Terracan Owners in NSW

Submitted: Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 11:41

ThreadID: 21622 Views:5577 Replies:10 FollowUps:14

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Member - Jason J (NSW)

Hi guys

just wondering how all those Terracan's are going. I have just done 14000km's in mine and so far its trouble free except for the rear diff problems that we all have had.

I was wondering if there would be any interest in a terracan meeting in NSW (sydney) in the near furture. Let me know.

Jason J

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Reply By: Savvas - Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 12:09

Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 12:09

Hi Jason,

What's the diff problem in these?

My brother has been thinking about CRDi Terracan as it looks like good value for money.

AnswerID: 104308

Follow Up By: Member - Jason J (NSW) - Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 12:14

Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 12:14

Savvas,

There was a batch of Aussie terracans that had a shutter thru the rear diff. In most cases the dealer will replace the cheap and nasty diff oil with expensive Diff oil. This seems to settle it down put in the move extreme cases they are replacing the crown and pinon....

Jason J

FollowupID: 361728

Follow Up By: Member - Jimbo (VIC) - Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 16:10

Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 16:10

The problem with mine was a shudder at very low speed whilst turning. It is apparently the LSD clutches working. They changed the diff oil and this did not fix it. They then replaced the diff centre and all is well another 12,000 km's on.

Cheers,

Jim.

FollowupID: 361852

Reply By: Terracan - Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 14:01

Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 14:01

Hi there

I am interested in the rear diff problem. I have a 2003 Terracan manual with 24000 km, and there is a noise from the diff at low revs (almost like changing of load on gears?). The noise has been there since day one. I was told that they all do it.

Thanks
Chris

AnswerID: 104317

Follow Up By: Member - Jason J (NSW) - Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 14:18

Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 14:18

Chris,

The noise you have I have as well. Mine too since new. However the rear diff problem happens when you take off. You should feel a shutter when you accelerate from a standing start. I also had the same problem in reverse. Where are you located

FollowupID: 361740

Follow Up By: Terracan - Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 14:22

Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 14:22

Hi Jason

Thanks, I'm Melbourne.

I do not get the shudder, but I am concerned about the noise. Do you have a manual?

BTW the ride is greatly improved with suspension mods :)

Chris

FollowupID: 361741

Follow Up By: Member - Jason J (NSW) - Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 14:31

Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 14:31

Chris

I have a manual as well. What suspension upgrade are you talking about? E-MAIL ME at jason.johnston@eds.com and we can have a chat about it

FollowupID: 361742

Reply By: Member - Jason J (NSW) - Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 14:30

Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 14:30

Chris,

I have a manual as well. What suspension upgrade are you talking about? E-MAIL ME at jason.johnston@eds.com and we can have a chat about it

AnswerID: 104321

Reply By: thepilot - Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 19:02

Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 19:02

Hi Jason

I pick up my Jerry on Friday. Would like to meet up in Syd some time let me know

Dave

AnswerID: 104358

Reply By: jerrycan - Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 20:05

Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 20:05

hi
just having picked up one we would be interested in a meeting

Has anyone tried towing with the diesel and what sort of consumption are you getting

AnswerID: 104366

Follow Up By: Brian - Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 20:51

Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 20:51

I towed my Camper Trailer from Bathurst down to the South Coast over Easter and would not know it was behind me. Had the petrol version for 16 months and bought the diesel about 5 weeks ago. Done around 700kms and put 61 litres in the tank and that was towing. It still feels tight but came home via some rough roads thru Taralga and Oberon and a fair few very steep hills and it performed great. Rides like a car on the open road and handled the rough corrogated road well. Did hurt a bit paying $1.24 a litre for diesel at St. Georges Basin. I just would like to know what our governments do with the money.
Off to the Birdsville Races this year with the Terracan and Camper Trailer so will be interested to see how it goes.
Any way I am bloody happy Terracan owner as you will see from previous posts.
As I am in Bathurst I would be interested in a Terracan get together around Sydney. So long as I have some notice so I can get my self organised.
Cheers
Brian

FollowupID: 361778

Follow Up By: GibbsyWA - Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 12:15

Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 12:15

Brian,
$1.24....I wish...I was down at Augusta W.A. over Easter and had to fork out $1.27 for diesel. I have only done 1800k's in mine and was not towing but overtaking is a dream. 5th Gear just accelarates as soon as you touch the throttle. No more run ups for overtaking with the 2.8td rodeo I just changed from.
Had the Trek & Tow suspension put on just before I went and it was a marked improvement from the original setup. Didn't get to tryout wheel articulation but it soaked up some resonably severe corragation superbly.

