2001 3 LT TD towing power

[cranky Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close cranky]

Re: 2001 3 LT TD towing power

Hi Steve, WOW thats some crack in the dump pipe thanks for the info you have saved me some dollars i will look into replacing the muffler with something more free flowing as the exhaust system is still the OEM from new, lift on the suspension is approx 755mm & 785mm i have lovel springs all round and i replaced the shocks last year with toyota genuine as they were dirt cheap so far with the off road that i do their ok within their limitation actually their not to bad. On the subject of the viscous coupling i went back to toyota & also called customer care guess what (no care) no warranty because did all the work myself no way to prove that the brand new coupling was at fault, i agree with the Turbo fitter once you overheat them its all over thats one reason i fitted the Engine Watchdog its got an inbuilt alarm which i have set at 90deg c, highest its ever got is 85deg thats camper trailer in tow wife & Daughter & roof rack fully laden Two engel fridges in the back of the car going up some pretty big hills.

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Re: 2001 3 LT TD towing power

Might be time I invest in one of them myself (Engine watchdog) sounds like a money saver should the viscous coupling on mine goes bung, myn has just hit 96k but intend winding them up fairly quickly with some trips away in the near future. I do notice myn dies in the bum a bit pulling up mooney, hawksbury, more so mooney, will drop back to 95/100 with out towing and overdrive off and foot buried to the floor hence why Im looking at the dp chip ups the torque from 343 to 398 the steinbourer is suppose to be 410 but I will go the dp, suspension and snorkel first then talk the wife into needing more grunt for up hills lol Regards Steve

Hi Steve, WOW thats some crack in the dump pipe thanks for the info you have saved me some dollars i will look into replacing the muffler with something more free flowing as the exhaust system is still the OEM from new, lift on the suspension is approx 755mm & 785mm i have lovel springs all round and i replaced the shocks last year with toyota genuine as they were dirt cheap so far with the off road that i do their ok within their limitation actually their not to bad. On the subject of the viscous coupling i went back to toyota & also called customer care guess what (no care) no warranty because did all the work myself no way to prove that the brand new coupling was at fault, i agree with the Turbo fitter once you overheat them its all over thats one reason i fitted the Engine Watchdog its got an inbuilt alarm which i have set at 90deg c, highest its ever got is 85deg thats camper trailer in tow wife & Daughter & roof rack fully laden Two engel fridges in the back of the car going up some pretty big hills.

[cranky Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close cranky]

Re: 2001 3 LT TD towing power

I have just clocked up 125,000kms just run in, ive had the Safari snorkel for a while aux battery 100amp fullriver AGM extra 12v sockets at back of console engel fridge wiring hard wired into back of cargo area i run a 40lt as a freezer & an 80lt as a fridge heaps of weight in the poor old girl, considering she goes OK, Alloy ECB Bullbar, UHF Radio, Rhino Roof Rack and Cargo Barrier, Yes the Engine Watchdog is a good insurance policy for your engine i have the thermo couple connected to the bottom bolt of the top radiator hose outlet coupling in the Head figure this is the hottest the coolant gets coming out of the head, was trying to compare temps with other forums with same vehicle fitted with engine watchdog but never really got a reply. Buy the way Steve do you know of a good free flow muffler outlet in the sydney area cheers.

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Re: 2001 3 LT TD towing power

Cant say I do, I havnt done anything to mine yet, I personally wont touch midas but I believe Charlestone exhaust at blacktown do a great job ?? no personal experience, when I get it done Im going to try and get hold of the original flanges from an old toyota muffler and get them to weld them onto the muffler they fit so just incase I dont like it for what ever reason I can just unbolt it and refit the original one (will keep in shed), I hate it when they modify stuff and not only that at least if I put a whole in it where ever Im at (especially in the middle of know where) if I need to get one flown in from where ever I can just unbolt it and bolt up the new one with out any problems. Regards Steve

I have just clocked up 125,000kms just run in, ive had the Safari snorkel for a while aux battery 100amp fullriver AGM extra 12v sockets at back of console engel fridge wiring hard wired into back of cargo area i run a 40lt as a freezer & an 80lt as a fridge heaps of weight in the poor old girl, considering she goes OK, Alloy ECB Bullbar, UHF Radio, Rhino Roof Rack and Cargo Barrier, Yes the Engine Watchdog is a good insurance policy for your engine i have the thermo couple connected to the bottom bolt of the top radiator hose outlet coupling in the Head figure this is the hottest the coolant gets coming out of the head, was trying to compare temps with other forums with same vehicle fitted with engine watchdog but never really got a reply. Buy the way Steve do you know of a good free flow muffler outlet in the sydney area cheers.

e

[Derb Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Derb]

Re: 2001 3 LT TD towing power

Hi Cranky. Just returned from a 1500km trip towing a car on transport trailer - 1-1/2 tonne all up. Some damn massive hills between Bay of Plenty here and Wellington return. Average fuel consumption for trip 13.6 litres per 100km (usually 9.5 - 10.5 without trailer). We were fair flogging it along also. Never had any concerns with overheating and no oil usage even though 180,000k on speedo. Am using Castrol GTX 15/40 Diesel. Change oil and filter every 5,000km. I always listen for the viscous fan cutting in when I am towing and am shortly replacing mine. Mine is 5 speed manual and I tend to run it between 1850 rpm and 2250 rpm when under heavy load for best results. The 1KZ-TE seems to really dig in at around 1800 rpm and hangs on well. With my automatic boxed van with 1KZ I would drop it out of overdrive at 80 km on steep hills whereupon it would lock up the torque convertor again and dig in. The head on that van shit itself when the viscous fan failed also. Some cheap aftermarket viscous couplings available now. Cheers - Derb.

