Potential faults on the Toyota Land Cruiser 70, 76 and 79 Series

 

Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Series

Some problems identified with the Cruiser 70 series, and presented here, may give owners of these models better insight when stumbling upon similar issues.

 

Fuel System Light Keeps Coming On

The reason for this happening may be diverse. It might be the fuel filter that needs to be changed. It may even be due to dirty fuel in one of the tanks, in which case the fuel should be drained. This is usually the case where your vehicle has an odometer reading above 200 000 km. Another reason for experiencing this problem may be attributed to your vehicle’s fuel sender unit, especially if you have a good amount of distance on your odometer. Sometime the actual float will sink and activate the low fuel level warning light.

Do not hesitate to have this checked, whichever the reason may be. Our qualified service technicians at SAC Service Centres will gladly assist you.

 

Wheel Track Issue!

The rear wheel track of the Toyota 70 series (2007 – 2015+) has been found to be 95 – 100 mm narrower than that of the front. This is problematic because the narrower track at the rear causes the vehicle to sway unpredictably when travelling on soft surfaces. This also occurs when the vehicle encounters dry wheel grooves, or edged surface changes on sealed roads. Instability issues are also present when towing. This represents as a significant safety concern as the vehicle can become unstable and difficult to control under these conditions. This can be corrected by either (a) placing 0 offset rims on the front with -55 offset rims on the rear; (b) applying wheel spacers or (c) doing a TrueTrac correction. With the latter the rear axle gets extended, but due to it being quite expensive, most people opt for options (a) and (b).

 

Alternator Problem

The alternators are prone to mud in-take and can stop working. Apart from the first remedial option of cleaning it, there is a second option of buying a 100% sealed unit.

 

Toyota Land Cruiser 76 Series

Well, The 76 is considered by many to be a real rugged, simple (unsophisticated) and no-nonsense 4×4 vehicle for use in isolated places under testing conditions.

There have been isolated reports of problems with the gearbox. Some owners even went as far as replacing the gearbox with a heavier duty gearbox. Many owners also warned about driving in 5th gear at revs that are too low. They feel that problems can be avoided in the long term by changing down to 4th gear or keeping it in 4th until you reach cruising speed.

Some problems have been reported with the automatic 4 wheel drive front hubs that don’t last. Some 4 wheel drive experts advise that if you have both the manual locking as well as the automatic option, to rather employ the manual option when in need of 4 wheel driving. By doing this you may avoid any hub problems.

The suspension seems to have the same issue as it has with the 70 series. The rear track width is narrower than that of the front track width because the model was designed to fit the larger V8 engine under the bonnet. To recap what was said when we discussed the wheel tracks of the Toyota 70 series (2007 – 2015+), it (the rear track width) has been found to be as much as 95 – 100 mm narrower than that of the front. This is problematic because the narrower track at the rear causes the vehicle to sway unpredictably when travelling on soft surfaces. This also occurs when the vehicle encounters dry wheel grooves, or edged surface changes on sealed roads. Instability issues are also present when towing. This represents as a significant safety concern as the vehicle can become unstable and difficult to control under these conditions. This can be corrected by either (a) placing 0 offset rims on the front with -55 offset rims on the rear; (b) applying wheel spacers or (c) doing a TrueTrac correction. With the latter the rear axle gets extended, but due to it being quite expensive, most people opt for options (a) and (b).

Apart from these you are unlikely to experience any other serious weak points in the 76 series. Keep to the correct fuel, oil and have your vehicle regularly serviced by your nearest SAC branch, and you will considerably prolong your driving experience with your Cruiser 76.

 

Toyota Land Cruiser 79 Series

Well now, it seems as if the 79 series eradicated most of the issues that were identified in the 70 and 76 series.

The only issue that was picked up was the fuel system light that kept coming on. As mentioned with the 70 series, the reason for this happening may be diverse. It may be the fuel filter that needs to be changed; even if you have to keep changing the filter till it has worked its way out of the system. It may even be due to dirty fuel in one of the tanks, or you may have picked up some of the dirty dregs from the bottom of the fuel stations tank, in which case the fuel should be drained. This is usually the case where your vehicle has an odometer reading above 200 000 km. Another reason for experiencing this problem may be attributed to your vehicle’s fuel sender unit, especially if you have a good amount of distance on your odometer. Sometime the actual float will sink and activate the low fuel level warning light.

If you feel your 79 Series V8 Land Cruiser does not give you enough power, consider having your Cruiser chipped. We will turn your 79 series V8 into a monster – adding a whopping extra 60 – 65% torque. Talk to one of our professional and well-trained staff at SAC Service Centres if you consider having this done.

 

Related Articles:
Land Cruiser Service – Minor, Intermediate, Major Services
Toyota Land Cruiser – The History
Road Tests – Toyota Land Cruiser

 

Within the above article, potential problems, causes and fixes have been identified as founded on the experience of vehicle owners and repairers, online sources such as discussion blogs, technical service bulletins and SAC experience. This information is provided solely for reference purposes. SAC strictly instruct readers that only properly qualified individuals should carry out repairs and/or modifications on your vehicles. It should also be made clear that the number of times an item is identified within this discussion should by no way be seen as an indicator of a model’s reliability or the frequency with which they may occur. Two of the exact same vehicles, owned by tow entirely different owners, driven in entirely different ways and on different terrains, and looked after in their own unique ways, will each behave differently. As mentioned, this information is provided solely for reference purposes but we hope – in the process of doing so – to empower you with relevant information which may enable you to make informative decisions whenever you experience any of the mentioned setbacks.