CROCO

I must of put a curse on my self, I went to start up our territory this morning and I heard the dreaded click and nothing, she was dead as doh doh, so I jumped started it and drove it around tyre service centre for a new battery a battery test and it was buggered, it also the original battery like the kluger, but the battery doesnt look as good a quality as the klugers battery, but it is 5 years old so im pretty happy with it,I tried the lights as you said without the engine running and with the engine running and you can definitly tell the lights are a lot brighter with the engine running, so I think my alternator is working ok, I could also see when I turned the engine off the interior light went slightly dimmer, so I see in a couple of weeks if the kluger will start, im going up to the northen territory for a couple of weeks and the kluger sitting in the garage not driven in all that time,we will see if she starts, she mighten start for spite, as I didnt take her on holidays , but Im pretty happy with life and performance I got out of that battery, so replacing wouldnt be a drama.I was looking up on the internet and I saw that the 4cyl highlanders have a 6speed auto, I wonder why they didnt put 6speed auto on the v6 models like the aurion, which is a similar platform,I also wonder next year when they shift all the production of the kluger and highlander over to the states, they will bring a new model out I guess we will have to wait and see.

I admit I one of those people who like to see if the service book has been stamped on each required service, its not that hard just to stamp the book and not have the services carried out, most times you can tell if the car has been well maintained or not ,but there is some shonkey people, including car dealers that can make a car look like a million bucks,but the poor car probdly never seen a dealer or been serviced in its life, they can change all the fluids and give the engine a good flush and no ones the wiser, each car I have traded they have looked at the book or have asked if it had service book with it, but I quess its the luck of the draw.

Thanks barney your a champion, I havent got a multimeter, but there pretty cheap these days so I get one and see what it does, its got the original battery and the car has 87000kms on it, I looked what brand of battery it was and it was a panasonic battery which was made in japan,so the quality would be top notch, I know a number of people who use panasonic cordless drills and they love them, the batteries last heaps longer than anything out there. I hoping theres nothing wrong with the altinator, but its under warranty so I guess it wouldnt be to bad, I admit its being cold and foggy the last week here in dubbo so that wouldnt help either, but I wait and see what happens. I never knew that about the keys in the ignition would help drain the battery, I remember that, thanks mate for putting me on the us toyota web site theres a heap of great information on their , I was reading some of the posts and their having similar issues what we are having over here, it also gives you a heads up on other problems that might occur in the future, I wonder how many highlanders they sell over in the states and canada against the rest of the would, because there moving production next yaer from japan to the states, but apprantly there been building highlanders over there for a while now.

Barney I couldnt agree with you more mate, I one of these people who change there oil every 5000km or six months and drain it out when hot not cold like mostly the dealers do, we are spending im quessing beetween$ 20000 and $70000 on a car so where not going to jebadize our warranty for poor quality oil and filters, sure there might be the odd person who might do this but as a whole there wouldnt be too many and if you could show them the receipts that would stop any arguements when you need a warranty claim, I reckon on every car I have bought I have been bent over, I reckon I need resleeve, because I couldnt get reemed any more, I sick to death of brocken promises and lies, dont get me wrong I have had great service and work, but also I had my share of shonkey stuff aswell, anyone protects these lying scumbags are either trolls or one of these dingbats. Barney I have been using 10w 30 in the kluger and in my old prado no problems with it what so ever.

I reckon the perfect engine for new 86 the mighty 4.0v6 or even a 3.5,but being rwd it would have to be 4.0v6 with the supercharger like the one on old trd hilux, that thing would be a real car then, no little buzz box, I reckon you get 0 100 in the 4 second region but like you mate I would prefer a mans car like the fj, I reckon I should get a job at toyota, designing there cars ha ha ha

when I test drove the updated model kluger I didnt see if it vibrated at 950rpm, at that time I wasnt aware that the klugers did it, but I reckon the updated model the engine was smother and slightly quieter, but it could be my imagination, because its new and a new car, it didnt have my cold dash rattle, loon if the vibration is too violent, I would get the problem looked at, it might only be because the engine is new and tight, but it might be somthing needing adjusting,I admit there pretty reliable engines but still get them to look at it for your peace of mind mate.

Yeah barney your right mate, the only time I that it was bought to my attention, when I read this thread, I never really noticed it before and probadly wouldnt even known it would of done it until I tried it at those particular revs, but yeah nothing to worry about, but theres no harm in asking, its better to be safe than sorry :) .

