The Diesel Boyz Maintenance Thread V2.0

lighthammer · Postby **lighthammer** » November 27th, 2010, 12:43 pm

Right, so... The first Diesel Boyz maintenance thread was lost or deleted a few weeks back. A sad tragedy, as it was a landmark of this forum (that thread was 300+ pages long), but a new one must arise.

So here's version 2.0 of the maintenance thread.

Feel free to post your questions about maintaining your diesel vehicle here; whether it's a 4x4/4x2 pickup, SUV, car, 1.5tonne flatbed, etc - as long as it's diesel related!

civic minded · Postby **civic minded** » November 27th, 2010, 11:05 pm

dude - i think the thread was deleted for a reason , yes the first one provided alot of information but it became lost in the 300+ pages. Maybe issues better be addressed in the manufacturer specific threads.

sweeks · Postby **sweeks** » November 28th, 2010, 4:26 am

*Sigh* It won't be the same. No issues to report on this end.

*Phoenix* · Postby ***Phoenix*** » November 28th, 2010, 7:18 am

Won't be the same.... History was created there...
Fwd forever tho....

Lets go Boyz...

lighthammer · Postby **lighthammer** » November 28th, 2010, 9:20 am

Right, so... first issue..

Anyone know what I can use to stop a leak in the steering box for a K34 L200?

And I'm still having problems with the frontier w.r.t. a whirring/grinding noise in the steering whenever locking hard to left & right - anyone ever had this?

And does anyone know how to keep a black navara from getting dirty from all this bloddy rain we've been having?

civic minded · Postby **civic minded** » November 28th, 2010, 9:38 am

^^one sure way to keep the nav clean - park it up in the garage and don't let it out..........

lighthammer · Postby **lighthammer** » November 28th, 2010, 9:42 am

^^^ Ah, the answer lay before mine eyes and never had I though of it!!!!
:lol:

venum · Postby **venum** » November 28th, 2010, 2:08 pm

sweeky has a doctorate in keeping a black van clean,

he is most qualified to advise on your current predicament LH

as for the K34 power steering issue, the best thing to fix it is a seal kit

lighthammer · Postby **lighthammer** » November 28th, 2010, 2:55 pm

^^ lol, washed it today and then the rain fell.

I used stopleak for steering fluid and its still oozing.
Perhaps I'll have the mechanic take it apart and check for the leak.

sweeks · Postby **sweeks** » November 28th, 2010, 2:55 pm

Don't forget the car/van cover.

lighthammer · Postby **lighthammer** » November 28th, 2010, 3:03 pm

Damn, I forgot that, should make a stop in Pricesmart and see what they've got.

Having to drive through arima/wallerfield/valencia often doesn't really help either.
Anyway, that's a minor problem, certainly not worth wasting space about in a maintenance thread like this one.

3stagevtec · Postby **3stagevtec** » November 28th, 2010, 7:17 pm

talk about pressure for me to find a seal kit for my power steering.. damn thing only dripping and making a mess in the driveway.. sadly for me, the stop leak i tried only worked for about 2 days..

lighthammer · Postby **lighthammer** » November 28th, 2010, 10:52 pm

sadly for me, the stop leak i tried only worked for about 2 days..

Same problem I had...
*sigh*

rottedv · Postby **rottedv** » November 29th, 2010, 5:01 am

Ok let me start asking some questions....Please forgive my ignorances.......How much diesel engine noise is appropriate? I read on the last thread that the diesel engine makes noise cause of how thw diesel combusts but how much is really enough?? Casing point..... My vehicle is a 4x2 hilux carrying the 2kd-ftv engine....My first oil change was done on Saturday at Toyota....Before the oil change I noticed that engine noise increased which I assume is a sign of the oil breaking down but my fuel efficiency increased...I got 874km on 95 dollors of diesel only being filled at unipet in La Romain. But as soon as the oil was changed the engine got quiet yes but the fuel efficiency dropped.....Another question out of this...Does this mean that the grade of oil that Toyota is giving me is too thick?? I don't even know the grade.....I'll ask my questions as I go along...

CD4Accord · Postby **CD4Accord** » November 29th, 2010, 6:25 am

I am still on the hunt for somewhere to service and recalibrate the injectors on my 4D56T..
This issue is relevant to all the diesel tuners so help would be beneficial to us all...

I have heard mention of Sookhai's diesel, but does anyone know how much this service would cost there?

Also, what other alternative locations are available for this?

lighthammer · Postby **lighthammer** » November 29th, 2010, 7:01 am

..How much diesel engine noise is appropriate? I read on the last thread that the diesel engine makes noise cause of how thw diesel combusts but how much is really enough??

