L200 owners........what are your experiences???

[l200]

yeah V, atleast thats what the guy at the parts place told me. Now the thing is when i placed the belt next to the oem, it "looked" identical, lined up teeth for teeth, everything looked the same but it wasn't,......... its my personal view that the belt in particular was prob defective, or the parts man pick up de wrong belt, but I didn't want to take the chance and time was critical, so on the advice of the mech, I went original.

The parts man also said, the since my engine was the original engine from 14 years ago, it possible that the pitch of the teeth had changed by a fraction, which is also possible. He went on to explain that there are only two belts, rounded teeth, and not so rounded teeth (square type), the foreign used engines have the square type belt and the local has the rounded.

For now the van workin good, jus the suspension to do some minor repairs, and a set of tires an i good to go,

Looking for someone to overhaul my steering box, DM don't have the gears and mines worn, was told a machine shop could do it, have any of you guys ever done this?

[venum]

i was wondering about those square teeth belts

when I was buying belts for my 100,000km service i saw them and didn't know why they were different

mines uses round teeth

guess i know now

[muddgutts]

ok guys i changed the radiator cover because the one i bought had a tight fit. the pressure is no longer building and hold in the hoses, which is a relief for me BUT after long runs i am seeing high coolant level in the overflow bottle

btw l200 still not getting through with the guy.

[cutthroatInt]

l200,

a fella by the name of tobey from debe side said he cud repair the original steering box that i have on the ground.. i last spoke to him december 2009. tele# 6476284

i was actually put on to him by Brown from couva.

i didnt carry my box to repair yet as i got accustomed to the little play the foreign used one on the van has rite now.

flashback-

the original box was only pressuring up and popping out a lip seal on the box assy. after changing 2 seal kits, same problem. but some how i believe the mechanic who did the work was not too competent in that regard.

the foreign used one on the van right now has some free play and the adjustment screw is in all the way rite now. its not stiff jus bout 1/2 - 1" freeplay.

if u decide to call him.. let me kno what he says ok?

[cutthroatInt]

ok guys i changed the radiator cover because the one i bought had a tight fit. the pressure is no longer building and hold in the hoses, which is a relief for me BUT after long runs i am seeing high coolant level in the overflow bottle

.

as soon as u get some time, carry your van to Deo's or any other radiator man to clean/flush your radiator.

my temp used to go sky high on highway runs and as soon as i stopped at a traffic light, it wud go back down. at first i thought it was head gasket but the mechanic recommended i go flush the radiator first before pulling off the head.
once i did that, temp goes to just under half MAX!
head gasket was not the problem. just a nasty radiator.

if ur water pump is pushing water from the radiator and through the engine which recirculates back to the radiator, if for some reason there are obstructions in the radiator, the water will want to take the path of least resistance which will be the hose leading to the overflow bottle..
this might be the explanation to the rise in ur overflow bottle.

i'll say carry ur radiator for a cleaning.
in the end if thats not the cause of the problem, atleast you;ll know ur radiator is in top condition.

[granpa]

Ah recently buy a non turbo L200. Believe that the back does swing whenever I take a right hand corner or even go around a roundabout kinda fast. My imagination or someting wrong? Any advice/suggestions would be. appreciated

[venum]

granpa whick model\year

you may wanna check them tyres

1. they may have very bad traction
2. they may have too much pressure

I get some sideways action with my turbo K74 (2003)

but not that bad, mostly when powering through sharp corners (steering turned and foot on the accelerator)

used to get it more with teh crap Roadstone Roadian HT tyres that I previously had, esp when it was wet

the Toyo's taht I have now are less sideways happy

[l200]

granpa, V is correct,... also once the back don't have any load, it easy to spin out,..... you can also check out your shackle rubbers, if worn you will have a very unstable back end. Tire size also has a factor. too small, your RPM will build up fast, and make your wheel spin out especially when pulling off hard.

I have the non turbo 4x4, the van originally came 205/60/16 and use to get wheel spin easy, but now i running 245/75/16. I lost all my speed, but alot more stable,.... looking to get some 15" wheels now, it much easier to get the tire sizes i need......

cutthroatInt, thanks for de number, i'll give him a shout.

[venum]

^^^ Shackle bushings play a big part in rear end stability as they are the point when the rear axle is attached to the rest of teh vehicle

most rear wheel drive vehicles without any special traction control devices (stabilizer bars or other) depend on weight balance to maintain stability

when teh weight shifts to either left\right side or front\back the stability is affected

I notice this with my turbo K74

when cornering, once the weight is shifted beyond a cert point, teh back steps out

when I changed the shackle bushings, stability improved

broad tyres will also make a difference, the broader teh better

I running 275\60\16

15" are really the easiest to get tyres for, esp off-road tyres, the good ones usually come in 15", nuttin bigger

shocks play a big part too

when I had the dead OEM Shocks, man Elle bamsee was bruking out almost on every corner

now with new gas shocks allround, she is as conservative as teh queen, only on 90 degree and really sharp corners with power to the rear wheels will she attempt a wine

[granpa]

Thanks for the response guys. Much appreciated. Will check out the recommendations

[l200]

^^^keep in mind, that if you are planning to up size ur tires, that the L200, especially de older ones have very little lock, and if you put too big of a tire, on stock steel rims, it will rub on the chassis, If my tire pressure goes under 25 psi, my front right side will touch on de steering box. (245/75/16 on the original steel rims)

V, where did you get the 275\60\16, i was looking for some 245/60/16 series a/t but was only getting 245/75/16, in the couva area. the only thing ah getting in that size is street tires, that can't work for me,,,,,,, since rain falling, I in mud almost every day.....