Hi everyone, I was cleaning and polishing my kluger on the weekend and I had the radio on for about 5 hours, the radio in my kluger is the optional factory sat nav, I turned the interior lights off and no other accesories was on , only the coutesy lights on the doors, I went and wound the windows down the radio shut down, my first thought that station went off the air, but when I wound down each window the radio did the same thing and I noticed the lights in the dash went very dim, and I tried to see if the car would start no luck it was as dead as door nail, the battery is the original one that the car was manufactoured with, so my first thought was the battery was due to be replaced, so I charged it up with my ctek battery charger on recon mode for 24 hours and the battery starts the car like a champion, even this morning on a cold -4c dubbo morning and it started up as good as a new battery, the battery did the same thing 6months earlier, it did the same thing, I had the radio on, but that time I didnt have it on as long , I went to trying start the car and it wouldnt even wind over, so I did the same charge up with the ctek on recon mode, and it has performed faultlasy until last weekend, I thought while my kluger was getting the seat fixed, I would get the battery tested to see how it performs on load test,so they did the load test and it passed, the service advisor said that you only need to have the radio on for about a couple of hours when its a factory sat nav radio head unit and the battery will be flat, even if its a new battery, there very hungry on power and the electrics draw a lot of current, so im wondering is that true or anyone had the same exsperience with their kluger with the factory satnav flatening their battery or is it my battery on its last legs, I have never had this problem before with the radio flattening the battery before when I had it on for a few hours, I remember once I had the radio on in my old prado all day while I was cleaning it from a weekend away and the battery didnt even think about dying, the prado started right up, no problems, so I would love to hear peoples thought and exsperiences, would be greatly appreciated. cheers david.

Hi ian, I cant help you but if no one on this forum can help, try the 4wd action and lcool web sites they might be able to help probadly the 4wd action one in my oppinion is the pick out of the two,but if they dont have any threads on that particular problem, you could always join one of those forums, theres other great threads on there that could be handy for you with any other problems and tips that you might need, or you might have somthing yourself you might want to shair, but their is a number of knolegable people on this forum that could be able to help you, anyway good luck.

Welcome to the forum ian, landcruisers are great rigs, look forward to hearing about it and helping you with your questons in future.

Hi loon, I tried mine this morning and it has the vibration at around 950rpm, its only a little rumble , but yeah you can feel a slight vibration at that paticular revs, as for the rattle did the kluger you test drove was the engine cold or was it warm, mine has slight lifter noise , sort of a slight rattle but I think its at a slightly higher revs when the auto choke on, my old prado I think use have a slight vibration around 950rpm or similar revs, I think its charistic of those vvti v6 engines, the prado had 200000kms on her when I sold her and the engine never missed a beat , so I dont think theres anything to worry about, I think its normal .

Hi loon I try and see if it does or not, I drove a new up date model kluger it was a kxr and you can tell the difference, the engine idles and runs smoother than mine when cold and warm , it does vibrate like you said when cold, but not quiet as much as mine. I think Im pretty sure the new facelifted models have better engine mounts, so thats probadly why the later ones run a bit smother than mine, does anyone want to swap a their facelifted model with me , I love the new facelift on the kluger they look great, I sat in a grande and boy their flash, I love the tailgate lifter and pushbutton start , no fumbling for keys and the rear dvd screen, ahwell cant have everything I quess.

Mate thats a fantastic price you must be over the moon I would be,welcome to forum and good luck with the kluger mate.

Thanks loon and ron, I was orignally going to go to the wreckers before I rang my insurance company, but when I rang them they said I had lifetime no claim and wouldnt lose any of my excess, I was over the moon, all I had to pay was my excess which was $600, which was about what the wrecker quoted me for a second hand seat,im insured through toyota insurance cant recomend them higher enough they were very helpfull and this is my first claim with them and I have had three cars insured through them and their fantastic, so I decided I get my seat fixed, yeah the price to get the seat repaired is a bit steep, I said to the guy I surpose thats what you get for having leather, he said cloth interior isnt really that much cheaper and I spoke to a upolsterer and he said the cloth seat covers if there got to replaced can be as exspensive as the leather, so that made me feel a little bit better, but now Im happy the seat looks great and the kluger driving like a dream what more could a bloke ask for.

Hi ryan, that truck looks fantastic, I bet a few people must get out of your way when you drive that bad boy down the road, seriously that truck looks great, do you do much 4wd competion events in it or do you have other trucks for that, im interested in what other things and truck and all the mods you have done on theLX450, were abouts are you mate, I have heard of the LX450, but they were never imported into australia, we didnt get a lexus version of the landcruiser until the 100 series, LX470,I look forward to hearing from you in the future, and welcome to the forum.

Hi michael, $20000 isnt to bad for everything,I think I read somewhere that the 6.5 chev conversion alones that sort of money,I have good and bad stories about 6.5 chev conversions, I have read people having overheating issues and reliability problems aswell, but I read guys that have done the conversion absolutly love them, I think theres a few guys on the 4wd action forums that have the 6.5 conversion, I not sure if the factory toyota turbo diesel conversion any cheaper, but aleast you get toyota reliability, and parts avaliable out in the middle of no where, you could always turbo the 1hz, as long as its in good nick. the 79 series are great utes, but the factory 6 cylinder turbo diesels are pricy, there not much cheaper than the later v8 turbo diesels, but I always had a soft spot for the 80 series, I was going to buy one years ago, I use to drewl over them when I was growing up as a teenager, but never got around to buying one, the factory turbo diesel in the 79and 100 series are considered by many as the best engine ever produced, they will last for ever, the only way I reckon is if your serious about the 6.5 chev is have a look over on the 4wd action or other 4wd sites and see the pros and cons of fitting that particular engine, anyway see how you go mate.

