The Toyota Landcruiser Owners Club

[MikeJak]

Update… some good and some bad news…as one would expect..
I went to look at the truck and test drive it.
All fluids were at a good level and clean in line with recent service on service book.
The body is in good condition, inner sills have a couple of small spots but the rest seems sound, some epoxy putty in the rear arches, lifted a bit and there is some rusting underneath so that would need to be sorted but they didn’t sound particularly hollow/cardboard like. I had a peek under the trims and couldn’t see anything rust, likewise no rust around the windscreen or roof light (it works works btw).
The chassis looked perfect at the front and has some surface rust at the back but not major and the body mounts looked solid while having some surface rust. Inside the chassis was pretty clean, dusty but no corrosion visible.
Rear coils are corroded and will need changing, rear axle has the most rust, didn’t seem horrible but had flaking in some areas…..how much rust is too much rust?!?
Axle:


It drove well and we took it for a spin and reached temperature and didn’t heat much, once stopped it restarted just fine too.
H, hl engaged effortlessly, LL took a bit of effort but not major and was engaging well. Rear locker worked and disengaged fine after…I was quite surprised!

The engine seeps some oil from seals and from the oil filter (it seems)
Looked like it had been there a while as was caked in dust and black, how much of a deep is too much? Te front of the transmission had oil dropped down on it and you could definitely smell heated oil once the engine was at temperature… could it be close to needing a head gasket done…?! How much should I factor in if I’d does need a head gasket?

Unfortunately I don’t have enough posts to attach images…

I’m sure I can wiggle the price in light of the work, will need new pads and tyres too so definitely some good arguments but I’d value your opinion….
Cheers,
Marco

[Google]

[MikeJak]

Forgot to add, the coolant was clear both in the radiator (brand new) and in the reservoir.
The oil was pretty clean too and no gunk under the oil cap.
Is there any way a moderator could allow me to share some pictures? Would be great to get an informed opinion on the rust of the rear axle..
Thank you,
Marco

[andy]

[Vagabond]

I had a small oil leak from the rocker cover gaskets on my 5VZ-FE and had them changed at around 140k and was fine after that. (Mine never lost/burnt any oil between services that was visible on the dipstick level, even now with nearly 200k miles on the clock.) That might be where the oil leak is from as it's usually towards the rear of the engine and the drip will get "blown" all over the lower front of the gearbox/transfer case over time.

Good news about the rust situation but as been said, sometimes the chassis rails rust from the inside out. The fact that the rear locker works without issue, suggests that this might not be a bad truck (I know that it is only 1 relatively small part but bit of a tell-tale IMHO). Towards the top of the fuel tank and surrounding area can also be problematic.    

The diff cover on the rear axle is a weak spot as the metal is quite thin, it will usually get micro perforations once rust sets in and oil will start seeping through to the surface, even though there are no visible holes. If it looks and feels "dry" then you may have caught it early. If it looks waxy or slightly shiny then perhaps too late.

Obviously, all said and done, these are trucks that are 20+ years old and we need to be realistic about our expectations of condition. All sounds good to me so far.

Good Luck!  
_________________
'97 VZJ95 - Colorado 3.4V6 with LPG, 40mm Ironman SL, full SS exhaust, 265/75R16 Hankook Dynapro RF10s on 80 alloys and 195k+

[MikeJak]

Thank you Andy for emailing, hopefully you received the pictures.
And Thanks Vagabond for the pointers, the rear axle is rusty but dry, no shine or “perspiration”. looked like there should be still some metal. Axle swapping looks like a huge job…not sure I’d undertake that rightaway😅
The chassis was really quite clean, rear cross member was still perfect, the tank shield has a bit of surface rust but ok, couldn’t quite see the tank.

Heated seats worked too😳

The oil leak got me a bit worried as it looked substantial, no dripping or pooling under the truck or in the underbody shields though so hopefully has just been there for a while and not cleaned up…

I was concerned as the seller is not the registered keeper/owner but I contacted the dvla and it checked out that he has sent the dealer form not to add an extra owner. Cheeky to sell privately but Hpi is clear. So he knows nothing really about the vehicle but the history is good, seems to be a truck that was used as a car…
Am I talking myself into buying it? Probably…
It did drive really smooth…

[andy]

[img][/img]
_________________
It's Not a Bl**dy Jeep it's a Landcruiser
150 series Invincible X
100 Series VX Limited
Mercedes Sprinter 311 Luton
1993 VX80 4.2td SOLD
1996 Hilux Surf SSR-G Intercooler Sold
1994 Hilux Surf SSR-V Sold

[andy]

_________________
It's Not a Bl**dy Jeep it's a Landcruiser
150 series Invincible X
100 Series VX Limited
Mercedes Sprinter 311 Luton
1993 VX80 4.2td SOLD
1996 Hilux Surf SSR-G Intercooler Sold
1994 Hilux Surf SSR-V Sold

[andy]

_________________
It's Not a Bl**dy Jeep it's a Landcruiser
150 series Invincible X
100 Series VX Limited
Mercedes Sprinter 311 Luton
1993 VX80 4.2td SOLD
1996 Hilux Surf SSR-G Intercooler Sold
1994 Hilux Surf SSR-V Sold

[andy]

They didn't all come out, but this looks like the best of them.
_________________
It's Not a Bl**dy Jeep it's a Landcruiser
150 series Invincible X
100 Series VX Limited
Mercedes Sprinter 311 Luton
1993 VX80 4.2td SOLD
1996 Hilux Surf SSR-G Intercooler Sold
1994 Hilux Surf SSR-V Sold

[MikeJak]

Thank you for putting them up Andy!

[MikeJak]

Anyone daring to comment?
I think the rear axle looks worst in the pictures then it does in person…how bad does it look compared to yours?

[locodriver65]

Hi
Do you know how good the turrets for the top trailing arms are on the rear axle .  Mine were cracked and I have just replaced the rear axle case after 191k.  1997 colorado.

Paul

[MikeJak]

Hi Paul, the turrets looked solid, rusted but superficial, not flaking even around the welds attaching them to the axle (original welds, not repaired) I was more concerned by the flaking on the axle body, underside in particular, but I’d assume there “should” be a fair bit of metal on the axle casing?

[modvrs]

Chassis looks OK from the pictures and oil at the front looks like mine has for the last ten years. My biggest concern would be a trader passing it off as a private sale; I tend to buy cars off people I like and would avoid an obvious crook but if you've checked it all out and can get the price to where you want it to be he can't have that many buyers looking for a sub 20 mpg car at the moment.
_________________
1997 Toyota Land Cruiser Colorado 3.4VX

[diggerdave]

Rust is a journey from perfect to rotten. In this case it's part way into the journey but has not yet arrived. How far has it gone, and more to the point, how long will it take to get there? Impossible to say. It might start leaking or the turrets might give way in one year or ten, which is completely useless range when trying to make a decision. On the plus side, most things can be repaired given sufficient money when it eventually lets go. My turrets and the base of the diff pan have been welded (as has my chassis in various places). If it's any help (unlikely) it looks pretty much what I would expect for a decent-ish twenty-plus year old truck. Cheapo tyres but a rear locker that's been replaced (probably) suggests a truck that has gone from being cherished to being run on a budget, which is not really significant and pretty typical, but do assure yourself that the basic servicing hasn't been neglected along the way.
_________________
1997 KZJ90 3.0d, 2" suspension lift, 235/85/16 Cooper STT Pros. 217k hard miles