[Prado BB Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Prado BB]

Re: 2001 3 LT TD towing power

Reasons why I wouldnt buy a beaudesert exhaust

Have since done some more searching and was told by steinbourer (spelling) they sell the chips like dpchip and I spoke to the manager and he said if you want to waste $1000 go for it, gain is only around 4kw, he said just to get rid of the factory muffler and replace with straight through one (muffler only not the exhaust pipework), will do the same job and for about 1/4 of the price, he said you dont need to go a 3 inch on the size motor we have 1kz, for cruisers and patrols yes but not the 1kz. I did ask about the outlet been bigger on the turbo then the exhaust dumpipe and he said it is so minimal it would have virtually no effect in power gains by going bigger. Regards Steve

Steve, keen to hear more on this. Let me know if you decide to go down this path and how it goes.

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Re: 2001 3 LT TD towing power

Hi Cranky, forgot to ask you, did you know you had a rear cup holder ??? Regards Steve

[seenthelight Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close seenthelight]

Re: 2001 3 LT TD towing power

Hi Cranky, I have a 120 with a d/tronic,snorkle and a 2.5 inch turbo muffler fitted to standard exhaust pipe[cost $120]fitted.
With this mod the engine revs a lot more freely, I tow a jayco eagle [offroad] the worst I have had is 15.5l/100 towing the jayco at speeds of 110-120+[over taking].
At easter it was 14.2l/100 at speeds 100-105. In 2006 I went away towing a 16 foot poptop at 90kph not over,I averaged 16l/100 [melb to mildura] on the following day at 110kph I used 16.5l/100 [mildura to mount gambier] both days hot no wind.
cheers Geoff

[cranky Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close cranky]

Re: 2001 3 LT TD towing power

G'day Steve M, Yes i did know about the rear cup holder on the GXL model its under the top console lid not sure if your Grande is in the same spot.

[cranky Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close cranky]

Re: 2001 3 LT TD towing power

Hi seenthelight, how did she tow with the 16 foot poptop going up hills also did the Turbo muffler on its own make a difference when towing and also which Muffler shop did you buy it from, cheers cranky

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Re: 2001 3 LT TD towing power

Yeah mate, I only found it by accident on my old GXL, had the shits one day and flicked the console lid forward while cleaning the rear seats out thought I had broken it at first and was fuming with myself and then realized it was meant to do it LOL, I dont use it but will be handy I suppose when the little one gets older. Regards Steve

G'day Steve M, Yes i did know about the rear cup holder on the GXL model its under the top console lid not sure if your Grande is in the same spot.

[seenthelight Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close seenthelight]

Re: 2001 3 LT TD towing power

Hi Cranky
The prado towed the 16 foot vicount lite very well [about 800 kg].
The muffler made a big difference [it felt like it had more go than when the d/tronic was first fitted]
It was fitted at radiant exhausts in north laverton melb.
Big long hills still slow it down, but a lot better than stock.
cheers Geoff

[cranky Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close cranky]

Re: 2001 3 LT TD towing power

Thanks seenthelight, will definitely look into a free flowing muffler ASAP.

[mackerelmauler Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close mackerelmauler]

Re: 2001 3 LT TD towing power

I have a 2001 TD Auto. It is no longer standard.

First engine mod was to get a Dtronics chip ( I don't think they are available annymore) this made a nice improvement especially improved torque from down low.

Second engine mod was to get a Dgas Diesel Gas system fitted(WA has a $1000 state rebate as well as the Commonwealth $2000 rebate when i got it fitted.). The improvement was dramatic. The extra torque is such that is fun planting the foot coming out of roundabouts. Dragging off cars from traffic lights without even trying is also fun. The only downside of the gas system is that their was only space for a 19 litre gas tank which 2-3 gas refills for every diesel refill.

Third engine mod I had a local(Perth) exhaust place make a 3"dump pipe and fit a 2.5" exhaust. This resulted in the turbo spinning up sooner a noticeable but not huge increase in torque and power.

All this extra go has made towing my not solight boat so much easier. So much so that we even overtook some slow caravans while driving home from Denmark just before Easter.

The exhaust and 3" dump pipe cost about $480, Dtronic chip $1600 fitted, Diesel Gas net $850 ($3850-$2000-$1000). I plan to keep the Prado for a good more years yet.