The Toyota Landcruiser Owners Club

[lanedriver]

Hi Toyota 120 lovers,
I need a good independent Toyota engineer in County Durham or Teeside; I have a major issue with my 2008 120 LC4 (1KD FTV) engine which requires serious technical know how to sort out.

[Google]

[Tractionman]

Try contacting TonyC on here.

[karl2000]

... and let us know whats wrong with it!

[Tractionman]

He must have found someone.
Not sure Toyota would have the serious technical know how to sort it though. 🤔

[andy]

Joined in 2017 and has posted 4 times, and 2 of them were repeated, so not much chance of getting any feedback.  
_________________
It's Not a Bl**dy Jeep it's a Landcruiser
150 series Invincible X
100 Series VX Limited
Mercedes Sprinter 311 Luton
1993 VX80 4.2td SOLD
1996 Hilux Surf SSR-G Intercooler Sold
1994 Hilux Surf SSR-V Sold

[Tractionman]

👍 Maybe that sums it up Andy, 2 repeat posts in 4. Not seen them, but that would suggest we didnt get the info to help as in this case, or no one replied because of hit and run posters ?
Even if he ended up at Toyota, or anywhere else come to that, he still has to give them the information .
As you said recently on a different post, were not psychic ! 🤔

[andy]

Here and he got the answer.
_________________
It's Not a Bl**dy Jeep it's a Landcruiser
150 series Invincible X
100 Series VX Limited
Mercedes Sprinter 311 Luton
1993 VX80 4.2td SOLD
1996 Hilux Surf SSR-G Intercooler Sold
1994 Hilux Surf SSR-V Sold

[Tractionman]

He did too, also missing complete info. Oh well..😀

[lanedriver]

Sorry for the late response and follow up guys - This is what has transpired since my original post.

Background: Vehicle 2008 LC4 120 Series 1KD FTV - 1 previous owner  -  I bought it in 2017 with 16,000 miles on the clock, now a genuine 32,300 miles covered from new - confirmed with DVLA

Engine Oil & Filter is changed every 5000 miles - sometimes more often -  Holiday trip to the Pyrenees planned June / July 2022

When I left home the oil was clean on the dipstick and the engine sounded fine - I travelled 1300 miles down to Colliourre in France and into Gerona region of Spain with oil and water normal, engine temperature normal and no unusual sounds or signes.  

Since my last post I have been busy recovering my 2008 LC4  from Ripol in the Pyrenees; we needed AA recovery because the enqine oil light came on, flickered, engine made a strange noise so I stopped and called for rescue. After recovery to a Bosch Service shop in a backstreet in Ripol, they checked oil pressure and found only 1 Bar on cold start. Local engineer could not handle the job so called Toyota main dealer in Spain, who said they were too busy and could not help. I had to find my own way home, so hitched a ride with a friend in his old LR Discovery.

AA agreed to repatriate the vehicle to my preferred UK address; 3 weeks later, my LC was returned to me at home, as requested. AA service was not the best but vehicle not damaged and all my gear was untouched, including the beer in the fridge.

With help from a local Toyota mechanic who I had previously known, (having run several Toyota vehicles in the family since early 90's) this guy was still around in Durham.

I removed the small sump and the oil pick up strainer; all visible areas were totally blocked with sludge and carbon; top end stripped, valve cover, injectors and cam shafts totally sludged up with carbon deposits. This must be caused by Injector blow-by but why on an engine that has only done 32000 miles?

If anyone is interested, I can continue with the report,provide more details and share some photographs of the dirty bits... the job is still ongoing but I still don't know what the noise was when i stopped back in te Pyrenees.

