2012 70 series LC70 engine question...

Submitted: Friday, Jul 06, 2012 at 18:38
ThreadID: 96708 Views:5566 Replies:8 FollowUps:8
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Hello ev ery one! I signed the contract for a new 70 series gxl wagon a few weeks ago.... I am ectstatic I tell ya! It's an upgrade in pretty much every possible way from my old 1985 2.4l 55KW diesel powerless steering ifs 4runner! (which I will surely miss dearly because it's done me so well... But we all must move on)...
Anyway I keep hearing all this stuff about the fat four and a half litre v8 turbo diesel lc70 engine! I hear the folks in the kakadu reserve have stopped buying them due to fuel pumps failing (with a replacement cost of $18000), and they burn oil and... Well that's all I've heard, but anyway it's got me worried.
Anyone heard any of the sort? I've never heard of a common rail fuel pump going kaput and I don't really see how either.... It's just a gear pump! What can go wrong? Only thing I can think of is dry fuel (lack of lubrication).

Whatever the case I don't want to be forkin out eighteen grand on a pump every however many Ks once the warranty's up... And I want to put an exaust on pretty much straight away and I know my luck's gonna have it that the engine will fail afterwards and the warranty won't cover it even though it won't affect it in a way that can alter the engine's durability.... To be honest I don't really have any faith in the common rail engines, but what can you do it's the way the worlds gone.... 3 grand for an injector here, 18 for a pump there, 10 for an ecu and while we're at it why not another million dollars for the dealer to repair it because they're the only ones with the million dollar software to program in the new injectors and engine parameters.... Lol

This was not meant to be a rant.... Anyway, any opinions or stories on the lc70 would be lovely. Cheers!
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Reply By: Member - jethro - Friday, Jul 06, 2012 at 19:10

Friday, Jul 06, 2012 at 19:10
The oil consumption was a problem with some of the early ones,but it's pretty much fixed now. Haven't heard to much about the 70 series injectors, but the Hilux's have been a problem.
Agree with your sentiments about common rail though.
Not sure that all that you've heard is true, some of those prices seem a tad extreme. Just enjoy your wagon.
AnswerID: 490264

Reply By: Member - Serendipity(WA) - Friday, Jul 06, 2012 at 19:29

Friday, Jul 06, 2012 at 19:29
Hi Mat

First - the best place to get info on your new tojo is on the Lcool forum. Become a member its free.

http://www.lcool.org/forum/index.php

Second, you only hear those stories from people who don't own one. If you talk to people that own one you will hear some very positive feed back. I have the LC70 ute know as the 79 series, yours is the 76 series. Same motor and basic design but I have a tray behind the drivers seat you have a station wagon setup.

Now most of the car is the same as toyota has being making for the last 15 odd years and proven in the field as one tough 4x4. Whats new is the motor and I believe the have got this right as well. A great motor. Heaps of power, good fuel economy for its class, and very reliable.

The issues you say you heard - fuel pump going - not a toyota problem I have heard in the 4 years I have owned one of these V8s. With any car if you give it water mixed in the diesel you can do serious damage but that is not specific to a GXL 70 series that is something that can happen to any common rail diesel.

Injectors are expensive but very reliable. You can buy them from ebay at around $500 each (which is a normal price for any common rail injectors) and then a small fee for toyota to fit them. Mostly you will have trouble free running from your injectors for about 10 years.

Burning oil - some early models (before dash air bags) had a problem with oil consumption - only some.Mine was one of them, just started using lots of oil at 15000km. Took it into toyota and they fixed under warranty - faulty formed lip seal on the scavenging pump in the sump. No problems since. You will hear some problems with the 200 series using oil - that is a different situation with a similar motor but different setup to the 70 series.

Electronics is one of the best things toyota have done. I have not heard of any electronic issues. Not to say it can't happen but I am a member on Lcool and read toyota stuff regularly and have not heard of any electronic issues.

Get an exhaust - and do it soon. Maybe run it for 3 months to get used to your new beast and then get one. I have not bothered with a chip as I am comfortable with the power and toyota don't approve of you chipping the motor.

