campbeam

There should not be play in the steering column. Please do a search on this Forum for the intermediate shaft issue. I have applied spray silicone grease onto that part. I do recall a post on that thread that mentioned the solution was to replace the special bolts on that shaft. Interested to hear how well those rear lower side bars work out. Probably going to be a bit difficult to notice any improvement.

Yes, all that maintenance is paying off. Thinking of finally removing the front valve cover after 5 years but maybe wait for after the next road trip. Planning upon doing a fuel economy run after the 1st refuelling stop. Expecting some wet weather so will wait for dry roads before even thinking about being naughty. Been talking about this road trip for some time. Cannot be all talk and no action, at least in this Forum, lol. In the next few weeks, it will be other member's turn to be posting about their road trip.

All good safe trip. Only had one moment with an oncoming black hilux. More of a case thinking that it was a vehicle ahead. A bit of a wake up call to actually see what is rather than what you are expecting to see. Lead foot is ruining fuel economy figures but enjoying being on the road again. Checked the oil and it is still nice and clean. Return trip is in the next few days so planning upon trying to be good and get some decent fuel economy figures.

Current road trip is from Brisbane to Wagga Wagga NSW then back to Brisbane. I regularly use the Newell Highway and have noticed quite some differences since I last did this trip in 2018. At the moment, the highway traffic travelling south is minimal. I have those glorious time periods where I have the road entirely to myself. Mostly travelling on cruise control at the speed limit and I have only been overtaken 2 times. Much more traffic travelling in the opposite direction. There was only 1 vehicle at the Border Control when I went through Goondiwindi at 11AM [QLD time]. However, a few minutes down the road there was quite a few semi-trailers heading towards the border. I also keep a record of places with best fuel prices. Times have changed and a few discount petrol places in the small places on the highway are now closed. However, I have noticed new petrol stations on the outskirts of the larger towns. I have very much revised my refuelling stops after doing an online search for petrol prices. The other noticeable difference was the roadworks. Still plenty happening but no delays just reduced speed limits.

I posted the maintenance service interval on October 18 of this thread. Also have a look at Page 8 of the following thread.

After lots of research and experience to get it right, I have developed a few, revised, quick workaround procedures that I am happy with but would upset the "purists". Same thinking about that trickle approach. Extra fluid added at the start avoids the need for that extra 200ml. After the next road trip, I will have to remember to do a precise fluid level check using a thermal gun. It would be a good time to try and quantify that trickle approach vs slow drips then add 200 ml.

I was looking at this YouTube video mainly to compare/check the fluid level check procedure being demonstrated. Prior to 13:16 in the video, he talked about a trickle. The vertical stream of fluid has just started to splutter. Bit of a difference to how I have been doing it. I was waiting until the stream of fluid became a broken series of drops then add an extra 200ml of ATF. At the 15:00 in the video, he highlights an important extra step required for the 8 speed transmission.

The other thought that I was going to specifically mention was the possibility of the ball joints not being properly seated in the steering knuckle and tightened correctly. Another one of my past experiences.

Just had a look at your alignment specifications. I was expecting that there would be toe out not a 0.00 measurement. From many years ago [30+], I had a wheel alignment done on my Honda Civic with 0.00 toe. I went for a drive that night and on the highway it was "jumping"across lanes. Definitely back the next day and they changed the toe out to 1.00mm. Problem solved for that particular vehicle. There speaks a voice of experience which is what I think a car forum should be about. I would be putting the car up on ramps and giving all of the suspension bushings plenty of silicone spray then see if that is the magical cure. Otherwise back to the places that did the work on your vehicle for them to check that suspension bolts etc. are still torqued to specifications.

Recently cleaned the windscreen using a light cutting compound. I was watching those beads glide off the glass while driving along at 70+kph this afternoon. Certainly will be handy if get the go-ahead next week for a quick road trip to regional NSW. I also looked at my original post back in August; sort of deja vu for what I will be doing tomorrow.

Applied tyre shine then had a drink. Rolled the car forward so the untreated bottom was now on top. Before I was using hydraulic jacks and rotating the wheels by hand. However, I can see the advantage once you have a wheel removed from the car for a really detailed clean.

As mentioned in a previous post, the caster angle needs to be adjusted to achieve a self centreing action in the steering. I have not done this for quite some time. After driving hard through a roundabout, upon exiting I would let go of the steering wheel and it would self-centre very quickly. I posted my recent wheel alignment printouts in this thread and the latest one shows the target specifications. https://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/13268-wheel-alignment-specs/page/6/#comments

Still miss my white 1989 Seca SX [100KW] in the mid 90s. Original owner kept it in immaculate showroom condition. Got fond memories of how well it performed. Only ones that I have recently seen have been in a battered condition. 😢 Unfortunately, if the car history check did not reveal any more information, then your best hope is that it is still sitting in someones back yard. Maybe you could try posting a wanted to buy ad in Gumtree. Another option is a social media post e.g. Facebook

This had me going to my Owners Manual to check the fuel filter replacement interval. For the 40 series, it is 150K kms or 10 years. I expect that you have an excellent [OCD] parts storage and tracking system. Nice to see that you now have more oil filters than me, all ready for those impromptu oil changes.

