Just Impulse Bought a LJ78 and Need Some Advice (2 Viewers)

[1190CruiserLad]

I've been looking for months for a 4x4 here in Vancouver and with COVID the prices have been insane and vehicles are selling within 4 hours of them being posted. I saw this Prado SX5 land cruiser come up last week and fell in love with it and despite paying more than my budget I got it for a reasonable price because I caught it within an hour of it being posted and brought cash. I didn't know much about land cruisers but I know their build quality is usually very good and I am a fairly mechanically inclined guy so I know what to look for in a vehicle and this one was in very good shape. Here is a bit about the vehicle:

Year: 1990
Model: Q-LJ78G-PET
Engine: 2L-TE
Frame No. LJ78-0003106
Trim: FD10
Mileage: 183,000km

The previous owner had owned it for ten years and done a ton of work to it. The interior is mint and the frame has almost zero rust. Here is just some of what he had done:
- new back seat
- 2.5 inch old emu lift
- brand new 33" K02 tires
- valves adjusted
- new coils
- new fuel filter
- new air filter
- new ECT sensor

I was so stoked on the purchase but then I started researching it like crazy and found out it had a 2L-TE which seems to be revered as the worst land cruiser engine there is The thing is from what I've read, the head usually goes before the 100,000km mark and mine has 183,000km. The previous owner did not replace the head and said he had never had overheating issues. So I guess there could be a small chance the owner before that had replaced it? I know the model number for the bad head is the 11101-54120 and the improved head is 11101-54121, but my question is whether there is any way of knowing which one I have? I already have plans to do a ton of the more simple mods, but if the heads were to blow I don't think I could afford a new head since I don't think I have the tools or time to do it myself and it sounds like its about $4-5K. DO I KEEP THIS THING OR DO I SELL IT?!?

Here is what I am planning to do if you guys think its still a good idea:
- New oil and filter
- New rad cap
- Tridon High flow thermostat and new gasket
- Full radiator flush and new Toyota red coolant
- EGT, boost and water temp sensor
- Oil catch can
- EGR delete

Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[roscoFJ73]

You own it own now, so you might as well keep it.
It sounds like the PO looked after it. Don't expect too much power out of it. A 110-120kph is probably all you should get out of it. I know an owner who had 300000 klms out of his, never had a problem with the head.
A good temperature gauge is probably the best investment.
If the cooling system looks clean and is holding pressure, you can probably leave it until it needs doing.

But 33 in tyres are probably going to place an extra load on the engine.

 

[1190CruiserLad]

You own it own now, so you might as well keep it.
It sounds like the PO looked after it. Don't expect too much power out of it. A 110-120kph is probably all you should get out of it. I know an owner who had 300000 klms out of his, never had a problem with the head.
A good temperature gauge is probably the best investment.
If the cooling system looks clean and is holding pressure, you can probably leave it until it needs doing.

But 33 in tyres are probably going to place an extra load on the engine.

Thanks for the input, do you by any chance know the inner diameter of the upper radiator hose? I wanted to buy a water temperature adaptor here to install a temperature gauge but I don't know which size I need !

 

[Gun Runner 5]

I would install a good quality after market temp. gauge and depending on how you plan to use it, perhaps an aux transmission cooler. Your right foot can be both an asset and a detriment with the 2L-TE.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

On the subject of impulse buys, if it makes you feel better, I did the same thing all-be-it some years ago.

 

[Defuzer1]

Wait, there is something slower than a PZ? Good luck with the LJ, if nothing has happend yet, probably good. just plan ahead. already doing that with the PZ, but its at 385000 miles already.

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

Congratulations!

I'd say there is a nearly 100% chance the head has been replaced already. Some were done in Japan under warranty.

Once the head is dealt with, these motors can actually be just fine. I like mine a lot in fact. An intercooler would be one of the best investments you could make at this point. Once intercooled, it's possible to tune these motors up to make some quite decent power. At least 50% more power.

Don't regret your purchase, that is a nice looking truck. They're only going up in value at this point.

 

[coldtaco]

Congratulations!

I'd say there is a nearly 100% chance the head has been replaced already. Some were done in Japan under warranty.