Also, I am looking for the stock mag rims from the TBK model k74, it resemble the pajero mag rims, if any one could link up a deal let me kno....

[venum]

I running Toyo Open Country A/T

got them at Mileage Mack

the K74 stock size is 265\70\16

I running 265, not 275 as previously mentioned

check rodz on teh forum, he has a set of the pajero rims

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=296582&p=4249175#p4249175

I might pass for the Nissan rims

[l200]

thanks V, I checked it out, but getting linked up wit a set with tires for 2k wit the center caps. So what you think of the price???

cutthroatInt I call the guy, not getting through, it looks like a wrong number. a lady answered and said no one by that name.

[l200]

Hi tuners, it seems lately that alot of people are having issues with their engine heads/ gaskets. in this pass month I know of three persons wit this problem, all of them being 4d56T. So has this problem affected you guys??? If so post up your experience.

Personally it hasn't happened to me, but with alot of asking around I got these tips.

1) cooling is essential, always make sure that your engine always have proper coolant, (not the cheap ones) and is always at it designated levels

2a) If by chance you do over heat due to lack of water, and the engine has cut off, NEVER full water, all that will do is cause the first part of the engine where the water comes in contact with to contract faster than the rest of the engine, causing your head to crack, gasket to blow and shoot steam out of the radiator, very dangerous

2b(I was told by a mech), if your engine hasn't cut off, and you have water near by, allow some water to run over your radiator to cool it.( now this is the dangerous part), with the engine running open the radiator, wit a rod or something that will give you some distance away from your radiator, because steam will be flying out. Add water, while still keeping your distance. (steam will be flying out as u add water)

This is said to bring the engine back to working temp, slowly, and is more than likely that any damage would not be as severe.

I personally did this once, when I loaned my van out, the person, who did a check of all the fluids, but forgot to tighten the radiator cork. So wit a/c running they went into a building, an was there for a good while. I was passing by saw the van, so i stopped, spoked to the person and was on my way out when i saw my van smoking white. When I went to the van, was smelling oil burning, the radiator was far from my mind. Went inside only to see the temp. gauge in de red. I did what 2b said, and had no probs to this day. The only difference was that my cork was off already.

There is a post that talks about SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF A BLOWN CYLINDER HEAD GASKET, its a good read check it out.

will continue wit the tips later

[Slimklim]

clutch fan was not working ,silicone dried up ,the temp guage never went up,but ended
up with a cracked head. cost $6,000, so check clutch fan & temp unit.

[ryanm]

souunds like a really bad month fellas.

Two weeks ago I noticed that every time I started the van (k74T 2005) it would mis fire for about 5-10 secs then smothen out. The longer it was switched off the longer it would mis slightly then return to normal idling speed.

I later realized that water was missing from the radiator but the overflow bottle was at max mark.
I monitored it for a few days anr realized that about two litres was missing a day after driving about 15km.
Looked everywhere but found no leaks, and couldn't explain the misfiring.
I then changed fuel filter, checked the engine timing, all glow plugs, tappets (to see if any got tight) but everything was ok.
Noticed the problem getting progressively worse, longer mis time and more water missing. I concluded that the cylinder head gasket might be blown although the van never overheated at any time.
I even checked the radiator and found it to be clean and freeflowing. The temp normally below quarter and goes up to half when driven hard.
Anyway i decided to try and tighten the cylinder head bolts. They all were pretty tight but i pulled all about half turn in total. 1/8 at a time for four sets. I was really frightened to do that for fear that i might break one.

The problem stoppped. I only heard the miss the first time i started after tightening.
Since then no sign of anything. (knocks on wood)

[venum]

monitor and let us know how it goes

[madman2961]

how about the water?

[speedaholic]

hmm gud stuff.. i does also have this miss when i now start on mornings... but my water doesnt go down or anything.. any ideas on what cud be causin this?

[speedaholic]

its more like a rough idle and 5-10 secs intervals of a puff of white smoke... for about 2-3 mins on mornings only..

