The Toyota Landcruiser Owners Club

billybear · ** Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 58

Hi guys
Just bought my first landcrusier it is a 4.2 vx 1991 it has done a big milage{177k}but as been serviced by toyota main dealer most of its life.It as got all its past m.o.t.s and all the past bills and work sheets for everything that as ever been done to it.It drives great, no strange noises or rattles the engine is spotless and sounds great the bodywork is in great condition as is the interior.For what i paid for it i was expecting a list of problems but so far it seems i have bought a bargain,could anybody tell me what is the life expectancy of a engine of this size.This car as been in the same family all its life and looking at the money spend on the car they seem to have not cut corners on its matainance .

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lucky · Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2005 12:15 Post subject:

1HD-T is good for generally at least 300K if not more before major work required. Best engine Toyota ever made - actually best engine I've ever had - certainly equal to Chevy Small Block V8 for driveablity and reliability.

You bought a good one and it's only just run in.
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1999 Land Cruiser Amazon VX Active 4.2TD Auto
Gloucestershire 4x4 Response
Landcruiser-rocks

billybear · ** Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 58

Thanks for that imformation andy its nice to know that the engine is capable of doing such big mileage,it would take me years to get anywhere near 300k its nice to think that there are still bargains about if you look around.

DaveN · ******* Joined: 14 May 2005 Posts: 1190 Location: Sweden

Might want to take a look at the big ends. Done mine at 165K, and glad I did.

500SEC · Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 15:59 Post subject:

Great car and engine. Without sounding alarmist, here's a link to more information on the 12valve 4.2 bearings.
http://www.safari4x4.com.au/80scool/tech/td_bearings.html
_________________
Frederick (London SW15)

1986 Mercedes 500SEC
1996 TLC 4.2 GS TD
2006 Ford Falcon ute

billybear · ** Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 58

Checked out that link and it says that when you change your oil there are normally bits of end bearing in the oil if you have bearings that are about to let go.Iwill check my oil when i change it soon,does anybody know how much it costs to have the big ends done?It would cost a fortune to rebuild the engine if they failed.

500SEC · Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 19:10 Post subject:

DaveN (above) could perhaps tell you. Otherwise, ring Frog Island for a quote. http://www.frogsisland4x4.com/home.php
_________________
Frederick (London SW15)

1986 Mercedes 500SEC
1996 TLC 4.2 GS TD
2006 Ford Falcon ute

billybear · ** Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 58

Well I am glad that you brought this problem to light. I have now changed my oil and sieved my old oil to check for fragments of end bearings. I have found what looks like small steel particals that look identical to the ones I saw on the link. Although the engine still sounds great its strange to think what is happening inside. Now that the problem has been brought to light hopefully it is not too late to do something about it. Could anyone let me know how much it is to get the end bearings done. Thanks

500SEC · Posted: Sun Jul 03, 2005 22:32 Post subject:

According to the article, it's around 4 hours labour to rectify the problem. Toyota Kingston (London South West) charge £75/hour (+VAT), and that's assuming they know what you're talking about when you start describing flakes of metal in engine oil... this type of problem is probably outside their usual scope. So I suggest you drop a line to Frog Island 4x4 or better still try to locate a specialist. I'm new to Toyota ownership, and have yet to locate a Toyota specialist in London. Let me know if you find one.
_________________
Frederick (London SW15)

1986 Mercedes 500SEC
1996 TLC 4.2 GS TD
2006 Ford Falcon ute

lucky · Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 9:06 Post subject:

Big end failure is known on the 1HDT and 1HD-FT but by no means on all of them - generally regarded that they will go by 100K or not for 300K.

Changing them is pretty easy by all accounts - you can get the sump off with the engine in situ which is why it is rated as a 4 hour job.

I'm going to do mine soon as I need to take off the sump to cure a leak anyway.

Milners do a set of Big end shells for around £40 so it isn't expensive.

Other known weakness is the Turbo however if you change oil at the proper intervals and allow the engine to cool after a long fast run before switching off, then the turbo is pretty robust and should live as long as the engine.

Good thing is the engine has no other known weaknesses.

You don't need a toyota specialist to do you bearings, just a competant spanner man.

I did the big ends on my 2.4 Surf on my drive with only basic tools and it is a much more difficult job as you need to remove the front diff to get at the sump (and the A/C radiator as well. No such problems on the LC.

If you get a garage to do it then I would budget for less than £500 to do the job, any more then you are being ripped off.
_________________
1999 Land Cruiser Amazon VX Active 4.2TD Auto
Gloucestershire 4x4 Response
Landcruiser-rocks

billybear · ** Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 58

Thanks for that information andy even thow i only found two small bits in the oil i think for the sake of £40 its prudent that i replace the bearings,i have just bought a manual and the job seems fairly straight forward.thankyou everybody for your help on this subject.

DaveN · ******* Joined: 14 May 2005 Posts: 1190 Location: Sweden

It's pretty straightforward to do. I prefered to do it myself so I could have a good look around whilst doing it.

Just bear on mind you need to get the sump off first to see what sizes of shell you have, then go order the parts. You only need 6 pairs of bearings, 12 new big end bolts, oil pipe gasket, and some instant gasket. Don't bother getting the instant gasket (toyota refer to it as FIPG - formed in place gasket) from toyota as they want £30 odd for a tube. I think the parts cost about £100 total. You'll also need a 12 point 12mm socket.

What should be the easest part, getting the sump off, is actually the hardest, as it's stuck solid to the engine. I eventually managed to bash a couple of screwdrivers in, and then straighten the sump afterwards. It may be a bit of a job doing it on your back.

Can you post pictures here? If so, I'll post one of my big end - if you get my meaning.

I know of another guy who had a dodgy shell, and another that did nothing but take the piss out of me for being so *beep*, then called up a few weeks later to say his had gone bang. He didn't invvestigate further, but it had thrown a rod through the block, so could have been a big end.

billybear · ** Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 58

Yeah no problem will post pictures as soon as i do job,i think anybody who sticks there head in the sand and thinks that people are over reacting about something like this are just asking for trouble.If you sit around and wait for your engine to go bang your bank balance is going to suffer a mighty blow.Well am glad you told me about checking what size the shells are because i didnt know there was more than one size,how many sizes are there?lol

ken · Posted: Mon Jul 04, 2005 21:53 Post subject:

Hi All,
Just a suggestion ,why don`t you get your oil anylised ?I had my two done recently (landcruiser&Hilux) and they give a complete detailed discription of what metals ,fuel and any other contaminants are in the oil. They will say if there is any problems or anything wearing at the wrong rate. I got mine done through Difflock, theres a www site. £17 I think, Oil health check
Ken

DaveN · ******* Joined: 14 May 2005 Posts: 1190 Location: Sweden

I think there's 6 sizes in total, and it's worked out by adding the number marked on the bearing with the number on the crank. All the aftermarket suppliers only offer a couple of sizes, though the difference is extremely small. If you're serious about it, then get the official manual from toyota. I think the engine one's about £50, but it's twice as thick as the chilton manual that covers the whole vehicle.

You can get an oil analysis done, but it can only detect the minute qty of material that occurs through normal type of wear. The big end problems are flakes of material breaking away, as opposed the wear.

There's a place in holland that can supply new 'closed' engines for about £6k with the latest spec if you're interested. 2nd hand ones are rare, as if anything's going to write the vehicle off, it will be an engine blow-up.