Mikes 150VX - Yes, it's another silver Prado

[mickmac_42 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mickmac_42]

That's what i thought too when i saw the numbers, but the shaft is only just off level. I'll post a picture of it tomorrow.

Mike

[matt150 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close matt150]

No worries. If you think it's not right, a diff drop kit at $90 approx is cheap insurance.

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Mike has 18" rims. So by comparison, his measurements are 13mm higher than 17" rims.

[mickmac_42 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mickmac_42]

CV angle before lift


CV angle after lift


As you can see, there's nothing extreme going on here. I may still do a diff drop, and possibly even push the snap ring up one notch... but only if i'm feeling energetic and the kids leave me alone.

Mike

[mickmac_42 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mickmac_42]

During our trip to Fraser in 2013 i damaged the front access panel on the bull bar and the bash plate (or what Toyota call the sump splash guard). The access plate is pushed back against the radiator, with only millimeters off separation. I reckon one more good hit and it'd push into the radiator.

The damage


I haven't been in a big hurry to get them fixed because I haven't had any more offroad adventure planned, and the damage is otherwise only cosmetic. In the past year i've been making occasional inquiries to source a replacement access plate. The sump guard didn't worry me too much, as i had planned on getting a proper bash plate sooner or later, and it wasn't at risk of causing further damage. Unfortunately, i cannot get an access plate anywhere. TJM said that the access plates are manufactured as a set to go with a bull bar, and to get a replacement plate i would need to get a new bull bar. I called around at a number of shops in case there happened to be one lying around, but didn't have any luck.

I'm planning on a week on Moreton Island in August and i'd like to get it sorted before i go, so recently i called RACQ and sought contact with one of their assessors who may be able to help me. The drone on the phone told me they couldn't help me, and that the only option was for me to lodge a claim, or not lodge a claim. I explained to her that i was trying to save everyone the time and money by doing it myself, and i'd pay the couple of hundred dollars the plate if i could find one. I also explained that if i lodged a claim, i'd also be including the sump splash guard which Toyota would charge me $640 (RACQ only pay $530), and RACQ would likely end up paying for supply, painting, and fitting of the new bullbar... around $2600. Drone couldn't see beyond what her computer screen was prompting her to say, so i ended up lodging the claim.

Within about 20 minutes i had a call from Mick at the Gold Coast office and he's been great to deal with. I took a couple of pictures with my phone and emailed them to him. He could see the sense in what i was trying to achieve, and it turns out he'd done similar damage in similar circumstances on Fraser at around the same time as me. Mick got on the horn to TJM head office and they scoured the country for a spare access plate but apparently there are none.
We looked into panel beating it straight but the consensus was that, although it could be made straight, it wouldn't look the same and may possibly be cheaper to fabricate a replacement.

I was given the contact details for Sommerville Smash Repair in Nerang because they supposedly had a decent metal fabrication set up and may have been able to custom build the plate. When i spoke with Gary the assessor, he didn't seem to know what i was talking about.

Mick and i did some more talking and, since the aftermarket bash plates cost less that the Toyota splash guard, it was suggested i look at getting aftermarket gear fitted. RACQ were willing to cover the costs up to $530 plus GST plus fitting. The VX has KDSS and so there was only a few choices that i could find for the bash plate; Brown Davis, ARB, or Ironman.

[mickmac_42 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mickmac_42]

I ended up taking the car to Swains smash repairs in Slacks Creek after speaking with a bloke there who was fixing a work car. He told me it'd be no trouble doing the repairs. As it turns out, the best they could do was get a bloke to fabricate an access plate from checker plate aluminium. Thankfully Mick was on the ball and had talked with Gary from Somerville, and they'd spoken with a fabricator who said they could do the job. By this stage i'd spoke with TJM at Brendale, and they were able to supply the Brown Davis underbody guard for $415. Unfortunately, none of the smash repairers wanted to order from Brendale. being that they were so far away. TJM Underwood also said they could match that price, but it turns out that the Gold Coast TJM at Nerang is just around the corner from Somerville.