[ryanm]

speedaholic, check your glowplugs, one may be burnt out.

with my van, no water missing again and it works normal, no power loss , no type of smoke unless I really mash out hard, then some slight blackish smoke comes out , but that's normal for a diesel.

keeping fingers crossed

[madman2961]

i think my van is jealous cause i went maracas Thursday and when i came home and the van cooled i checked the water and it took like 1.5L and friday, saturday and sunday i drove up and down mostly in A/C with the temp gauge at half, and this morning i had to put like 1L or so.
and in the morning my van does not miss when i starting it tumbles and by the time i let go of the key it idling. but i does wait till i hear the glow plug relay click 'off' to know when to start. my turbo timer is also set on voltmeter to see when the battery is not feeding the glow plugs too.

[venum]

I used to get that miss too

I think that it is a glow plug on teh way out

when i start, i wait like 2-3 seconds after the glow plug light goes off and then start

she starts instantly and does not give the miss

if I start in teh cold as soon as teh glow plug light goes off, then i will get the miss

I have no missing water either in teh rad or overflow tank

[ryanm]

the miss is why i checked all the glowplugs. even though it would have done it when the engine was hot. i just wanted to leave no stone unturned.

madman2961 - if it not misfiring it suggests that the water is not leaking into the cylinder. Check the turbo hoses as this is most likely where the leak is. Also check the radiator cap to see if it keeping adequate pressure and not letting the water steam out.

[l200]

Hi guys, do you all know if DM, ever change out head gaskets by milage, cause I've been reading abt this, and a few sites recommended re-torquing your head at the 100k mark, and if you can afford to change out ur bolts, do it, as the bolt looses its strength and stretches approx 3-4 thousands of an inch.

But thinking abt it, i think it might be wise, especially for me, because I am at 300k now, and with time, the gasket will lose its ability to give a proper seal, due to the stress it undergoes. I kno that Dm sell the gaskets for (approx)512 + vat for the turbo and the n/a is less, as for the bolts not sure, will check tomorrow. Some sites had the bolts for $25u.s.

So what do you guys think??

[venum]

So what do you guys think??

I think that there are some fawkers in here that can't keep their blight to themselves

i have some braking issues now

bloody brakes lock up on me in the wet - front and back

in dry they good

gonna take it apart and get to the bottom of this

[speedaholic]

check caliper pin grease....

[madman2961]

the miss is why i checked all the glowplugs. even though it would have done it when the engine was hot. i just wanted to leave no stone unturned.

madman2961 - if it not misfiring it suggests that the water is not leaking into the cylinder. Check the turbo hoses as this is most likely where the leak is. Also check the radiator cap to see if it keeping adequate pressure and not letting the water steam out.

can you help me out here??
which turbo line? i thought we had an oil cooled turbo and the other lines are air pressure lines (one to the waste-gate and the other to the fuel pump) please correct me if i am wrong.
also how do i know if that is the case with the radiator cap? (keeping adequate pressure and not letting the water steam out)
cause i have an other cap but it is 1.2 bars and the stock cap is .8 bars. (i believe)

[ryanm]

stock cap is actually 0.9 bars.
not sure which model engine you have but from the 1997 l200 has a water cooled turbo.
IT has two sets of lines to it. An oil line from the cylinder head (metal, appros 1/4 " thich) that goes to the turbo and drains into the alternator vacuum pump.
the water line comes from the water outlet and runs between the diesel pump and cylinder head(very hard to see) it starts off as a rubber line then metal and rubber again. It passes around the cylinder head at the back then to the turbo. There is then a larger line that feeds back to the water inlet.
The reason its so difficult to check for leaks is cuz most of the connections are out of sight and if the leak is small the water will evaporate and not really leave a trail. you'll have to look very carefully.
If the radiator cap is working properly you will not be able to squeeze the outlet hose so that both sides touch when the engine has warmed up and pressurized the cooling system.

[madman2961]

stock cap is actually 0.9 bars.
not sure which model engine you have but from the 1997 l200 has a water cooled turbo.
IT has two sets of lines to it. An oil line from the cylinder head (metal, appros 1/4 " thich) that goes to the turbo and drains into the alternator vacuum pump.
the water line comes from the water outlet and runs between the diesel pump and cylinder head(very hard to see) it starts off as a rubber line then metal and rubber again. It passes around the cylinder head at the back then to the turbo. There is then a larger line that feeds back to the water inlet.
The reason its so difficult to check for leaks is cuz most of the connections are out of sight and if the leak is small the water will evaporate and not really leave a trail. you'll have to look very carefully.
If the radiator cap is working properly you will not be able to squeeze the outlet hose so that both sides touch when the engine has warmed up and pressurized the cooling system.

i would never be able to squeeze either of the hoses cause i have the reinforced hoses so that they cannot collapse. i have the 99' 4D56-T and the turbo is oil cooled. how i know this is cause i have changed the alternator already.
i found out what the problem was.
in the overflow bottle the hose that is in the water/coolant that would return the water/coolant to the radiator was not connected so the water/coolant was not returning to the radiator but the radiator would empty the water into the overflow as usual that is why it was full all the time. so i fixed it in place this morning and everything running good again.

do you recommend me to use the 1.2 bar radiator cap or stick with the stock one that is 0.9 bar?