In the market for a 2nd Gen - Need advice

[fjcruiserpd]

Search is Over

Well I found one I felt comfortable enough to bring home.

1993
164K miles
3900 and SUPER clean. Well maintained inside and out with records to boot. No record of head gaskets being replaced so I'll cross my fingers on that one. But everything else seems tip top. New timing belt and water pump. No leaks.

I'm a big dude, so space-wise it's a big difference from the FJ I sold, but I'll get used to it.

ETA: I had BFG All-Terrains on my FJ and am thinking I'd like to have them on this rig too. Can anyone tell me what I'll need to do to make that happen? Will I have to modify anything? I'm not really into lifting and such.

 

[85straight]

Nice!, glad you found one you approved of. The issue with the HG isnt a for sure thing that its gonna go at any second. You can remedy that from possibly happenng by putting some decent aftermarket headers on there. As for tires, i love the bfg at for almost any use( ive worked at a tire shop for a while). You can keep it stock size if you prefer or go a size bigger without needing to lift. Nice find


Ps. Get rid of those god awful running boards haha

 

[fjcruiserpd]

Nice!, glad you found one you approved of. The issue with the HG isnt a for sure thing that its gonna go at any second. You can remedy that from possibly happenng by putting some decent aftermarket headers on there. As for tires, i love the bfg at for almost any use( ive worked at a tire shop for a while). You can keep it stock size if you prefer or go a size bigger without needing to lift. Nice find


Ps. Get rid of those god awful running boards haha

Okay, will look into the BFG ATs. My plan is to pull the boards off this weekend!

 

[NorthWestT4R]

im currently running BFgoodrich A/T baja champions (31x11.5)on my 2nd gen, they work great off road. they perform like MTs, handle confidently in the snow/dirt/sand (i take my rig everywhereXD) but no annoying road noise on the street. Since you said you wanted to DD your truck, they should work out great for you, look into then heres how they look on my 2nd gen

 

[MrElectric03]

Very nice, same color as mine. One thing that was not mentioned...if it's a 5 speed check the clutch pedal bracket really close and see if you can find any cracks around where it bolts to the firewall. I just did head gaskets in my 91 (bought it with them blown) and went to bleed the clutch only to find my bracket is shot.

If yours is an auto your good to go....slow.

 

[mikebontoft]

haha the autos are slow... but 4.88's ftw.

looks good. as mentioned, pulling the running boards will make a huge difference. I've had so many people ask me what kind of lift was on it when I had nothing.

Also if they've never had the recall done for head gaskets...someday you may be in luck (my understanding is they still honor it)

 

[fourwd1]

From a 2nd gen owner:
If you can swing the cash -- Get a 3rd gen. Limited '99 to '01. The 3.4L engine and rear e-locker diff are worth it.

If not, on the 3.0L engine:
- Check for recent timing chain and water pump replacements.
- Head gaskets are a problem on this engine, the exhaust crossover cooks the #6 cylinder head area. So check/ask about any recent head work.

Good Luck with your search!

Timing belt on the 3.0, not chain.
See if the head gaskets were ever replaced under the service campaign.
Same for the steering relay rod campaign (that one applies to all 2nd gens regardless of engine).

 

[fjcruiserpd]

Very nice, same color as mine. One thing that was not mentioned...if it's a 5 speed check the clutch pedal bracket really close and see if you can find any cracks around where it bolts to the firewall. I just did head gaskets in my 91 (bought it with them blown) and went to bleed the clutch only to find my bracket is shot.

If yours is an auto your good to go....slow.

It's actually an automatic. And yes, this thing is so very slow. I actually don't mind it so much. Gives me a chance to really enjoy the scenery.

 

[fjcruiserpd]

haha the autos are slow... but 4.88's ftw.

looks good. as mentioned, pulling the running boards will make a huge difference. I've had so many people ask me what kind of lift was on it when I had nothing.

Also if they've never had the recall done for head gaskets...someday you may be in luck (my understanding is they still honor it)

I will definitely look into seeing if they will honor the recall. Not sure if the gasket work was done but if not it would be nice to not have to pay for it!

 

[CodeButcher]

I have a 93' 3.slow, with 3 head gasket replacements. The first time through the recall, the second, after it overheated from a leaking factory radiator, the third after the U-Pipe at the rear of the engine, leaked.

The head gasket really only needs to be replaced if there is a leak. I would not replace it if the compression is fine. Most of the time it's the driver's side rear cylinder is where it starts leaking. Mainly because the cylinder wall and the coolant line is something like less than 1/2 inch apart. Overheat your engine once any it's most likely to go (leak) soon, because the aluminum heads warp easily.

Also check when the last time the timing belt was changed.

 

[fjcruiserpd]

I went by a local dealership to see if the head gasket recall work was done on my truck and their records showed it was done back in 1998. So that's a bit of relief.