So i went down to Somerville to give them the damaged access plate and speak with Chris who was taking care of me. I suggested that fabrication of the replacement plate wait until the underbody guard was fitted to ensure everything married up okay. He told me it shouldn't be a problem, and sent me over to TJM Nerang to order the guard. The sales guy kept trying to get me to buy TJM brand underbody guards, refusing to believe that they wouldn't fit. He was also looking at the wrong part of the car. It took another sales guy to tell him that he remembered something about a compatibility issue. Then i stood at the counter while he tried to find the product code. I provided it to him, but he needed to call someone else because he couldn't work out how to get the price. So while i'm standing right there listening to the phone call, i hear him ask how much the plate is, what the mark-up is, and how much freight costs. He then gets off the phone and tells me it's all been taken care of. I asked him how much the plate cost, and he tells me that he doesn't know. I couldn't believe it! Not only had i heard the phone conversation, i'd seen him write the numbers down! Anyway, everything must have come together okay, because a week later i had a call from Chris at Somerville saying my plate had come in and my access plate was all done.

I've gotta say, i was impressed with the work i saw. You wouldn't pick the replacement plate as being a copy. Apparently it cost a couple of hundred dollars to make, plus powder coating. However, when they went to fit everything up, lo and behold, the access plate didn't marry up with the underbody guard. Apparently the Brown Davis underbody guard sits further forward and the access plate had to be cut to accommodate it. While that gets done, they've fitted up the underbody guard to provide some protection.

The new guard




One thing i noticed was the guard seems to have been painted rather than powder coated, and it's a thing layer of paint at that. The guys cut a couple of stripes while removing the plastic wrap and scraped some paint off on the cement floor of the workshop while fitting it. I wasn't really bothered by it. I also saw that the paint is grey, rather than the black i've seen on other cars.

Hopefully by the end of the week i'll have the replacement access plate fitted up, just in time to go to Stradbroke (Moreton got postponed).

Mike

[mickmac_42 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mickmac_42]

A couple of months ago i bought myself a set of those fancy TraxRax made by Craig. I was very pleased with them. They're a solid bit kit and are well made. To mount them to my Tracklander roof rack i had to get a bit tricky. I jumped on Gumtree and sourced an old Rhino Rack HD bar from VanTech in Mansfield and cut that up into shorter lengths that fit between the spans on the Tracklander. The TraxRax just sit on top of the mesh floor of the tray and are fixed to the rhino rack on the underside of the mesh using the supplied M8 channel nuts. Rock solid.







End result gives me a centimetre or two of clearance with the side doors, and i can adjust them backwards and forwards along the side of the tray, and move them in and out. I've got a set of quick fists which i'll probably fit to the inside of the TraxRax so i can mount a shovel there.

Mike

[mickmac_42 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mickmac_42]

The replacement access plate has been fitted and it looks as good as new.

[craigm Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close craigm]

Very clever idea on fitting up the TraxRax with the channel underneath like that Mick. This will also be a great solution for ARB Platform owners too. Up to now I've been recommending fixing a length of unistrut on top of the platform with U-bolts. This is a much simpler, better solution. Nice Job and thanks for sharing!

A couple of months ago i bought myself a set of those fancy TraxRax made by Craig. I was very pleased with them. They're a solid bit kit and are well made. To mount them to my Tracklander roof rack i had to get a bit tricky. I jumped on Gumtree and sourced an old Rhino Rack HD bar from VanTech in Mansfield and cut that up into shorter lengths that fit between the spans on the Tracklander. The TraxRax just sit on top of the mesh floor of the tray and are fixed to the rhino rack on the underside of the mesh using the supplied M8 channel nuts. Rock solid.







End result gives me a centimetre or two of clearance with the side doors, and i can adjust them backwards and forwards along the side of the tray, and move them in and out. I've got a set of quick fists which i'll probably fit to the inside of the TraxRax so i can mount a shovel there.

Mike

[mickmac_42 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mickmac_42]

Thanks Craig. I haven't tested it yet, but there may be enough space to mount two sections of the rhino rack underneath. An alternative would be to run the rhino rack parallel to the cross braces, allowing two channel nuts to be used. Probably not necessary though. I just finished a week of field testing on Straddie using 4 MaxTrax. Aside from a small amount of vibration, no problems whatsoever. Hope this all helps with developing your great product!

Mike

[mickmac_42 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mickmac_42]

I've been a bit lazy in updating everything that's been going on. Most of the changes are just small things that don't make much difference to how the car looks, but make a big difference to how i use it. One of the biggest changes is what i drag behind it. In June last year we bought a Complete Campsite Kakadu soft floor camper trailer.