The 2kd makes a good bit of noise, don't be alarm if you're hearing a regular "clack-clack-clack" like any other diesel engine. Usually diesel knock is loudest on a cold engine, then it should quieten down when the temp needle moves to regular operating temp.

Before the oil change I noticed that engine noise increased which I assume is a sign of the oil breaking down but my fuel efficiency increased

Yes I noticed the same thing with my brand new Navara. My first oil change was this past saturday too, at 1000km. THe engine was getting to be a bit noisy as the oil began to break down towards the end of the 1000km. When they put in a fresh couple gallons of Castrol Hypuron 15W40, the noise went away and the engine became a bit smoother. You can expect engine noise, harshness & vibration to increase slightly as the oil starts to break down and the filters start to clog up.

I got 874km on 95 dollors of diesel only being filled at unipet in La Romain. But as soon as the oil was changed the engine got quiet yes but the fuel efficiency dropped

874km is quite remarkable, I know the 2.5D4d 2KD FTV engine on the hilux is quite fuel-efficient, though not as powerful as other turbodiesels. Not sure why your fuel efficiency would go down, try monitoring it over the next week and be sure to keep all variables equal; i.e. how much fuel you put in (I usually fill it right to the top), how many rpms would you shift at, use of A/C, etc. Some variability is expected but you should have a normal range. Don't worry, as you get adjusted to your new truck, you'll figure out what's the normal range and margin of variability in fuel efficiency.

Another question out of this...Does this mean that the grade of oil that Toyota is giving me is too thick?? I don't even know the grade

You can usually ask the tech's or the service manager what oil they use. AFAIK toyota uses Total Synthetic blend, 15W40, though I'm not 100% sure. The other guys on this forum would know better than me.

In any case, with a modern Common Rail turbodiesel like yours, it's recommended that you use a Synthetic oil. The newer oils are less likely to suffer breakdown from the higher compressions in a CR diesel, and have detergents and whatnot that will sweep away all the soot and particulates that can clog up vital parts like the EGR and so on.
Most of the guys here would recommend Mobil1 or Amsoil, but I like Shell Rimula R4 (mineral) and Shell Rimula R6 (synthetic). Castrol Hypuron is also a good synthetic to use. Be sure to use 15W40 grade, that's what's recommended for our climate.
Also, you CAN bring your own oil when you want to service the truck, but try your best to stick to one brand only and don't mix the brands. These days all brands of synthetic oil are more or less equal, but you still shouldn't mix them up due to different formulas, detergents, additives, etc.

lighthammer · Postby **lighthammer** » November 29th, 2010, 7:06 am

CD4Accord wrote:I am still on the hunt for somewhere to service and recalibrate the injectors on my 4D56T..
This issue is relevant to all the diesel tuners so help would be beneficial to us all...

I have heard mention of Sookhai's diesel, but does anyone know how much this service would cost there?

Also, what other alternative locations are available for this?

Yeah sookhai's comes highly recommended by a couple of reliable mechs I know. They have all the Bosch machines to clean and calibrate injectors and fuel pumps - I called the service tech there and he said they have factory calibrations for almost all of our local pickups for fuel pumps.

Bit expensive though, friend of mine told me they charged him almost $4000 to clean injectors and calibrate Fuel pump on an old Mazda.

Your mileage/price may vary, you have to bring in the vehicle for them to inspect the job needed and give you an estimate. But they use OEM parts as much as possible and I hear they're quite good. I saw inside their workshop and they use huge Bosch machines, quite impressive.

Sookhai's diesel - 6825674
Ask for "john", he's one of the service managers.

badart · Postby **badart** » November 29th, 2010, 9:40 am

lighthammer wrote:
Another question out of this...Does this mean that the grade of oil that Toyota is giving me is too thick?? I don't even know the grade

You can usually ask the tech's or the service manager what oil they use. AFAIK toyota uses Total Synthetic blend, 15W40, though I'm not 100% sure. The other guys on this forum would know better than me.

TTTL actually uses castrol mineral, which needs to be changed every 5k.

lighthammer · Postby **lighthammer** » November 29th, 2010, 1:19 pm

^right, thanks for the info there.

Wait, castrol mineral? Is that the castrol CRB then?

