Set up Sequence, new 4x4

Submitted: Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:18
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We take delivery of a new TD auto Landcruiser this week in unmodified form. Things that I feel we need to do are:- Run it in, get some proper 4x4 driving/handling instruction, and to fit suspension upgrades for BT towing. Possibly in that order. The BT is not due till late July. If necessary a refresher driving/handling session after suspension upgrades. Would appreciate any comments if you feel there are reasons to change this sequence. Suspension upgrades being considered include progressive rear springs, OME shocks (are the cannister types worth the extra cost since the BT will be on the back on a lot of the rough roads), and possibly air bags. (We will be using Hayman Reece weight distribution bars towing). As it will be the first real 4x4 we have owned I feel it prudent to learn my limitations (and the cars) in a professional environment. So any recommendations about instruction in the Noosa or North of Brisbane areas would also be welcome. Looking forward to the comments of those who have been there and learnt from it. Cheers Noosa-Nomads
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Reply By: Wadefarers - Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:21

Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:21
Noosa-Nomads Am intending to change to 100 series TD shortly. After experience with modifying my 80 series (and using on several trips across the deserts) I would do the following to the 100. Fit heaviest springs front and rear. These cope with steel bullbar, winch, swingaway wheel carrier and roller drawers in the back. (Also cope with long range fuel tank, if fitting) Have had no experience with air bags so cannot comment. Fit OME Ltr shocks (these are the ones with the remote canister). These were terrific on the corrugations and I thought worth the extra money. I have used BFG All Terrains (3rd set) and found them to be terrific (100k out of first 2 sets) Tyres, however, are a personal choice and while I prefer BFG's, the Coopers also seem to be good. I would fit a snorkel, breathes better but also good for water crossings. (diesel and water DON'T mix) I am also pretty sure that while the 100 series TD has dual batteries, the second is not a deep cycle. If that is the case and you want to run a fridge in the back, you might want to look into what can be done by the dealer. Although I learned a lot about 4wding from trial and error and others for about 8 years , I also did a course through a 4wd club (TLCC) as a refesher and to obtain a certificate. Just be aware that with some insurance companies you need to let them know that you are doing a 4wd course. (Seems stupid I know but there you go) The other thing to be aware of is the number of k's you might have to do before towing. From memory there used to be a limit set by Toyota but that may have been revised. Whatever you fit, just be sure that you won't void any warranty. You shouldn't, but you never know these days, anything to avoid responsibility from the manufacturer. Regards Jeff
AnswerID: 562328

Reply By: Suncoasters - Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:22

Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:22
Jeff,

The 100 series T/D has the dual batteries fitted in parallel and are both cranking batteries.

David
AnswerID: 562329

Reply By: Wadefarers - Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:23

Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:23
David I presumed that that appeared to be the case. However, that being so, does that mean that you could have the second replaced with a deep cycle as long as you had them isolated like they do when a second battery is installed in say the 80 series. Just seems a bit of a waste as a cranking battery and also stops the need (and additional weight and space) for three batteries. Regards Jeff
AnswerID: 562330

