LN130 Surf Help?!

[BoostingLux]

howdy all, im new to this forum but after hitting some good answers on this site from my google searches ive decided to join up!

Anyway, onto topic, ive recently perchased a LN130 hilux surf with the 2LTE. I want to turn it into a capable offroader on a very tight budget. BUT it must also be reliable as it will be my daily driver so no trailer queen crap!. So far since i got it ive just done trans, cooling and oil flush and changes, fitted a boost gauge,locked the viscous fan,raised it 50mm and fitted some new white 15"s and 33" Maxxis Bighorns.;p

I have two issues im hoping i can get some help with, ive read thru many threads on here with some help but many contridict each other and i wanna get straight answers for my problems

Firstly, After and excursion to the forest my 4wd is no longer working, i think ive narrowed it down to the front hubs not locking as the driveshaft is engaging into the transfer box (it has auto hubs btw) ive had all sorts of suggestions from transfer box dead to vaccum leaks. anyone got any ideas? the light doesnt come up on the dash anymore, but the HI n LOW ratio gearsets still work fine. I went to toyota but they wanted $200 just to "look" at it! i live in New Zealand and everything over here costs about 3 times as much as in the US and the pay rates are the same and tax is more..... $200 is a third of a weeks pay for me so not really and option just for a "look". Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Secondly, i know MANY people arnt a fan of the 2LTE due to its uncanny ability to do a "Curt Cobain" and blow its top, but i want to get some more power and reliablity out of the thing. I also know these 2 things dont generally go together (i own 2 drift cars and the more power, the more breakages). An engine swap is NOT an option at this point as the NZ laws on swaps are super anal and really expensive, even though the engines themselves are cheap, its all the legality beurocracy that goes along with swapping them.

Ive decided im going to fit a top mount intercooler and bonnet scoop, possibly off and isuzu bighorn 3.1TD or whatever i can find with the outlets in the correct positions, cooling the intake charge can only be benificial. i was also planning on removing the huge center muffler and welding in some pipe to replace it, good idea? and a snorkel at some point as the retard who owned it previously decided a KN filter was a gud replacement for the standard setup.... any other suggestions would be awesome as i wanna get a bit more mumbo but also destress the engine if possible. Sorry about the novel of a post but i wanted to get eveything out there to avoid any confusion or whatever. hope somone can help me and im looking forward to being part of the IH8MUD community!

 

[BoostingLux]

photos

heres just a few photos to give u an idea its a bit rough but a work in progress

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

Your 4wd problem sounds like a vacuum issue, as you may know the front differential on your truck has a vacuum actuated disconnect. The vacuum is controlled electronically.... So that complicates the issue... You can try to trouble shoot the issue, or you can bypass it.

I used a vacuum pump to shift my front diff into the locked position and have disconnected the vacuum lines from it, so it's always locked. I have manual locking hubs though, if you want to go that route you may want to swap to manual hubs because I don't know it the auto hubs will like the front being locked all the time... (you might want to swap to manual hubs just because they are so much more reliable and predictable)

The other issue with bypassing it is that your 4wd light gets it's signal from the front diff, not the transfer case, so bypassing it will leave the light on all the time.

In our FAQ thread here there is a link to some Factory service manuals which can help you troubleshoot the problem...

Welcome to Mud!!!!! If it's any consolation, most of us (north Americans) would give our right eye to have a diesel 4Runner (surf)!!!! Thanks for the pics!!!

 

[BoostingLux]

thanks for the feedback, i shud have some time tomorrow to have a look at it and try and see whats going on. ive been thinking about manual hubs as you said, there more reliable but if its somthing i can fix easily then ill just keep the autos, if not ill just fix the problem by switching to manuals. feel free to correct me if im wrong but i think the 4runners and hilux surfs are slightly different? i think the 4runner has coilover front suspension and the surf has independent/torsion bar setup? im probly wrong but i think i read that somewhere? if im wrong, whats the difference? do u guys not have surfs there?

 

[toy4xfun]

the 4 runners are the same as surfs at least for the year you have, they have torsion bars.

