The Toyota Landcruiser Owners Club

[Landcrusher]

Just to be clear, I am talking about only locking centre here, not going into low - which is a different kettle of fish altogether.

I did some experiments on the A75 one day between Dumfries and Stranraer. It had been raining very heavily and there was standing water at the side of the road, couple of inches deep in places. I ht several puddles with the near side tyres only and it really pulled me off line, quite scary. So I started hitting them on purpose with the diff locked and unlocked as I went along. The centre diff being locked gave far better results, the car being much more stable as it went through them. Essentially, it's the wheels that are on the tarmac that gain the advantage. Without the centre locked, you can put all of the drive through one rear wheel and none to the front at all. With the diff in, there has to be drive sent to the front wheels so that you don't get that sort of cross axle situation.

I know that they're full time 4x4, but I suspect that if you jack the rear wheels up off the ground, put it in gear and let the clutch up, the rear wheels would spin but the front ones would not get power and drag it off the jack. I could be wrong there, but I think that the Torsen diff would be fooled into putting all of the drive into the rear. Diff lock in and you'd have a vehicle running off down your drive. Why else would you have a diff lock?

Here's a pic of my old 120. you can clearly see the second lever for the diff and low ratio. The LC4 and 5 don't have this from memory. Just checked in my owner's handbook. Shifting into HL from HH and back again can be done at ANY vehicle speed. I actually thought that there was a limit, but it says not. All it says is if the wheels are slipping don't do it then. Stop first.



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HDJ 80 but still a 90 owner at heart (yeah right!)

[Google]

[Phoenix]

I am bloody confused so I am sorry if I am adding additional confusion here

My four-wheel drive control lever simply has L-N-H on it and I cannot shift this lever whilst the car is moving, my handbook tells me to stop the car and put my auto transmission into N before shifting between "H" and "L".

The handbook does show a LL-N-HL-H diagram of a different four-wheel drive control lever but mine does not have that. My car is a 2007 Invincible, based on the LC4 so I understand, without the silly height adjustable suspension.

As for a rear diff lock.... my car certainly does not have one as there is a blank cover where the switch would normally be As for the centre diff lock, if this is operated then the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system is switched off and I would consider this a dangerous operation under normal driving conditions.

I appreciate that Mr Toyota has made a few variants of the LC and I guess this is where the confusion comes from.

Whatever model we have I know we enjoy them

[Landcrusher]

Hi, Phoenix, read the post again, slowly my friend. It is very specifically about the LC3. The 4 and 5 are utterly different in their set up. Your little lever only engages LOW ratio. This has to be done whilst stationary (well below about 5kph, from memory) Our little lever has another function, that of centre diff lock. Your LC has a little gnome hiding under the dash somewhere with his thumb on a button for when you need it . Electronic wizardry eh?

You also don't have a rear diff lock (you're quite right), you have a limited slip diff, LSD. but you also probably have traction control too - or ABS in reverse. More money - more toys! Me, I love the Invincible etc, but I like to retain control over what the car does for me (Ludite!!!) Look at the new Disco, all it has is a yellow dial to turn - 5 settings from - pointless to really really stuck.

LC
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HDJ 80 but still a 90 owner at heart (yeah right!)

[uk_vette]

I didn't know the LC4 and the LC5 didn't have the second lever to the left of the main auto shift lever.

I thought all the LC's were the same.

[Landcrusher]

Well they have A lever, just not the same lever.

LC
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HDJ 80 but still a 90 owner at heart (yeah right!)

[Phoenix]

[thor]

Hi again guys......it is so confusing or can be at first sight, but up to now, I am getting there.....pressed the switch in front of gear selector and of course you are correct 'Landcrusher' it allows me to select without depressing the brake.  
I have also selected HL on the move.....you can notice the difference    But now another check to what you have written....when in HL did you say that it was only for straight roads...  Surely if you are driving on any road it could be twisting and winding...or have I gone into stupid mode again.    
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'They're coming to take me away..ha..ha'

Land Cruiser LC3 D-4D Auto 2002
General Grabbers At2
Shovel

[thor]

Oh and my wife say's  She wants a Yaris site....obviously feeling left out here.
_________________
'They're coming to take me away..ha..ha'