The new CT


This prompted a few mods to the Prado. I've had a Redarc Towpro Elite and 50amp Anderson plug wired in by Springwood Auto Electric. They did a nice neat job throughout, mounting the control knob for the brake controller on the centre console in the blank plate next to the Hi/Lo selector dial. I haven't taken any pictures, but there's not much to show.

I knew the Prado's have some issues with high temps, and had previously had the transmission temperature warning light come on while driving up to Toowoomba (not towing anything). I bought a Scangauge II to keep an eye on the transmission fluid temperatures and mounted it above the vent on the right side of the steering wheel with a ClicOn no-drill mount. I was surprised to see the temps in the torque converter frequently getting above 110 degrees, and when i towed the camper trailer for the first time it reached 128 degrees. Having done some research into transmission fluids, i recall reading one manufacturer saying that the oil will start to degrade significantly above 90 degrees. Interestingly, the warning light on the Prado didn't come on at 128 degrees, so i'm not sure how hot the fluid has to be for Toyota to think that's a problem, but it was a problem for me.

Scangauge II with ClicOn mount

[mickmac_42 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mickmac_42]

Next stop was to order a Davies Craig transmission cooler and the mounting plates from Tin175. I mounted them easily enough, but took the car in to Auto Trans-Tech to have the transmission serviced. The mechanic there said oil was well burnt, but the valve bodies were all in good condition with no signs of varnishing. He completely flushed the system and plumbed in the cooler. Since having this done i've noticed a drop of between 20 and 30 degrees in the pan and torque converter temps (torque converter is often 10 degrees higher than the pan). Top temp has been 111 degrees while towing. Most of the time it's around 78 degrees. This was one of the most satisfying mods because i know it's going to prolong the life of the transmission and I'm not going to end up sitting on a beach somewhere while i wait for the transmission to cool down.

I don't have any pictures of the cooler, but Tin175 has some pictures in his thread which look the same. Interestingly, while removing the cover from on top of the radiator, i found that most of the clips had been broken. It seems mechanics either don't know how to remove them, or don't care enough to take the little extra time to remove them properly. Not a big issue because the cover doesn't go anywhere or rattle around and they're cheap to replace, but it's annoying to think that if they take so little care of one part of my car, what are they doing to the other parts.

[mickmac_42 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mickmac_42]

Having had a few close calls, and some friends and family who weren't so lucky, i decided to buy a dash cam. I went with a Blackvue 650GW-2ch with a 32gb memory card and the Powermagic Pro. I installed it myself without much trouble, except the supplied cable that connects the front and rear cameras was about 30cm shorter than what i needed. I had to order a longer cable before i could connect up the rear camera. About a month later the supplied micro SD died and i replaced that with a name brand card that hasn't had any problems since.

I haven't had to use the dashcam footage for myself, but a few weeks ago i was at a pub at Mount Tamborine and saw a lady back into a motorbike, knocking it over and causing considerable damage to the fairings. She stood it up again, then parked somewhere away from the bike. There were only a few people inside and i found the owners of the bike. They confronted the lady about it and she denied it. Thankfully my footage was able to help with their insurance claim.

My wife had purchased a Cowon Autocapsule AW2 for her work car and the specs on that looked pretty good. I'm glad i didn't get it though. It takes up a lot of real estate on the windscreen, has a big red light that i find annoying, and keeps activating when we go over a bump in the road; even on the lowest sensitivity.

[mickmac_42 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mickmac_42]

After a trip to Stradbroke Island i had to replace both the starter motor and the alternator in pretty close succession. Both had ingested muddy water and they did not like it one bit. I took it to a mechanic in Slacks Creek who'd previously done good work on another car and had the log book service done at the same time. I thought nothing more about it until about 10 thousand k's later when i took it back for another log book service. I got a call from the mechanic telling me my air filter needed replacing. I thought it had only just been done so i told them i'd do it myself. I checked the service log and saw that the air filter was supposed to be changed at the previous service, but they hadn't signed the service book or torn the docket out. I checked the air filter and there was nothing wrong with it. They'd just seen the old docket in the book and figured they could get me for two services in one.

That same service they were supposed to change the diff oil. I went to install breathers a few days ago and checked the oil. It was black. I checked the receipt and saw i hadn't been charged for any oil or washers, but when i ask for a log book service i expect a log book service. I ended up doing the diff and transfer case oils myself and it only cost me the parts, so i probably saved myself some money, but still frustrating.

