Don't like the adverts?  Click here to remove them

Buying an 80

G

Guest

Guest
Its mostly been said I think, except I would agree that a manual is
preferable if you are going into rough country regularly. You want to have
control over everything especially if you have to manoeuvre in tight and
dangerous places and not have to cope with a torque converter pulling at
you all the time, forcing you to have a foot on the brake when inching and
negotiating tricky tracks etc. In this place you rarely see auto boxes on
aid agency 4WD's. But I admit we do drive in different circumstances over
here. And naturally an auto box is cheaper on fuel too.
When checking the 80 look at the rear bump stops. If they have lost their
rubber then get the vendor to replace them. The bolts holding the brackets
seize badly and they are a swine to extract. Let someone else have the
pleasure if they have the tools to do it. Drilling a broken bolt stub out
involves dropping the axle to get a drill into position. Otherwise you have
to weld a piece of 3mm strip onto it and spanner it out - given that the
heat has eased to threads along with plenty of WD40.
Check the anti-roll bar bushes front and back, they do wear quickly but are
easy to replace at about 11 quid a set of polybushes, but again, the
horseshoe bolts on the back need gentle easing after a week's soaking in WD40.
Check the hoses under the car that go to the rear heater, they can seep and
you would never know about them until they let-go bigtime !
If it has the separate front flashers above the bumper make sure they are
working. If not, then it can often not be a bulb but the cable at the back
of the bulb socket shorting on the panel behind, its a very tight fit in there.
Check for water leaks under the rear cargo area windows, a common problem
only sorted by removing them and re-sealing. Look at the jack first, if it
looks a tad rusty in its transport socket, then you have a leak. And its
not the air vent above leaking either.
Its rare, but if it has troopie rear doors and not a tailgate, see if it
squeaks when running. If they do then you have the infamous 'budgie catch'.
Toy used a poor plastic in the assembly and it all has to be replaced with
a new type, WD40 will not fix it. Yes, its only a squeak you think, but
wait till you hear it over a 50 mile drive !!
Look on top of the roof for scratches from car park height planks and
barriers hitting it. As a Disco owner you will be aware of that of course !
Check the front calipers are tight with no loose mounting bolts. Its a
foible of the 80 especially on the long shaft side where vibration loosens
them. Often they have to be drilled out and re-threaded, mine are now 14mm
bolts. If you look into the wheel rim you should see if the caliper has
ever dropped and marked it. It usually throws the bottom bolt first. If you
hear a 'tingg' when you brake then its the first sign.
If you hear a 'tingg' when you let the clutch out its a driveshaft UJ,
often wear you will not see from underneath with a lever in the
conventional manner. A cheap fix though.
Avoid alloy wheels if you can - if you are serious about going off-road,
they will not stand up to it day-in day-out - its a lot heavier than a
Disco and in Oz they even run wheel centres made from 8mm steel !
Turn on the aircon with the heater fan running to see if the engine speed
rises 200 rpm. If it doesn't then it needs re-gassing and leak checking.
Check axle breathers. If they have been extended up to the engine bay then
its been used by an enthusiast. If not, then any leaking from pinion seals
may be due to blocked breather valves. They are small tin cans at the end
of the hoses with lightly spring rubber flap valves inside. Freeing them
can help but often once the pinion seals are gone overhaul of the valves
will not cure the problem.
Remember that Milner are not the only spares suppliers, also try Phil of
Japanese 4X4 at Brum Auto Parts. He often has parts made by the OEM
suppliers to Toy at much lower cost of course.
Enjoy
Jon
'92 HZJ80 ex UN surplus in Bosnia - how about a Toy fun day on Anthony's
tracks ?
 
