Who is doing what maintenance today?

[LandcruisingFarmer]

The terrain tamer ones on my 120 looked rubbish after one winter. I’ve read that the Koni raid shocks are good and I’ve wondered about them for a while after the icons die. Being from Europe they might hopefully last a bit longer on salted roads.

 

[felix2566]

I will try and dig out the paperwork and see which versions of the Icons I have got.

 

[Grimbo]

That's my only concern with the Icon shocks..... alloy and road salt not normally a good combo..... the UK obsession with spreading salt really takes a toll on our vehicles .
My OME springs started to flake after a couple of years....
Good call on the Koni raids...... but still like the idea of Icon progressive springs .
We've had a bit of a proper winter with frosts but dry days here....the salt on the side of the roads is like gravel as it never gets damp enough for it to work , yet they keep spreading tax payers money on dry roads ..

 

[Grimbo]

As an experiment I've ordered a pair of Koni "Heavy Track " shocks to try on the rear .... they seem to be adjustable like the raids but a pair are less than one Raid so obviously nothing like as robust or good but as the Dakar isn't immediately on my to do list they might be OK for the current 80% road 20% off road tracks profile at the moment.... time will tell .

 

[AndycruiserguyLomas]

on the 120 did an intermediate 6K oil change new Toyota filter. Fuel and air were done 6K ago so were ok.
Oiled every hinge and lock and greased the U/J's.

 

[Raj]

on the 120 did an intermediate 6K oil change new Toyota filter. Fuel and air were done 6K ago so were ok.
Oiled every hinge and lock and greased the U/J's.

I was looking at lubricating hinges. The internet gave me a very complicated schedule with so many types of greases to use. Do you use few drops of engine oil on all hinges?
For U-joints, I got the correct grease and booked a ramp at a garage for 2 hours to do that job.
Except for steering, suspension, and brakes, I am planning to do the rest of the lubrication this summer.

Component	Grease Type	Frequency
Propshaft U-joints & Slip Yokes	Moly or NLGI-2 Lithium Grease	Every 5,000-10,000 miles
Steering Components	NLGI-2 Chassis Grease	Every 10,000-20,000 miles
Ball Joints & Suspension Bushings	Synthetic or Silicone Grease	Every 10,000-20,000 miles
Brake Caliper Pins & Pad Contact Points	High-temp Silicone Grease	Every 10,000-15,000 miles
Door Hinges, Latches & Locks	White Lithium Grease / Graphite Lube	Every 6-12 months
Sunroof & Window Tracks	Silicone Spray / White Lithium Grease	Every 12 months
Wiper Linkage	White Lithium Grease	Every 12-24 months
Battery Terminals	Dielectric Grease	Every 6-12 months
Seat Rails & Adjusters	White Lithium Grease	Every 12-24 months

 

[Towpack]

I use a few drops of diff oil on door hinges, graphite on lock barrels and white grease on the linkages.
I mixed some graphite powder with acetone which I keep in a small squeezy bottle with a spout. It penetrates well and evaporates to leave a dry graphite lube.

 

[AndycruiserguyLomas]

Oiled every hinge and lock

It's something I do nearly every month, always have during LC ownership. Some 80's I've had the lower tailgate would be so stiff it would stay at 45 degrees until lubricated.
I just use some old 20/40 mineral oil in the oil can but anything will do.
When I sold the first one I had after 16 years the doors shut like they left the factory and there was zero rust anywhere on the doors. When I recently bought it back at 29 years old the doors were still perfect.

 

[RichC4]

I do u joints on the drive, just slide under and stick the grease pump on.

 

[Raj]

I do u joints on the drive, just slide under and stick the grease pump on.

I tried to lift all tyres with jack and axle stands but it went wrong. I first lifted rear tyres and placed two stands under rear axle. Next, when I tried to lift the front tyres, the rear stands slipped and car dropped. It felt too risky so just booked the ramp. It’s 40£ for 2 hours and they will place the car on ramp and after I finish my job, they will safely get it down.

 

[karl2000]

Cant you stick it on 4 ramps on your drive raj?

 

[Raj]

Cant you stick it on 4 ramps on your drive raj?

I can, I have space but the one I booked is here. It’s a big working garage in my area. On Saturdays they rent out their space and equipment

https://autobarnmotorservices.co.uk/rent-a-ramp/

 

[RichC4]

I tried to lift all tyres with jack and axle stands but it went wrong. I first lifted rear tyres and placed two stands under rear axle. Next, when I tried to lift the front tyres, the rear stands slipped and car dropped. It felt too risky so just booked the ramp. It’s 40£ for 2 hours and they will place the car on ramp and after I finish my job, they will safely get it down.

I don't jack the car up, just slide under with it on its wheels. Safe as you like. Not sure if clearance is much less on the 200 but it feels like you shouldn't need to lift it that much?