Cheers
Gibbsy

FollowupID: 361822

Reply By: MarkC - Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 20:10

Wednesday, Mar 30, 2005 at 20:10

Hi Jason,

My 03 Jerry has done 25,000Km's and has had no problems. No diff problems either, I have had contact with a few owners who have not mentioned a diff problem, but I'll ask around and next service I'll ask my dealer. I'd be up for a Terracan meeting in Sydney if it could be arranged, seems like a good idea.

Cheers,
Mark

AnswerID: 104369

Reply By: jerrycan - Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 15:44

Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 15:44

Hi Brian I am in Bathurst also if you would like to make contact we are at kra@tpg.com.au

AnswerID: 104483

Reply By: Austin - Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 19:51

Thursday, Mar 31, 2005 at 19:51

Hi Guys

This talk of diff problems is new. I was wondering if anyone else has had Highlander manual gearbox issues. Mine has had a problem selecting 5th gear since day one, now has 25000km's. My dealer is doing "the 5th gear upgrade" next week. A mate had his done a month ago he had a similar problem. he also had his front diff replaced after it seized at 110kmh. Aparently they replace sincro rongs and possibly 5th gear. Apparently enough have been done to now have a fix out for afected vehicles.

Garry R

AnswerID: 104550

Reply By: Ants - Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 07:59

Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 07:59

I can't say I have noticed any problems with my rear diff (no noise or shudder), but I did have a pretty decent size chunk of metal come out when I changed the oil recently...

I don't trust dealer services, and have been doing them myself since the 15,000. At the 15k they were supposed to change the diff oil but I suspected they didn't....and there is NO WAY they changed it....

Anyway, at the 30,000 they told me that half the spark plugs (they quoted me the "front bank"....it's a north-south engine for godness sake - there is no "front bank") needed to be changed. That convinced me that they have absolutely no freakin' idea and will never touch my vehicle again.

Needless to say I didnt leave it there for the 30K and did it myself. I'm a mechanic by trade so just sign the book off myself.

Interesting too that when I rang up (2 different dealerships) to get a quote on the 30K service, I got a different story of what they "needed" to do at the service. And neither of them were even close to what was in the book. I even had the good grace to tell them that the vehicle is used off road, and would need extra attention.

Mine has just hit 41,000km, and I've had two issues so far...the centre muffler collapsed internally and had to be replaced under warranty.

Also, the front brake pads lasted about 15,000km from memory. Since replacing them with a pad from QFM (Queensland Friction Materials) I get a little squealing when the pads are dirty, but wear is acceptable, and the wheels no longer turn black from brake dust between washes.

One thing I would like to invetigate is a "cat-back" exhast upgrade. Loose the pipes a little bit and let the engine breathe a fraction better. Should also give it a nice sound.

AnswerID: 104867

Follow Up By: MarkC - Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 12:54

Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 12:54

Ants,

When mine went in for the 15,000 service, the service guy advised that the front pads would need replacing at the next service(22500). He was quite apologetic, saying Hyundai had copped a bit of flack and had fixed the problem pads on the newest model. Not that this helped me, but just recently having had the 22,500 service and the front pads replaced, they only charged cost price for the new pads and $100 for labour which included the service. These new pads have at least solved the brake dust problem on the front wheels and hopefully they will last longer than the originals.
After you investigate the "cat-back" exhaust upgrade, I would love to hear some feedback.

Cheers,
Mark

FollowupID: 362139

Follow Up By: Member - Jimbo (VIC) - Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 14:16

Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 14:16

Mark,

Very interesting about the brake pads. I started to run out of brakes on a very steep long downhill run last weekend (mines an auto). I guess I was descending for 4 or 5 minutes constantly on the brakes at crawling speeds.

I'll talk to Hyundai about it tomorrow.

Cheers,

Jim.