Jon,
I would not agree that a manual transmit ion is preferable to an automatic
off road or in the rough. For many years I stuck with manuals and did a lot
of off roading, "green laning" off road sites, tailing etc, and would not
have touched an auto because I saw things mainly as you have said. However
my thoughts changed very rapidly after I had my first auto which was a G
Wagon 2.8 LWB, this completely changed my previous views. The auto IMHO (I
am leaning must be still young) is superior in many respects,
Auto allows for safe hill climbing without fear off stalling,
Auto allows selection of a higher gear when climbing without the need to
hang on with what may be a an inadequate selection,
Auto allows for more power to be applied through torque multiplication
Auto is very controllable by manual holding of the gears, but I concede that
you normally cannot start off in third or forth which you can in a manual
and it is difficult to force it into a higher gear with out trickery than it
may select it's self.
Starting off very softly without burning a clutch is very useful in delicate
situations
Holding the engine against the breaks is also easier and can allow a
complete controlled stop with out fear of stalling and allows a slow start
while holding the breaks at the same time as accelerating. It is possible
to manipulate all three peddles at the same time on a manual but heel and
toeing under extreme duress is very difficult.
There are instances were a manual may be preferable in off road situations
such as engine breaking when going down deep descents, here an auto
defiantly needs to be held down by manual selection or held against the
breaks and even then may not lock up to provide quite as much deceleration
as a manual (a Slee lock up kit may help here) but it is still reasonable
but I am a complete convert.
A fun Day ummmm
Anthony
-----Original Message-----
From: [Email address removed] [mailto:[Email address removed]] On
Behalf Of toy80
Sent: 12 March 2005 07:14
To: [Email address removed]
Subject: RE: [ELCO] Buying an 80
Its mostly been said I think, except I would agree that a manual is
preferable if you are going into rough country regularly. You want to have
control over everything especially if you have to manoeuvre in tight and
dangerous places and not have to cope with a torque converter pulling at
you all the time, forcing you to have a foot on the brake when inching and
negotiating tricky tracks etc. In this place you rarely see auto boxes on
aid agency 4WD's. But I admit we do drive in different circumstances over
here. And naturally an auto box is cheaper on fuel too.
Enjoy
Jon
'92 HZJ80 ex UN surplus in Bosnia - how about a Toy fun day on Anthony's
tracks ?
 
Elco guys
Here! here! autos are good in the desert too - and no, there is never
any problem with reversing down dunes.... Next cruiser will also be
auto too.
Renate
>>> [Email address removed] 03/12/05 12:09pm >>>
Jon,
I would not agree that a manual transmit ion is preferable to an
automatic
off road or in the rough. For many years I stuck with manuals and did
a lot
of off roading, "green laning" off road sites, tailing etc, and would
not
have touched an auto because I saw things mainly as you have said.
However
my thoughts changed very rapidly after I had my first auto which was a
G
Wagon 2.8 LWB, this completely changed my previous views. The auto
IMHO (I
am leaning must be still young) is superior in many respects,
Auto allows for safe hill climbing without fear off stalling,
Auto allows selection of a higher gear when climbing without the need
to
hang on with what may be a an inadequate selection,
Auto allows for more power to be applied through torque multiplication
Auto is very controllable by manual holding of the gears, but I concede
that
you normally cannot start off in third or forth which you can in a
manual
and it is difficult to force it into a higher gear with out trickery
than it
may select it's self.
Starting off very softly without burning a clutch is very useful in
delicate
situations
Holding the engine against the breaks is also easier and can allow a
complete controlled stop with out fear of stalling and allows a slow
start
while holding the breaks at the same time as accelerating. It is
possible
to manipulate all three peddles at the same time on a manual but heel
and
toeing under extreme duress is very difficult.
There are instances were a manual may be preferable in off road
situations
such as engine breaking when going down deep descents, here an auto
defiantly needs to be held down by manual selection or held against
the
breaks and even then may not lock up to provide quite as much
deceleration
as a manual (a Slee lock up kit may help here) but it is still
reasonable
but I am a complete convert.
A fun Day ummmm
Anthony
-----Original Message-----
From: [Email address removed]
[mailto:[Email address removed]] On
Behalf Of toy80
Sent: 12 March 2005 07:14
To: [Email address removed]
Subject: RE: [ELCO] Buying an 80
Its mostly been said I think, except I would agree that a manual is
preferable if you are going into rough country regularly. You want to
have
control over everything especially if you have to manoeuvre in tight
and
dangerous places and not have to cope with a torque converter pulling
at
you all the time, forcing you to have a foot on the brake when inching
and
negotiating tricky tracks etc. In this place you rarely see auto boxes
on
aid agency 4WD's. But I admit we do drive in different circumstances
over
here. And naturally an auto box is cheaper on fuel too.
Enjoy
Jon
'92 HZJ80 ex UN surplus in Bosnia - how about a Toy fun day on
Anthony's
tracks ?
 
