Just spend an afternoon at my local Automotive shop. He is flat out repairing valve gear on engine mainly diesels where the cam belts have failed . For heavens sake people spend $300 to $500 replacing and servicing your tow vehicle !! A set of rockers for a Mazda is just over $1000. Luck the valves are 90* to piston and generally doesn't damage the valves !! Toyota engines smash the valves and often a new head is needed for repair !! Every 120,000 klrs for god sake check and replace your cam belt . Or timing chain if it rattles or klrs ? He's not complaining 80% of his business is this repair .. $3500+ repair when general maintenance, servicing prevents this !! Don't rely on local oil change guy to do this . He doesn't know when or if it was changed !!
Says something about perhaps reading your owners handbook in regards to servicing and replacing certain parts, or maybe just use a genuine dealership for your servicing?
I do my own servicing but the timing belt needed doing recently the timing belt is a job for a good workshop unless your a experienced mechanic with all the gear needed to do the job.and it also pays in my opinion to replace the pulleys and tensioners as well the full srvice kit, not much sense haveing a good belt and a bearing fail...
We had a Toyota harmonic balancer spin off onto timing cover which interfered with timing chain . With 120,000 klrs on the clock , over 10,000 for a new engine . So the SIMPLE things often stuff big things up !! Replacing a timing belt is no issue for me . But it must be done right ! All have their different ways . Subaru for example . You fit timing belt with ALL PISTONS half way down the bore . While most are fitted at TDC .
About to take off on a 25,000 KM trip round the block so started to look at my 70 series with a fine tooth comb it has 120,000 on the clock:
Front and rear brakes had a least 10,000 left on them but I don't want to change them on the road so doing them now. The old ones can sit in the shed for use sometime in the future.
Handbrake now again has new shoes even though there is a fair bit of meat on them. (Added the Terrain Tamer replacement Modified strut that Improves it for $20 a side)
Decided to check wheel bearings, they have been cleaned and repacked every 20,000 but found some slight scoring so new set all round (much better to get them through evilbay at a cheap price Jap brearings) and do them at home instead of somewhere in the Kimberly.)
Normal oil changes and such looked after but as Aus Kiwi said it not all about the typical 20K service when taking of for a big lap its those things that could cost you big bucks and huge inconvenience on the road and will probably fall due before getting home.
In my old job we used to always consider MTBF (mean time before failure) this meant we would take a system off-line and replace parts before possible failure rather that wait till the stuff hit the fan.
I do my own service but if you rely on your local mech make sure you ask him to go over everything and don't be afraid to use goggle to find out if anyone is reporting issues for your particular vehicle.
If you are towing you will need to change things like auto transmission fluid and the usual brakes , bearings and such for the van as well.
Brian
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Brian & Nada retired and > "Ready to live the Dream" Live in the Shire!
76 series V8 Landcrab with Jayco Starcraft Outback Poptop
Says something about perhaps reading your owners handbook in regards to servicing and replacing certain parts, or maybe just use a genuine dealership for your servicing?
Agree it's in the service book normally.
Dealers IMHO not very trustworthy OR have insufficient trained staff now.
Apprentices are trained by tick and flick record of achievement. I had 8 apprentices working for me in 1990's when tick and flick workbooks came in,,, tooo easy to tick off without getting any experience at all in the job. The workbook was intended to record proficiency (not theory in class) but failed IMHO.
If you have a diesel take to specialist, brakes and clutch likewise.
Just had heavy duty clutch fitted for $2080 by specialist (6 hours job charged) and Toyota wanted $2800 for standard pressure plate. go figure
-- Edited by Baz421 on Saturday 27th of May 2017 09:51:01 PM
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Why is it so? Professor Julius Sumner Miller, a profound influence on my life, who explained science to us on TV in the 60's.
Knowing little faults on engines too ! No brand is safe here .. I Googled 6.5 GM diesel issues . The main or often mentioned was the injector driver being fitted to injector pump for cooling , cooked itself over time and failed .. So I impoterted an injection module with
Loom to extend to cooler area outside engine baby, bought a heat sink locally .. Put it away for storage in case things went wrong .. As I figure why touch something that's working ? Well !!!!! Half way between Adelaide and Port Lincoln it would stop or lose throttle . With NO steering or brakes as the brakes are assisted by the power steering .. American technology !! Sheesh wouldn't pass safety standards now ! Lucky I had the PMD ( pump mounted driver ) to plug in and go ..