Suggest looking at the previous posts from 2007 on where there was a lot more happening with tyre and wheel upgrades etc.

I had some extra thoughts. Initially I thought it was the exact same special but ended up not being so. Worthwhile special if you want a 5W-40 full synthetic oil. What I did notice last year was that oil specials in December were not as good as the preceding months.

Repco is having 20-50% off selected oils. $39 for this Castrol 5W-40 oil [6 litres] https://www.repco.com.au/en/oils-fluids/engine-oils-fluids/engine-oil/castrol-edge-5w-40-a3-b4-engine-oil-6l-3421236/p/A5494133?cid=email-2020_10_30_Oilbonanzalap&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTVRNeU5HSm1aRGRpWVdSaiIsInQiOiI4YnhQOGJaV2ZZMHhnWFRhMXRBREphRXNUNE8yOTIyT2lQRmM5UG9lZ2NBYWVCVjMrdG1ZT3kyWEVoV3k5S21kcndpU0F6WTRKelJqOWdnMTFxRnRwZFdDUk8xOU1hRnhjV0V3SGRvemtBcU1VdzRpSSthVTcxeHIyZm84cEh0aSJ9 In contrast, I may have paid $36 for Castrol 5W-30 [5 litres] at SuperCheap in early Sept.

Tony introduced me to the Tactix Storage boxes which are trade quality. I do not have a Hilux myself but have seen them on various tradesmen's vehicles. https://www.bunnings.com.au/tactix-modular-deep-tool-chest_p6120421

Similar approach. I refuelled today at half way mark with 367km on the trip meter. 200km on the trip meter is refuel reminder time for me but I am not driving every day. I think that the O.P. filled up after getting the fuel warning light. Hopefully, it was just a trial rather than usual practice.

Big learning moment. The driver would have seen a pedestrian looking directly towards him so would have assumed in this situation [no pedestrian crossing] and not going to cross the road. Fortunately, it was a low speed situation with a T intersection and one way traffic. Since then I have assumed that a pedestrian may not have seem my vehicle and prepared to brake. I also have no sympathy or empathy if the pedestrian is stupid enough to be paying more attention to their mobile phone than being alert crossing the road Karma can give them a "brown pants" moment preferably involving a truck with a bullbar and a really loud horn.

It does look good but I am a chrome sort of guy. A few years ago I almost stepped into the path of a vehicle. In the last few seconds, I noticed the chrome trim on the front of the vehicle and stopped with one foot on the road. Yes, I was looking straight at the vehicle but with the shade from an overpass and its bluish colour it blended into the surrounds. Both myself and the driver could have done without those heart palpitations. Main reason I drive around with parking lights on is to increase visibility especially when you have a silver car or other colours that can blend into the surrounding environment.

After looking at some of the latest posts, I would be thinking of having a set of 18"wheels fitted with the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 just for use on track days etc. Best to check with a reputable tyre dealer about the recommended wheel width for these tyres. It is all about safety; last thing you want is tyres coming off the rim when you are driving hard. https://www.tsw.com/explore-tsw-custom-wheels/what-is-wheel-offset.php Stay with your existing wheels and tyres for everyday general driving. As you have noticed larger diameter lower profile tyres are more expensive.

I do have an infra red thermal gun which I bought on eBay pre COVID-19. It would have been budget-priced. No doubt there are better quality ones available. I have used it once to test it [pre and post catalytic converter temperatures] then packed it away. Now got another use for the gun. After looking at the Repco listing description, there are a few more uses that could be worthwhile trying out.

Just read this on a post in Quora.com which I think has merit. "The tires control the vehicle. Get the best tires you can afford. Your life may depend on it one day. After driving 10 miles or so. Use a infrared thermometer to measure temperatures across the face of the tread. If the center is hotter than the edges, the tire is over inflated. If the edges are hotter, it’s under inflated. Adjust accordingly until the temperature is consistent across the tire. This is a properly inflated tire. It will also be higher than that sticker, and in most cases be about 10% under max psi from the sidewall." https://www.quora.com/Should-tires-really-be-inflated-to-car-manufacturer-specs

I have attached my wheel alignment printouts Feb.2020 and Aug.2020. I was informed that they had replaced the wheel alignment machine after February. August printout shows the "Target Data" in the centre column. Interesting the difference in camber range between the front and rear axles. Wheel Alignment Reports_2020.pdf