KJZ95- LHD- Intercooler Addition (2 Viewers)

[Slogg]

Hey everyone,

I've been hard at work researching different parts to order for proper preventative maintenance for my Prado 95. I just ordered a bunch of parts to refresh my cooling system, such as a new water pump, gaskets, fan/fan clutch, aluminum radiator, hoses, clamps, etc.

Onto the next bit of research- Adding a stock intercooler.

I have part numbers for the top mounted intercooler, rubber hoses, clamps & brackets, so it seems that it will be a fairly straightforward install.

I do have a few questions though, so perhaps you may be able to help me out here.

It looks like I'll need to swap out the hood insulation that has the rectangular hole/seal to clear the intercooler. Would I just need to get part #s 53341B & 53361A?

I have read a few posts where people want to do the same thing as me, but they have right hand drive vehicles.

To be clear- my prado 95 is a left hand drive model, so I believe the throttle linkage would be completely different, which is where most of my confusion comes from. Would I need to completely swap out the entire accelerator linkage and brackets to account for this?

Here is a photo of my engine bay where the accelerator linkage is shown:

I have also noticed on the parts diagram what appears to be a slightly different throttle body. It looks like the accelerator link is rotated from what mine is.

For notation purposes- I had to reference a Japanese right hand drive KZJ95W because it has the intercooler, whereas mine (a European version) does not have the intercooler. This adds to my confusion because I could not find a left hand drive KJZ95 model with an intercooler on the website, otherwise I would have referenced that.

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado - KZJ95W-GKMGT complectation - Auto parts

Electronic parts catalog for Land Cruiser Prado KZJ95W-GKMGT complectation. Engine, chassis, body and and electric spare parts for KZJ95W-GKMGT Land Cruiser Prado.

toyota.epc-data.com

Any help or guidance would sure help me out a lot.

 

[philip g]

There’s more to it than the hood. There are some plastic scoops that direct air into the hood and down through the IC. I can take pics of anything you need if that would help

53361a is a rubber gasket that seals the ic to the hood you’ll need also

 

[Slogg]

There’s more to it than the hood. There are some plastic scoops that direct air into the hood and down through the IC. I can take pics of anything you need if that would help

53361a is a rubber gasket that seals the ic to the hood you’ll need also

Thank you! That would be extremely helpful if you took some photos! Hopefully the hood itself isn’t too much different!

 

[philip g]

Thank you! That would be extremely helpful if you took some photos! Hopefully the hood itself isn’t too much different!

I’ll try tomorrow

Might it be cheaper and easier and better to just get a front mount kit and go that route? I would do that instead personally

 

[philip g]

Here go

 

[javelinadave]

I’ll try tomorrow

Might it be cheaper and easier and better to just get a front mount kit and go that route? I would do that instead personally

My exact thoughts. I would go with an up front intercooler.

 

[Slogg]

@philip g Thanks for the photos!

I just checked my hood and it does in fact have the 2 holes, so I will need to locate the correct par numbers for the extra plastic cowls, etc that go behind the grille.

I’ll try tomorrow

Might it be cheaper and easier and better to just get a front mount kit and go that route? I would do that instead personally

Last night I did a quick search for front mount intercoolers. This route does interest me a bit. I’m curious as far as being easier to install. From what I can tell, there really isn’t a kit that would be a bolt on/easy assembly, at least from what I can see. Do you know of any places who would sell a kit or have a good recommendations on a quality intercooler/piping?

Another thing that I’m curious about- is there even enough room to mount one in the front? Would it be wise to block the radiator? If I did, would there even be enough room to install an electric fan? I’ve heard that a top mount intercooler is better than a front mount for off-roading, is that true?

 

[philip g]

Basically I think you’re spending a lot of time and money on something that will make little to no difference

 

[Slogg]

Basically I think you’re spending a lot of time and money on something that will make little to no difference

Would you say the same thing is true for a front mount intercooler?

My main objective here is to avoid overheating the engine and cracking the head, which is why I was looking into the intercooler option.

I’m already replacing everything in the cooling system and am upgrading to an all aluminum radiator. Perhaps this is enough to prevent overheating?