Once the head is dealt with, these motors can actually be just fine. I like mine a lot in fact. An intercooler would be one of the best investments you could make at this point. Once intercooled, it's possible to tune these motors up to make some quite decent power. At least 50% more power.

Don't regret your purchase, that is a nice looking truck. They're only going up in value at this point.

Look for all the threads that GTSSportCoupe has, he has done a lot of work on that engine to make it as reliable as possible with increased power. He has a lot of good info.

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

I've been looking for months for a 4x4 here in Vancouver and with COVID the prices have been insane and vehicles are selling within 4 hours of them being posted. I saw this Prado SX5 land cruiser come up last week and fell in love with it and despite paying more than my budget I got it for a reasonable price because I caught it within an hour of it being posted and brought cash. I didn't know much about land cruisers but I know their build quality is usually very good and I am a fairly mechanically inclined guy so I know what to look for in a vehicle and this one was in very good shape. Here is a bit about the vehicle:

Year: 1990
Model: Q-LJ78G-PET
Engine: 2L-TE
Frame No. LJ78-0003106
Trim: FD10
Mileage: 183,000km

The previous owner had owned it for ten years and done a ton of work to it. The interior is mint and the frame has almost zero rust. Here is just some of what he had done:
- new back seat
- 2.5 inch old emu lift
- brand new 33" K02 tires
- valves adjusted
- new coils
- new fuel filter
- new air filter
- new ECT sensor

I was so stoked on the purchase but then I started researching it like crazy and found out it had a 2L-TE which seems to be revered as the worst land cruiser engine there is The thing is from what I've read, the head usually goes before the 100,000km mark and mine has 183,000km. The previous owner did not replace the head and said he had never had overheating issues. So I guess there could be a small chance the owner before that had replaced it? I know the model number for the bad head is the 11101-54120 and the improved head is 11101-54121, but my question is whether there is any way of knowing which one I have? I already have plans to do a ton of the more simple mods, but if the heads were to blow I don't think I could afford a new head since I don't think I have the tools or time to do it myself and it sounds like its about $4-5K. DO I KEEP THIS THING OR DO I SELL IT?!?

Here is what I am planning to do if you guys think its still a good idea:
- New oil and filter
- New rad cap
- Tridon High flow thermostat and new gasket
- Full radiator flush and new Toyota red coolant
- EGT, boost and water temp sensor
- Oil catch can
- EGR delete

Any advice would be much appreciated!

So just to add a bit more here. You being a mechanically inclined person is a huge advantage when owning one of these old Toyotas. If you can do a lot of your own work, you'll save a lot, and know that the job was done right.

Some other things to consider with your maintenance are:

- Your truck is probably due for a transmission flush. This can be done yourself (I can explain). These transmissions will go forever if the ATF if flushed at proper intervals. Start by checking the color. Should be bright red. If it's turning brown, it's definitely time for a flush.

- Don't use a Tridon t-stat. Although initially they seem great, the build quality is actually not that good. Mine failed, as did @Nas90tdi 's. The best out there I've tried is a later generation 2LTE OEM T-stat which starts opening at 82C (as opposed to the early 2LTE 88C). This gives more head room, and will help protect your cylinder head. This is the Toyota part number: 16340-54040

- You can order OEM Toyota parts (like that 82C T-stat) from places like Partsouq, Amayama or Megazip. I usually use Megazip EPC drawings to find part numbers, and then use Partsouq for my ordering.

- You can rely on the factory temp gauge too. I don't actually run an aftermarket one. Just know that when the gauge starts passing 1/2, you need to back off on the skinny pedal and take it easy.

- Boost and EGT are very helpful, especially if you eventually tune your motor up a bit. These are the only aftermarket gauges I run.

- Check the state of the oil in your front and rear diffs and t-case also. They might be due for a change.

Anyhow, don't freak out and rush decide to sell the truck. They seem to be holding their value fine at this point despite the reputation of the 2LTE. Yours looks great, has been taken care of from the sounds of it. Take your time and see if the truck is a fit for you. If not, then you can look at selling later.

Other than the engine, these trucks are super well built and rock solid. You simply can't buy this sort of quality new anymore IMHO. Although the LJ78 has the disadvantage of the small 2LTE motor, it does have some advantages in my opinion. It's cheaper than the HZJ77, lol. The coil suspension is comfy, and when properly modified can be very capable off road. The 4.88 diffs suit larger tires perfectly. 33"-35" are great for that ratio. The trucks are well balanced.