 

[Raj]

I don't jack the car up, just slide under with it on its wheels. Safe as you like. Not sure if clearance is much less on the 200 but it feels like you shouldn't need to lift it that much?

I can easily get under the car with suspension raised. With 200, there a bit more real estate underneath . One grease point is just below transfer case and I have to remove transfer case covers to access. The ones from diff to the front are difficult to access and I might have to rotate tyres to get them to accessible position.
I am just experimenting so not confident to do on driveway. Last time I did I had a friend with me and with 4 hands we only managed to grease 3 of the points.
With my experience I feel 2 hours is tight to complete this job. If I can’t finish, I ll book another 2 hrs

 

[Towpack]

I have a pair of large steel ramps stashed away in the garage but for a job where I just need a few extra inches clearance I made these from a railway sleeper which gives an extra 5 inches lift. No good if you want the wheels off the ground of course but, kept at the side of the garden shed they can be deployed in seconds.

 

[Grimbo]

Update on playing with the rear springs and shocks on the 80...

The rear red springs were Roughtrax HD springs and for towing an Ifor trailer with the Jeep on and all our kit for a few weeks away in Scotland worked well with a fully laden 80 sitting level and handling well .... I have a 2 inch lift and appropriate dropper plates for the rear ARB so a little roll was to be expected . I had OME Nitocharger shocks .

Have now taken the rear springs back to OME 860 rears which are the lightest OME do for a 2inch lift but have invested in some Koni adjustable rear shocks .

Now with the OME springs and 2 pax plus dogs and the crap I carry in the boot (circa 30-40kg ) with the Koni's wound up to about mid point on the damping it's currently riding OK .
The Koni's are great quality and you can really feel the difference in the rebound damping as you adjust them when off the vehicle .

A 1/4 turn from the lightest setting was about the same rate as my OME shocks..... I've gone for a turn and a half at the moment .... fully turned to max rebound damping you struggle to pull the shocks out so there is a big range of infinitely adjustable damping .

 

[Juddian]

MOT later in the week so MOT prep time.

Stripped and fully serviced the brakes, all good for now, possibly need new pads at the rear in another 12 months and i'll renew the discs at the same time.
Had it up on all 4 ramps so changed the diff and transfer box oils whilst convenient, also all the propshaft grease points were handily facing in the right direction so they got fresh grease.
General all round inspection, only thing i can see they might pick up on is the rear shock absorber dust covers are starting to rust.

ahem, stuck normal bulbs in the headlights.....

Haven't had the opportunity to drive through continual heavy rain since the salt has gone so no point in underbody washing until that's the case and the general grime is softened up, this year's rustproofing will have to wait a while, but she's still solid as a rock underneath, plus i doubt the MOT inspector will enjoy a freshly greased chassis and oiled underbody...have 12 x 400ml aerosols of chain lube in the garage for this year's underbody dosing.

I'm heading rapidly to 70 years and wondering how long i can carry on doing these jobs, we're thinking is the time is coming to sell the 120 on and spend out on a Toyota hybrid, thinking of either a Rav4 or Suzuki Across (made by Toyota).
I reckon there's at least another 10 or possibly 20 years in the Cruiser before major overhaul would ne reqd, but obviously regular TLC and maybe some extra work will be needed to keep her running well, ie possibly the rear steel spring conversion possibly a set of injectors, neither of those jobs i fancy doing myself any more.

Obviously the replacement hybrid will need main dealer servicing to keep the warranty intact, that cost alone would pay for an awful lot of extra fuel the 120 will use, and running the old Diesel is enjoyably unfashionable.
Lots to think about, haven't decided yet about retiring/part time this year, waiting to see what the company offer me, if its not to my liking i might do another year full time yet and coin in the almost certain 5% rise then stop altogether next year.

 

[Towpack]

A bit of small scale maintenance. Rescued a faulty key fob with a couple of new buttons for the princely sum of £1.40! These fobs were discontinued years ago and good refurbs are quite expensive if you can find one. When this one failed I was down to one fob which worried me because you just know what's going to happen!.

The buttons are the 4x4x1.5mm type for anyone interested.

 

[Towpack]

i doubt the MOT inspector will enjoy a freshly greased chassis and oiled underbody.

He certainly wouldn't. I got a MOT advisory last year for, "Underside heavily greased/oiled".

 

[Juddian]

He certainly wouldn't. I got a MOT advisory last year for, "Underside heavily greased/oiled".

Got the T shirt, far as i can recall similar notes are on every MOT since i've had the vehicle (better than increasingly urgent advisories for corrosion), had the aircon repiped 2 years ago right through to the rear end, apparently the cursing from the bloke doing the job could be heard throughout the workshop.