Hope that helps

Cheers

Serendipity


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AnswerID: 490267

Follow Up By: olcoolone - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 08:57

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 08:57
Spot on and a good write up..... not owning a 70 series but driving a few the only thing I would change is the short first gear and maybe add an extra overdrive gear.

We hear the same things about our 200 series.

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Follow Up By: Member - Alex K (NSW) - Tuesday, Jul 10, 2012 at 21:19

Tuesday, Jul 10, 2012 at 21:19
The gearing can be fixed by Marks 4WD Adaptors.
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Reply By: Member - VickiW - Friday, Jul 06, 2012 at 20:33

Friday, Jul 06, 2012 at 20:33
I know a sample of one isn't representative but, we / my husband has had / still has one from 2007/08 & had zero problems.
I have a new one.

AnswerID: 490275

Reply By: get outmore - Friday, Jul 06, 2012 at 23:00

Friday, Jul 06, 2012 at 23:00
this is really funny

back in the early 2000s non toyota TD owners weretalking of FTE electric controlled pumps failing with 12k repairs

so the 6k difference in all these stuffed pumps is a bargain considering inflation over the last 10 years
AnswerID: 490291

Reply By: Bush Wanderer - Friday, Jul 06, 2012 at 23:59

Friday, Jul 06, 2012 at 23:59
We just had one totally destroyed at the prison. The service was not done quite correctly....something to do with the pipework in the sump for the oil pump.

Repair bill of $21k for a new motor....ouch.

They were going to update the fleet for more comfortable transportation but will now need to keep this last one to make it cost effective.

BW
AnswerID: 490294

Reply By: Member - Boobook - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 06:54

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 06:54
Some people who don't own one have a friend who has lots of problems, but for some reason people who own them love them and have never heard of some of these problems ( eg the fuel pump problem).

IGNORE any advice given to you unless that person actually owns one.

As said above check out Lcool.



AnswerID: 490299

Follow Up By: olcoolone - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 09:03

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 09:03
And all these problems are so few and far between on the dedicated vehicle forums..... I think some of it may be caused by envy...... tall poppy syndrome comes to mind.

And someone who doesn't own one can always come up with 1000 reasons why they don't want one...... and why their current ride is better......
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Follow Up By: Member - Boobook - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 10:02

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 10:02
I think my favourite Toyota diesel V8 scare story on a forum was the one ( on EO I think) about how the V8's were failing everywhere and the poster 'knew for a fact' that a Darwin dealer had 5 with the engine removed waiting for replacements and Toyota assessment right now ( at the time of his post).

Five! As a 200 owner, that was concerning to me so I decided to check it out for myself. Turns out there are 2 dealerships, both owned by the same principle in Darwin. I called the Service manager and asked what the problem was. "What 5 Landcruisers with the engine out?" he said. He had never heard of one single L/C at his dealer that had the engine removed. I told him I was just around the corner and he said come in and look around both dealerships, I wont one single Landcruiser with the engine removed.

When I challenged the OP about this he said that he was just told about it by a very reliable source, and it must have been another city.

In other words he had NFI.

I also called the Service manager of Britz campers who have several hundred V8 70's. He said there are a few niggles but the only problem is they keep getting written off from overseas drivers going too fast and losing control. He even put a V8 in his old troopy from a write off. That says something.





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Follow Up By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 14:07

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 14:07
Gday Boobook,

"He even put a V8 in his old troopy from a write off. That says something."

Hehe...... It says he might be telling porkys too - how did he fit the 4.5L V8 into an old troopie? Maybe he replaced the chassis and bodyand widened the front axle as well!

Cheers
Phil
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Reply By: Rangiephil - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 09:55

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 09:55
I don't know about owning one but the RACQ agent in Coen told me about one he had to recently fix for $12K AFAIR. This was last year.

The problem is like any common rail diesel, that of water in the fuel which destroys the pump and injectors.

The only difference to other common rail diesels is that there is more of everything in a V8 and Toyota prices are very high if you cannot get aftermarket stuff.

The other design problems that I have heard of are that the labour cost to replace the starter is about $1000-1500 because the starter is in the middle of the V and all the manifolding and injection must be removed for access, but this should not be an issue under 160KK.

So it is more an issue of contingent liability once they get older .