There are some great build threads on this forum for these trucks. Read through them to get ideas. Here are a couple gooders:

Builds - 1992 LJ78 build/refresh

Thought I would start a thread and try to keep all my stupid questions in one place. I just bought a LJ78 because I need another project about like I need scurvy. 1992 LJ78 with 179k kilometers. Auto trans. LWB. I will be doing all the EGR removal , fuel tweaking and most likely intercooler on...

forum.ih8mud.com

Builds - My LJ78 build thread...

I have been getting so much helpful information from here I'd thought I'd return the favour in posting up most of the upgrades I have been doing to my truck and a little history of it, seeing as I love reading stories like this on this site.... This is how I bought my truck back in...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[kw90surf]

Sweet truck! Would highly recommend a read through of @GTSSportCoupe's Ideas for improving the 2LTE thread. I'd start with a baseline of the cooling system, then a pyrometer (pre-turbo) and EGR delete. If funds allow, a 2.5" turbo-back helped my Surf quite a lot. If you can increase your boost a bit without extra fuel, it will lean the mixture out and take your EGT down a bit. A manual boost controller ($20 on ebay) and this mod would allow you to do that.

After an exhaust, EGR delete (w/throttle plate removal), and a boost compensator mod (mine was mechanically injected), my 2L-T Surf was gruntier, more efficient, and ran cooler that before and was a fun and cheap vehicle to DD. I could still get it up to 1300F EGT, but only if I was being a meathead. Was able to maintain 110 on the highway without much trouble, only had to watch the pyro on long, steep hills. If I'd kept it, an intercooler and more boost would have solved that.

 

[1190CruiserLad]

So just to add a bit more here. You being a mechanically inclined person is a huge advantage when owning one of these old Toyotas. If you can do a lot of your own work, you'll save a lot, and know that the job was done right.

Some other things to consider with your maintenance are:

- Your truck is probably due for a transmission flush. This can be done yourself (I can explain). These transmissions will go forever if the ATF if flushed at proper intervals. Start by checking the color. Should be bright red. If it's turning brown, it's definitely time for a flush.

- Don't use a Tridon t-stat. Although initially they seem great, the build quality is actually not that good. Mine failed, as did @Nas90tdi 's. The best out there I've tried is a later generation 2LTE OEM T-stat which starts opening at 82C (as opposed to the early 2LTE 88C). This gives more head room, and will help protect your cylinder head. This is the Toyota part number: 16340-54040

- You can order OEM Toyota parts (like that 82C T-stat) from places like Partsouq, Amayama or Megazip. I usually use Megazip EPC drawings to find part numbers, and then use Partsouq for my ordering.

- You can rely on the factory temp gauge too. I don't actually run an aftermarket one. Just know that when the gauge starts passing 1/2, you need to back off on the skinny pedal and take it easy.

- Boost and EGT are very helpful, especially if you eventually tune your motor up a bit. These are the only aftermarket gauges I run.

- Check the state of the oil in your front and rear diffs and t-case also. They might be due for a change.

Anyhow, don't freak out and rush decide to sell the truck. They seem to be holding their value fine at this point despite the reputation of the 2LTE. Yours looks great, has been taken care of from the sounds of it. Take your time and see if the truck is a fit for you. If not, then you can look at selling later.

Other than the engine, these trucks are super well built and rock solid. You simply can't buy this sort of quality new anymore IMHO. Although the LJ78 has the disadvantage of the small 2LTE motor, it does have some advantages in my opinion. It's cheaper than the HZJ77, lol. The coil suspension is comfy, and when properly modified can be very capable off road. The 4.88 diffs suit larger tires perfectly. 33"-35" are great for that ratio. The trucks are well balanced.

There are some great build threads on this forum for these trucks. Read through them to get ideas. Here are a couple gooders:

Builds - 1992 LJ78 build/refresh

Thought I would start a thread and try to keep all my stupid questions in one place. I just bought a LJ78 because I need another project about like I need scurvy. 1992 LJ78 with 179k kilometers. Auto trans. LWB. I will be doing all the EGR removal , fuel tweaking and most likely intercooler on...

forum.ih8mud.com

Builds - My LJ78 build thread...