dont think i will have much work for one in dunes
not many dunes in lancashire! :)
however plenty of lanes and offroad sites to contend with.
what i find funny is that people will buy a landrover and spend 1.5k on arb
air compressors however an LC 80 has them fitted as std
maybe the arb is better but from the outset you have the advantage with the
LC! :)
dyf
_____
From: [Email address removed] [mailto:[Email address removed]] On
Behalf Of Renate Haupt
Sent: 12 March 2005 12:15
To: [Email address removed]
Subject: RE: [ELCO] Buying an 80
Elco guys
Here! here! autos are good in the desert too - and no, there is never any
problem with reversing down dunes.... Next cruiser will also be auto too.
Renate
>>> [Email address removed] 03/12/05 12:09pm >>>
Jon,
I would not agree that a manual transmit ion is preferable to an automatic
off road or in the rough. For many years I stuck with manuals and did a lot
of off roading, "green laning" off road sites, tailing etc, and would not
have touched an auto because I saw things mainly as you have said. However
my thoughts changed very rapidly after I had my first auto which was a G
Wagon 2.8 LWB, this completely changed my previous views. The auto IMHO (I
am leaning must be still young) is superior in many respects,
Auto allows for safe hill climbing without fear off stalling,
Auto allows selection of a higher gear when climbing without the need to
hang on with what may be a an inadequate selection,
Auto allows for more power to be applied through torque multiplication
Auto is very controllable by manual holding of the gears, but I concede that
you normally cannot start off in third or forth which you can in a manual
and it is difficult to force it into a higher gear with out trickery than it
may select it's self.
Starting off very softly without burning a clutch is very useful in delicate
situations
Holding the engine against the breaks is also easier and can allow a
complete controlled stop with out fear of stalling and allows a slow start
while holding the breaks at the same time as accelerating. It is possible
to manipulate all three peddles at the same time on a manual but heel and
toeing under extreme duress is very difficult.
There are instances were a manual may be preferable in off road situations
such as engine breaking when going down deep descents, here an auto
defiantly needs to be held down by manual selection or held against the
breaks and even then may not lock up to provide quite as much deceleration
as a manual (a Slee lock up kit may help here) but it is still reasonable
but I am a complete convert.
A fun Day ummmm
Anthony
-----Original Message-----
From: [Email address removed] [mailto:[Email address removed]] On
Behalf Of toy80
Sent: 12 March 2005 07:14
To: [Email address removed]
Subject: RE: [ELCO] Buying an 80
Its mostly been said I think, except I would agree that a manual is
preferable if you are going into rough country regularly. You want to have
control over everything especially if you have to manoeuvre in tight and
dangerous places and not have to cope with a torque converter pulling at
you all the time, forcing you to have a foot on the brake when inching and
negotiating tricky tracks etc. In this place you rarely see auto boxes on
aid agency 4WD's. But I admit we do drive in different circumstances over
here. And naturally an auto box is cheaper on fuel too.
Enjoy
Jon
'92 HZJ80 ex UN surplus in Bosnia - how about a Toy fun day on Anthony's
tracks ?
 