Reply By: Deleted User - Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:24

Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:24
I've outlined, in summary, an article on diesel run-in. The article gets very technical but offers some very good pointers to best run-in of a diesel motor. For those interested ... <start> 1. DON'T run the engine hard for the first 80 to 200 k's. It is recommended that the engine be operated around the torque peak in high gear. This loads the engine very gently, and allows the internal parts to "get acquainted" without any extreme forces. 2. DON'T let the engine idle for more than five (5) minutes at any one time during the first 300 k's. (Even in traffic.) Remember those loose fitting rings, and possible fuel-oil dilution that were noted above? (Fuel Dilution is very common when diesels idle, even with well broken-in engines.) Well, if that fuel is allowed to contact the main and rod bearings during break in (not really good at any time), you might be looking at an engine that will always consume some oil and one that may not produce power or mileage as expected. In the first few miles of break-in, the bearings are mating to the crank, rods, etc. It is imperative during this time that the lubrication qualities of the oil remain robust. Fuel in the oil will reduce its ability to absorb shock and float the rotating parts in their bearings. Contact between bearings and journals will occur more frequently which will result in additional friction wear. This will ultimately reduce the tight tolerances between the bearings and journals. What was originally a tight fit will be sloppy and will never be able to mate properly. 3. DO drive the engine at varying RPMs and speeds until about 2000k's. The idea is to alternately heat and cool the rings under varying RPMs. Manual transmission-equipped vehicles are the best for this as they typically employ engine compression to slow the vehicle during normal operation, this constantly allows for varied RPMs. This can also be done with automatic transmissions, but it requires that you manually downshift the transmission into the lower gears while driving. Typically, most people with automatic transmissions operate their vehicles in Drive or Overdrive gear positions without making these manual shifts. When their vehicle is decelerating and the speed falls below 70 k's the transmission has little influence on engine RPM. This is because the torque converter unlocks and the auto transmission does not downshift to lower gears in the same fashion that manually shifting does. 4. DO put a load on the engine at around 2000k's , and get the thing hot! Diesels are designed to work, and in many cases, they operate best under a load. Baptise your engine with a nice "initiation load," to introduce it to hard work. Keep the revs up (but watch the EGTs), and make sure the coolant temps rise. Hooking up your trailer and finding some hills to pull works great for this. After the "at 2000k load pull" , just drive it normally, always making sure to let the engine get up to normal operating temps (no 1k trips to Maccas). Towing is ok but remember to not overload and to monitor your gauges carefully erring on the side of caution. Under these conditions, I have seen most diesels completely break-in between 16-25,000 k's, and have always been able to tell that point from mileage gains. One may also notice that the "symphony" of the engine also changes slightly at this point. We know that Engine Manufacturers have built today’s diesel engines using state of the art technology. They have fashioned parts to match in near perfect fashion. We can understand, through this article, that breaking-in this modern marvel of technology is more important then the manufacturers have lead us to believe. Furthermore, we can appreciate that following their claims can result in an engine that is wrought with inefficiency, sloppy fitting parts, and oil consumption problems. Following the guidelines and warnings set forth in this article will provide anyone who desires maximum efficiency and power out of his engine many k's of trouble free operation.
<end> This is as always is just a guide and one mans view but he does play with diesels extensively .... it certainly doesnt replace any further info in the owners manual but usually they are a bit vague. Hope it helps a little Ian .....this is how I ran in my F250 2 years ago ...at the 2000k tow I used the BT but stayed on flat road (200k drive) ..left it two weeks or so and did another tow with hills in ... then drove as normal paying attention to idledown for the turbo cool before shutdown and warm-up before sinking boot in to tow BT. Regards Anthony Explore this Great Land ...Do it Easy ...Tow a Bushtracker
AnswerID: 562331

Reply By: Deleted User - Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:25

Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:25
Thank you David, Jeff and Anthony for your advice, all has been very helpful. Anthony, that detail on diesel break-in is exactly the type of raw data I needed. It is somewhat different to petrol engine break-in procedures. I expect to have at least 3-4000K on the clock before we have BT delivery. I also note the warm-up and idle-down comments about the turbo, I presume that is something to always do and not just during the break-in period. I recall turbo-charged light aircraft had to run for quite some time after landing to allow the turbos to spin down sufficiently to avoid damage from premature shut-down. Cheers Ian
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Reply By: Bushtracker Buck & Babe - Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:26

Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:26
Anthony, Would one of those turbo timers (like Brian and Jay have) help Ian with his cooling down of the engine? Ian a picture can be found in one of the console shots in tgintl's photo album of BigRed. Angie
AnswerID: 562333

Reply By: Bushtracker Buck & Babe - Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:27

Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:27
Sorry Ian, Dash right side photo not console. Angie
AnswerID: 562334

Reply By: Luvntravln - Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:28

Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:28
Angie The turbo timer keeps the engine running after you walk away for up to 5 minutes. For running around town that is probably sufficient. If on the open road for a few hours I would listen to a couple of songs on the radio or do the unpacking/packing two-step and then take out the key and let it run for another 5 mintues. Griff introduced me to the boys-toy and it sure makes life easier when you are stopping and starting over short periods of time. Cheers, tgintl/jay
AnswerID: 562335

