Help Needed with Troop Carriers

[stuart67 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close stuart67]

Re: Help Needed with Troop Carriers

I would have liked to have kept the troop carrier or bought a later one, but my wife hated having to raise her voice over the wind, road and engine noise, and didn't like the feel of being in a truck.

As far as the disc brakes were concerned, I never touched the rear discs but did replace the front ones at about 300000km I think. It wasn't a big deal or huge expense from memory.

My suspension was upgraded to heavy duty shocks and king springs at about 230000km and I remember them costing about $1700 all up. The 78 series would probably be cheaper because of the coils up front. Made a huge difference after fitting them but it did need it as at the time I was an electrical contractor and was loaded right up all time.



Great looking vehicle too.

Stuart

[MDS69 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close MDS69]

Re: Help Needed with Troop Carriers

How about the disc brakes? These felt slightly spongy, nothing to worry over yet but definite sponginess creeping in there. Maybe I'm just used to the hair trigger Prado brakes, the Troopy is a much larger vehicle after all. Depends I know, but what's a ballpark lifespan for Troopy discs?

Go the troopy. Love it.

Try a flush and bleed on the brake fluid. Who knows when it was last done. Same with all other fluids if he is going away for a while covering a lot of km's. This is the kind of stuff you can do yourself for not big bucks and have the peace of mind.

[IRON-PAWW Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close IRON-PAWW]

Re: Help Needed with Troop Carriers

Actually that's a good suggestion about bleeding the brakes. So long since I've done that on a vehicle I hadn't considered it. My mate is putting it in to a Toyota Mechanic he's known for years to give it a thorough going over, so I'll mention it to him. I'd assume all the fluids will be swapped out by the mech also.

I can understand why Troopies aren't a vehicle for the ladies. But the truckiness is the part I really like. The diesel sound, the vibrations, wind and road noise all add up to a damn good driving experience! I don't know how I'd feel after 800km of that though. Are the latest ones any quieter? They have the V8 turbodiesel in them don't they? I guess that fixed the slightly lacking power issue. I'd really like to get hold of one and fit it out for trips myself. I think if you put decent seats in them you'd go a long way to improving comfort. Ahh well, the Prado is doing a mighty fine job for where I'm at for now 8)

[stuart67 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close stuart67]

Re: Help Needed with Troop Carriers

A mate of mine bought a V8 D4D Cab Chassis last year and we've finally finished decking it out. Bullbar, winch, dual batteries custom drawer under tray, custom canvas canopy, solar panels, the list goes on. It was after a trip to Cameron Corner and Birdsville in it that I decided a Prado would be the go. Although the power is impressive and the gearbox beautiful and smooth, it just didn't seem to sit on the road well. Maybe a suspension upgrade down the track will fix that. He's more than happy with it which is the main thing. From first hand experience, the ARB bullbar is good for hitting feral pigs at 100kph. Even when the pig went under the vehicle no damage, they're made just as tough as the old units.

Stuart

[prado4x4 Member Find all posts View Profile Close prado4x4]

Re: Help Needed with Troop Carriers

I can understand why Troopies aren't a vehicle for the ladies. But the truckiness is the part I really like. The diesel sound, the vibrations, wind and road noise all add up to a damn good driving experience! I don't know how I'd feel after 800km of that though. Are the latest ones any quieter? They have the V8 turbodiesel in them don't they? I guess that fixed the slightly lacking power issue. I'd really like to get hold of one and fit it out for trips myself. I think if you put decent seats in them you'd go a long way to improving comfort. Ahh well, the Prado is doing a mighty fine job for where I'm at for now 8)

The new V8's are not much quieter when you add a 3" exhaust (with pretty well no muffler) to them. Of course the sound they make, and the extra torque/grunt that goes with it (chip added also) more than makes up for it. Personally having driven over 60,000km in mine, including many long days (1000 - 1300km days) behind the wheel, I don't find that 'rumbling' sound a problem at all. :P

Many people find the factory seats quite good. I'm tall and find that nearly all factory seats are too low in the back - giving me shoulder pain. I replaced the drivers seat in my 90 series prado, and have moved that seat into the 79 series, so it's not something specific to 70 series vehicles for me anyway.

