Diesel engine longevity

Hi James, I have just sold a HJ61 Turbo diesel with 355,000 on the clock and I can tell you it was difficult for me to do. The car never burnt oil and I was getting 850 k's out of the 90 litre tank in the city. Better on trips. This model never slowed down when fully loaded or pulling a trailer. I had been advised by several mechanics that the Factory Turbo in the 60 series was Toyotas best motor and with regular oil and filter changes this engine should be good for 500,000. In fact my mechanics brother has one with over 600,000 and the engine is still in its original condition. The 2H non Turbo motor should give similar life however when the motors get to this age they will need to have been looked after to get many more k's out of them. A rebuild to new for either of these engines will be upwards of $5,000. I did do a gearbox at 320,000 and to have it rebuilt completely is a $3,000 job. Most say that 300,000 is about average for the diesel 5 speed box. As far as parts go you can get 60 series parts all over the whole country in most small towns and wrecking yards. I personally have owned 4 diesels with the 2H engine and believe me they are a slug when fully loaded. They have difficulty pulling when loaded so the turbo may be a good option.

One thing to watch in the 60 series is rust. Look for it in the floor pans, sills under doors and roof gutters. The worst spot for rust in them is in the chassis at the drivers and front passengers feet area. Take a phillips head screwdriver with you when looking at cars and remove the mould along the lower door sill and take out the little panel at the front foot area. The worst rust is in the metal work behind this panel. If there is no rust the owner should not mind you having a look.

Leaking diff seals and gearbox and engine main bearing seals are a hassel to fix. Watch out for leaking hub seals too. Front and rear diff units are interchangeable and when the rear gets noisy swap it for the front and you should get a couple of hundred more k's out of them. Watch out for worn shackle bushes as they dont last very long when used for load carrying. A new set is cheap and easy to install and it tightens up the ride a fair bit.

Happy hunting. Andy

My other half had a 60 but two days ago bought a 80. His is a poverty pack diesel. He bought it from a guy that used to follow trucks around the state as a pilot vehicle. The motor was rebuilt at 200K Km and my other half bought it just after that. It has now done nearly 600K Km and it still pulls like a bull. We have never had any problems with it. My other half found that given the motor heaps, seemed to clear it up and made it run a hell of alot better. He swears by Landcruisers, especially diesel 60's but its time to move onto coils. Hope this helps.