Hey all,
I recently purchased a 2000 Prado GLX 3.0L Turbo Diesel 4 Speed Auto with 330000 km on the clock. Due to below average uphill and towing performance, I've been troubleshooting a fuel supply issue (see discussion here ) however after quite a bit of troubleshooting and replacing various parts, I am starting to question if maybe a) my expectations are too high, b) these transmissions just suck or c) their is something off with the transmission/timing/ECU that's causing it to under perform on the uphills or whilst under load.
The truck drives beautifully on the flat - even better since replacing the fuel and air filters, cleaning the MAF and MAPS sensors and filters and replacing a suspected leaky fuel primer pump however after towing a relatively light trailer and a smaller caravan up a hill recently, the truck was fricken gutless and I am afraid of taking my ~1800kg caravan away in a few weeks in case the truck struggles or or cook the motor or something else.
I've been told "these engines aren't power houses compared to the common rail diesels" so maybe my expectations are too high? but I have a feeling I am not getting the full potential out of this truck on the hills and when towing. In particular, I suspect the transmission might be selecting the wrong gear for the situation when going up hill. It's like at 90km/h, it jumps from 4th down to 2nd, then when its ready to shift up, it goes from 2nd to 3rd (monetarily) then up to 4th (which is not suitable for the situation) then back down to 2nd? or something like that? I am new to these trucks so have no idea whats happening.
Usual driving around town is superb, reasonably zippy and no dramas. On a side note, I have had some cold start issues however I am confident I resolved that issue by replacing a suspected knackered/leaky fuel primer pump this afternoon. Tomorrow mornings cold start will tell!
Would love to hear others experiences with this engine/transmission combination.
Cheers
I recently purchased a 2000 Prado GLX 3.0L Turbo Diesel 4 Speed Auto with 330000 km on the clock. Due to below average uphill and towing performance, I've been troubleshooting a fuel supply issue (see discussion here ) however after quite a bit of troubleshooting and replacing various parts, I am starting to question if maybe a) my expectations are too high, b) these transmissions just suck or c) their is something off with the transmission/timing/ECU that's causing it to under perform on the uphills or whilst under load.
The truck drives beautifully on the flat - even better since replacing the fuel and air filters, cleaning the MAF and MAPS sensors and filters and replacing a suspected leaky fuel primer pump however after towing a relatively light trailer and a smaller caravan up a hill recently, the truck was fricken gutless and I am afraid of taking my ~1800kg caravan away in a few weeks in case the truck struggles or or cook the motor or something else.
I've been told "these engines aren't power houses compared to the common rail diesels" so maybe my expectations are too high? but I have a feeling I am not getting the full potential out of this truck on the hills and when towing. In particular, I suspect the transmission might be selecting the wrong gear for the situation when going up hill. It's like at 90km/h, it jumps from 4th down to 2nd, then when its ready to shift up, it goes from 2nd to 3rd (monetarily) then up to 4th (which is not suitable for the situation) then back down to 2nd? or something like that? I am new to these trucks so have no idea whats happening.
Usual driving around town is superb, reasonably zippy and no dramas. On a side note, I have had some cold start issues however I am confident I resolved that issue by replacing a suspected knackered/leaky fuel primer pump this afternoon. Tomorrow mornings cold start will tell!
Would love to hear others experiences with this engine/transmission combination.
Cheers
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