Overheating

[Ecoman]

Well thats not the information I have been given in the past (and not from people trying to sell these trucks either) and its funny how the early 2LT head is a lot thinner than the 2.8 and MK4 heads. The overall head size is the same but the inner castings are thicker. The valves out of the MK4 and 2.8 are significantly longer than the ones from the ealy 2LTs. It was found to be an issue with the earlier engines and was rectified for the later pickup engines.

 

[Crushers]

well,
i am not trying to sell anything.
i have been wrenching on cruisers for 30 years
i have sold a number of these beasts with the resulting warranty issues.
i have nothing to lose by telling my version of the truth.

but

as with any information you recieve in life, take it with a pound of salt.

 

[Red Oktober]

Thanks for all the advice guys ... it is very much apreciated


The 78 is still currently down at the garage being fixed ...

so far the new parts (new genuine toyota parts i must add) include
.... New head
..... Head gasket kit.... (useing a thicker gasket)
.... timing belt kit........(tensioners + idler etc)
.... water pump
.....rad ...................(for a 3.0 hi-lux)
.....Thermostat.

so-far this has cost us well over 1000 of our great brittish pounds.

am hopeing to get it back late monday at some point

 

[wobbly]

It'll be great when its fixed mate.

Natural reaction is to sell it, but once the heads done the rest of the truck is pretty bombproof, you shoulkd get a couple of years out of it to get your moneys worth.

Pete

 

[Crushers]

i do have to agree with the "the rest of the truck is bomb proof" statement.
i swapped in a 1PZ+Turbo+intercooler+propane injection and the truck stood up to serious abuse with 36" tractor tires installed.
i love the coil suspension, the small diffs, the 4.88 gears, the quiet interior ... just hate the engine .

edit: another issue that we have been coming across in Canada is usually the bottom ends give out shortly after the head is swapped. i suspect it is the mechanic not changine the oil after the head swap so anti freeze gets into the oil. that small amount of antifreeze contaminates the rod bearings and <rattle rattle rattle> the bottom goes out.

 

[Red Oktober]

edit: another issue that we have been coming across in Canada is usually the bottom ends give out shortly after the head is swapped. i suspect it is the mechanic not changine the oil after the head swap so anti freeze gets into the oil. that small amount of antifreeze contaminates the rod bearings and <rattle rattle rattle> the bottom goes out.

oh great !! thats all i needed to read ....

 

[wobbly]

Just get them to change the oil - I suspect they will do it anyway as emulsification of the oil is a common byproduct of head problems.

As you havent mentioned creamy oil then fingers crossed its not contaminated anyway.

Pete

 

[Red Oktober]

Just get them to change the oil - I suspect they will do it anyway as emulsification of the oil is a common byproduct of head problems.

As you havent mentioned creamy oil then fingers crossed its not contaminated anyway.

Pete

oil has been changed anyway ...

went to see how things were progressing ...

new head and gasket kit has been done ... new water pump and cam belt kit (tensioners and idler) have been fitted,

just waiting on them to bolt the rad on (rad is for a 3.0 Hi-lux) then fill with coolant and bleed thru

job done then ..

 

[Crushers]

a good shop will change the oil and filter ...
a cheap shop probably won't. either way you will be paying for it.

best of luck with the results.

 

[Annamarie]

we are selling the flippin thing after we get it back

 

[wobbly]

As you havent raised the suspension you could refit your original size tyres and sell the 33" ones seperately, keeping the truck stock spec makes it appeal to more potential buyers, and the tyres will sell.

I still think that you would be better getting some use out of it - I know the engine is the weak point in the 78, but yours is a brand new top end - it didnt break down 'cos its a weakness, it broke down because it wasnt maintained properly and then badly bodged to hide the problems from you. Now its fixed properly there should be another 60,000 miles in it, which cannot be said about any other 1993 vehicle.

Pete

 

[Gav Peter]

I agree with Pete - stick with the truck now you know more of its history & have sorted this issue out; who's to say the next one you buy won't have a chequered history like this one... Will you be stripping the head off the next one to check its okay before driving off in it??? Better the devil you know IMHO.

Good luck though

 

[Crushers]

or
move up to a heavy duty version of the 70
and your troubles are over
as long as you do the research BEFORE you buy

 

[wobbly]

They arent at all common over here, the 4.0/4.2 engined jobbies are all big money as well ,maybe £12,000 from what I've seen, whereas a decent well maintained 78 is mid £2000's for a 2.4, which makes them a lot of 4wd for the money, even taking into consideration the engine risks.

The 3.0 swap is a good idea, ben-uk has done it and ended up in profit, and the engine is a revelation - I've gone from a 2.4 78 to a 95 and the engine is unbelievably better - although I wish I still had the 78's boxy shape which suited me a little more than the 95s' jellymould.

Not appropriate for Carl though, who needs the car back with the minimum delay and fuss.

Pete

 

[jeepmadmike]

Best thing for red would be a little eurobox, cheap and easy to live with etc

Keep the Yota for fun only


I hunted high and low for 3l as I couldn't be doing with something underpowered, I'm glad I did.

 

[Red Oktober]

Well you wouldn't adam an eve this ..... but we are still waiting for it to come back from the garage. ... been there 3 weeks now

 

[wobbly]

Oh yes, I believe it.

Will it be home for Christmas?

Pete

 

[Red Oktober]

Garage want everything out by Thursday eve ....

they've only got my truck in there to do ....and have done since last wednesday .....

 

[Crushers]

changing the head is no small job, it is a ... how can i say this? ... a real PITA.
after the first 2 i had to warranty i farmed the rest out ...

best of luck when you get it back.

 

[Annamarie]

its being sold we are going back to a petrol engine