 

[BoostingLux]

oh ok thanks, whats the difference between the 2 then? we have both over here. Still no luck with my 4wd, sourced an mitsi RVR top mount though, n if that falls thru a 4AGZE top mount

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

4Runners were only for the north american market, we only got solid front axles in 84 and 85, then it changed to the IFS front end. 84-89 had a leaf spring rear axle, then switched to coil springs. We only got a handful of diesels, ever.

In some parts of the world the Hilux Surf kept the solid front axle up into the late 90's...

Those are the main differences...

 

[DanS HJ-45]

Looks like a decent surf to me.

I would ditch that air cleaner with the quickness. Getting your 2LT-E to last basically comes down to one thing, and one thing only--keeping it at constant temperature. The hardest part of that is keeping it cool, and having a conical air filter sitting just a few inches away from the turbo itself just doesn't help keep the intake air cool.

Get an original air box assembly, and if you want to go crazy get a snorkel for that (I need a snorkel for mine).

Next, you need a fan shroud. A fan without a shroud simply doesn't pull air THROUGH the radiator necessarily, just through the fan. Alternately, switch to an electric fan setup (I have one), but the alternator might be pretty taxed in stock form, and an electric fan will draw 25 amps pretty easy.

Jay-rod, his 4WD light should take two inputs--one from the T-case selector, and one from the front "axle." BOTH have to indicate 4WD in order to get the light on the dash to come on.

At least, that's how my LN-130-GKMGT works.

Boostinglux: do you have Automatic hubs, or an ADD truck? Either way I'd personally swap to manual lockouts, just to save your CV boots from flexing all the time, which is what causes them to fail prematurely--which is an entirely different issue than you're having.

Please pictures of the intercooler and scoop. I need to help cool mine down, so I'm always interested in projects that do so.

Dan

 

[BoostingLux]

thanks dan! i hadnt even thought about a fan shroud. ill look at getting one asap. i knew the key was getting them stable n cool hence what ive done so far.
i figure the intercooler should help a bit and the extra airflow thru the engine bay may help cool things down in general by at least creating a flow thru and out the bottom instead of all the hot air loitering under the bonnet. i was thinking about electrics but i didnt wanna for that exact reason, i dont really know the condition of the alternator and i predict river crossings once a snorkel is fitted and i dont know how well electrics will go after being soaked. maybe just one pushing thru as well as the viscous would help. esspecially when im stuck in traffic.
Unshealded cone filters like the one i have COST performance and economy, something sooo many people dont realize like the muppet that owned it before me, its high on my list of prioritys to replace, i was going to do it after the intercooler mod so i can see how much space i have to run the piping.
Also on the topic of cooling everything down. a friend rekoned to remove/bypass the exhaust gas recirc valve to get better performance and cooler running. all i understand it to be is a valve that dumps exhaust gas into the plenum to pass factory emissions standards? is this the case or does it have a more important perpose? would removing it help or not. he seems to think apart from being more smoky there are no bad side effects and only good ones?

As for the 4wd ive still had no luck. i checked out all the vaccuum lines etc from the diff to the alternator and all looks in order, im wondering if its a relay or one of the actuator soileniods playing up. im going to attack it this weekend till i fix it, my lux doesnt have a LSD so without 4wd i get defeated by a small slope, let alone a sand dune! im new to this whole 4wd thing, but it has auto hubs im guessing as you dont get out to lock them by hand they should self lock? manual hubs would solve part of the problem but there quite expensive over here, and if i can get my auto ones working thatd be great as im on a tight budget for the truck at the moment. Ive also replaced the CV boots with uprated thicker walled items when i got it as the originals were like a seive and full of sand that had killed the CV joints.

 

[BoostingLux]

4Runners were only for the north american market

They cant have only been for the N.A market because we have them over here in factory right hand drive?

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

They cant have only been for the N.A market because we have them over here in factory right hand drive?

Do they say "4Runner" on them? Surf and 4Runners are essentially the same, with different options...