Another thing be careful servicing things just before you go on trip ! I would drive it around for at least a week to make sure repairers, maintenance was done right !!
Yes keep in mind in my case . I'm right here in the gravel pit so to speak where 2 to 7 year old engines are reconditioned .. Even from franchise dealers.. I see the faults first hand and often assist in pulling engine down.. It's not totally the work done ?? It's the work missed . Fill out the log book supplied by manufacterter . So everyone knows the main things are done .. Even timing chaine need attention . The big engines run gears and will do a million miles easy .. How many times do you hear the old girl isn't running too well ? To find the fuel filter was way past it's serviceable time, klrs . On modern engines, this is fatal .. They run lean and burn Pistons .. Yes it happens on diesels . Especially Nissans ..
Agree the Common Rail diesel may be OK in Europe where they only sell clean diesel - but out here where you can get diesel that is almost heating oil class sold from outback servo's with coagulated gunk and water in their underground tanks - you need a clear Visage Glass filter on line before the main fuel filter. It becomes a very expensive sin to miss services.
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Possum; AKA:- Ali El-Aziz Mohamed Gundawiathan
Sent from my imperial66 typewriter using carrier pigeon, message sticks and smoke signals.
I think you'll find both Toyota and Mitzi ran Car gearbox innards, running gear.
in some of their earlier Utes. Possibly Nissan too.
I know for a fact Tojo did. we swapped one out for 1 son yrs ago.
That's the trouble. Most 4WDs have same trans ! Why would manu make a different trans just for light truck ? This is why some have issues towing in DRIVE ., It's designed for economy also . The more gears the higher the final drive ratio can be for economy to a point . But putting a sail on the back with over 2 ton . Obviously it cannot pull 100 kph at 1200 rpm . Thing is us humans are getting dumber while our toys are getting smarter !! Hell I can't rembember phone numbers now . I used to know atleast 20 phone numbers in my head ., lol
Ah the joys of the modern engines! The things the dealers fail to tell new buyers & have stars in their eyes as you drive out with your new vehicle. You are about to constantly put your hands in your pockets!
There's nothing wrong with push rods (yet).
A friend bought a 2nd hand Toyota 100 Series - was told the belt had been changed (was disgusted to find the opposite).
Another friend has a MUX (IZUZU) - just had the 80,000Km service done & is lighter in the pocket by $1500! Yes macca, they are good but ............. . And he changes the engine oil himself half way between the scheduled dealer services.
When I had my old MQ Nissan engine rebuilt at 370,000 Kms (it had a cracked head), the mechanic said he would have liked to have kept my crankshaft out on display to show other customers what the effect of regular engine oil changes was!
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Warren
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If you don't get it done today, there's always tomorrow!
That's when Nissan was good!! Yep know people who have invested up to $20k rebuilding there old wagon due to durability !! With some life style add on's .
^^ EXACTLY ^^. One good thing about owning ( ir buying ) an older vehicle is you get to know all their faults ! If any !! Get to know the good ones too !!
Just love my 4.2TD Maverick. No timing belt or chain...it's all geared like a swiss watch.
Yeah it's nice to not have the expense of a belt change,but the belt is only changed every few years and if you have to accept a vehicle that's not your first choice to have that chain instead of a belt ,most people would still choose the the vehicle that they want. Haveing a timing chain does not make a vehicle anymore reliable thats a fact..
Yep they can fail too . The good thing about timing belts is they don't transmit bad harmonics through valve train . Making them a quieter engine . It's no big deal if serviced . I often have asked people . Have you changed the cam belt ? Most the time I get that confused look and WHAT ? Yes they normally should be changed around 150,000 ( maybe less ?) Check speedo and engine has done over 200k ! Talk about driving a grenade !! Engines with lose timing chains are no different . It's all a part of servicing .. Just like brake pads and rotors etc ., Some manufacturer's have service light or spanner come up on dash when klrs and belt replacement is due ! BMW and Subaru for example .