I have been getting so much helpful information from here I'd thought I'd return the favour in posting up most of the upgrades I have been doing to my truck and a little history of it, seeing as I love reading stories like this on this site.... This is how I bought my truck back in...

forum.ih8mud.com

Thanks for the reply @GTSSportCoupe! I've been officially convinced that I'm keeping the cruiser. I read you're in Vic, I grew up there and visit often!

1) Great info on the thermostat, glad I posted or I would have ordered the Tridon. I tried using the parts cross reference tool you mentioned in another thread and it look like the North American equivalent to the 16340-54040 thermostat is 9091603099? Could you help me confirm if I'm using that tool correctly?

2) Where is the factory water temperature gauge located? I can't seem to find it in the diagrams.

3) I have been researching gauges and sensors and I really like the idea of a 3 in 1 so it takes up less room. I found this one by Glow Shift that has EGT, boost and temp. What are your thoughts on this?

I will check all the fluids, that's a good call and read through those threads you posted.

Thanks!

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

Thanks for the reply @GTSSportCoupe! I've been officially convinced that I'm keeping the cruiser. I read you're in Vic, I grew up there and visit often!

1) Great info on the thermostat, glad I posted or I would have ordered the Tridon. I tried using the parts cross reference tool you mentioned in another thread and it look like the North American equivalent to the 16340-54040 thermostat is 9091603099? Could you help me confirm if I'm using that tool correctly?

2) Where is the factory water temperature gauge located? I can't seem to find it in the diagrams.

3) I have been researching gauges and sensors and I really like the idea of a 3 in 1 so it takes up less room. I found this one by Glow Shift that has EGT, boost and temp. What are your thoughts on this?

I will check all the fluids, that's a good call and read through those threads you posted.

Thanks!

Glad to hear you're keeping it! You'll have to drop by for a visit sometime. Hopefully this covid BS is over before too much longer!

You've got the right idea with that parts cross ref tool, but in this case it's not being helpful. Sometimes it includes vehicles sold in central america etc. So the vehicles it's crossed to in this case were never sold in the USA or Canada. Just buy the part number I recommended. I see it on Ebay, but you can also get from Partsouq etc. I believe Rocky Mountain Imports here in Victoria carries it too.

Water temp gauge sender is in the thermostat housing.

All in one gauges can be fine. Just do you research to see what people think of the particular model you're buying.

 

[jmylie]

I have over 300,000 km on my 91 LJ77 with the 2LT.

Add some Red Line Water Wetter to your radiator.

I've had my truck over 2 years and no issues (thankfully).

I picked the truck up in St Louis and drove back to CT in Aug.

As long as you know about the issue, keep an eye on the temp gauge.

 

[Dprio34]

@1190CruiserLad , as others have stated, there are a lot of great threads out there, so read through all those. First and foremost, put an intercooler on it and keep the RPMs under 3000, and that motor will last you a long long time, IMHO. Without starting an arg with other members, I believe water wetter and high flow tridon stats are a waste of time & money. Just make sure your your radiator and hoses are in good order, use OAT Red Coolant, and get a digit thermostat and EGT gauge. Enjoy, your impulse buy! Welcome to the forum!

 

[Gun Runner 5]

For peace of mind I would recommend something along this line. (and yes I realize the photos are lousy). Each gauge has multiple features. I’ve got oil pressure and digital water temp combined (caution features are also programmable .... in this case the gauge turns red to warn of low oil pressure. Boost and EGT can also be combined.

 

[Dprio34]

@1190CruiserLad , there are (2) factory water temp sending units / sensors. One for the gauge and another for the A/C. I was not able to adapt mine to the aftermarket gauge. You may need something like this. Go with 34mm or 36mm. Mine is a bit too wide at 38mm.

 

[1190CruiserLad]

@1190CruiserLad , there are (2) factory water temp sending units / sensors. One for the gauge and another for the A/C. I was not able to adapt mine to the aftermarket gauge. You may need something like this. Go with 34mm or 36mm. Mine is a bit too wide at 38mm.

View attachment 2608422

Glad to hear you're keeping it! You'll have to drop by for a visit sometime. Hopefully this covid BS is over before too much longer!

