3FE gear questions

[OneTime]

Can you guys enlighten me regarding regearing? I have been driving the 92 now for month as a DD. I tuned it at week and it is running great. It's sweet spot seems to be right at about 65mph. Ive tried very hard to get use to cruising at 65. I'm going nuts. If I wanted to cruise at 75mph, what gears should I look at? 4.88, 4.56? If I went with 4.88, how would that affect my top end.

I also want to go with lesser tires when my current 33x12.5 MT's wear out. Is there a 33x9.5 MT?

 

[Pskhaat]

It's sweet spot seems to be right at about 65mph. Ive tried very hard to get use to cruising at 65. I'm going nuts. If I wanted to cruise at 75mph, what gears should I look at? 4.88, 4.56?...Is there a 33x9.5 MT?

33x9.50r15 from BFG for AT. As for gearing it is generally really hard to beat the all-around use of the truck in back-to-stock gear form on these 80s.

4.11s rolling 31s =

4.37s rolling 33s
4.56s rolling 34s
4.88s rolling 37s
​

Anyway, if you want to incur the expense then maybe consider stepping to 4.56s.

However you may find much better value in moving to 235/85r16s (a touch larger diameter than stock 31s and you indeed have the weight in the 80 for 'em) on some narrower Toyota 16" rims + you can get 235s like almost anywhere in any mfg. in most every tread? It is a different look for sure you either love 'em or hate em.

 

[ginericLC]

BFG makes a 33x10.50. I wouldn't get crazy, 4.56s would be what I'd run for a small 33" on a 3FE powered 80, 4.88s will be easier to find but your rpms will be too high at freeway speeds to get any decent mileage.

 

[OneTime]

Pskhatt

I just read an old archieved thread from a member here who has a nice Pathfinder and wanted to sell it and buy an 80. The tread was in April. Not sure of this year or 07. Any way in the thread you made a strong argument for the 3fe over the 93+ 80s. You listed many things of which I know nothing of. I need to cute and paste the list and pick your brain. You mentioned a 5spd behind the 3FE. What would be the cost? Parts and install.

I know I have a jem of a truck. But it needs some tweeking if it is going to be my "last truck I drive" Someone in the thread I read compared the his 3FE with a FJZ and stated the 3FE has great torque and climbed up rocks much easier than the FJZ. But put the two on an open dirt road and they don't compare. Problem is I plan to use this rig more on open dirt roads than to climbs rocks.

I am just learing to wrench and I find the 3FE very rookie friendly. Now if I could jsut find the fill whole on my tranny to do a drain and fill!!

 

[OneTime]

What would be the cost of regear to 4.56 compared to a 5spd tranny? I thinking the tranny would to 3 to 4x more.

I''m converting the truck to street mode. Im going to paramedic school next year and wont be seeing any dirt. Im locking the CDL and droppng the front drive shaft. Mainly to hopefully save my birfs. They started to click and I dont have the time or knowlege to rebuild them right now. Ill do about 18,000 miles next year. So by then the 33x12's should be done with. I want to get new wheels any how, and ditch the bling chrome wheels it has now. So I would gladly go to a 16 inch wheel if meant I could get more effiecnt tires.

 

[Pskhaat]

...you made a strong argument for the 3fe over the 93+ 80s...you mentioned a 5spd behind the 3FE. What would be the cost? Parts and install.

I say this because I used to have a 3F-E in an FJ40 with the 4spd H42f. It drove amazingly well. I have heard numerous accounts of increased performance of the 3F-E when used in conjunction with a manual.

I have no doubt it can be done to an FJ80, but there would be significant work involved on the whole drivetrain.

Someone in the thread I read compared the his 3FE with a FZJ and stated the 3FE has great torque and climbed up rocks much easier than the FJZ.

That was most likely I. They indeed drive differently and I cough to say I do prefer the FJ80 in off-road situations, seems a little tighter in response. That's just I though.

I could jsut find the fill whole on my tranny to do a drain and fill!!

Have you tried just drain the pan and fill through the dipstick hole?

 

[Pskhaat]

What would be the cost of regear to 4.56 compared to a 5spd tranny? I thinking the tranny would to 3 to 4x more.

It's a chunk of change for the gears and yep more for doing something drastic like a manual.

... Mainly to hopefully save my birfs. They started to click and I dont have the time or knowlege to rebuild them right now.

