Possibly buying another 80 - some questions and danger signs

[stCky]

Hello team!

My father and I are looking at taking on another 80 - that's our 2nd in 6 months woop woop

It's at least 4-5 hours drive away so we were wondering if the problems mentioned by the current owner are possible signs of danger and if it should be avoided. It's on auction at the moment and hasn't climbed incredibly high in price (currently 4,000 NZD or 1935 GBP).

The description as per current owners ad states:

Landcruiser VX
350000 Ks starts and runs well but engine is using water. Smokey on cold start but not burning oil, no oil in the water no water in the oil
Transmission and gearbox all work well
Automatic, tidy body no rust, five seater, has a small amount of paint fade on the roof,
Big meaty tyres, current warrent, 4,2 diesel

He has told us it uses approx. 1 litre of water per 100km driven and it "possibly leaks out of the exhaust".

He also doesn't mention any turbo, did some of these 4.2 diesel engines come out without turbo?

Any help would be much appreciated!

Cheers,
Ben


EDIT: It's a 1993 VX limited model

 

[clivehorridge]

The HZJ 80 is without turbo, like mine.

You'll certainly feel the difference if your other truck is an HDJ with tubo.

Don't like the sound of using water, could be the head gasket.

Sometimes core plugs leak but then it's usually an external leak, or there's clear signs of water in the oil.

take care with this one, unless you want an engine build project

 

[uHu]

At 350 k km, it's probably good to renovate the engine anyhow, and do the BEBs etc. At the same time you could get the water issue sorted - might be just the pump, in which case you should be able to smell/see it at the front.
Could you buy it for a price conditional on the health of the head (cracks, warped)?

Is it a 1HZ or a 1HD? (hzj80 or hdj80)

 

[stCky]

Thanks for your replies, I've looked up the plate online and have seen it's engine code: 1HD-0074634 so 1HD-T?

The current owner isn't at their computer very much, or answering their phone which doesn't help very much

We will definitely be giving it a big service and running it by our mechanic friend (if purchased) hearing of it using water but no signs of oil/water mixing was the main worry and because it's a little while a way it makes it harder for us to diagnose.

We're considering paying a local mobile mechanic to give it a good look over, it's at a great price for now so for the peace of mind we may go this route. It's got 5 days left on auction and only had the one bid.

It'd be nice if it was the water pump on it's way out, my current 80 has just hit 360kms and the water pump went pop, $360 later and the new pump was in and golden

 

[clivehorridge]

Sounds like you'll have the turbo

Well of course you have to see it, or have it seen, it could be something simple.

Folks do talk of topping up their rads, but I go from one year to the next without the need.

 

[Shayne]

A leaking radiator cap possibly ? It leaves no evidence the only way to know is to change the cap and see if it solves the problem .

 

[StarCruiser]

Or leaking rear heater/ rear heater pipe work.

 

[Towpack]

As said, if it's a 1HD-T it'll have a turbo. Will definitely need the BEB's checking at the vey least unless there's definite proof they've been done recently. Water loss could be head gasket which could account for water loss out of the exhaust but I'd expect some over pressurisation of the cooling system if this is the case so shouldn't be too hard to spot. The turbo is water cooled so a cracked turbo housing is another possibility but less likely. JMO

 

[stCky]

Thanks guys, all really great info. We're gonna try get our eye's on it this weekend otherwise a mobile mechanic will be the go. We hope to find out more information from the seller

 

[IRLGW]

WHat happened the cruiser you bought 6 months ago and who looked over that one for you before you bought it- could they not look at this one as well?

You may be better on the IH8MUD forum (OZ?) as their members are more likely to have models of the similar spec.

Another option is that you just put Steel Seal (properly as per instructions) in it and avoid opening a potential can of worms. You would at least get a few years out of it without any spend.

 

[clivehorridge]

If you go there to see, don't forget to practice the side to side head shake, and the tut, tut, tut as you walk around the car, especially reminding the seller how expensive Mr T parts are and the high labour bill for fixing even minor repairs.

It all goes down well with sellers