Hi frank , welcome to the forum mate, what sort of car were you after, I owned a few toyotas now ,I might be able to advize you mate, if I cant someone here should be able to shoot you straight, anyway mate welcome.

Hi everyone, well I picked my car up this morning, the seat has been repaired, they replaced the back cover on the seat and a new head rest, it looks a million bucks, dubbo city toyota did a fantastic job, you wouldn t even no what happened, all I had to pay for was the excess which was $600 which isnt to bad, considering the damage was nearly $5000 OUCH! So hopefully nothing ever happens like this again, the only time I had problems with a rat was on my grandfathers farm where I had my first car, mazda 929, it ate the washer bottle and that was it, that was a dam sight cheaper than a seat to get repaired, anyway you cant help bad luck, so its all good now, im happy my baby all fixed,cheers david.

Sorry barney, I got you mixed up with loon, I should of read back a couple of threads, I wonder if loon will report back after his 1000km service how he got on with engine vibrating aswell, mine vibrating problem doesnt bother me, because I think its normal. I have asked dealerships in the past about different problems and they reckon they have never heard of the problem, but you read treads on the forum to find out its a common problem, so it makes you think somtimes that our dealers like to keep us in the dark.

Hi barney, mine vibrates when cold when put into reverse and drive, but only when its cold, I think it does it at about 1500rpm when the auto choke on, but probadly not what yours is doing, I think mine normal though, sorry I couldnt be more help mate :) , I thought someone one this forum might know what was causing the problem, probadly you get it checked out at your 1000km service.

Hi michael, glad you found the forum mate, your wife is right , but if you buy the 80 dx over the 79, you will have more money for acceccories and money to travel, I think in my oppinion the best mods for 80 series would be a good suspension kit to improve the ride and handling, a duel battery system for powering a fridge and remote starting resurence out in the bush, a good snorkel for driving on dusty roads and allows the engine to breath cool clean air and making river crossing safer, stops the engine taking a gulp of water preventing engine damage, some good quality tyres and wider wheels for more road holding and grip on gravel and muddy roads and a quality uhf radio for car to car communication, I think I have covered the basis even a good gps whouldnt go astray either, I hope this helps mate, thats all the mods I would put on the 80, you might be different, only way is have a chat to a 4wd accesory supplier, they would know the sort of accesories that you would need, when you tell the sort of traveling your going to do in the 80, anyway mate good luck with getting it past missus :) , look forward chatting to you in the future buddy.

Hi antho, I have always had a bit of a soft spot for hiluxes, you dont see many of these old girls around now, choosing beetween a tray and a tub, personally I would go the tray, it would be load things on and off, and easier to maintain, but thats my oppinion, I reckon candy blue would look great, what sort of wheels and tyres do you plan to put on her, with a1uz sitting under the bonnet she be a handfull in the wet, but it would be a hoot to drive though, I have driven my old hilux in the rain, it had the 3.4v6,5vzfe, and it use to be a bit tricky in the wet, it only had a alloy tray, but it didnt have the power the 1uz had, but I reckon it would fun though. I thought of doing up a old hilux or a landcruiser, but my missus is as understanding as yours ,if I bought one home she shove up my backside, anyway mate I look forward to hearing how it progreses and good luck with it.

Thats ***** funny, thats the funniest thing I have seen for a while, I know its probadly not the smartest thing to do,It makes you realize how much force and speed, that those airbags are capable of, but that clip made me nearly ***** my pants laughing.

I wish I waited a 6 months, before I bought my kluger, I paid$ 35000 for my 2007 kxs 2wd with 75000kms on it with 3 years warranty, it came with tint, towbar, electronic rust protection and factory sat nav, but now after reading everyone else posts on this topic and the prices I have seen on the net, one dealer had a brand new kluger for 37990 driveaway, I know its only a 2wd kxr, but after looking at the base model kluger , I think the interior is more than adequate, it has all the features you need, I love the leather and heated seats , but given my time over again, I would of got just a new kxr, I couldnt afford a new kxs or grande, but you still get a kluger and at least its new, but you live and learn, but Im still happy with the one I have,I was going to buy a new kxr for a replacement for the territory, but the missus now wants 4wd duel cab ute.

Thats allright buddy, if you dont ask you dont learn , I didnt think of it at the time I posted to this thread, I use to think it was crap, but you fill it up with the trigger on full , rather than filling it up on half trigger and filling slower , you dont get as much fuel in the tank, it might only be couple litres, but your better of having fuel in the tank than air, Im covinced that filling it up slower and taking the nozzel out every few seconds at half trigger works, try it and see what happens, also filling up in the morning when its cold also I heard works in putting more fuel in the tank, rather than air.