A mate of mine bought a V8 D4D Cab Chassis last year and we've finally finished decking it out. Bullbar, winch, dual batteries custom drawer under tray, custom canvas canopy, solar panels, the list goes on. It was after a trip to Cameron Corner and Birdsville in it that I decided a Prado would be the go. Although the power is impressive and the gearbox beautiful and smooth, it just didn't seem to sit on the road well. Maybe a suspension upgrade down the track will fix that. He's more than happy with it which is the main thing. From first hand experience, the ARB bullbar is good for hitting feral pigs at 100kph. Even when the pig went under the vehicle no damage, they're made just as tough as the old units.Stuart

A suspension system definitely improves the ride of the 70 series. The standard springs (leafs) in the rear are designed for carrying a heavy load. Without a decent load in the back - a constant 500-600kg, they're too harsh. I found using lighter springs, and airbags to adjust depending on the load, things got a lot more comfortable.

Saying that a Prado will always be more comfortable on a road (tar or gravel). Coils on all corners, and IFS on the front, give a softer/smoother ride. The IFS removes a lot of the bounce/jarring feedback experienced in any live axle vehicle. Once you get offroad - the live axles come into their own though. The other factor I found important, was that the 70 series cruisers are built very solidly. One of the reasons I went for a 70 series trayback, was that I was breaking things on my 90 series, that the 70 takes in it's stride. It's horses for courses though - you have to think about what we plan on using our vehicle for, and where we want to go. We all have different requirements.

Oh yes - And the ARB bull bar and scrub bars on the 70 series are strong. There used to be an emu, euro, and numerous birds about our country until they picked a bad place to be. No damage to the vehicle except a few paint chips.

John

[IRON-PAWW Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close IRON-PAWW]

Re: Help Needed with Troop Carriers

Right.

I guess I saw this coming. My mate is seriously looking at having an aftermarket turbo fitted to the 2000 78 series diesel Troopy. He's been talking with the blokes at United on Great Eastern Highway here in Perth and they tell him for around 4.5k they'll fit it out with an aftermarket turbo system. Ok that sounds about right. He didn't ask what brand they had in mind but I can only assume It'd be a Garrett. Now, they tell him he's going to get around a 30% increase in fuel efficiency by fitting a turbo to it. Does that sound right? :shock: Seems too good to be true. I know United used to be a quality bunch but haven't heard anything about them recently. Has anyone in Perth had anything to do with them recently?

Can anyone give me some honest opinions about the benefits of fitting an aftermarket turbo to a 1HZ? Good Idea or not?

Can anyone tell me what is reasonable fuel use per 100km for say a 1/2 loaded 1HZ Troopy? My mate seems to think that he should get more than 700km out of one 90L tank. To me 700km seems about right, but his last car was a Corolla so I think he's got a bit of adjusting to do. So I'm just putting the question out there.

[chester Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close chester]

Re: Help Needed with Troop Carriers

After driving both Troopie and the Ute for previous work duties my opinions are as follows

The ute is made to be loaded on a nice wet road with an empty tray these things are like driving on an ice rink high speed corrugations seemed to flog out the shocks pretty quick

Troopy seemd to sit better on the road as more weight was in the back however seemed more prone to rust especially around the window sill channels and windscreen as stated above.

If i had to go a ute again it would be coils all round Nissan patrol cab chassis i know it is a nissan but the comfort and safety features i.e it actually has airbags craps all over the toyota

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

Re: Help Needed with Troop Carriers

I never got fuel economy that good out of my 78 series ever! I would have been stoked with those figures.

Mine was a work vehicle so it was never driven with economy in mind but that said fuel usage was high at about 20L per 100km. This was in a non turbo 2004 model or there abouts. We had one ute in the fleet that had an after market turbo put on it (i don't remember what sort) and it definatly increased the power with some fuel efficiency gains, no where near 30%. After the install the ute would overheat easily and even after a larger radiator went in it was a continuing problem. Bear in mind that this was in Port Hedland and so ambiant temps where always pretty high.

Will

[IRON-PAWW Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close IRON-PAWW]

Re: Help Needed with Troop Carriers

Thanks guys yeah I've heard about some people having overheating issues with the standard Toyota radiator. Others have said their engines didn't miss a beat after fitting a turbo. I guess it all depends on the condition of the engine to begin with and the system fitted etc etc.