When i went camping a week or two later I busted a gas strut on the the camper trailer and had to get a guy out to fix it. While he was there i got him to take a look at the struts under the bonnet of the car. I'd noticed they'd recently become fairly lethargic and i wanted his opinion on getting them re-gassed. He takes a look at the struts and tells me that they're not the original Toyota struts. Strange, i think to myself.

I tell him I've owned the car since new and nobody has ever mentioned changing the struts. He asks me when i last had the car serviced. About a month ago as a matter of fact. "And when did you first notice the struts weren't working like they used to?" he asks. "Well it would have been shortly after that because i was putting in an auto transmission cooler." He tells me, "I think you'll find that some mechanic has taken your good struts out and put these worn struts in." "Why would they do that?" I ask. "I reckon someone in the workshop needed some new struts. It wouldn't be the first time a mechanic has taken working parts from a car and replaced them with worn parts from their car. It's also not uncommon for the mechanic to tell you a part is worn and needs replacing. They'll put a new part in your car and take the old part for themselves because there's actually nothing wrong with it."

Ordinarily i'd be shocked and sceptical, but i've discovered these mechanics have done a number of dishonest things. What the hell is wrong with these people?!? I tried calling the owner (who'd done the good work previously) but his staff kept telling me he was busy or out of the office. Not sure if he knows what's going on in his shop. I understand he recently acquired a 4wd accessories shop and has been busy with that, but the end result it that i'm not going back.

[mickmac_42 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mickmac_42]

With all of the talk about failing injectors and EGR issues, i bought a copy of Techstream and an X-horse MVCI cable so i could keep an eye on these injector feedback values that seem to be used as a gauge for the health of the injectors. I did my first test in August last year and was a little worried by the results. Injectors 1 and 4 were getting a bit close to that magic limit (the tolerance may have been lifted to 5 in these newer motors, but all the people "in the know" keep saying they wouldn't let it get past 3). I understand cylinders 1 and 4, and 2 and 3 are paired, so if one is weak, the other will compensate. That's why #4 is pushing out more fuel that desirable and #1 is pushing out less.



I pulled the hose of the EGR and had a look.


It wasn't pretty, so i took the car to my local mechanic and spoke to him about my concerns, and asked him to pull apart the EGR and have a look at the intake. This is what he found.



A couple of hours later he'd cleaned out the EGR valve and pipe. There was some crud in some of the intake ports as well which he scraped out. He then ran a can of EGR cleaner through the intake with the engine running, and poured a bottle of DPF additive into the oil. It's supposed to lower the temperature that the soot burns off so there's less going back through the system and getting caught up in a DPF. I know the Prado doesn't have a DPF, but his idea was that this might benefit the EGR system.

Anyway, the first tank of fuel after cleaning out the EGR I've noticed the fuel usage has dropped by nearly 2L/100km! I'd noticed the fuel usage had slowly climbed over the years, but i figured it was because of the lift, bull bar, roof rack and more aggressive tyres. Sure, they have made a difference, but it seems they weren't the only culprit.

Recently i made the decision to sell the car, but before i put it on the market i wanted to make sure there weren't going to be any nasty surprises. I did another health check with Techstream and was surprised to see the injector feedback values have gotten better! I ran the new results past the mechanic when i got the safety certificate. He explained that it wasn't really surprising. The feedback values aren't necessarily indicative of a bad injector. It just shows what the injector is doing. The trick is to find out why the injector is playing up. Sure, it may be on the way out, leaking fuel etc, but it may also be trying to compensate for a blocked air intake. It would seem that cleaning out the EGR and intake manifolds has had the effect of returning the values to well within tolerance.



A year ago i was worried about my injectors failing, my pistons being destroyed, and the sky falling on my head. I was convinced i'd have to pay at least $3000 to replace the injectors or my engine would die. I'm glad i got a second opinion. This new mechanic has a client with a 120 series that's done over 300 thousand kilometres and still has the original injectors. He reckons there's no need to replace the injectors unless something is actually wrong (something that can be diagnosed and measures), and even then, he only replaces the faulty injector. Maybe i'm biased (having to pay for this stuff) but i tend to agree with his approach. While i can appreciate maintenance schedules and service lives of components, i don't see the sense in replacing something that may be good for another one or two hundred thousand kilometres with something that might have a shorter life due to a manufacturing defect.