Land Cruiser LC3 D-4D Auto 2002
General Grabbers At2
Shovel

[thor]

Okay here we go.......this is real funny farm stuff.  
The other morning out bright and early, windows open, move off down the road, and I thought, hey up, I can hear an owl, in fact so convinced, I was looking for it's location.  So the next day I took note of the engine sound.......when I move off apart from all the usual clattering stuff...there is this....now don't fall onto the floor laughing..........a whooooowing noise,       I don't know how else to explain the noise. all I want to know is, what is it. [my Terrano had strange noises at certain times, I got used to them]  but never had a whoooooooowing noise.
_________________
'They're coming to take me away..ha..ha'

Land Cruiser LC3 D-4D Auto 2002
General Grabbers At2
Shovel

[Landcrusher]

No you can use HL on other than straight roads, because you still have front and rear diffs taking up the difference - but only to a degree. In a straight line, obviously the rear wheels follow the front exactly. As this progresses to a full lock turn, all 4 wheels actually scribe different arcs. There is a point at which having the centre locked starts to get a bit tight. I have actually had it in and reversed out of the drive - 90 degrees. It feels as though the hand brake is still on. Try and you'll see. You'll not break anything if you do it slowly, you'll feel the point at which the resistance comes in. On a motorway or A road you should be fine, but going point to point on tarmac would get a bit squealy. When it really is slippery, you'll have no problem.

I remember a test that I did when it snowed last time.  I gunned the accelerator in open diff mode and the car spun me round 180 and put me in the edge of a ditch. Caught me completely off guard. I stuck the diff in and tried it again - it just took off in a straight line. Power HAS to go to the front wheels.

LC
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HDJ 80 but still a 90 owner at heart (yeah right!)

[Landcrusher]

Thor! You are not going mad. I had exactly the same, I describe it in one of my posts, from memory, as an owl hooting. From cold, putting the engine under load such as pulling up an incline, I could play an owl symphony on the accelerator. Toyotamotorman never found the problem. I did notice that the rubber skirt under the bonnet that fits over the intercooler seemed to get distorted in one corner. They replaced that and after a while it went the same way. Now actually, this should be under slight positive pressure from the air being forced in as you drive along. But mine was always pulled in like there was negative pressure. I made a square frame from a coat hanger and put it inside the skirt to strengthen it - it had an effect on the noise. See if yours is distorted too. I also had a new turbo fitted and it made the clattering etc worse. There is a post o here that claims that this is to do with injectors and the fuel system - like diesel knock rather then mechanical bashing.

LC
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HDJ 80 but still a 90 owner at heart (yeah right!)

[thor]

Well I'll go to the foot of our stairs......correct again Landcrusher, had a look under the skirt    the one on the inter cooler and it does appear slightly warped and also a plastic stud is missing in one corner. I tried for the whoooowing with the bonnet up and it was not apparent. put the bonnet down and there was only a tiny owl there this time [maybe cos I adjusted it's skirt].
On the Terrano it was foam not just a skirt so it seated properly. obviously a bad design.
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'They're coming to take me away..ha..ha'

Land Cruiser LC3 D-4D Auto 2002
General Grabbers At2
Shovel

[120man]

Call me old fashioned but I chose the LC3 over "better" models because it had real Diff. locks and not the brake trickery. Give a brake TC 4x4 what for in the mucky stuff and you find the engine working against the brakes which dissipates power and in the form of heat, which can quite quickly cause brake overheating, not helped by low airflow. Once towed a Porsche Gayenne off a wet field because (a) he was an eejittt (b) had poncey limp wristed ultra low profile "performance" tyres fitted to his oh so shiney drug dealer rims and (c) thanks to (a) and (b) and a big efff off engine now had a big red brake overheat warning light.

Did I laugh? Did I take the pish? Oh yes.

[Landcrusher]

That could well be an entry in Wiki - off road or soft road - see 120man's definition. Still think that LC4 and 5 are serious vehicles. Trickery or not. The Porsche? Nice but easy to bust I would think.


LC
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HDJ 80 but still a 90 owner at heart (yeah right!)

[Phoenix]

LC3 or LC4 or LC5 or Invincible.... they are all darn good regardless of trickery levels. we pays our money and we makes our choice