You've got the right idea with that parts cross ref tool, but in this case it's not being helpful. Sometimes it includes vehicles sold in central america etc. So the vehicles it's crossed to in this case were never sold in the USA or Canada. Just buy the part number I recommended. I see it on Ebay, but you can also get from Partsouq etc. I believe Rocky Mountain Imports here in Victoria carries it too.

Water temp gauge sender is in the thermostat housing.

All in one gauges can be fine. Just do you research to see what people think of the particular model you're buying.

kk I'll order off of ebay or parrsouq thanks. Hopefully Covid ends this summer and we can have a cruiser meet up!

 

[1190CruiserLad]

@1190CruiserLad , there are (2) factory water temp sending units / sensors. One for the gauge and another for the A/C. I was not able to adapt mine to the aftermarket gauge. You may need something like this. Go with 34mm or 36mm. Mine is a bit too wide at 38mm.

View attachment 2608422

Thanks this is very helpful! Can anyone else confirm if a 34 or 36 mm is the correct size? I'd like to get this perfectly fitted if I decide to go with an aftermarket temp sensor or a 3 in 1 gauge.

 

[Nas90tdi]

I am using a 38MM. I suspect Don's is slightly big because he has the 2LT motor. I have never cross referenced the hoses between the 2lt and the LTE, but mine doesn't fit as tight as his at 38MM. I have a 92 LTE engine.

 

[1190CruiserLad]

Well everyone I'm officially stumped. I bought my Lj78 in March and parked it for 4 months to work on it.
When I bought the truck, it had a warm start issue. From cold it would start up first crank, but if you drove it for
even 5 minutes and shut off the truck and tried to start it again, it would take about 20 cranks before catching and starting perfectly.

Fast forward 4 months after doing a bunch of work to it and I'm having several additional problems. Please note my exhaust completely fell off (see pics). Here are my symptoms:

- Still has warm start issue. If I shake the whole truck while cranking the engine it starts much sooner
- Engine smokes white smoke and heavily misfires when starting it for the first time each day for about 30 seconds or until I give it a bunch of gas
- If I don't wait about a minute or 2 before driving, when I press the throttle there is a seriously delayed response
- If I have the steering wheel cranked all the way left or right when at low speeds, the engine completely stalls
- If I have the AC on during first start of the day, it seems to idle worse and misfire more.
- The speedometer seems to bounce up and down as I speed up or slow down (I don't think it did this before)
- After about 2-3 mins of running, the truck goes back to normal, drives perfectly, great ride on the highway and on future starts seems to be much smoother


Here is a list of everything that I've done in the last 4 months:
New fuel lines
Fixed fuel tank suction inlet (the metal pipes snapped off so I bought one from another guy with a different fuel tank inlet, carefully bent them and coated with POR-15 patch for added strength)
Valves adjusted
New ECT sensor
New coolant hoses
Radiator flush (Prestone rad flush and distilled water only)
New coolant (toyota red)
New rad cap
New 82C thermostat with jiggle valve at 12 o clock
New oil filter and oil
New air filter
New fuel filter
New front and rear brakes
Added Mudflaps
New idle control assembly (the small black knob to the right of the steering wheel that runs down to the pedal). Mine was broken before
Auber EQT Gauge and probe (installed pre-turbo, see picture). Didn't want to rip apart my whole engine so I installed it where I could reach with a drill
Also did a massive amount of body work and removed every inch of rust in the back bottom half of the truck and coated everything in POR-15

Here are things I've checked:
- All fuel lines for leaks. The fuel filter pump is quite hard as soon as I press it down 1-2 times so I'm pretty sure the fuel pressure is good?
- Checked all air/vaccum lines and tightened
- Checked all coolant lines and replaced the ones that were old
- Checked oil cap after running for awhile and oil looks perfect (no white goo)
- Checked coolant overflow after long drive and there is no oil (maybe a bit of red foam but its hard to tell)
- EGTs seem normal (650 F around town, 950 on highway and no more than 1150 going up steep hill on highway)
- Messed around with the screw on the vaccum thing for the EGR system and if I loosen it on startup it seems to idle better but if I leave it loose theres delayed throttle response when driving.


Any help would be really appreciated, I'm getting really frustrated with all of this. Could my EGT probe install have caused this if its not air tight?
@GTSSportCoupe