Where I live in the US, the summer temps can get into the low 100s and are 95-97 on average.

 

[philip g]

Would you say the same thing is true for a front mount intercooler?

My main objective here is to avoid overheating the engine and cracking the head, which is why I was looking into the intercooler option.

I’m already replacing everything in the cooling system and am upgrading to an all aluminum radiator. Perhaps this is enough to prevent overheating?

Where I live in the US, the summer temps can get into the low 100s and are 95-97 on average.

No, because front mount intercoolers actually work

 

[Slogg]

No, because front mount intercoolers actually work

Ok, thanks for the information and suggestion. I’ll start diving into a front mount intercooler.

 

[philip g]

Ok, thanks for the information and suggestion. I’ll start diving into a front mount intercooler.

If I didn’t have a body lift I’d convert to a front mount

 

[Slogg]

If I didn’t have a body lift I’d convert to a front mount

Why is the body lift preventing you from switching to a front mount? Is it because the body lift is exposing more near the bottom of the engine bay?

Also- what’s the benefit of a body lift? Is it different than installing a new suspension and lifting the car that way? Maybe I’m not understanding the concept correctly…

 

[philip g]

Why is the body lift preventing you from switching to a front mount? Is it because the body lift is exposing more near the bottom of the engine bay?

Also- what’s the benefit of a body lift? Is it different than installing a new suspension and lifting the car that way? Maybe I’m not understanding the concept correctly…

Because it moves the relationship of the engine and the body and it would need to be custom

I am running 35” tires and could easily fit 37” tires as it sits on a small suspension lift with no trimming. Das why. Also it came that way from Japan

I wheel mine pretty regularly. That’s why the engine bay is covered in mud lol

 

[Slogg]

Because it moves the relationship of the engine and the body and it would need to be custom

I am running 35” tires and could easily fit 37” tires as it sits on a small suspension lift with no trimming. Das why. Also it came that way from Japan

I wheel mine pretty regularly. That’s why the engine bay is covered in mud lol

Ha! That makes sense!

I’m going to look into front mount intercoolers. Perhaps I’ll consult with a shop and see what they may be able to help me out with.

 

[AussieHJCruza]

An intercooler won't particularly help with engine overheating issues. Yes, it will likely lower your EGTs which may reduce ECT slightly, but you'd be better served replacing everything you can in the cooling system if engine cooling is the goal.

 

[KiwiBogan]

I've been pissing about with intercooler configurations for a while now and am still insisting on getting my massive new 600mm x 300mm top mount to fit, even if it's sticking up through the bonnet! hahaha. (I've got a thread somewhere in here from a while ago if you would like to be entertained with my whacky ideas and intake cooling attempts lol) The stock TMIC is basically useless past a certain point once you start doing things like winding up your turbo boost. I mean, it's better than no intercooler but I often see intake temps 50degC plus above ambient. Front mount is the best way to go (it is tricky but is doable) but that comes at a cost. Apparently its quite tricky to fit in and people say you have to sacrifice the A/C radiator to fit an intercooler in. The next problem is (like the A/C radiator), the front mount creates heat that is drawn into your coolant radiator and can raise engine coolant temps by 10 deg C or more. This is something I experienced just recently, about a 10 deg C temperature drop when towing on a hot day and turning the air con off.

The overheating thing with these engines is due to old/tired/failing components. I find it hard to believe the 1KZ's overheat due to their design IME. The only time i've experienced overheating was when something was wrong. I fixed the thing and the overheating went away. But it can be tricky to know what is wrong when troubleshooting and everything looks fine. This is why I recommend just doing a full overhaul of the cooling system at first sign of overheating, especially if its all the old original setup and/or you don't know the history of the car. I don't believe things like aluminum radiators help and from what I've read of others experiences, might even worsen the problem. Best to stick with OEM spec IME. The cooling system is actually quite straight forward and if you go through and replace all the old sections of it, you can easily DIY it yourself for about AUD$500-600 and your car should run cool as a cucumber, even up those long hills on a hot day!

But you've also got to be realistic. None of these old donks are going to be happy in 40+ deg C heat, pulling a caravan up a long hill so best to just avoid driving in the warmer parts of the day.