Problem after problem...

[YoungOffroader]

...is all i seem the get with my engine. Are the V8's any more reliable generally? as at the end of august this truck is supposed to be touring all round europe in a convoy of 8 cars for 2 weeks, and although they have all said they wont leave it broken down out there and it will be brought back between them id much rather have an engine in there i can rely on. and i could do with more power as the 35's and the lift makes it rather sluggish and once the trailers are hitched up it wont reach 50mph.

[Vultch]

Hmmmm Surfs never came with V8's its either the 2.4 or 3.0 litre oil burners of the weirdy petrol V6...
2.4's did have reputation for overheating and damaged cylinder heads but the 3.0L's are catching up..but their are stacks of urber reliable Surfs out there of all sizes

[MattF]

What problems are you having?

[Highlander1]

That's bad news As posted what problems are you having.


If it is a 2.4 truck over 16 years old perhaps with all the things that do and can go wrong with them I'd try and get hold of something with more grunt. Maybe hire something for the trip. You'd need a 3lt Surf.

2.4s were great at cruising round Tokyo City centre when they were less than 6 years old.

I loved mine to bits and still do but I came to expect it to break down that way I wasn't disapointed and It was all part of the fun. If money was no object I'd have kept it forever as a toy.

Now that I need a vehicle for full time work doing thousands of miles every year I needed something that wouldn't break down.

But when It comes to reliability the old 2.4 second gen towing a trailer in the Alpine roads in summer probably isn't the best Idea unless you have said intercooler mods etc.

Some folk get away with it and manage to drive em everyday towing horses the length of the country and up mountains without a problem but I think that's the exception rather than the rule.

Just my personal experience.

Cheers JB

[PDR]

Hmmm, thousands of miles in a old, unreliable truck that was already under-powered when new, handicapped by 35” tyres pulling a trailer up mountain roads... struggling to reach 50mph in a noisy diesel with no reserves of power.... other drivers in the group with newer, more powerful machines having to constantly wait while you catch up.....
Sounds like an absolute recipe for disaster!

It is one thing to have a sense of adventure and being optimistic but a successful trip requires proper planning to eliminate as many potential problems beforehand.... an unreliable truck is not a good starting point!

[laser_jock@work]

Sounds like you need a 3.0L TD- but as said previously even these are not without problems. A low budget fix might be to just to fit standard size tyres back on just for this trip? At least that would reduce the engine strain and make towing a serious proposition.

Has the head been changed in your Surf or is it original? You really need the engine and cooling system to be in tip-top condition for this trip. Make sure it's well serviced before the-off.

[MattF]

Some folk get away with it and manage to drive em everyday towing horses the length of the country and up mountains without a problem but I think that's the exception rather than the rule.

I know this is one of those grey areas, but I still believe personally that if people realised how many parts are in need of some attention when they get vehicles of this age, and service accordingly when they get them, rather than having the 'just complain about them being unreliable when they go bang' attitude, these vehicles having catastrophic failures would be the exception rather than the rule.

The glut of 3.0's which seem to be having head problems of late would be another backup to this theory. They are now reaching that same point. Are the 3.0's suddenly far less resilient than people would have us believe in the past? No, as neither are the 2.4's. Shit servicing and maintenance, (or complete lack of), can have only one outcome in the long run.

That's my two-penneth anyhows.

[Apache]

A 2.4 on 35s (presumably with standard gear ratios) and a trailer, and your surprised it wont go over 50?

Really?

[darkdezigns]

buy mine?

[joker??]

buy an 4.2 lc

[darkdezigns]

buy an 4.2 lc

wouldnt be as quick as mine tho

[sledge]

it would be alot quicker without the bling lmao

[Highlander1]

My old truck was cosseted

Oil changes every 3k miles
Coolant changes every year.
I took it easy gave it 3 minutes to warm up and time to run down before and after driving her.
New head
Recon engine
Brand new erg
Brand new fuel filter 4 times a year
All grease points greased, each time I went off road, axle oils changed.
The water pump was changed
Thermostat
Oil pump
Cam belt
Radiator
Brakes
Exhaust
Air filter
New tyres
Window relay
Window motors x2
Rubber hoses x 5
Fuel pump seals

I didn't neglect the old girl Matt.

But in my particular circumstance I couldn't depend on her any more since she drank as much coolant as diesel.

Loved it had fun got the T shirt and would I have another yes in a minute it's all part of the fun.

Cheers JB

[MattF]

I didn't neglect the old girl Matt.

Apologies John. I wasn't meaning to infer directly that you didn't maintain yours well, merely trying to say that most on here who have tales of woe have never even given their engines or coolant systems the most basic of attention, (or argue the toss when you suggest they should), but then act as if it's the end of the world when they have a problem.

At the end of the day, a vehicle can't trudge on regardless if it isn't maintained. Ones such as you just occasionally get a good old kick from Lady Luck's evil twin sister. John, (mudskipper), was another one who suffered one of her visits. (Well, in truth, several).

[Highlander1]

No worries mate I truly hope that whoever takes her on gets a good few years trouble free fun.