[TONYCY11]

32K miles is very low for the injectors to have blow by , wonder if you have the old copper washers fitted to the injectors instead of ali coated copper washers that were fitted from factory in around October 07 , your VIN number will confirm what washers you have , and paperwork will confirm if the washers were copper and changed under the recall ,     unless previous owner did not drive the car much but had the engine running a lot to run equipment from it . its strange for this to happen at such a low mileage , and that strange noise that you heard is likely to have been due to parts starved of oil whilst still running ,

[Tractionman]

Ah, the dreaded d4d injector problem.and the death rattle.
Agree with Tony, also it sounds unlikely with that mileage, that someone has been in there previously, and not done a proper job/reused old copper washers, but as said, unlikely. Who knows, the main thing is a strip down and hope no damage to negate repairs.
The result seems excessive on a low mileage engine that appears to have been serviced properly.
Someone on the other side had the same problem, but with a much higher mileage. Sludge everywhere, and even pieces of metal floating around.
I would be considering at this stage to doing a total injector swap when stripped out, or at least refurb and new updated washers/ seals etc so that it's all good to go again for many 1000s miles. As long as everything else is good.
At least you don't need to look for an indie now- you had him all the time, and you can leave it with him in the knowledge that he knows what he's doing being ex Toyota ?

[TONYCY11]

For a lwb 120 if the VIN number is from JTE BZ29J# 00049705 to 00160767 from manufacture date June 2004 - Oct 2007 then the engine was fitted with the old copper washers and unless your 120 went in for recall to change copper washers and clean the oil pickup you most likely have the old copper washers fitted that were prone to erode away and allow blow by , you can check you VIN number and if it is at or below JTEBZ29J 00160767 your 120 will have the old style copper washers .

[Tractionman]

A mine of information as usual Tony 👍
That is the most logical answer, see what the OP comes back with. Once the injectors are pulled that will verify.
Still low miles though, unless its had a very hard life throughout

[lanedriver]

Thanks Tony & Tractionman,  this is a July 2008 vehicle, injector washers are the later modified coated version, some blow-by was evident on the washers, rubber "O" rings all intact, not hardened but one was streatched. All injectors were very easy to remove, none were stuck; general condition very fair so all have been cleaned up. The top and bottom clean up was hard work and very messy, I used 6 liters white spirit and 5 aerosol tins of carbon cleaner. I am just about to start re-assembly with new rubber seals and coated washers.

I plan to run 2 or 3  engine flushes through the system to try and wash the carbon / sludge from the main crank case and oil galleries; the last thing I want is to have any oil galleries blocked and end up with lubricating oil starvation or possible fatal damage.

When I bought the vehicle I did a full EGR & Manifold clean, fitted a catch can and EGR cooler port reduction plate; I have since learned that the catch can is not necessary but at the moment will leave the reduction plate in place as it does not kick off any error codes on my diagnostic unit; significant carbon / sludge build up in the EGR assembly is no longer evident after the 15k I have covered.

I have discovered that this vehicle was only used as a Chelsea Tractor by the previous owner, doing very short journeys with lots of stop - start in all weathers, so this may explain the heavy build up of sludge and carbon with very low mileage.

[TONYCY11]

My 120 was registered in the UK end of july 2009 but was manufacted in Japan in july 2008 , I suspected the engine had been run for longer than the 16k miles shown , and judging by changing the oil around 5k miles looks like once every   3 years meaning the oil was rich in the acid that is a by product and that won't help   any seals and O rings , the injectors came out without probs because the oil passed the Oring from above and pooling around the injector at the washers once  blow by happened the O rings that gave way did not stop combustion from entering the top of the engine at the camshaft then mixing with oil that was running down the injector and causing a carbon sludge that was worked its way down to the sump hence the blocking of the  down  oil pickup , had the O rings not gave way the leaking injectors would have been stuck fast and would have needed effort to release them by twisting and lifting them at the same time to work them loose . I hope now you have them out and a good clean up including the oil pickup no lasting damage has been  done , if it was my car I would do 4 oil and filter changers the first in 100 miles of  the change that you will do now , the a further 3 to 4 oil and filter change every 200 miles that will help clean out any carbon sludge that is built up in places you can not see , in future I would never let the oil and filter stay in the car longer than 12 months , and change every 6 months   change if you do 10k or more a year , and always use full synthetic oil and a genuine toyota oil filter .