Info on TOYOTA HILUX 4X4 2000 performance

[Wild_cat]

Hey all

I'm just in the throws of purchasing an 4x4 hi-lux extra cab Diesel with 260000km 5l motor. There are some mods on the suspension to beef it up because of the canopy and other equipment the owner carried for camping.

Looking for some pointers

Any standard issues I should now about, oil leaks, tyre wear,etc.
Fuel economy what I should expect on a standard model
Has anyone installed a chip on these vehicle/motors

I'm using it as a work ute but I may be towing a 18ft Shark. I understand they are sluggish and turbo will improve power but don't now whether the cost is worth it (3500+?), hence the question about the Chip (1500+).

Just on a side note I have been reading about small amounts of acetone mix with fuels to give better performance has anyone tried it?

Thanks John

[FNQCairns]

Sorry cannot help on that car as I wouldn't know even if I saw it but on the acetone...it's probably best to wipe all thought's of it from your mind, it can work in individual cases in some petrol engines under certain circumstance although as an octane (cetane) booster in a diesel it's best left alone IMO.

cheers fnq

[jimbamb]

They are pretty lazy at best..Wouldnt consider putting a turbo on a motor that has done those Kss. If they did put one on, they wouldnt give you any sort of warrenty,,also a chip would be loading it up and i dont think it would be a good idea..That motor was a bit of a dog didnt go as well as the old 3L.. 2.8 motorSeriously I would try and find a later model with turbo factory fitted..cheaper in the long run
Jim

[Matt76]

Thats a fair few kms on it. It would want to be cheap. I know the diesels last pretty good if serviced right but everything else on the car has done 260k kms too. I guess your budget is always the limiting factor though.

[Wild_cat]

Yep
I'm fairly happy with the price though I have yet to get it checked out properly. As a work truck I'm be pretty happy with it. I believe the gearbox and maybe the transfer are the same that is used for cruisers but the clutch was a standard. Which I think has been replaced

I have the 80 series to pull the boat and family camping trip after reading the forum I may hold onto it for awhile.

I read last night about some import turbo 3lt motor they have for a Toyota surf for under $3000 so maybe in a couple of years that maybe an option

Is it worth going the snorkel ($400) ,air filter and a custom exhaust when it is due.? I've heard people talk about letting it breath and I understand the concept but are there any measurable advantages

[Wild_cat]

FNQ

Did you have some or know someone that had some issues with the acetone. I'm interested to hear about it.

[snatch]

I agree with these guys above. Adding any load to the motor is asking for an instant pop. 260,000 k's is considerable on any vehicle.

[BenDover]

Noway is the gearbox the same as a cruisers.

[Reel Hard]

It will make a good little work truck.
But will struggle t tow that boat. If you seriously need to tow the boat you will need a tow rig like the 80.

[Luxyboy]

Acetone doesn't work i have personally seen three diesels try it and it did nothing.

Gearbox and diffs aren't super strong, can't remeber if that one has a chain or geared T/Case geared is better.

DO NOT TOW IN 5TH GEAR!!!! that box is not a true 5 speed box.

Motor depends how you drive it and how it has been driven & looked after.
For towing i would recommend a turbo but put aside another $5000-$8000 for the impending rebuild. If you did turbo it don't set the boost above 8psi.

Snorkel will assit it breathing if you get a custom stainless one made, the plastic ones have baffles that restrict them to make them quiter.

Exhaust will also help, with a turbo fitted you do not need a muffler wich will make it a little louder but less restricted.

Air filter like a K&N will also let it breath better, I only run a K&N on road and my snorkel has a Donaldson spintop precleaner to keep it cleaner for longer Also run this offroad with the paper element without power loss).

[Wild_cat]

Sorry the reference to the
L'Cruiser running gear, it came from this web site (http://www.ebroadcast.com.au/ecars/Toyota/Hilux/Hilux.html) and only relates to the manual transmission on the SR5 range of luxs My bag!.

Thanks for the tip on the 5th gear luxy. I'm over getting the turbo or any other upgrades. Even the imports motors seem a bit doggy. A workmate use to work for Toyota as a mechanic and found a large number of Turbo Surf engine from Japan that were put into Hilux did not handle the Australian condition to well and had to replace cylinder heads.

Apparently when the bloke first got the vehicle he did get upto 700ks out of 65lt but with the heavy duty steel canopy,fat tyres and winch bar he get around 560k or so (not sure if that includes the tinny on top of the vehicle). The vehicle does nearly all highway miles. The guy seems to be all over the service history of the vehicle. The running gear is a concern with those Ks on it but I have left a bit in the budget for an over haul if that is required. As long as the motor is sound it is the big ticket item.

