'm getting rid of it. So I can't say that I'm absolutely sure about any of this only that it's probably worth thinking about and looking at.

 

[mudgudgeon]

Yes but it could get you back on the road. Plus, I haven't noticed huge differences in terms of RPM when I'm driving between my 1Fz carbureted and the one HZ. I'm doing most of my driving in the mid 2000 RPM range on both. Sure it won't be exactly right but if the alternative is not driving it at all...

If be surprised if they are interchangeable.
Clutches aren't for the manual models

 

[Dusten]

Yes but it could get you back on the road. Plus, I haven't noticed huge differences in terms of RPM when I'm driving between my 1Fz carbureted and the one HZ. I'm doing most of my driving in the mid 2000 RPM range on both. Sure it won't be exactly right but if the alternative is not driving it at all...

I should add that I'm talking about two manual transmission vehicles. I really never like the way the automatic transmission shifted on my model 81. It's one of the reasons that I'm getting rid of it. So I can't say that I'm absolutely sure about any of this only that it's probably worth thinking about and looking at.

The only difference you'd notice is before lockup. But a higher stall is going to create heat and pull the diesel out of its power band.

 

[DivByZero]

Fuel economy is heavily dependent on how heavy your right foot is.

Drive them for fun, they'll suck down the Dino juice fast

Drive sedately they are fair for a big heavy vehicle

I've got a spreadsheet tracking 21k miles with pretty good stability on mine.

21 is my best tank.

18 was average when commuting to work.

15.5 is average city

14 is my worst tank

This is on 35s and corrected for the tires.

I was curious about my mileage, because I haven't really tracked it for daily commutes. I have a lead foot - I'm a very aggressive driver in the city, and if I'm accelerating my foot is to the floor 99% of the time, so I'm probably a worst case when it comes to mileage.

I have a HZJ80 with the 90l main and 45l subtank, so 135l total. I've previously measured 1050km from 135l, for clear open highway driving in the Aussie outback, so that's 7.8km per litre, or 18.27 US mpg.

I filled up my 80 from fumes the day I saw the above post, up to the top of the filler intake. I ran it down to fumes again and filled up today, putting in 133.65l. I got 764.6km from that tank, almost all of it stop/start city traffic. That's 5.7km per litre, or 13.41 US mpg. With how I drive, that's probably the worst economy you could expect in these rigs, in a manual at least.

 

[67azcruizr]

It's not scaremongering, its factual. There's a lot of rose-tinted glasses being looked through for HDJ81 ownership. Wherever in the world you are, some things on these trucks are expensive to deal with ($NZD):
Injector rebuild $1000
Pump rebuild $1200-2000 depending on the state of the pump
Turbo rebuild $1000 for stock rebuild, $1500 for high flow

these figures could apply to any/every make/model turbo diesel out there. I wouldn't suggest that that they are high maintenance, but note that any properly, as well as improperly maintained vehicle, will require maintenance at some point. if the owner is unwilling or unable to perform these, even basic rudimentary tasks then he or she will have to employ someone to advise and complete them. the true variable is finding a mechanic and or parts chain that would prove competent. if the vehicle is "non-USA", one could infer that few mechanics will know anything about the vehicle.

for the record, my S. American HDJ80 with zero rust has earned a spot on the "whatever it may take" list to remain on the road.

my 2 cents

 

[John Young]

these figures could apply to any/every make/model turbo diesel out there. I wouldn't suggest that that they are high maintenance, but note that any properly, as well as improperly maintained vehicle, will require maintenance at some point. if the owner is unwilling or unable to perform these, even basic rudimentary tasks then he or she will have to employ someone to advise and complete them. the true variable is finding a mechanic and or parts chain that would prove competent. if the vehicle is "non-USA", one could infer that few mechanics will know anything about the vehicle.

for the record, my S. American HDJ80 with zero rust has earned a spot on the "whatever it may take" list to remain on the road.

my 2 cents

The engine that came out of formerly my HDJ81 is still in my possession and also falls into the 'whatever it takes' category. At the moment it is getting new pistons and rings, bearings, etc (because why not, the engine is in pieces) to attend to an excessive blow-by issue. This is a 200k km engine and should not need this if it had been properly cared for, but it needs what it needs. Here are a couple of action photos just for fun:

New pistons are in and about to go out to the machine shop for final sizing

I hope to make this engine/80 series a lifetime keeper. For example I've added an AUS cruise control to this manual truck because my right leg won't put up with long distances without it any more.

 

[charlay61]

I got my JDM hdj81 in january 2023.

I have now spent 9000$cad in parts and i've been doing all the work myself.

Honestly, i could have driven the thing from day 1 without putting a single penny on it. Except for the intake heater that was defective when i got on the 1hdft and the center diff lock actuator that was defect.

However, i have now replaced all fluids, v-belts, and many other little things that add up. Replaced headunit and all 9 speakers. Got winter wheels and winter tires.
I have spent a good amount of money on por-15 paint and rp-342 cosmoline rust spray. What i have done is a "big reset" of many different things including shocks.
I now have a 1995 1hdft lc in amazing condition. Absolutly everything works on it. At the moment i have an amazing vehicule that no money can buy in today's new car world.

I was at the point where i had no idea what to buy as a new car. I would have been ready to spend 90k on a new f-150, or maybe a new 4-runner. I was sick of computers, tpms, traction ctrls, airbags and all of the others s***s you get with new cars. I sold my modern vehicule in covid high-times, bought a junker, ordered a jdm with some budget. And now here i am, driving a vehicule that i like. A vehicule that can be fixed with wrenches. A diesel land cruiser that has a reasonable fuel conssumption (I get 13.5l/100km on the highway at 114kmh and around 14-15 when driving at home). A vehicule with already 200 000km that looks like its 2 years old and can easily do another 200k++.

You have do be commited and willing to do the work yourself. A new truck payment is 15k/year for a soulless electronicaly riddled car !

 

[John Young]

I was at the point where i had no idea what to buy as a new car. I would have been ready to spend 90k on a new f-150, or maybe a new 4-runner. I was sick of computers, tpms, traction ctrls, airbags and all of the others s***s you get with new cars. I sold my modern vehicule in covid high-times, bought a junker, ordered a jdm with some budget. And now here i am, driving a vehicule that i like. A vehicule that can be fixed with wrenches. A diesel land cruiser that has a reasonable fuel conssumption (I get 13.5l/100km on the highway at 114kmh and around 14-15 when driving at home). A vehicule with already 200 000km that looks like its 2 years old and can easily do another 200k++.

Bravo, C61! I feel exactly the same way even though for the heavy lifting I do turn to others. There is something kind of magical about having a '1-wire' diesel and having it do what you want when everything else on the road is controlled by a computer that you are prevented from setting up the way you like.