Gearbox swap, info please

[Shayne]

I accept what your saying there Chris all to easily , unintentionally you have summed up my dilemma about whether or not to get an 80 very well indeed .

There's far more pros than cons but will it beat my truck for grin factor ......................

 

[Chris]

Ahh well that's something only you can answer. On tarmac, in tight bends, maybe not. But off road and on a long cruise, I know where my money lies. I had two 90's and now I have three 80's. I hate it when the Americans say "You do the math" but on this occasion they may have a point. I used to grin in a Colorado but now I laugh out loud in an 80

But now we're into serious thread hijack territory.

 

[clivehorridge]

IMO the Auto vs Manual debate can go on forever... and probably will.

I've only owned the one 80, and that's not a real one in Chris' eyes 'cos it's an HZJ Euro spec, not UK.

It's a manual and I love it, I also like manual for off road. I've never driven an auto off road and all those that do say they're great. I simply don't like the idea, there's no real reasoning behind it, as Shayne said its a Marmite thing.

I did have a 2004 Pajero 3.0lt V4 auto, time ago and the box on that was super smooth. But the best thing for me it had tiptronic which allowed me to drive it almost like a manual .

I've driven plenty of autos, in a wide range of vehicles, and as a general comment, autos never change gear when I would. They always wait till the engine is screaming before changing and on the older autos, I hated having no engine brake.

Times and auto boxes have changed a lot, I know, but I can't be shaken...

Certainly can't argue with Chris' take on the 80 though, it is a supertanker and the 4.2 diesel hardly needs a gearbox at all, just a High and Low would do

 

[MarkW]

I'm with you Clive, I prefer manuals and see no point in an auto for my needs. I've driven a few autos of various types over the years but would never own one myself.

It was interesting looking at the Toyotas in Morocco this year, whether French, Spanish or Moroccan the majority were manual, I wonder if theres national preferences? (I didn't see any UK vehicles!)

 

[Shayne]

Just to throw a curve ball i wonder if the manual preference relates more to those who started out on motorbikes , brakes on bikes are for stopping and so you ride on the gears , maybe its a self taught instinct ?

 

[MarkW]

Not me, never ridden anything more than a scooter

 

[chapel gate]

Its each to there own, theres no point debating it really. Try telling someone who drinks coffee they should really be drinking tea.

i prefer manuals, but if i lived in a city i would probable have an auto. I once drove through that big city down south, slogging through the gearbox every two minutes was no fun.

 

[Roger]

I wouldn't buy a manual "normal" road going car ever again - the way traffic is these days manuals are just a PITA - my last 6 cars have been auto, 4 of them with "TipTronic" or what ever you want to call it. My current E Class Merc even has "flappy paddles" - do I use them? Nope - the computer handles gear changes a lot better than I do!

Off Road? For me, Manual all the way, Ive had plenty of both and the only Auto one that I enjoyed was a Range Rover (very stripped out and lightweight) with a very tuned V8 (petrol) - it was awesome for hill climbing. Their are some real old wives tails about down hill control but if you drive properly and understand how they work you can control an auto almost as well as a manual.

Although, as Chris pointed out, by the very nature of the beast, the 4.2td in the 80 is not a rev monster, its a torque monster - point and squirt in manual or automatic! As much as I prefer manuals off road, I wouldnt go to the effort of converting an 80 auto to manual, the benefits dont outweigh the effort for me. This is one motor where auto and manual dont have massive differences. Probably the autos make for a "easier" ride on road, I still have to wave the gearstick around like a pudding spoon on some long climbs (especially when towing).

 

[Roger Crocker]

That's it, I need to have an 80 & a 100 now, 1 auto, 1 manual,, the Wife will not be pleased !!

 

[stumog]

Of the auto box is working normally then look at a lock up kit for it.

This completely changes how you will look at a auto box again.

 

[Lorin]

Of the auto box is working normally then look at a lock up kit for it.

This completely changes how you will look at a auto box again.

I have the lock-up kit and it is useful though I've not used it off-road yet. I had a manual 80, intentionally changed it for an auto and wouldn't look back. Autos in the 80 do have their drawbacks for sure, overheating being the main one in my book, though it can be mostly mitigated. Most arguments for and against are just opinion, there's little in the way of hard facts to support one over the other in any kind of absolute way. It is therefore just a matter of preference. Don't choose one over the other because you believe it to be better in some way, just choose the one you prefer and get on with enjoying your 80.

 

[StarCruiser]

Is the lock up kit a gizmo that enables locking of the TC in all gears?

 

[StarCruiser]

That's it, I need to have an 80 & a 100 now, 1 auto, 1 manual,, the Wife will not be pleased !!

You know it makes sense Roger…
Just try and get the word 'Safety' in there and you'll be home and dry.

 

[Lorin]

Is the lock up kit a gizmo that enables locking of the TC in all gears?

Yes, I can lock the TC in any gear via a switch.

 

[StarCruiser]

Do any of the 80s do this from the factory or is it an extra that benefits all years do we know?

 

[Lorin]

Do any of the 80s do this from the factory or is it an extra that benefits all years do we know?

It's a modification. My switch came from wholesale automatics in Oz, along with the extreme valve body. My understanding is the valve body is needed for the switch to work in all gears. There are however some threads on mud and some of the hilux forums where people have made their own lock-up switch - there isn't anything special about it as far as I'm aware.

 

[StarCruiser]

Hmmm… I feel another experiment coming on. Not till the warmer weather though.

 

[Sarmajornz]

If you do the swap don't forget to install the reinforcement brace for the clutch master cylinder mounting that is not fitted in the auto vehicles. As far as I know it is fitted up under the dash. A mate did the swap to manual and did not install this brace and about 6 months later he had to repair the fire wall and then fit the brace after the master cylinder ripped away.

 

[Dave2000]

I love these debates, but before wandering off topic, IIRC the later gearbox needs to connect to a different clutch? Which in turn requires a different flywheel? This came up last year when changing the manual gearbox on mine for a reconditioned one, but back in the archives now?

Re the manual or auto debate, I am a manual lover, no aversion to auto's however when used in the right environment, for example in town an auto wins the vote. They do tend to go wrong at the most inconvenient times, often without warning, and more often than not it is due to a very high mileage and a rebuild is needed, not cheap. The 80's here with autos do suffer with overheating during the summer in particular if worked hard, given the Mr T fitted a gearbox overheating warning light, makes me feel they knew they were fitting a gearbox with perhaps limited capabilities?

A difficult call between the two but best of all, you cannot push start an auto when your starter has packed up.

Only needed to do it once, p*ssing down with rain on a dark night, a quick roll down the hill and home I went.

regards

Dave

 

[Chris]

I have to wonder if the people at Toyota had offered the late 24v 80 in a choice of manual or auto (in the UK), just how many manuals they'd have sold from new.