Like I said in the way of towing the boat I will still have the 80 series. But it will be interesting to see how the 3 lt stacks up against a 2.4 tubo lux I had a few years back. I use to tow a Kingston720 (old heavy displacement hull) the 2.4 was not fancy but it did the job.

Just another question
How compatible are 1995 2.8 turbo diesel motor and running gear with the 2000 model?



Anyway sound like the 2000 model is a bit of a lemon but unless there is some issues mechanically with it I'll be going through with the deal. Lucky the Hilux has got air-conditioning at least it'll have at least something over the worn out 4x2 88 Navara and trailer that is my current work set up. Yes I know the nissian lads will be saying if I keep the navara I'll have good vehicle to tow the Hi-lux home with.
http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/images/icons/icon7.gif
Thanks all

[jimbamb]

Wildcat,
I dont agree with luxy.I towed 17.6 caravans around aus twice with a 92 4 runner total 70000 never had any trouble with geartbag towing in 5th gear. sold it at 350000k..It is in the manual for cruisers not to tow in 5th but not old luxes,The reason is that the motors do not put out enough power to damage gear boxes..Even cruisers can tow in 5th if you do not ovewrload them by letting them slug it out with torque, change back as soon as they start to work hard,
Asked at toyo shops and said they had never had to rebuild boxes..
Just my observations
Jim

[Luxyboy]

Wildcat,
I dont agree with luxy.I towed 17.6 caravans around aus twice with a 92 4 runner total 70000 never had any trouble with geartbag towing in 5th gear. sold it at 350000k..It is in the manual for cruisers not to tow in 5th but not old luxes,The reason is that the motors do not put out enough power to damage gear boxes..Even cruisers can tow in 5th if you do not ovewrload them by letting them slug it out with torque, change back as soon as they start to work hard,
Asked at toyo shops and said they had never had to rebuild boxes..
Just my observations
Jim


He is looking at turboing it hence the don't tow in 5th and if by cruiser you mean an 80 series they have a true 5 speed box the only problem you really get with them is the syncros wearing out.

[the lobster]

Hey all

I'm just in the throws of purchasing an 4x4 hi-lux extra cab Diesel with 260000km 5l motor. There are some mods on the suspension to beef it up because of the canopy and other equipment the owner carried for camping.

Looking for some pointers

Any standard issues I should now about, oil leaks, tyre wear,etc.
Fuel economy what I should expect on a standard model
Has anyone installed a chip on these vehicle/motors

I'm using it as a work ute but I may be towing a 18ft Shark. I understand they are sluggish and turbo will improve power but don't now whether the cost is worth it (3500+?), hence the question about the Chip (1500+).

Just on a side note I have been reading about small amounts of acetone mix with fuels to give better performance has anyone tried it?

Thanks John

Haven't got time to read the rest of the thread right now so sorry if I'm repeating what others have said.

I owned a 2000 single cab 4x4 with the 3.0 litre 5L engine until mid 2008. Vehicle was stock standard. It wouldn't be the best vehicle available for towing an 18ft boat. I would be a little apprehensive about bolting a turbo to it, but I have heard good things about chipping that engine. It can make quite a difference apparently.

I read a thread not too long ago either on this board or on the Lcool forum about a place in Brisbane (I think) that installs the chips, lets you test drive it and then will remove it for only a $50 (from memory) fee if you aren't happy. Have a search for that.

As far as common issues go, just all the normal stuff. Leaking transfer case and diff seals. Smoke from the exhaust. Rust etc. Fuel consumption was between 11.5 and 12.5L/100km on the highway with a light load and up to 15L/100km around town or towing or loaded.

If you're going to be towing your boat a lot I would get an 80 series instead for the same money.

matt

[jimbamb]

Luxy.
The first thing i said was i wouldnt reccomend a turbo.i was referring to a standard hilux. Obviously increasing power puts a greater strain on everything and changes the rules..
jim

afterthought,
some people could destroy the box out of a caterpiller buldozer!!!!>:( >:(

[catfishkid]

I have a 2000 hilux with a 5L with DTS turbo kit and big exhaust,I had it on the dyno just before christmas and it makes 96hp at the rear wheels with 32"goodyear muds.I am fitting a front mount intercooler to help with intake air temps when towing.
I tow a 19ft Cruise craft reef ranger no probs.
I recently bought the boat down in port macquarie and towed it back up to brisbane no worries and used about 100l of fuel.
I blew my gearbox last year,the problem was second gear let go with no warning.
The front diffs are known to break crown wheels offroad if you pop front wheel in the air and it is spinning hard when it comes down.
You cant chip the 5L but you can chip the 5LE,the later version is electronically controlled injection,the earlier is mechanically controlled.

