Saturday, Apr 05, 2008 at 17:11
Hi Pete
It happened at about 110,000km. It's fair to say that if the valve clearances had been checked at 80000km by my mechanic then it probably would not have happened. Driving 12500km in 26 days didn't help either.
I'm pretty sure the valve clearances should be checked every 40000km, so at 127000km it would be slightly overdue, if it hadn't already been done.
While I'm no expert on heads, I'd say that city driving and the occasional short country trip probably wouldn't put as much stress on your motor compared with driving 500km+ distances everyday.
My Hilux has now done 175,000km and it's been 40,000km since the head was rebuilt (I didn't get it done straight away as my old mechanic said it was a sticky valve). The motor's going fine and I had a LPG system fitted 6 months ago (which has had a few teething issues).
If you're considering an LPG system for the Forerunner then be aware that the valve seats probably aren't capable of supporting gas, so there could be issues 10,000-40,000km down the track. You can get top end oilers which lubricate the valves, but may not alleviate problems entirely - Thus it's a risk fitting LPG without the head being modified.
I'm not to sure about problems on the Forerunners, but I'd make a point to
check low range (all gears), any bearing noises in the transmission, the front CV joints, the
suspension and that general mechanical
services has been done.
Good Luck, Will.
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