 

[BoostingLux]

yeah theyre badged 4runner and have different trim, flares interior etc there not as common as surfs, like 1 in 10, but we definatly have them,Toyota 4Runner 1992 for sale - TradeMe.co.nz - New Zealand

 

[crushers]

fixed fan
4 core rad
larger exhaust
EGR block off
if auto then aux tranny cooler
intercooler will help IF you leave the fuel setting alone.
increase boost, more air less temps
INSTALL PYROMETER IMMEDIATELY and drive accordingly.
snorkel
remove AC and components to allow more breathing in engine compartment and better rad air flow

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

yeah theyre badged 4runner and have different trim, flares interior etc there not as common as surfs, like 1 in 10, but we definatly have them,Toyota 4Runner 1992 for sale - TradeMe.co.nz - New Zealand

Mmmmmmm diesel 4Runner...... Aggggghhhhhhhh..... Well then, North America just never received the Surf it seems... Lucky you! Hehehe

I don't think we ever got the fender flares on the 90-95 body style either...

 

[BoostingLux]

yeah i was just gunna leave the fuel alone ey. i locked the fan and removed the AC already. with the EGR block off, if i just remove the vaccum hose off the top of the thing that looks like a wastegate will that fix it closed? any ideas on the 4WD? also what is a pyrometer?

 

[DanS HJ-45]

also what is a pyrometer?

Exhaust Gas Temperature gauge. Same thing. It's a gauge to tell you how hot your exhaust gas is, which is a very good indicator of how hard you are pushing your engine. I drove mine for a few years without one, because I figured Toyota would b plenty conservative in stock form. When I put one on, I was amazed at how much it changed my driving habits.

Dan

 

[BoostingLux]

i understand how high EGTs are bad but ive not got one now and if i fit one why should i change my driving style? if its going to pop with or without one whats the point? surly id be better spending the NZ$200 that id spend on a gauge on, say a new aluminium radiator? also any answers on my above comment bout the EGR valve?

 

[crushers]

ah, the inocence of ignorance.
remember back in the day when your dad said "son, you are really going to enjoy sex" and you thought "yuck"?
well, you tried it and you liked it and your eyes were opened.

i am saying, buy a pyro and although you say "yuck, i would rather spend money elsewhere", once you have it installed and try it, you WILL like it and your eyes will be opened.

you asked for advice, we are giving you VERY GOOD advice. it is up to you to take it or not.

but to say "i hear you but i don't want to listen" means we are wasting our time giving you advice, so ... i am out of here.

last piece of advice before i leave, best be getting a nice large chunk of coin together in the bank ... cause you damn well will need it (*and best be having a second set of wheels to drive*)

 

[Toyo Boyo]

4Runners were sold in the UK with a 3 litre diesel.

Here's my intercooler and a write up - Intercooling

A quick way to disconnet your EGR - pull the rubber hose off it and tie the hose off. That way the EGR will not get the signal to open.

I would do everything that Crushers suggests - tranny cooler essential if you have an autobox.

What part of NZ do you live?

Oh, nearly forgot......

 

[BoostingLux]

thanks boyo thats EXACTLY how i wanted to do mine, i found that image on goodle search and got that im my mind, its super tidy, good job! also thanks for the EGR advice ill do that now, ill block it off with a bolt or somthing.

yeah i was going to take his advice, ive already done 4 of them and are working on a 5th and i really apricate the advice as he is much more knowledgeable than myself, im just a measly peon! but it seems as though i offended him , which wasnt my intention at all, seems that what i said didnt quit come thru in text as it would have thru speech, so ill try and rephrase... if i fit an EGT gauge how will it help? ive seen people say you use it like a tacho, but i dont realy understand how, surely if ur driving up a big hill and ur EGT is getting up there, u cant realy back off to bring it down especially on the highway? And how is buying a EGT gauge going to benifit me more than additional cooling equipment? (i hope thats better, i didnt mean to be ungrateful for advice or offend anyone!)

If i knew how to post more than 3 photos id show u the intercooler unit i have and am going to use, but im not sure how to have more than 3 attachments on my profile (im NOOB) thanks for all advice so far people.