Dyfed,
Just make sure al the diffs are working, it is not uncommon for the axle
locks to sees up with disuse and in my case the central differential refused
to lock up. The diff locks can be cleaned out if jammed or clogged but they
are very expensive if they can't. My CDL was very expensive to repair and
needed a new actuator and a couple of new switches. If all 3 diffs were
broken then the 1.5K may seem not very large. Mr. Toyota is very expensive.
The Electric lockers in the 80 are very good but there is a lot of selection
control is taken over by the computer some of which can be over come by
tinkering with terminals it depends on what age of 80 that you are looking
at. Post 93 models come with a viscous diff and ABS as standard but no CDL
switch the CDL only becomes locked in low ratio but it lochs up in low
whether you want it to or not, both these little hassles can be overcome
quite easily. As far as I now and this is across the pond as well, it is
not normally possible to lock up the axles with out locking the Central Diff
First this is again pre determined by the processors. Other manufacturers
have more manual control off the locking of diffs, the Mercedes G wagon for
one. Good luck with your search and let us know when you have found one.
We are luck to have a few desert driving experts on this board
_____
From: [Email address removed] [mailto:[Email address removed]] On
Behalf Of Dyfed Bowen
Sent: 13 March 2005 10:05
To: [Email address removed]
Subject: RE: [ELCO] Buying an 80
dont think i will have much work for one in dunes
not many dunes in lancashire! :)
however plenty of lanes and offroad sites to contend with.
what i find funny is that people will buy a landrover and spend 1.5k on arb
air compressors however an LC 80 has them fitted as std
maybe the arb is better but from the outset you have the advantage with the
LC! :)
dyf
_____
 
Re: diff locks
Some people have had problems with lockers being slow or failing to
engage, but as a percentage I think it's very low considering the few
reports and how many LC's are out there. The normal cause suggested is
lack of use - a lot of owners don't even know they are fitted to their
motor never mind what to do with them so they sit unused for 12 years or
so. When there is a problem with the actuators they can usually be fixed
if you=92re prepared to take them apart and service them. Note it's the
actuators (electric motor with a spring!) that fails, I've yet to read
of a diff failure but it must happen sometimes. If you test drive one,
be aware that often they won't engage until there is a different speed
at each end of the axle. Zig zags on mud, gravel or sand is useful for
testing. Also, the centre diff lock has to be engaged before the axle
diff locks will work.
I've no personal experience of ARB's but I read about plenty of problems
with them. I'd much rather trust MR Toyota's engineering than ARB if I
have a choice.
On 93 onwards UK vehicles there is no manual control of the centre diff
lock as standard - it's unlocked in high and locked in low. =A320 or so
will buy you a switch from Toyota which let's you engage the centre diff
lock manually and the wiring for it is already behind the dash, just
remove a blanking plug and connect the switch. I think Toyota were
worried people would drive round with the diff locked without realising
and destroy their drive line.
Re: Transmission
Both our 80's have auto boxes and I wouldn't change to manual for all
the tea in china. Each to their own and all that but in a tight spot I
have easier control by holding on the brake without also having to work
the clutch and be sure where it will bite. My 94 has seen a lot of
difficult terrain and works well for me. Many times I have been in
situations where I'm sure the momentum lost while changing gear in a
manual would stop me getting through. I'm talking about slogging up
muddy inclines or across bog where I want to hit it at speed for maximum
momentum and let the box change down when the time is right (on private
land of course).
Best Regards,
Jon.
-----Original Message-----
From: [Email address removed] [mailto:[Email address removed]]
On Behalf Of Dyfed Bowen
Sent: 13 March 2005 10:05
To: [Email address removed]
Subject: RE: [ELCO] Buying an 80
dont think i will have much work for one in dunes
not many dunes in lancashire! :)
however plenty of lanes and offroad sites to contend with.
what i find funny is that people will buy a landrover and spend 1.5k on
arb air compressors however an LC 80 has them fitted as std
maybe the arb is better but from the outset you have the advantage with
the LC! :)
dyf
 
Don't like the adverts?  Click here to remove them
Back
Top