....Well I bought it!......now I just need to "tweek" it!......

[Mitchammike]

Hello all and thanks to MWS and Koi for the welcome and fixing the broken links in the FAQ's.

I am now the PROUD owner of a '91 2nd gen Surf 2.4. (Always wanted one!)
It has got some niggly issues, but for the condition of outside-and-in and some new parts, I went for it (maaan, there's a lot of rust buckets out there!)

I just discovered today that my rear quarter bumpers are metal - sounds daft I know, but my Surf has the not-so-common grey bumpers, not polished chrome/stainless bumpers. I had seen the odd Surf advertised with the grey bumpers and they always looked immaculate, as mine does, so I just assumed it was a cheaper factory option in plastic. Not so.

To the point. The issues.
First up. Steering noises on full lock. Thanks to the FAQ section I went out to my new pride and joy and coated the bone dry steering stops in plenty of grease. There's a huge improvement, but on right full lock I'm still getting a bit of "creaking". Any ideas?

An after-market steering wheel has been fitted and there has been a rubbing sound when turning it. At first I assumed it might be because it didn't fit properly so whipped it off only to discover that, in fact, there is a small brass-looking spring loaded peg that presses onto a contact ring on the back of the wheel. The spring is almost at the end of its travel so I'm wondering if at one time there was some sort of softer tip on the brass peg - can't imagine it's supposed to be brass peg rubbing on brass ring? Spray oil for a quick fix, but I don't think that will be enough.....

There is a Yupiteru Turbo Timer sat on the steering column. Previous owner never touched it and I don't want to until I know what it is......

The 4WD low engages and disengages fine, but the light doesn't work. That didn't worry me on the test drive as I could feel the low box working. Embarrassingly, I didn't realise there is 4WD high.
Should the 4WD light come on with all the other lights when the ignition is turned on? At present it doesn't. Its not the bulb, as the light has made a "guest appearance" when having a play in a car park (only in a straight line I might add!). I'm hoping its just a sensor??
Pressing the 4WD high button also produces no light, but there is a click...
Not sure if the 4WD high works or not????

Just today ( to add to my list!) the brake light won't go out FULLY. With the handbrake on it lights up fully. When disengaged it dims to half brightness.

There is a general, very slight, whining (no jokes please!!!), which resembles a very toned down version of a knackered wheel bearing. However, as I've never owned a vehicle with tyres this size I'm wondering if its just tyre noise. The tyres aren't knobbly enough to qualify as full off road, but they're certainly not your regular road tyre......... Think this one might need an expert to tag along for a ride with me.

If you're still reading at this point I salute you sir/madame.

Saved the best till last..........
So my new Surf has a new rad(very obvious), new water pump and supposedly new timing belt. All great I thought. Until the previous owner told me she had refilled the system with..........
Yep........
Just water. Unsurprisingly there is a brown tint in the expansion tank. As the rad and water pump have been changed in the last few months by owner and grandpa (who advised her she didn't need antifreeze at this time of year!!!), the lack of antifreeze didn't put me off buying. I did start to try and explain about the anti-rust properties of antifreeze, but was given a version of "well my grandpa is a mechanic", so promptly moved on. No helping some people.
First I want to drain and flush the system with the hose. I'm thinking thermostat out and stick the garden hose on. Any tips for the best point of entry for the hosepipe?
Again, after doing a bit of searching on here on the touchy subject of coolant, I see that there is a some disagreement. Pre-mixed red stuff from Toyota..... or "other".
I don't really want to open yet another debate on this subject. In every car I've ever owned I've used the blue concentrate from the local motor factors, mixed it 50/50 and poured away. That has never let me down. Having said that, if somebody very knowledgeable would like to step up and tell me "Hold on Mike, there are some very sensitive plastic/rubber components in the cooling system that you'll get problems with if you don't use the proper Toyota stuff", then I will be all ears (unlike some previous owners I could mention).
Whilst on the subject of the cooling system, I see that there is also a lot of talk on the forum about fans coming on early or not at all!! The main larger fan on my Surf (runs off the cam by the looks of it) is running all the time, but does have 4 brand new bolts/nuts on it (don't know if this is relevant).
The smaller electric fan in front of the rad.... well, errr.... I don't know if it comes on or not is the honest answer. I have noticed that the smaller electric fan is in-line with where the Air-con pump used to be (removed by one of the previous owners). Is that fan just to cool the air-con pump and/or alternator?

