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This may take a while to explain but I think it may be of interest to some.
Some years ago I had and incident which resulted in the left hand suspension coming in contact with the underside of the wheel arch. At the time I found the crumple zone area on the left hand firewall had been compromised. I reported this to my insurance company and it was promptly repaired, no problem. Then for some time (12 months or more) when driving off road experiencing some traction issues there was a concerning banging sound coming from the front.
After a lot of investigation I put it down to either engine mount or suspension but I couldn't find what was causing the noise (checked by ARB and Toyota). Then I noticed a crack on the left hand side inner guard. This crack has been reported in many other posts on this forum. I returned my Prado back to the original repairer on the suspicion that this was a further fault from the original incident. Crack was repaired, no problem.
A couple of months later, when driving around town, there was a concerning 'whirring' noise when turning right. After some investigation I noticed the motor (V6) was leaning to the right (looking from the front). What had happened is the left hand engine mount mount had fatigued and suppressed into the chassis. The whirring sound was the fan rubbing on the radiator shroud. I think I have finally found what the banging sound was. It was the engine mount mount cracking bit by bit.
I returned the Prado back to the repairer again on the suspicion that the mount must have cracked at the time of the original incident and over the proceeding months/years slowly cracked to the point it could not hold the weight of the motor. I am currently waiting for return of my repaired Prado which again is another sorrowing story.
There are some interesting points I have learned over this experience. Apparently the engine mount problem is known to Toyota. Not so much in the Prado but in the Hilux with the V6. Particularly ones from out west that see a lot of rough corrugated roads. This has been reported from both the insurance company and repairer. Obviously I can't get this in writing as this would lead to all sorts of liabilities.
I have my own theories why this cracking occurs. It centers around the body being mounted on rubber in front and behind the front wheel arch. As many people with bullbars have reported you can see the bullbar bouncing around on uneven roads because the chassis is moving around and the body is not because it is suspended on rubber. This would cause stress to the area at the top of the wheel arch because of the downward pressures between the rubber mounting points. If you get enough stress it will eventually fail causing the cracking on the inner guard.
I think Prado owners should be aware of the potential problems in this area and the posts I have seen regarding these sort of incidents proves that this is an area of concern.
Some years ago I had and incident which resulted in the left hand suspension coming in contact with the underside of the wheel arch. At the time I found the crumple zone area on the left hand firewall had been compromised. I reported this to my insurance company and it was promptly repaired, no problem. Then for some time (12 months or more) when driving off road experiencing some traction issues there was a concerning banging sound coming from the front.
After a lot of investigation I put it down to either engine mount or suspension but I couldn't find what was causing the noise (checked by ARB and Toyota). Then I noticed a crack on the left hand side inner guard. This crack has been reported in many other posts on this forum. I returned my Prado back to the original repairer on the suspicion that this was a further fault from the original incident. Crack was repaired, no problem.
A couple of months later, when driving around town, there was a concerning 'whirring' noise when turning right. After some investigation I noticed the motor (V6) was leaning to the right (looking from the front). What had happened is the left hand engine mount mount had fatigued and suppressed into the chassis. The whirring sound was the fan rubbing on the radiator shroud. I think I have finally found what the banging sound was. It was the engine mount mount cracking bit by bit.
I returned the Prado back to the repairer again on the suspicion that the mount must have cracked at the time of the original incident and over the proceeding months/years slowly cracked to the point it could not hold the weight of the motor. I am currently waiting for return of my repaired Prado which again is another sorrowing story.
There are some interesting points I have learned over this experience. Apparently the engine mount problem is known to Toyota. Not so much in the Prado but in the Hilux with the V6. Particularly ones from out west that see a lot of rough corrugated roads. This has been reported from both the insurance company and repairer. Obviously I can't get this in writing as this would lead to all sorts of liabilities.
I have my own theories why this cracking occurs. It centers around the body being mounted on rubber in front and behind the front wheel arch. As many people with bullbars have reported you can see the bullbar bouncing around on uneven roads because the chassis is moving around and the body is not because it is suspended on rubber. This would cause stress to the area at the top of the wheel arch because of the downward pressures between the rubber mounting points. If you get enough stress it will eventually fail causing the cracking on the inner guard.
I think Prado owners should be aware of the potential problems in this area and the posts I have seen regarding these sort of incidents proves that this is an area of concern.
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