Hi from Canada, just a few surf questions!!

[Can_surf]

Hi there found this place while doing some research, and it is a wealth of knowledge!!! I'm looking at importing a surf into Canada which is a fairly easy process since I'm on the west coast, I just wanted to hear some experiences from others who have owned one/currently still do, they are becoming more common here however since they were never sold here info is hard to come by!!

I'm not new to toyotas or the 4Runner/Surf I previously had an 88 4Runner which I loved by sadly lost due to an accident. Diesel is relatively cheap here so this is my main motivation for getting a surf and because 4runners of the same yea are generally rusty and in disrepair!!

Any advice tips/things to watch for is appreciated, I've had a look at the FAQ and will continue to search but any info you can offer up is greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks

[IanB2]

What kind of info are you looking for exactly? I had a '96 Hilux Surf SSR-G that I imported from Japan in Feb, 2011, it was written off in Apr, 2012. I still miss it, great truck. If you have any specific questions I can do my best to answer them for you.

[Can_surf]

Well things like I hear injector pumps and fuel pumps die quite regularly some say it's cause of poor quality diesel, not sure if thats true or not, I've seen a lot of "oh no my cylinder head exploded" threads are people manually cranking the boost or are they just flawed? I'm also trying to figure out if i really want a surf or if I should just spend a little more and get a land cruiser with the 4.2l turbo diesel. I know the surf shoul be the same if not better than my runner off road so I'm not worried there the most I'd haul around is camping gear and mountain bikes, I'd like to use it as a daily and keep my fun car off the road but I've got a 50k commute to work and that was my biggest peeve about the runner it drank fuel like it was going out of style

[IanB2]

Plan on using a diesel fuel additive with every tank, to provide the injection pump with the required lubrication (as we have low sulfur fuel here). Make sure your cooling system is in good shape, I ran a product called "Redline Water Wetter" in my cooling system, which boosts its efficiency. It's a good idea to install an EGT gauge so you can keep an eye on temps and know when to back out of it. The Surf's come with the multi-mode transfer case that only came on the '99+ Limited 4Runners, very nice here in Canada as it adds an AWD mode to the 2wd/4hi/4low most 4runners have. Plan on changing the lower ball joints (common failure point), and add a tranny cooler if you do any towing/drive in the mountains much.

As luck would have it, I replaced my Surf with a '91 Land Cruiser HDJ81, so I can comment on that as well. It's bigger in every way, about 20% bigger. You feel it when accelerating, braking, taking corners, parking, etc. The Surf was much more nimble for city driving, and the roll down rear window was one of my favorite features of any vehicle I've owned.

The LC is great in it's own way though, feels very well built, sounds more like a diesel (I6 vs I4), gets nearly the same fuel economy, 3x lockers, OEM winch, heated seats, fridge center console, lots of very cool stuff in this truck. Also much easier to make extra power if that's your thing, as there's zero electronics to get in your way, fully mechanical injection pump on this one.

[Bazcam]

I've got a 50k commute to work and that was my biggest peeve about the runner it drank fuel like it was going out of style

I'm afraid the Surf's do to. Dont buy one of these if fuel economy
is an issue.