I've just scrolled up and realised how long this has become......
Sorry to those that run the show - it wasn't supposed to be an essay!
I'm half wondering if a pollocking will be hurtling my way for a thread that is too long????
If you can only help on 1 or 2 points I will be very grateful. If you can help on most it - happy days!
Many, many thanks in advance.

Mike

[flounderbout]

Oh dear. Knowledgeable AND prepared to listen? You're not going to fit in here at all .

Welcome, and good luck with the tweaking...

[biosurf]

Welcome to the forum. Some (sober) grown ups will be along soon with the answers.

[chuggy]

hi,
newbie here too ...but after buying the car a week ago, Ive already learned lots!

....my 4wd light doesnt show on ignition ...only when it engages: theres 2 'systems' involved in getting 4wd ...firstly theres a motor on the transfer case (under the gearstick) this engages the drive to the front propshaft
...secondly theres a vacuum system (ADD) which engages a 'collar' in one of the front driveshafts which THEN gives drive to the front wheels ...its this collar which lights up the 4wd light on the dash ....if it aint lighting up, ts likely you aint getting 4wd. Mine didnt due to a vacuum line coming off (hoses go to a tank under the drivers side front wheel arch) then to 2 valves next to the fuse box, then to the front axle

cant really help with the rest
...the whine isnt just the turbo is it?
...my tyres 'hum' along the road too

good luck!

[broseph]

Hello there,
Water instead of coolant? alarm bells
Lets just hope grandpa did recommend this. I soon discovered the reason my surf was filled with water was because it had been ingesting the coolant!
As for the colour (red or other) I like to use red. Just think toyota would know best as to what to put in their coolant (i also like the colour ).

Good luck fixing all the niggles

[Mitchammike]

Thanks for the replies so far.
The good news is that the steering noise has completely gone now - i guess the grease just needed a little time to work itself in?
Also the steering wheel noise is gone.
..... A little patience goes a long way!
If I can select the low ratio gear box (very obvious its in low as lots of reving but not much forward motion!) , is there a possibility that the Surf could still be in 2wd?

[puddlesurfer]

What's going on? How come there are two newbies on here who have actually searched and read posts?

Hello :wave welcome to both of you (Mitchammike & chuggy)

Grown ups will be along soon - With the ADD/4wd drive light - probably just the bulb blown.
There is a sensor/switch just above the front crossmember which could be broken (mine was) it's on the transfer box on the drivers side, visible if you crawl under from the front (as long as the bash plate is off)

[Mitchammike]

Thanks for the advice on the 4WD guys - I'll have a crawl around under the Surf next time I'm on my Dad's drive.
I'd really like to get rid of this handbrake light......
Any one out there any ideas? Its lights up at full brightness with the handbrake on. When you take the handbrake off it dulls to half brightness....

[BioHazard]

The hand break may be lots of things , Check the cable from the handle to the adjuster under the center has not freyed , the small pully has not seized on the engine bulkhead , All so that the rear cable is not sticking.

[Mitchammike]

Thanks Biohazard. It looks like I have a dodgy brake reservoir cap/float sensor.
When the plug to the cap is disconnected, the light goes out. I was hoping a top up of brake fluid would do the job, but no such luck.......

[Ploddit]

Coolant:

I opened mine up everywhere * including the block drain - Don't do this

I pulled of the turbo, front and rear heater hoses and flushed them with a hose, I removed the thermostat and flushed out the block, I removed my rad and flushed it in all directions. I removed and thoroughly washed the expansion vase/tank so I could easily see the level after.

I changed the thermostat (jiggle pin at 12 o clock) and a new Toyota cap then filled it with purified water that I poured down the heater pipes and by blowing a bit primed it nearly totally

After a complete empty - lots of blowing through the heaters - again, I refilled with Toyota red (which I use in everything even my motorbikes) Toyota also make a green one, use the same as it had before , if no trace is left I don't think it matters which one.

I refilled my viscous coupling with 50ml of 7000 and the combination of a modded temp gauge means I am delighted with the system.

changes in temp are seen when using aircon the heater or running up hills. I hear the viscous getting noisy just as I approach the NEW red zone (now 100° - 120° on an unmodded gauge). Yet in 'normal' driving, loads and temps it stays very central.

To refill park the car nose up and after all is full and both heaters (if fitted) are hot go for a run , park it nose up and recheck levels when cool.