Better to buy ur own synthetic and bring it. Tony at prolube has Amsoil - has them at wholesale price by the case.
6336110

rottedv · Postby **rottedv** » November 30th, 2010, 9:14 pm

Well it was my 5k service and the service rep told me that when I bring in the van tell the service desk that I want Synthetic oil and to change the filter at the same time....For some reason Toyota changes the filter every other oil change but because of how I use the van, from La Romain to Trincity and back every day the mileage is packing very fast.....I made that 5k in about 6 weeks...They even put on the service invoice that they used the Synthetic oil and changed the filter.....It would be a hell of a thing if they didn't....

But more questions now....What are the best diesel treatments to use and how often should they be used? I'm thinking that it may be good to start early to control build up in the lines and the pump but not quite sure about whats on the market or how often to put or even if it is necessary since I only full up at a Unipet station....literally..I'm at 6k now and I have never used any...

badart · Postby **badart** » November 30th, 2010, 10:45 pm

^ didnt knw TTTL using synthetic oil now, i used castrol mineral oil from TTTL for 20k, found tht 5k would come so sudden and i was servicing too much, in 2009 i serviced my van 5 times lol..so i switched to amsoil..currently doin 40k..amsoil is great, the engine got alot quieter, when startin early in the mornin the van never stuttered like how it did with the mineral oil and best of all no performance drop..the amsoil doesnt even feel like it needs changin

topshotta20 · Postby **topshotta20** » December 2nd, 2010, 8:25 pm

badart wrote:^ didnt knw TTTL using synthetic oil now, i used castrol mineral oil from TTTL for 20k, found tht 5k would come so sudden and i was servicing too much, in 2009 i serviced my van 5 times lol..so i switched to amsoil..currently doin 40k..amsoil is great, the engine got alot quieter, when startin early in the mornin the van never stuttered like how it did with the mineral oil and best of all no performance drop..the amsoil doesnt even feel like it needs changin

when u due for servicing

sweeks · Postby **sweeks** » December 4th, 2010, 8:33 pm

If you ask them to use synthetic oil they will, but they make more $$$ when they service at 5000km instead of 10 000km (more labour + cost of an additional oil filter). They might not even recommend it because it takes away from their revenues.

speedaholic · Postby **speedaholic** » December 8th, 2010, 12:05 am

LH... my power steering box used to leak as well.. i took it down my self.. got the seal kit at Special auto in sanjuan... i think it was 400 or somthing..
chaged all seals myself and sealed the box with gasket maker silicone and used thread seal on all the bolts.... all leaks stopped now i just have to get a new pump.. mines not working prop.. :\

lighthammer · Postby **lighthammer** » December 8th, 2010, 2:14 am

^^ thanks speedy, will pass on the info to my dad. He'll be most pleased

speedaholic · Postby **speedaholic** » December 8th, 2010, 6:26 am

yea no probz... my van uses the same box as ur dad's so he shud be gud there..

civic minded · Postby **civic minded** » December 8th, 2010, 6:31 am

Ok I got one , I have a Kia k2700- it doing 4000 km- still brand new , problem it have, while driving , just before a gear change- the truck lose power and alot of white smoke eminate. As soon as I change the gear, it stop. It does this for every gear change

Postby **Team Loco** » December 8th, 2010, 11:23 am

yeah, i have a problem, my truck ent wash in 5 weeks...........

3stagevtec · Postby **3stagevtec** » December 8th, 2010, 7:03 pm

civic minded wrote:Ok I got one , I have a Kia k2700- it doing 4000 km- still brand new , problem it have, while driving , just before a gear change- the truck lose power and alot of white smoke eminate. As soon as I change the gear, it stop. It does this for every gear change

So the problem only exists at higher rpms?? At what rpm do you normally shift at / does the problem occur?

Team Loco wrote:yeah, i have a problem, my truck ent wash in 5 weeks...........

park truck out in the rain.. wipe down after rain = clean truck.. :wink:

civic minded · Postby **civic minded** » December 8th, 2010, 9:56 pm

3stagevtec wrote:
civic minded wrote:Ok I got one , I have a Kia k2700- it doing 4000 km- still brand new , problem it have, while driving , just before a gear change- the truck lose power and alot of white smoke eminate. As soon as I change the gear, it stop. It does this for every gear change

So the problem only exists at higher rpms?? At what rpm do you normally shift at / does the problem occur?

Team Loco wrote:yeah, i have a problem, my truck ent wash in 5 weeks...........

park truck out in the rain.. wipe down after rain = clean truck..

just before a gear change it happens, no matter what gear i am in, on 5th - i cant make it over 80kmph, smoke and loss of power occurs. Now i am seeing some blue smoke coming out - it went to southern sales today