HK1837

Older thread but might help someone. NEVER tow in any auto Hilux without an auxiliary cooler. No ifs, no buts. I have a 2011 V6 auto SR5 dual cab. I bought a V6 as I do tow a bit, and I needed the extra power and torque of the V6 and the V6 also had the far superior A750F auto, not that awful 4spd thing fitted to diesels pre about 2013. I fitted a Wholesale Autos transmission temperature gauge the day I bought it home, it is the analogue type. These measure where the fluid exits the converter, not the pan temperature like a Scan gauge gives you. I hooked up my 300kg box trailer and before I got out the street the fluid was well over 100deg C. I took it straight back home, and took the trailer off. Then over the next week fitted a Wholesale Autos cooler to it AFTER the factory cooler. Since then when towing right the fluid never exceeds 100degC. If driving in 4x4H on sand in D it will rocket to over 130deg if you let it, but putting it in 4L it stays below 100degC. It also now has a lockup converter kit. and a Nomad valve body. I also fitted a TRD type supercharger kit to it around 100,000kM. I got the fluid changed out for Valvoline Maxlife once the supercharger was fitted. I've always babied the fluid, never let it get hot and it was at end of life, just turning brown. Around 120,000kM it did a weird 4-5 slip, so I got the pan dropped to see what was going on. There was brass shavings in the pan. I have to do a trip to South Australia and didn't have time to get the box pulled and rebuilt, so I bought a used box and transfer from a Stat write-off 2009 TRD that didn't have a towbar on it and had 120,000kM on it. Fluid looked and smelt clean and was original WS fluid so I took a gamble, only $1500. We changed it out, air tested all the clutches, flushed the TRD converter and swapped the valve bodies. Also filled with new Lubegard COMPLETE Synthetic fluid that has a far higher boil and flash point than most other available ATF fluids. So far so good, apart from the apparent slightly higher stall of the TRD converter all good so far... It looks like the original torque converter is failing in the thrust, it is the only brass in the box I believe. The converter bush is bronze. On GM TH350/400 converters they fit needle rollers for high performance applications, but the A750F converter cannot be modified in this way, so at the moment there is no solution for one of these that is being hit with in excess of 550Nm of torque. Keeping it on a pallet for a rebuild in case this TRD box starts to fail the same way. BTW, I've tried towing in D, towing a 2250kg car/float, even with the big cooler the fluid rockets to 120degC and will go higher. Dropping back to 4th it cools right back down and stays below 90degC. If I lock the converter then it goes back below 70degC. So if you are towing with a Hilux without a cooler, you are cooking fluid and will kill the transmission.

I just bought a 2010 SR5 Hilux, which has the same running gear as a Prado (V6 and A750F 5spd auto). I checked both it and the diesel out and in my opinion the Petrol is the better buy. Mine has done 5,000kM and it is averaging 7.9km/L (12.6/100kM) almost all city driving. I didn't like the manual V6 at all, and I wasn't impressed by the diesel either - auto was awful but in the diesel Hilux it is a 4spd auto. Manual diesel wsn't too bad for what it is, but I'd still prefer the Japanese made V6 than a Thai made diesel. Not a Landcruiser Prado though, but engines as I say are the same.

Go to a place that does bullbars. I gotmy hardcover fitted at one, and they had a shed full of Hilux bars. They gave me a brand new SR5 white front bar as a spare for mine.

I haven't tried the traffic updates yet. How do you turn it on? I was going to also fit a Uniden UHF with remote mic/speaker up where the sunglass carrier is, and this with the traffic updates should help me to avoid chaos!

Guys The 2010 SR5 will soon reach 5,000kM. I bought a new genuine oil filter for it today as I want to change over to Synthetic oil at 5,000kM. Problem is there isn't much choice of 10W-30 Synthetic anymore. For this same reason I have swapped my CV8 and also the Cross8 over to Castrol Edge 10W-60. Toyota specify 10W-30 or 5W-30 SL or SM. But they also state 15W-40 and 20W-50 are OK. I just want to run a slightly more viscous oil at operating temperature, primarily as I do tow a heavy load on the odd occasion. So is the 10W-60 OK or should I be sticking to a 10W-40 or 10W-50, or possibly even a 5W-50? Anyone had any problems with the 4.0L quad cam V6 running on slightly heavier oil?

Try mounting it under the tailgate you may need a spacer but you pretty much want to just see the word eclipse on that bottom edge of tailgate and that will give you a perfect view of towbar and wont get that gay step in the way. By the sounds of where you've mounted the camera 1/2 the screen was taken up by rear step? Cool, thanks for that. I originally didn't put it up there as it looked to be in the road of the spare wheel jack hole, but it is only double sided tape and i've NEVER had a flat (touch wood) in 25 years of driving, so if it does get in the road i'll pull it out the way! The camera was a convenient excuse for turfing the rear bar! It is the most useless thing i've ever had on a car. Apart from the roll bar I suppose (it's gone too!), and maybe the side steps (they are coming off soon too!).

I just put one in my 2010 Hilux a few weeks ago. See thread in this section: http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=30027 Works great. Will cost you about $2350 installed with the Eclipse camera. I installed the camera myself. Mine is an SR5 and I got rid of the gay rear step, so I have a good view of the towbar. I want to raise the camera up above the number plate though, at the moment it is below it. Only thing to watch though is if you have an Iphone4 with the latest firmware it won't connect to it by cable, only by Bluetooth (audio and phone). I'm so impressed i'm getting one put in my CV8 this weekend too.