I can say that the mechanic in Mataranka and all the cockies that were there when I was there with my Rangie with dirty fuel, Just Looove the old 6 cylinder turbo and were not impressed with the V8. And that area is 99% Toyota.

Regards Philip A
AnswerID: 490306

Reply By: mat_gon_jinn - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 10:13

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 10:13
Thank you all for the prompt replies, I feel very reassured indeed.... I won't be chipping it anytime soon as the power is more than enough for me at the moment (and I know that'll void warranty for sure) but yeah I am keen on an exaust with a strong note to it, so to speak... Mind you it already sounds NICE!

Anyway my beef with electronics isn't Toyota specific... I just don't like the idea of being in the middle of the desert and having an electron go astray inside an enigma of electrical circuitry and binary in an expensive computer hanging off the side of the engine causing a break down in communication between vital engine components. A computer that's subject to extreme cold, extreme heat, dust and mud and water... And something that's way to pricey to keep as a spare....
I work on buses and we got a number of brand new scanias (which I see to be not such a good brand from my experience) but they've had problems out on the road in their first trips due to software and electrical problems... Only things like lights and interior functions and door/brake interlocks but my point is, it's all controlled by computers! And when something busts up you can't just point a test light at a fuse or power this and that up from an external power source cause you're likely to fry something else! Your little $10 test light has to be then transformed into a $10000 Computer and diagnostic tool.

I went for this model cruiser because like someone here said, all the driveline and everything is proven equipment! And also it has no bs like ABS and traction control or any of that crap. Don't get me wrong they are very helpful in certain situations, but to me they're just another unnecessary safety "necessity" to "reduce" the road toll... My boss has ABS in his patrol, out on the track he needed to hit the picks at some point, he hardly slowed! Why? Because the ABS wouldn't allow any wheel slip! He then unplugged it after that endevour...
I got in quick because Toyota told me ABS will be standard in this model in August... And yeah, not interested.

Sorry again for my rant, another question, anyone experience the Toyota electric diff locks? I'm getting them and am keen as beens to see what they're like.... I am PUMPED! Lol!
AnswerID: 490309

Follow Up By: Member - Serendipity(WA) - Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 12:25

Saturday, Jul 07, 2012 at 12:25
I too was concerned about going to an all electronic engine. After 4 years I am confident toyota has got it right. But I still went and bought the Toyota Intelligent tester 2 made by Denso - the unit that dealerships use to talk to the on board CPU. $500.

This can test every sensor, reprogram your CPU, give readouts on all aspects of the engine performance, graph the performance, and freeze frame different things, save it to a laptop or just keep it in the memory card.

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Follow Up By: olcoolone - Monday, Jul 09, 2012 at 11:53

Monday, Jul 09, 2012 at 11:53
The version of the scan tool you have has different software compared to the Toyota factory one...... we are a Denso service agent and have one of the Denso scan tools..... we have done training at Denso with the factory Toyota tool and the Toyota one allows you to alter more.

This is done to protect Toyota's dealers as Toyota owns 49% of Denso.

As for altering ECU's our other sacn tools will do a lot more the the Denso one will.

The scan tools are identical but the software is different...... it's about $450 per year to update.

Ours was $3800...... and your's was $500



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Follow Up By: Member - Serendipity(WA) - Monday, Jul 09, 2012 at 20:56

Monday, Jul 09, 2012 at 20:56
Good to find someone who knows a bit about these things. I haven't used it yet as it only arrived the other day.

One thing is I won't be tinkering with the ECU - that might end me up back at toyota for an expensive reflash of the memory.

When I first looked at these a couple of years ago they where around the $4000 mark and I said no way - too expensive. Now they are cheap. But I believe the reason for the price drop is they are redundant technology as I believe (not a mechanic) toyota now do online diagnostic with a plug in laptop.

I know there is updates all the time but I have software for April 2012 and my car is a 2008 so I think it will handle any data on my car. Mainly I wanted to have a bit more control over my car and be able to trouble shoot a computerised engine. With this and the workshop manual CD I should be able to diagnose most issues - might not be able to fix them in the field but hell it would be nicer to know. Especially if I have to pay for a tow out of the desert. Would be frustrating if it was a simple thing like a loose wire that stops the car.

Olcoolone - any tips on using this scan tool.

Cheers

Serendipity


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