I hear you on the time thing. Rebuild doesn't always make the click go away, but honestly ain't that bad and there's a few DVD's out there that take you step-by-step. On the street, don't know how much you'd actually save on the birfs by doing that.

 

[OneTime]

This just shows how much of a rookie I am. I thought of just filling through the dipstick, but read in my manual about a fill whole. Dang if I could find it.

Today I added more grease to my ball joints in a hope to reduce clicking. No such luck. I crawled under and looked at dropping the tranny pan... Bit over my head. I would like to just do a drain and fill for now. So I can just remove the plug, drain the ATF, re screw the plug and fill from the dipstick? Drain with fluid warm or cold?

 

[upcruiser]

I used to run a 33x9.50 on my '92 and the tires worked great. Absolutely clawed through the gunk and snow. The downside was that in sand they didn't float to great untill you aired them way down, then you got a nice long footprint which really wasn't too bad. On the road the stability suffered a bit due to sidewall flex from the narrow tire. Aesthetically, they look a bit strange on an 80 too. Going from a 9.50 to a 12.50 in the same tire though I did notice pretty drastic rolling resistance. In your case, I'd really just recomend going for a 31.10.50 AT as it will probably give you the best compromise. Just my 2 cents.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

What would be the cost of regear to 4.56 compared to a 5spd tranny? I thinking the tranny would to 3 to 4x more....

An H55F swap is not as easy in the FJ80 as it is the FJ60 or 62 unfortunately. Conservitively you would be looking at:

H55F:
Trans & related parts: ~$2000
Clutch Kit/flywheel/rear main seal: $350
Used 60 Series TC: $250
TC Overhaul Kit: $185
Driveline Mods: $200

That doesn't include any of the labor nor fabrication (rear trans mount) that would need to be handled.

Compare that to regearing:

4.56/4.88's and install kit for F&R: $600
Diff Setup (out of truck): $370
Diff Setup (turnkey): $1000 with a knuckle overhaul and rear axle rebuild too.

 

[Hltoppr]

Hate to break it to you, but the FJ80 is underpowered and overweight for high speed cruising; you just don't have the extra horsepower to move the weight at speed. Easiest way to gain that 10 mph is to buy an FZJ80...for about the cost of the 5 speed conversion....

How about a nice stereo with some reggae music...65mph isn't a bad cruising speed anyways....

I've found that the FJ80 is really perfect once you get outside of the US...with lower speeds, I'd regularly get 15mpg. at 50-60mph, even fully loaded.

-H-

 

[OneTime]

Could you be loved.....than be loved.......


If I went the whole 9 yards... Regear to 4.56, axle rebuild with new birfs and add a rear OEM locker? What would I be looking at cost wise?.

I imagine with proper care I should get another 150,000 or so out of my 3FE

 

[AndrewP]

Could you be loved.....than be loved.......


If I went the whole 9 yards... Regear to 4.56, axle rebuild with new birfs and add a rear OEM locker? What would I be looking at cost wise?.

I imagine with proper care I should get another 150,000 or so out of my 3FE

I would not do an OEM locker on this truck. An ARB is arguably a better locker and it would be much easier to do. To do a factory locker you would have to swap the entire axle to a FF axle from a later 80. That's not worth the trouble.

Are you sure new birfs are needed? These guys get expensive fast, and factory birfs are about $500 each. If they are not clicking too bad, pack them with fresh grease and run as is. Get new drive plates for about $30 each.

I'm trying to remember prices for the regearing business--$400 for ring and pinions, $250 for bearing kits, $400 labor to set them up, $800 for 1 AirLocker, $200 for compressor. That's assume you pull the diffs and re-install yourself.

You are going to spend some real $$ no matter what you do. If you re-gear the diffs, you can still later do an H55 swap if you like. If you want fuel injection and an H55f, I think converting an FJ62 would be easier.

 

[Hltoppr]

I'd guess around $3K, give or take. I also don't think you'd be very pleased with the results on the highway.

-H-

 

[OneTime]

Ok 3 to 4 grand is what I figured. First birfs. Will dropping the front drive shaft and locking the CDL reduce wear on the birfs? The truck wont see any dirt till I get out of school next year. Then I can get to work on the mods. My hope by dropping the Front drive shaft is to hopefully save having to replace the birfs.

Second will be a lift and tire change. Maybe going to a 33X10.5 of R16 size tire might help.

Third will be a rear gear and rear locker.

Drving her everyday I started to getting attached.