The Toyota Landcruiser Owners Club

[legalman58]

Well I bought the L/C in August 2017- a 1994 Australian import- 4.5 automatic. It is white with only 2 owners and 102,000 miles. The dealer sold it to me at a fair price.

I have joined here and would appreciate some guidance as to what next needs to be done

My goal is that I want the L/C to be reliable , safe and comfortable.

I will NOT be taking it off road and it will be doing about 5,000 a year

Since I bought it the L/C has had:

New shock absorbers all round   New springs all round  New calipers, discs, pads and brake hoses all round  New thermostat  New oil drainer in transmission  New HT Leads New spark plugs  New distributor  

Full service- new filters/oil/water/antifreeze

New head gasket  New belts  New water pump  New full length exhaust  New UK spec headlights  New window runners  A/C charge  Radiator flush  New tyres  New seats throughout  New window tinting  

Last month I had the car converted to run on LPG- the difference in expense is huge

I now purchase my fuel from ASDA near me at 53 p a litre

I plan to have it fully resprayed in the same colour AFTER I have completed all mechanical work

So please can you guys give me some pointers as to what else I should do to the vehicle to achieve my goal?

[Google]

[Paul Eastern Europe]

I have a UK 1993 4.2LTD LC80 with 213,000 miles from new.

My advice would be:

1. Check the body behind the rear plastic wheel arch extensions. You can get rust there through to the inner wheel arch. The lower spec Australian cars don't have wheel arch extensions.
2. I am surprised you needed a new head gasket at 102,000 miles.
3. My radiator failed at about 200,000 miles and 23 years through corrosion. Pattern radiators are pretty cheap, but a cooked engine might be terminal. So about £120 invested might save thousands on engine repairs. Your radiator might be a similar age. I seem to be lucky my engine did not suffer damage.
4. Check the condition of the radiator hoses too for the same reason.

LC80s are usually worth considerably more money in Australia than in the UK.

More advice:

Find an independent expert you can trust to service and repair the car. The main dealer is not your friend. They have no interest or much expertise in a 25 year old LC80. They hardly see them.
Service the automatic transmission (fluid and filter change every 3 years) and you could (even should) get 500,000 miles out of it. Never ignore an AT fault.
Get good winter tyres for use below 7C and in snow and ice. About 30% extra grip can make all the difference between sliding down a hill completely out of control and having no problem at all. I have two sets of wheels for winter and summer use. A spare set of s/h wheels from the bay should be very affordable.
Consider a good anti-rust treatment for the chassis and the sills.

My car still has the original brake hoses, calipers and springs. The shocks were upgraded a long time ago. The OEM shocks could be stiffer.
I replaced some of the suspension bushes with polyurethane bushes but was told the original ones were fine.
Milner off road will supply many LC80 parts at a fraction of the Main dealer prices. Their brake disks and pads are just as good, of all practical purposes as genuine parts.

My LC80 runs off normal roads quite often and it has not come to any harm. Did have front wheel bearing issues after driving through a road flooded with very muddy water.

My policy is change all fluids regularly and don't let a garage fix things that are not broken. They will probably do more harm than good.

Good luck with it.

[Towpack]

Have you had all this work done to cure faults or just as a precaution?. If it's the former then it must have had a hard life. 102k miles is nothing for one of these. If it's the latter then much of it was probably unnecessary IMO but I guess that's a personal call.

Check the condition of the UJ's on both props and also for any slop or clicking from the CV's in the front hubs. The hubs may also be due a repack with moly grease and possibly new inner axle seals. If the front diff oil came out black/dark grey then the inner axle oil seals will be failing allowing cross contamination of the diff oil and CV grease. Also check the diff and gearbox breathers are not blocked.

If it's from a dry state in Australia (are there any wet ones?) then rust will, most likely, not be an issue but, as mentioned, check behind all the plastic body trims including the rear bumper quarters and also the rear tailgate behind the window rubber. With all this work done it should be good for another 3-400k.
_________________
Phil


1998 HDJ80 Amazon VX 4.2TD
2004 Yamaha R1 (Sold)
2011 Ducati 1198SP (Sold)
2012 kawasaki ZZr1400
2002 Honda XR650R (BRP)- STOLEN GRRRRR!!!
2010 Husaberg FE570....YIPPEEEEE!!!!
2003 GT XCR3000
1995 Border Collie-Passed away 23-5-2011

[legalman58]

Many thanks for the helpful comments guys- much appreciated.

The works were carried out, out of an abundance of caution as the mileage is proven to be genuine but the service history was minimal

So I am really treating the car as if it needs everything doing to it

I was wondering if I should change the drive shafts? Just in case?

Over to you guys- as I know very little about these wonderful cars

[Patsakornut]

I am like you I have to do with it. To fix it

[legalman58]

I know what you mean

I am having the head gasket sorted this week- and a cruise control fitted

Then mechanically I am happy to move on to the cosmetics

Later this week a new stereo and reversing camera unit is going on to the car

That way reversing will be a bit easier and safer!

[Juddian]

This really applies to all LC's, my suggestions which might seem a little OTT to some.

Make sure all the transmission oils are renewed, and do them again in say 3 years at your mileage, i reckon a single sumpful of auto transmission oil dropped and replaced then would keep the auto box happy, bought in bulk 20 litre packs these oils cost so little.
Engine oil change every year or, if you're really finnicky, (i am) twice a year, again bought in bulk packs the stuff is so cheap i can't for the life of me work out why people neglect this engine saving routine.
Grease up the props and swivels at the same time.

Every other year at the latest, every year if you have the time, remove all brake pads (plus the rear drums if the parking brake has shoes) and clean and lube up the brakes properly with the correct brake grease, a 1 litre pot of which will probably last you the rest of your motoring life.

Wash the underbody down during the winter regularly to keep the salt down, and do a thorough job come April when all the salt has gone.

Either DIY or get someone to prepare and treat the chassis and underbody for rust prevention, including inside the cavities, i recommend Bilt Hamber's products for this if DIYing because they are so easy to work with and the cavity probes that come with the correct cavity waxes are state of the art, not cheap mind, my 90 and 120 series cost over £200 in product to do the job well, worth every penny.
Don't forget to pay special attention to the spilt tailgate (assuming yours hasn't got doors?) because these are prone to rust.