Heh, I think I better tell him to stop complaining about his fuel usage..... :roll:

[prado4x4 Member Find all posts View Profile Close prado4x4]

Re: Help Needed with Troop Carriers

Not sure on the 30% efficiency increase with a turbo. The factory turbo diesel engines used
less fuel than the non-turbo versions, so "some" improvement is likely, but how much is a
different question. Seems very optimistic. about 15L/100km would be about average if
driven carefully, but loaded up 17-20L/100km wouldn't be unusual

As you mentioned - the condition of the engine is important to how well it takes a turbo
conversion. Have a look on the LCOOL site, as there are a few threads there to do with
turbo upgrades. The DTS kit seems to get a good wrap.

He definitely needs to fit an EGT gauge, and full exhaust as part of the turbo kit install (which
may not have been included in the price he was quoted) to help ensure that the exhaust temps
are kept under control).

Assuming the engine is in a good enough condition for the turbo upgrade, the other issue then
becomes the gearbox. As mentioned a lot earlier in this thread, the non-turbo 78 series have
a different gearbox to the factory turbo 78 series.

Now if Toyota decided they needed a stronger gearbox in the factory turbo version, and there are
numerous instances of non-turbo gearboxes needing a rebuild (even without the extra load of a
turbo) - there's a fair bet that the gearbox is going to be marginal.

Just some things to consider.

John

[IRON-PAWW Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close IRON-PAWW]

Re: Help Needed with Troop Carriers

Thanks once again John for your advice. I was wondering about the exhaust and temperatures / overheating, but I don't know if the price my mate got had a new exhaust fitout included. I'll be sure to tell him to think very carefully about it.

I assume then that if he goes with his current gearbox, it's reasonable to say it's life will be shorter. I'll also need to advise him to be careful with it.

What I'm really worried about is him loading up to the hilt with camper trailer, roof rack, and load space fully loaded and pushing the Troopy hard. Then suffer a major meltdown somewhere along the way in 40 degree heat. So that exhaust gas temp gauge sounds a very good idea indeed. I've been with him when he drives the Troopy and he already drives it pretty hard just around town. He used to be a door to door salesman in a Corolla so I guess that's where that comes from.

Do you think the standard radiator will still do the job with a decent turbo kit installed?

And yes, off to read LCOOL.

[stuart67 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close stuart67]

Re: Help Needed with Troop Carriers

Right.


Can anyone tell me what is reasonable fuel use per 100km for say a 1/2 loaded 1HZ Troopy? My mate seems to think that he should get more than 700km out of one 90L tank. To me 700km seems about right, but his last car was a Corolla so I think he's got a bit of adjusting to do. So I'm just putting the question out there.

After driving mine for over 10 years I never even got close to that figure. I use to refill at 600km per tank, however I was known to run dry at distances as low as 570km. Even when 'empty' it was not possible to get 90l into a tank, the most you could get in would be about 83l. One of the worst things for economy was speed. Drive all day at 110kph with a decent load and you'ld be lucky to get 600km per tank. Throw a loaded 'Kimberley Kamper' behind it as well and watch the range decrease to 450km.

Stuart

[prado4x4 Member Find all posts View Profile Close prado4x4]

Re: Help Needed with Troop Carriers

Do you think the standard radiator will still do the job with a decent turbo kit installed?

People have used the standard radiators and gotten away with it, whilst others I've read about have had the overheating issues
that were mentioned. My gut feel, is that it's probably to do with what condition the radiator is in to begin with. Overtime, fins
get bend, spinifex seeds get in, they corrode a bit, etc - all reducing the efficiency. That's just a feel though, I've got no first
hand knowledge of the radiator/overheating issue to be sure one way or the other.

Personally I always think if you're going to do a job, do it properly thee first time, so maybe he should budget for a new radiator
anyhow.

One of the worst things for economy was speed. Drive all day at 110kph with a decent load and you'ld be lucky to get 600km per tank.
Throw a loaded 'Kimberley Kamper' behind it as well and watch the range decrease to 450km.
Stuart

I can agree with that. Even on my TDV8 version, the difference speed makes is large. My best (fully loaded) cruising economy is at
90km/hr, where I get about 13.5L/100km. Up the speed to 100km/hr, and it's around 14.5L/100km. Drive at 110km/hr, and the
economy is lousy, and I end up with about 16+ L/100km I can't stand driving long distances at 90km/hr, so usually split the difference
and stick the cruise control on 100km/hr :?

John