Cheers Craig

[SeaHunt]

Hi John,
I got exactly the same ute.

Craig is right, no chip on the 5L, and as far as I am concerned that is a good thing having gone through two ECU's on a previous vehicle.

I got mine with about 50,000k on it and have done all my own servicing and mechanicals since it came out of warranty, it's now got 205,000k on the clock.
Oil and filter change every 5000k.

I tow a boat around but being 5 metre alloy its not that heavy, probably still under a tonne fully loaded, It handles it OK but going up hills reallys slows you down.
As someone else said don't let it lug down in 5th gear, but then I have never had any problems with the gearbox, transfer case or drive train.

The only problems I have had are the rear crankshaft oil seal and the front gearbox seal, both of which will dump oil on your clutch and ruin it, and are reasonably common once you get a certain amount of K's on it.
I replaced them myself, took about a weekend each time, stick with genuine Toyota seals.
And a read wheel bearing and seal, I think the bearing collapsed and stuffed the seal, anyway a pretty easy fix.
The rear springs sagged a bit, probably from me overloading it so I put new EFS HD ones on and got 4 new EFS shocks at the same time, and that is it apart from a regulation timing belt change, not bad after 8 years.

It's got no guts but I love it, you will really appreciate the Xtra cab if you have previously owned a standard ute, you can stuff a lot a crap in there and lock it, and still have a 7 ft tray, I got 100,000 out of the last set of off road tyres!!

I don't agree with the person that said the 3 litre motor has less performance than the 2.8, a friend I go to Fraser with has the 2.8 and mine certainly goes better than his.
As far as improving performance goes the best and most cost effective thing to get would be extractors and a 2.5 inch exhaust with straight through muffler, high flow air filter and snorkle after that.

I am interested to know what price it is, PM if you don't want to go public.

[gecho]

I have the 2000 sr5 dual cab. Also use it for work, towing tool trailer every day (850kg odd).
Goes like a slug but at the end of the day will get you there every time, keeps it's value well and best of all, no speeding ticket in the 4 years i've owned mine hehe.
They are a great ute, would love more guts but hey not gonna fork out big dollars for more guts

[Bear001]

Our work ute is a 2000 hilux 3TD - hubby chipped it when we got it back in about 2003 and made a HUGE difference. Better fuel consumption, pick up, etc.

Until I got my own ute, I used it to tow our boat & all camping gear no drama's - even over the mountains to Port Macquarie. But I only had a 14ft boat too.

I will check with him where he got it from. (He is mechanic and installed it himself) It was somewhere up in Brissie. Will post back.

[the lobster]

As others have said, just enjoy the reliability and not having to worry about getting your car impounded for doing burn outs.

If you want a performance ute, get a Holden SS or something. Otherwise just enjoy your Hiluxes toughness and the fact that it will get you back from wherever you are more often than almost any other similar vehicle.

matt

[Wild_cat]

Hey Thanks all

I have purchase the Hilux and will be picking up from Brisbane next week (I'm from Rocky) Had it check out By two mechanics and they think it pretty good for the 260K some small issues but it should get through a road worthy. Once I do the road worth and check for oil leaks and ensure cooling system is fine.. I'll dump some standard Hilux wheels on it (The new Fats can go on the Cruiser). I'll then need to fit it out for work. Then I'll see about a snorkel and exhaust. Probably sell the big winch bullbar. That should lighten it up. I have a mate going to the cape in April I might see if I can tag along if the lux is up to it.

40915

sum

[SeaHunt]

Once I do the road worth and check for oil leaks and ensure cooling system is fine.. I'll dump some standard Hilux wheels on it (The new Fats can go on the Cruiser).



I got one I could sell you cheap.
The original spare off my Lux, split rim, light truck tyre, done no more than 100 k's.
Still got nipples on it. Also got the 4 others but the tyres are bald.:P

[Wild_cat]

I've already bought some of ebay that I will pick up in Brissie. they are those semi fat one I think they were 7 or 8 inchs wide desert deullers on rims but not the spit rim type.

Thanks anyway SH

[Wild_cat]

Thanks to all those that posted. Had the vehicle for a few weeks now and seems I was pretty lucky, go well and suits my work requirements pretty well. Been to Brisbane twice with it and can get about 600km out of 65lt fuel. Have not towed the shark cat yet.

Cheers John

[porl]

I've got a diesel 2000 3L 5L-E, you can't chip the 5L cause it is a mechanically injected pump, you can chip the 5l-E cause of the "E", and I did and got good boost up to 12.5% around the 2000rpm mark.

I got a dual cab high top canopy and get between 9l/100km and 11.5l/100km.

Don't tow anything.