FollowupID: 362141

Follow Up By: Ants - Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 16:25

Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 16:25

Yeah, mines an auto as well. I have never run out of brakes in the bush though. I've found the gearing in the Terracan quite good - it surges a fraction, but for a petrol auto it is very well braked by the engine.

On the long descents if you need a fraction extra retardation, have you tried using some handbrake to assist?

With long downhills when you need extra braking, you will find that an on/off application wherever you can will help with temps.

Also, DBA (Disc Brakes Australia) do drilled and/or slotted rotors for the Terracan now. Personally I'm not much of a fan of cross drilled rotors on street cars, but slotted rotors will be going on my rig as soon as the original rotors have passed their use-by date.

How many kays have you got on board your rig? I did my brake fluid (a full flush) at the 30,000 service. If you got dealer services, I would not be surprised if the brake fluid has not been flushed. Brake fluid cops an absolute hammering in modern cars, so flushing it out at regular intervals is a necessity.

And regarding pads...be careful with some of the ultra hard pads on the market. They work well when they get hot, but your vehicle can get pretty hard to stop at "normal" speeds and in normal use.

FollowupID: 362150

Follow Up By: Member - Jimbo (VIC) - Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 19:31

Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 19:31

Ants,

The downhill run I was on would have fried the handbrake (little drums inside the rear discs) in about two minutes. The on/off breaking technique was not an option. Letting the car get to 5 km/h would have seen it run out of control.

Mine is the Highlander with the descent control function which limits speed to about 9 km/h in low first which would have been way too fast so I didn't bother using it. I assumed it simply electronically applies the brakes, so thought why bother using it? It may however lock up the torque converter and may have been a help, I will check that with Hyundai tomorrow as well and let you know.

Cheers,

Jim.

FollowupID: 362176

Follow Up By: MarkC - Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 20:32

Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 20:32

To Ants & Jimbo,

Mines an auto as well and apart from an initial surge on steep downhill tracks, the gearing seems quite good but I can't help feathering the brakes. Theres a tecnique for auto's that I've read about but not tried yet and it involves driving with two feet, right on the accelerator to bring the tacho up to 1500 RPM's and then as you start the descend apply brake pressure with your left foot to decrease the speed to 800 RPM's. This apparently keeps the tyres turning so they won't lock up and keeps the speed down. It sounds good in theory but it would require some practise to do it with safety.

Cheers,
Mark

FollowupID: 362183

Follow Up By: Ants - Monday, Apr 04, 2005 at 06:33

Monday, Apr 04, 2005 at 06:33

Jim,

Yeah, fair call on the little drums for the handbrake. What you might find though, is that instead of relying on them solely for your extra retardation, use a little handbrake as extra assistance. Basically, share (maybe a few percent) of the load onto the handbrake and see how it goes.

The hill descent function you talk about is really a small trick they use in the transmission to hold the engine ing first gear, and I think you might be right with torque converter lockup. I was not of the understanding that it used the brakes in any way however. I'll be interested to see what Hyundai tell you though. Not that I have much faith in what they say after several interesting experiences with Hyundai dealerships...like most other dealerships in fact :-)

Cheers,

Anthony

FollowupID: 362214

Follow Up By: Ants - Monday, Apr 04, 2005 at 06:34

Monday, Apr 04, 2005 at 06:34

Oh, and Mark...

What you're referring to is "driving through the brakes".

What it is designed to do is keep wheels rotating in circumstances of reduced traction, to the point where one or more wheels may lockup if brakes alone are used.

Cheers,

Anthony

FollowupID: 362215

Reply By: Member - Jimbo (VIC) - Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 08:52

Sunday, Apr 03, 2005 at 08:52

A word of warning to all regarding diff breathers.

Firstly the Jerry's have excellent breathers, the back one goes up inside the car floor somewhere and the front comes up to the top of the radiator.

However after mine came back from having the rear diff fixed I got under and had a look; the pipe on the breather was off. I put it back and secured with the spring clip. Last weekend when about to do a river crossing I got underneath to check; it had come off again. I have now secured it with a cable tie and will fit a decent hose clamp soon.

Beware.

Cheers,

Jim.

AnswerID: 104873