Thread 87780 & 88817 Follow-ups

Well, 8 weeks have passed since the Hilux motor gave up. The diagnosis of a shredded timing belt was a pretty apt description.

Removal of the head revealed well smacked piston faces which show a repeated valve piston contact. There was no evidence of leaking injectors and as everyone else thought, it seems to have been a timing issue all the while.

Consumer Affairs are onto my case now.

As for the repairs; Given the piston damage, I opted for a reconditioned engine. Whilst there, they replaced the clutch and a sticky starter motor too. All up, it's about $9000 to repair. Ho hum!

The Caravan park who stored the camper for us throughout the period waived the bill (bloody fantastic of them!) and the daughter has been reunited with her beloved Barbie doll.

I am now gingerly breaking the 3.0 litre 5L diesel engine in. There's so much varying advice out there that i'm opting for the middle ground. The common theme throughout is to vary the revs and gradually increase engine load as the ks click over.

Anyway, this seems to be the end of my saga. Thanks to all who chipped in their thoughts. It all helped me make good decisions.

Let the good times roll!

Joshua.