3L T/D Jackeroo

My 99 TD-SE manual has been good from new - but I fuss over it and do the servicing myself as far as possible. If you live in a climate where frosts and snow are an issue I'd skip it - they can be a real bugger to get going in really cold conditions, even if you use the very thin oil spec - 0W-30 ! I'm happy because we rarely encounter the low temps - the other issue is the low transfer case - this has not been an issue for me, but compared to other makes the transfer is rediculously low. And the engine puts out heaps of strong electrical interefence fom the injector circuits too - floods HF radios badly - we often have to stop and turn the donk off to talk with people on our long range HF - it buggers up the car radio too, soon as we get out of town - nothing can be done about this. If you got a really clean unit, with a good service history, they can be a great vehicle for getting 'out there'. Just like the other makes though, if they go 'phut', they are so complex that many service staff just scratch their heads (and we pay for the scratching).

The Jackeroo TD(2002) model was one of the contenders when selecting a 4WD wagon a few years back. Compared it to a Prado TD, despite the strong engine it had too much body roll. The other things against the jack were:

1. Small fuel tank capacity and no second/sub tank.

2. Heard of problems with dust getting in through the rear doors.

3. Smaller rear cargo capacity.

4. Despite having more power it had slightly less torque than the Prado, important when it was to be used to tow a caravan.

We went to the lengths of getting one of each vehicle on an overnight loan (in Perth dealers will do that sort of stuff) put them side bu side in the driveway, both myself and wife and our 4WDing neighbours went over them, drove them and unanimously agreed on the Prado.

The Jack was cheaper but it came down to the better vehicle in the end.

Wizard
Gold Coast

Thanks Wizard and Banjo, I had the vehicle inspected today with no major issues raised. A leaky rear main and some other minor stuff. I want to keep the vehicle for a while and am thinking of extended waranty. The vehicle has 90,000ks on the clock and they are asking $23,500. I was also concerned about the motor, even the local dealer mechanic warned me off them. what are your oppinions?

I've got the 2002 TD model also, been great, just ran out of warranty at 80k so fingers crossed. We have been through deep creeks (over the bonnet), up sand dunes, through deep mud and never had issues, the on road handling could be better though.

We are taking ours accross the Simpson in a few months, So reliability is important, I'll be taking plenty of spares, a sat phone etc... We'll have the car blessed before we go. I'll post a trip report on our return.

Eric

jemiah

I have a July 1998 model which was one of the first 3.0litres sold. It sat in the garage for almost 2 years without being driven while I as away for awhile but since then I've clocked up approx 170,000km without major problems. Apart from the low transfer case, they'll go most places. Ours has been to the cape plus some quite rough side trips (Pasco River, Laura-Maytown track, etc).

Alternator failed at approx 120,000km and changed clutch at 150,000km due to hard life towing. 5th gear whine is slowly getting worse but not too bad considering I tow a 23ft fibreglass boat quite long distances in 5th gear. (clutch changes are not so straightforward!)

I've planned to replace it for about 2 years now but haven't been able to find an acceptable replacement. (ie something similar in size that's worth spending approx $30k changeover on). I'm currently waiting to see what engine Toyota put in the new Prado. Failing that, I'll just keep on driving it!

Hope this helps.

Andrew

A leaky rear main ? Being minor stuff ? Are we talking the motor's rear seal ? That would not be cheap as a job !