Landcruiser Engine Seized
Submitted: Tuesday, Oct 21, 2003 at 12:44
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campbellimray
G'day all,
Last week I experienced the unfortunate event of my RJ70 Bundera Landcruiser having an engine seizure, good fun on the middle of the highway! Admittedly my experience in the automotive area is not great and I would like your suggestions and clarification on my options.
I would like to keep the car which is a super petrol 5 speed manual. What I am wondering is how to go about fixing the engine. I would like to convert to something other than super if possible, diesel, gas, unleaded, whatever. I am also considering movement to a holden v6 or v8 engine which seem to have supporting conversion kits available from a few traders (Marks4wd and rodshop). Not being technically savvy can anyone offer info on what is involved in this process? Do the kits + engine address all problems related to engine seizure? What are your recommendations on the available kits, my finances aren't great at this time so keeping costs to a minimum would be desirable. The V8 Kits seem cheaper, is this a cheaper option or is the engine harder to source or more expensive or is adherence to emission standards more expensive?
Can anyone tell me of shops within
Melbourne that offer installation of the complete conversion and engine replacement as described above? As I said my technical expertise is not great.
I know I'm asking a lot of questions, I just want to make a good decision and find it all a bit confusing at the moment. If anyone can offer any amount of advice to help me piece it all together I would be extremely grateful.
Thanks for your time,
Campbell.
Reply By: mudgutz - Tuesday, Oct 21, 2003 at 13:31
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2003 at 13:31
have looked down this road for when my old 3f eventually packs up and goes
home
there are many roads to go down here...call me 0407 969858...cause the info is way to much to put in here........... or talk to nick mannell at mannel motors in
sydney.....02 99808855 he know bucket loads about this and is usually willing to give advice.....
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Reply By: Nav 80 - Tuesday, Oct 21, 2003 at 13:37
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2003 at 13:37
Sorry to read about your engine mate,as a retired 4x4 mechanic I have seen a few conversions in my time,some very good ,some not. The engine fitted needs to suit the vehicle gearing and diff ratios etc or all sorts of problems can be created.
If you go that way make sure you get it done by someone who knows what they are about. Engine conversions are usually an expensive exersise and you should look at what your vehicle is worth before you go that way,as down the track you will be trading up and the dealer will only look at the book price for the vehicle and not the cost of the conversion. My personal opinion for what it is worth is if you want somthing diferent and only want to use it as a general purpose 4x4 buy something factory made it could save you some money in the long run.
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Reply By: Truckster (Vic) - Tuesday, Oct 21, 2003 at 13:54
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2003 at 13:54
What physically is wrong with yours, it may not be as bad as you think.
Could be the cheapest place to start, maybe a hone and new rings and you could be lucky..
Conversions are expensive, some around $10k with reconditioned engine, then theres RTA/Vicroads etc engineering certification, possible gearing issues with diff ratios, etc etc.. Then there can be issues with brakes, as it will have to go thru a brake test etc... all hassles...
But then the power advantages, and conversion to diesel will be inviting.
Depends on your budget, experience, if you will do the work or get it done, getting it done can be costly..
Call Rod at Total4x4 center in Epping, VERY VERY good bloke, he did a lot of the work on my GQ... he does a lot of stuff like this. He was doing a Zook with a 4.4 Rover alloy V8 for a comp bloke... also chevs in to 40 series of his own.
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Reply By: ross - Tuesday, Oct 21, 2003 at 16:03
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2003 at 16:03
Cambell I would stick to Nav 80s advice.Engine conversion are best left to experts which cost money that you wont see again when you want to sell.Have a look through the used car columns and you will see vehicles that have had$ 5000-$10000 conversions selling for the same price as a standard version.You have to ask yourself why did they spend all that money and put in all that effort just to sell 6 months down the track ??
Maybe the best course to take is to recondition yours and convert to unleaded .
I would have thought they run on unleaded anyway but if not,its an easy conversion if you do up your motor.
If you look on Outer limits 4x4 landcruiser
forum there is a couple of bunderas that have undergone do it yourself conversions using holden V6 and Toyota Supra .Have a read and see if you are up to it.
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Reply By: Member - DOZER- Tuesday, Oct 21, 2003 at 18:08
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2003 at 18:08
Mate
Dont worry about repairing your motor, get another runner.
Check out pickles.com for a wreck, get what you want off it and resell it, or do the exchange thing.
Best of all, check out the motor to see if you can identify what caused the siezure, and if it was oil or water, you may be able to unsieze it in 4th gear being pulled down the road by a mate. then it wont cost as much at the exchange place...
Andrew wheredayathinkwer mike?
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Reply By: Willie - Tuesday, Oct 21, 2003 at 19:25
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2003 at 19:25
Oh what a feeling!!!!..........I cooked our LJ70 Bundera some while ago. It was one of the earlier models. A water bypass pipe corroded and by the time I noticed the temp gauge go into the red it was too late. Had the vehicle repaired and got rid of it. I then went back 10 years and bought an old FJ55 Landcruiser with 300 on the clock and took it through to 550K before it too passed away.
If you change from petrol to diesel here in SA then the transport department go through you like a dose of salts and you wish you had never attempted the changeover. Unless you are buying an engine dirt cheap then converting the truck to something else is a waste of time and money. You will end up spending $5-10K on a truck that isn't worth it. You over capitalise and throw good money away. I would do the minimum to the Bundera to get it mobile again and either drive it into the ground or trade up to something else.
Cheers,
Willie
Never a dull moment
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Reply By: GaryInOz (Vic) - Tuesday, Oct 21, 2003 at 20:41
Tuesday, Oct 21, 2003 at 20:41
If you are mechanically challenged, try REPCO. They do exchange engines for most vehicles with warranty, drive (tow??) in, drive out . The conversion to ULP should'nt be to difficult, just let REPCO know that you want to run it on ULP and they should put in the appropriate harder valves/seats for you and tune it accordingly. Given the age of the vehicle there is no need for a catalytic converter, etc.
Another thought would be to contact Toyota. I believe that they have reduced the price of a lot of their OE replacement engines and components, and once again, you may be able to pick up a ULP engine that will fit (may need computer, loom, etc. but worth a thought).
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Reply By: Member - Bradley- Wednesday, Oct 22, 2003 at 13:21
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2003 at 13:21
Campbell, first thing you need to identify is what caused the engine to sieze, as this will affect the costs involved ie. new radiator/ hoses etc. A changeover engine with hardened valve seats / stainless valves and bronze guides would be the cheapest option and give you the ability to run unleaded as well. I would stay away from gas as the price will soon become even more prohibitive. If you want a bit more poke, you can even get an exchange engine with a better cam and fit a good set of headers and exhaust, as well as an improved air filter. The guys are right about conversions, the possibilities are endless but where do you stop - new diffs etc.... And you will never recover much of the cost involved, not to mention the rego / engineers / insurance hassles. Hope this helps, Brad.Life is short- but there's always time for a yarda.
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