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Post by spiked3cylinder on Dec 30, 2009 15:28:18 GMT -5
I purchased my former Justy, an 88' Fwd with 166,000, and sold it with 189,000 15 months later.
I was amazed at the dependability. I only replaced: passenger side hub and bearings and new castle nut, new tires, a distributor seal, valve cover gasket...and the standard tune-up necessities. OH, and rear brake shoes (that didn't need replacement).
My current Justy, I purchased with 135,000 miles and I can only hope to keep it for 189,000....this newer 91' 4wd's engine is in much, much better shape (external looks and sound wise).
I think 143k is not bad on this engine - if it were properly taken care of (fluid changes, etc.) This engine should easily be able to handle 200,000 miles, IMHO.
-Adam
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Post by dmnordin on Dec 30, 2009 23:11:30 GMT -5
I recently bought a '90 carbureted justy for parts , and a '92 FI 4WD.
I just finished a total engine re-build on the '92. Before, It wouldn't pass emissions testing in a hundred years because everything in the engine was so worn out at 155K miles. The 30 year veteran machinist I went to was very surprised I was able to drive it as much as I did because everything that could wear out was egg shaped (pistons, cylinders, main & rod wear areas on crank - the pistons had marks on them from slapping back & forth, trying to seize the engine). Machine shop bill for rebuilding/shaving warped head, new exhaust valves, bored out, crank ground, total rebuilt gasket kit, oversized pistons/rings & bearings came to $800 with me doing the labor to take apart & re-assemble the engine.
I got the car together from the re-build on Tuesday, and it passed emissions with flying colors on Wednesday. I have 100 miles on the new engine, and it feels SO different from before the re-build - it's awesome! Very tight and responsive, even for babying it during break in period so far.
The '90 I drove 40 miles to get it home, and afterwards I was SOooo happy to strip it for parts as planned - it was so trashed and worn out at 167K miles (the parts I needed were good, and they weren't engine parts)- the engine felt TERRIBLE; I can't describe how terrible it felt to drive it.
I drove the '92 about a thousand miles before the engine rebuild - it was totally anemic and totally noisy (engine noises). Not fun to drive - aggravating to drive.
My last Justy was a '92ish FI FWD, and it was a fun, peppy car, but I don't remember how many miles it had on it.
After this experience, I don't plan on dealing with high mileage (120K+ miles) Justy engines anymore unless I plan on re-building them. Also, it was VERY frustrating trying to find/aquire/& wait for all of the different parts I needed from all of different places I had to get them from - it was a 3 month ordeal. The deeper I got into it, I decided at every turn to replace the next thing I would come up against - ALL engine parts were worn out, and I didn't want to have to tear into it all again in a few months or less because I decided to be cheap and not buy this or that. I even felt this way about the expensive dealer item balancer chain guide & chain. I'm into the '92 $2300 ($300 original cost for car) - not bad for a New, used car with 4WD, 5speed, great mileage for my 106 mile/day work commute.
Now that I'm done, I happily have a NEW ENGINE (WooHoo!) that I feel like I can count on for 150,000 miles to come, because I know that I replaced everything, I know everything that went into it, and I will take care of it like clockwork.
about your potential engine, If it were me, I would be very discriminating and careful. People out there love to lie about what they did & didn't do/fix, etc.
Doug
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SeattleJusty
No, a boxer will not fit in a Justy.
Posts: 1,587
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Post by SeattleJusty on Dec 31, 2009 2:27:17 GMT -5
What a great testimonial, thank you.
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Post by redmavis12 on Dec 31, 2009 7:59:36 GMT -5
I think 143k is not bad on this engine - if it were properly taken care of (fluid changes, etc.) This engine should easily be able to handle 200,000 miles, IMHO. -Adam Now that I'm done, I happily have a NEW ENGINE (WooHoo!) that I feel like I can count on for 150,000 miles to come, because I know that I replaced everything, I know everything that went into it, and I will take care of it like clockwork. Doug My 2 cents....I am lucky in that I purchased my Justy with only 35,000 miles on it back in '96...so I have babied it, serviced it regularly, and have never abused the car at all. I am happy to report that I have almost 148,000 miles now and the engine still purrs like a kitten. Only minor suspension and wheel problems, and,of course, the rust demon here in New England. I would agree with Adam and Doug...I think 200,000 miles is possible out of these engines if well-cared for. Sadly, most used Justys have been abused, i.e. the "disposable" car , and need major engine work as detailed many times in this forum. Cheers, RM
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Post by nipper on Jan 9, 2010 16:53:47 GMT -5
Wow these high mileage reports make me feel beter nipper
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Post by torino on Jul 26, 2010 13:13:17 GMT -5
We have a '87 that my wife bought new. It now has 175,000 and runs great, no smoke or loss of power. About the only thing I did was change the oil every 3000 miles. Also we never let the rpms get over 4000. We don't drive it much anymore, if we did I think it would go over 200,000 easy. It has been the most reliable car imaginable. We have replaced parts that ware out on any car but other than that only one part went bad in all those years. A temp switch that turns the cooling fan on. It was not the coolest car to have when you where young but it was a great car to have when you where a young married couple starting out. All we did was put gas in it and I did the oil changes myself. Back then I could do an oil and filter change for under 5 dollars.
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SeattleJusty
No, a boxer will not fit in a Justy.
Posts: 1,587
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Post by SeattleJusty on Jul 26, 2010 14:46:55 GMT -5
We have a '87 that my wife bought new. It now has 175,000 and runs great, no smoke or loss of power. About the only thing I did was change the oil every 3000 miles. Also we never let the rpms get over 4000. We don't drive it much anymore, if we did I think it would go over 200,000 easy. It has been the most reliable car imaginable. We have replaced parts that ware out on any car but other than that only one part went bad in all those years. A temp switch that turns the cooling fan on. It was not the coolest car to have when you where young but it was a great car to have when you where a young married couple starting out. All we did was put gas in it and I did the oil changes myself. Back then I could do an oil and filter change for under 5 dollars. That is an inspiring story, Torino. Thak you for that. You sound like an exemplary Justy owner. I wish all used Justys were owned by guys like you.
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