Interesting. I almost bought a D4D 2010 SR5 dual cab but after driving it, and then driving the 4.0L petrol with 5spd auto I was sold. SO i'm glad by hearing this that I bought the petrol not the diesel. I have also heard of lots of other problems with Thai made diesels, I think the petrol engines are still Japanese? It now has 4,000kM on it and is averaging 7.9km/l (approx 12.6L/100kM) all city driving and not conservatively. To me this is fantasitic consumption for such a big vehicle, although even with 4.0L it is still underpowered. When it gets a bit older a 6.0L Holden V8 conversion might be on the cards! For the meantime a better exhaust and a piggyback computer with dual map so I can run E85 might be the go.

Newcastle area. I can make one (i'm an electrician and electrical engineer) but I don't have the plug for the camera input to the head unit. You will need to hit up your car audio shops and see if they will give you a plug. There are 4 wires in that plug: 5v, 12v, video, earth. Whats wrong with the eclipse camera good qaulity plugs straight in? Nothing, works fine on the Hilux. Just will look ugly as on the Monaro. I've found a place in the USA that sells a genuine Eclipse adapter, just waiting to see if they'll post it over here.

Newcastle area. I can make one (i'm an electrician and electrical engineer) but I don't have the plug for the camera input to the head unit.

Hi all As the AVN726EA is common in Toyotas I thought i'd ask this here. I just put an AVN726EA into my 2010 SR5 Hilux. Works great. Now I want to put one in my V2 CV8 (Monaro). However I don't want the Eclipse reversing camera. I have found a really good camera that mounts off the number plate but it uses a BNC connector. Does anyone know of an adapter to change from the AVN726EA input plug to a standard BNC cable and power supply cable?

I'd be looking towards a 2WD 4cyl petrol in as late a model as you can. Maybe something like this: http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?R=9189586&__Qpb=true&Cr=0&__Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32|1||pCar_PriceSort_Decimal|1||pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String|0&keywords=&__No=45&__N=1216 1282 4294962861 4294962537 408&silo=1011&PriceTo=408&seot=1&__Nne=15&trecs=352&__sid=11CF9FDA3A4B The older 4x4's are good trucks too, I used to have a 1987 4x4 dual cab, but the diesels are old clunkers, reliable but expensive to rebuild. There are heaps around too with Commodore V6 conversions. This one causght my eye when I did a quick search. http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?R=9288848&__Qpb=true&Cr=3&__Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32|1||pCar_PriceSort_Decimal|1||pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String|0&keywords=&__No=45&__N=1216 1282 4294962861 4294962537 408&silo=1011&PriceTo=408&seot=1&__Nne=15&trecs=352&__sid=11CF9FDA3A4B It's all condition dependant at that age too. You might find something like this would be a more reliable car (due to age) and cheaper for bits, and with a small bit of negotiation could be below $10k: http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?R=9214918&__Qpb=true&Cr=14&__Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32|1||pCar_PriceSort_Decimal|1||pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String|0&keywords=&__No=15&__N=1216 1282 4294965857 4294964828 410&silo=1011&PriceTo=410&seot=1&__Nne=15&trecs=31&__sid=11CF9FDA3A4B

Thanks mate. I know they "cool" through the radiator, but it isn't good enough in my opinion. I have always added an extra cooler to all tow vehicles. Wholesale Automatics sent me info on their cooler, plus their temperature guage. I'll PM you re shift kits. Their recalibrated valve body is $895, I can fit easily at home on my hoist. Plus it is a genuine one modded so no-one would ever know!

Hi all. I just bought a new 2010 SR5 V6 auto Hilux. I know most Hilux owners seem to love their diesels, but I need to tow a car float and the V6 5spd auto is the best available to do the job for me. It is replacing a VZ Holden Cross8 which has reached 5 years old and as a business vehicle has reached it's usable end of life as far as tax benefits are concerned. I drove all the diesels but they are just too agricultural for me, and the pick of the bunch is the D4D auto Hilux, but I felt very let down by the 4spd auto compared to the 5spd behind the V6. Plus this 2010 V6 auto on the road with tow bar, tub liner, mats, headlight & bonnet guards was $48k driveaway. The cheapest diesel auto I could buy was a 2009 build at $51.5k driveaway without any accessories. So I can buy a lot of extra fuel for the $4500 or so difference! Note that I chose an auto due to the amount of reversing required on my driveway - I tried manuals in ST-X Navara (V6 & diesel), BT-50 and SR5 and I doubt the clutches would cope, also worried about reversing in 4L on concrete. The BT-50 manual had un-lockable front drive in 4L but Mazda told me (hush-hush) that the dual mass clutches wouldn't handle my application. So the auto is was! So my question is, Toyota tell me the A750F Hilux doesn't need an auxiliary transmission cooler. I say BS. Does anyone know of an aftermarket kit made for these, or am I stuck with a generic that I have to adapt myself? I notice Wholesale Automatics sell a fabulous transmission temperature guage kit which i'll probably get. They also do an aftermarket valve body to crispten up the shifts and reduce flaring which will be great when towing. Cheers Byron Edit - sorry all. I think I put this in the wrong forum section. If so, can someone please move it to the right section?

Hi all Just joined to get some technical advice. Bought a new SR5 Hilux. See you in the forums. Byron