Reply By: Deleted User - Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:29

Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:29
I've been told to tame my posts a bit (boss lady directive).... I know they can be rhetorical and borderline bombastic but I believe there is no use doing something which usually involves spending our hard earned cash ... without a reason as to why !! I'll try to be concise .... First look at the reason why we have turbo timers in the first place. The turbocharger by design gets very hot, it has exhaust gas running through it for a start. This heat is controlled in two basic ways ...one is oil cooling (and lubrication) of the bearing in it by oil pumped from the oil pump to the housing and returned to the engine sump. The other is oil lubrication of the bearing but also has the addition of water cooling from the radiator. This water cooled turbo requires less cooling than an oil cooled turbo. The F250 navistar engine has a oil cooled only turbocharger. (Can someone tell me if the latest Cruiser is water cooled ?) Because turbos run at unimaginable speeds (circa 150,000 rpm plus in some cases and one side of the turbine in the exhaust stream) they generate heat far in excess of the safe mineral oil oxidation temp. This is overcome by the constant flow of oil passing over the turbo shaft bearing. Most turbos when run hard will also be over the synthetic oil breakdown temp also. Heres the important bit .... the temps I've logged on the F250 (as an example) are around 150 deg c around town and 200 deg C with BT on and in boost are far higher than the mineral oil can stand (around 140 c max). So if you turn off the engine when the turbo is at 170 c the oil flow stops and the oil pooled at the bearing becomes over heated ...laying down varnish,carbon and other deposits on the turbo shaft and bearing surface. As these deposits build it shortens bearing/turbo life markedly. The answer is to idle the engine until the turbo temp comes under the temp of oil oxidation and then switch off. In the case of the F250 the owners manual says to idle for ten minutes after a max GCM/GVM drive. In other words three hours up the road with BT on at highway speed ...cool turbo (idle engine) ten minutes minimum. As the timers only go 5 mins ( WRX timers are longer) I usually start an ease up before stopping for fuel or ease up before destination and use the timer for 5 mins. This is after placing glasses away, grabbing wallet etc ... Oh yeah ! And waking Cindy up ....[smile] My connected turbo temp gauge/ oil temp gauge/ exhaust gas temp gauges bears this out. As an example I stop with BT on at servo on highway and turbo temp is 170 c (ish) I shutdown motor when 115-120 c is reached ...well below mineral oil breakdown temp. As a side note the oil temp drops from 104 c to 95 c by shutdown. This takes about 10-12 minutes. With a water cooled turbo housing you could have the time or even maybe a third of the "oil cooled only" turbo. After a hard run on the track my mate and I give the WRXs 4-5 min with a water cooled .... these are really hot as at night you can see a faint red glow on the exhaust side of the turbo !! So fitting a timer allows you to get out instead of sitting there. In the case of the F250 you lose the ability to central lock as the computer sees the ignition as still on .... you have to manually lock the car with the keys. This would probably be the same in any modern ECU equipped vehicle. If an alarm has been fitted you cant arm it til the timer has turned engine off. In the case of the F250 you need someone who knows what they are doing fitting the timer. The Americans still persist in running high amperage to the ignition switch ...about 40 amp, so needs to be fused accordingly. This 40 amp wire needs to be spliced into in an electrically safe way so is not a job for the feint hearted. Sorry that wasnt very concise was it ? Oh well ..shoot me !! [44magnumGrin] Anthony Explore this Great Land ...Do it Easy ...Tow a Bushtracker
AnswerID: 562336

Reply By: Luvntravln - Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:30

Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:30
One little addition on locking: you loose the ability to lock with the remote lock on your key ring. What I do in the Effie is simply press the lock button on the door when exiting and that locks both driver and passenger door and just close the door. No need to hold the handle open or anything else like in the old days. Buttons down; close doors! tgintl/jay Yeah, I know it is 2:40am; the fax machine awakened me and the BATTS kept me awake. Bloody BATTS flapping their wings inside my head
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Reply By: Deleted User - Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:31

Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:31
Ian, Another good thing for the motor would be to change the oil and filter at half way of the distance Toyota recommend for the first change. I did mine at 0750k, 2500k, 7500k. I also have a huge speaker magnet attached to the bottom of the oil filter to trap and hold fine metal particles from circulating in the oil system. I saw some data from Catepillar in the USA about magnets on filters and they claim a far extended life expectancy of the engine. I thought it cant hurt so used an old speaker magnet ...attached a little lanyard (race wire) it case it comes off over bumps. It has never come off filter but I also have gaffer tape around it because of the paint on the filter let it move around a bit. There is some talk that the velocity of the oil in the filter wont let particles stay put but I've seen filters cut open and a ring of metal particles on the bottom. Cant hurt I suppose and the speaker was RS anyway so the cost was some time to put it on. There are some wild claims about filter magnets from ionising the oil to saving fuel. A load of old codswallop I say !!! [smile] The magnets simply stop ferrous metal particles from circulating in the oil ...keeping the oil cleaner of metal particles which lowers the wear rate of the engine. Nothing more nothing less ! An amazing amount of metal particles are contained in the oil when bedding in a large diesel engine compared to one that has done say 20,000k. Anthony Explore this Great Land ...Do it Easy ...Tow a Bushtracker
AnswerID: 562338

Reply By: Suncoasters - Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:32

Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:32
Anthony, Ian

My understanding was that the turbo in the 100 series T\D is water cooled. I just checked mine and I can see two pipes coming from the radiator to the turbo so I guess it is. I always change oil and filter in my cruiser every 5000K rather than the suggested 10000K in the service manual, and more often than that if doing a lot of hard K's.

David
AnswerID: 562339

Reply By: Deleted User - Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:33

Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:33
David, Could you please tell me if your 100 series T/D came standard with a transmision cooler , and are you satisfied with the vehicle. Thanks John
AnswerID: 562340

Reply By: Deleted User - Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:34

Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:34
Nice vechicle what about dual battery system with odyssey bateries the new one is a beaut. Best regards Macka
AnswerID: 562341

Reply By: Deleted User - Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:35

Monday, May 24, 2004 at 06:35
Oh I forgot how about a GPS and some radios. Macka
AnswerID: 562342

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