Quick LJ78 (UK) info needed (possible purchase)

[Animal Mother]

An LJ78 has come up for sale close (very close) to me for what appears to be a bargain price. As I've been mainly looking into 90/120 LCs, I don't know much about 78s so would really appreciate some quick info.

What I know about this car:

• It's a LJ78
• It is a Turbo Diesel
• It is fitted with the 2LTE engine
• It MIGHT be automatic
• It's blue
• It has 7 seats
• It as a J Reg plate fitted
• They want £2100 for it
• It has 193k on the ODO (not sure if KM or miles)

What I'd like to know:

• Are 78s any good?
• Do they rot (generally)?
• If they rot, where do they rot?
• Is the 2LTE motor good?
• Anything to look out for on the motor (overheating, etc?)
• Does it matter if it's an auto?
• Any other issues to look for?
• Are parts readily available?
• What is the price like (£2100)?
• Does this have difflock? Is that normal?

Here are some pics from the advert.

 

[StarCruiser]

Sounds like a bargain price that AM. Looks great too on the surface at least.
As always a good look round underneath especially around wheel arches under the flares is a must. I know other 70 series rust out there (though I've not owned one…yet). @Wills had one and @Ben down under has one and knows 70s inside out and could probably do an engine swap blindfolded by now.
A quick Google gives what looks like some good reading for you here.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/ideas-for-improving-the-2lte.680759/

Good luck with it. For that money if the bodywork is good I'd say that's pretty much home and dry if the head isn't cracked. If it is then it's a bargaining chip and a chance to put the bigger engine in. See Ben's thread for detail on that.

 

[goodoldboy]

An LJ78 has come up for sale close (very close) to me for what appears to be a bargain price. As I've been mainly looking into 90/120 LCs, I don't know much about 78s so would really appreciate some quick info.

What I know about this car:

• It's a LJ78
• It is a Turbo Diesel
• It is fitted with the 2LTE engine
• It MIGHT be automatic
• It's blue
• It has 7 seats
• It as a J Reg plate fitted
• They want £2100 for it
• It has 193k on the ODO (not sure if KM or miles)

What I'd like to know:

• Are 78s any good?
• Do they rot (generally)?
• If they rot, where do they rot?
• Is the 2LTE motor good?
• Anything to look out for on the motor (overheating, etc?)
• Does it matter if it's an auto?
• Any other issues to look for?
• Are parts readily available?
• What is the price like (£2100)?
• Does this have difflock? Is that normal?

Here are some pics from the advert.
View attachment 124301
View attachment 124302
View attachment 124303
View attachment 124304
View attachment 124305
View attachment 124306
View attachment 124307

I've never had a 70 but Auto is fine but check that it shifts smoothly up& down & will kick down.Find the dipstick for the gearbox & take a look at the colour the redder the better.This is a Jap import but worth looking underneath at the chassis all the same.I've always fancied a 70 & this looks promising , the sort of car I'd be interested in .good luck.

 

[Garfieldus]

Take a drive and make sure you can live with a fairly underpowered vehicle.

 

[AndyCook]

It is automatic

1) A343F trans code on vin plate is automatic gearbox
2) And on first photo you can see part of shifter Central console - automatic

 

[Animal Mother]

Sounds like a bargain price that AM. Looks great too on the surface at least.
As always a good look round underneath especially around wheel arches under the flares is a must. I know other 70 series rust out there (though I've not owned one…yet). @Wills had one and @Ben down under has one and knows 70s inside out and could probably do an engine swap blindfolded by now.
A quick Google gives what looks like some good reading for you here.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/ideas-for-improving-the-2lte.680759/

Good luck with it. For that money if the bodywork is good I'd say that's pretty much home and dry if the head isn't cracked. If it is then it's a bargaining chip and a chance to put the bigger engine in. See Ben's thread for detail on that.

Are cracked heads common on this motor then?

 

[StarCruiser]

Reading the Ih8MUD article it seems this can occur under certain circumstances.

 

[Ash Awbery]

• Are 78s any good?- depends on what you want it for? Tow vehicle or hard core off roader not really. Good all rounder for green laneing definitely.
• Do they rot (generally)?- depends on how long ago it was imported, mine was brought in a long time ago and had some rust
• If they rot, where do they rot?- mine rusted just in the front of the rear arches and in the lower body panels between the rear arches and bumper
• Is the 2LTE motor good? This is a matter of opinion I think they are a good motor but with limitations and as said under powered when you consider the size of the vehicle.
• Anything to look out for on the motor (overheating, etc?) over heating is the main issue but can be over come with some mods and respectful driving.
• Does it matter if it's an auto?- I have an lj70 manual and lj78 auto, quite like the auto it's a good strong box.
• Any other issues to look for?- front auto locking hubs tend to be knackered resulting in no 4wd. Common to swap to manual hubs.
• Are parts readily available?- most parts are similar to the lj70 only the 4 door specific ones are different but there are normally some being broken for spares on eBay
• What is the price like (£2100)?- not a bad price and looks tidy.
• Does this have difflock? Is that normal?- not sure if it has a diff lock, it's rare to have one, if it does it will a round diff lock switch on the lower dash to the left of the steering wheel.

 

[Animal Mother]

Great responses. Thanks everyone.

 

[Shayne]

If its what you want then its a great price and if doing an engine swap does not fill you with dread then bingo - the Landcruiser badge rarely comes as a bargain .

 

[Garfieldus]

>>Does this have difflock

The picture of the dash indicates that it has a rear locker. Have a look if the switch is there in front of your left knee.

 

[Ben]

Looks like a nice one and in my opinion, that is a very good price.

Its the same colour that my LJ78 left the factory with, its great for me to be able to see what a 78 looks like in that colour as mine will be getting resprayed that colour very soon.

I'm not a fan of the 2lt engine in these, they really should have come with the 1KZ-T from the start, the 2lt is ok but its pretty gutless and prone to cracking heads. Due to the design of the head and lack of meat between the valves, many believe its not a case of if it will crack, but when.

Obviously keeping the cooling system in tip top condition is a must!

They are in a completely different league to the 90 series which replaced these early 70 series Prado's and 120's that replaced that.

The 90 and 120 are much more car like with their independent front suspension, where as these 70's have a much stronger solid, live axle.

But the down side to this is they do feel slightly more agricultural that the later Prado's, nothing like a defender I hasten to add, their much more comfortable than those, but that heavy solid axle and suspension design does affect how they handle on the road.

 

[tommi786]

I have the same but with the 1KZ engine in auto. Really good solid vehicle and easy to maintain. Milner 4x4 have a lot of the basic parts available. Even import mine from there into Nairobi. Wish I had a rear locker in mine though.....