3Litre Hilux Diesel Engines

Is your current hilux a diesel?
The non turbo 3L motors are not power machines by any length of the chalk, but Hilux's got along a bit better every time the capacity increased. If you plan on towing heavy loads, allow extra time to get there, hills will allow you to enjoy the scenery, also the bigger the tyres you put on, the slower you will go. The 3L will allow you to cruise at posted speeds in most conditions. Turbo models will be quicker again, but as you have seen it will be a tradeoff of speed vs price.
If you want the kind of power that an average roadcar enjoys, you will be better served by a newer gen, common rail turbodiesel, or a petrol powered 4wd.
I would recommend finding one at a dealer and taking it for a drive yourself, get some hills and some freeway in there, as different people have very different perceptions on how much power is enough.

Cheers Tanka.

Hey mate

Be very careful of hiluxs that year I owned a 2003 dual cab with 5LE 3L diesel in it we bought it at 45000ks was a great ute until 96000 when number 3 con road let go smashing the whole engine. Was than told by alot of engine builders importers and mechanics that 2003 was a bad year for poor quality metals and hilux engines seemed to cop the worst as they seen lots blown. Anyway fitted new toyota crate motor and whilst running in at exactly 2000ks more gear box let go another problem with cluster shaft bearings. new gearbox went in and straight to car yard to trade in on a patrol hahaha. 3 weeks later the salesman rang to find out if id installed a new transfer case as well because the mechanic had taken it for final check over and it blew as well. Anyway not saying they are bad just experiance and can show you photos of the whole ordeal. If ya want to know any more feel free to ask.

Scott n Lara

Hey Matt, I suggest you hang onto the one you've got, work your arse off, save some money, buy a later model with a turbo diesel, and be nice to your dad, who might help ya out a bit. Cheers, Dad. Ha ha.

Hi south_maw

My son a 2003 Hilux extra cab with the 3.0 litre 5LE diesel with 70k on the clock. It was terribly slow and would die at the mear sight of a hill. After a lot of research put a Garrett turbo on it (supplied and installed by TurboGlide) and it drives just like a "normal" vehicle should. Have never regretted it. Now has about 110k on the clock goes just fine. Kept up well with me in my 100 series petrol through the Simpson desert in 2009.
Regards

Steve

South_maw,

I had a 1986 2.4l deisel Hilux which was a great vehicle although a bit slow which I didn't mind in the bush. I sold it and my falcon sedan and initially was looking for a 3.0l non-turbo Hilux. I test drove my nephews and it really wasn't powerful enough particularly on hills. I then test drove a 2004 TD at a car yard and it was great. I ended up buying one. It is a superb vehicle with only one drawback. It is not too economical on fuel. With canopy and gear it weighs around 2500 Kg and at 100km/h I get about 13 l/100km. In a strong head wind that can change to high 14 l/100km. If I am on an outback road driving at 70 - 80 km/h (or on bitumen at 90km/h) then it is not too bad - about 12 l/100km which gives me 600 plus kms per tank.
My hilux has done 176000km, a lot of which is on dirt or gravel roads and I haven't had any trouble with it.

The conclusion from the above drivel is to get a 4wd with a turbo if you can possibly afford to and if you can't, then how many hills do you really have to drive up?

Regards,
Bob

Thanks for all the info guys. A lot of which i never concidered. Unsure of which way to go. I would prefer a duel cab ute, but the likes of the turbo diesel navaras are out of my price range. And a patrol or cruiser would be to thursty on fuel for aprentice wages haha. Any thoughts?

Thanks for the info 'get outmore' and 'tanka'. It Has given me another path. The tritons seem to be good for towing camper trailers and general driving etc as i have researched. Has anyone had any experience with chipping either the hilux or triton engines? Is it worth it in the long run? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks