Toyota Hilux LN106R
- Thread starter boris mikilchuck
- Start date
boris mikilchuck
Active Member
Time for a quick update I think. So I have been driving the hilux pretty hard lately using it as a daily driver (120 km each day) and doing a few more 4wd trips. I had a bit of time off over February and decided that it needs some attention.
First of all, the lack of cup holders in the ln106 has always bugged me especially when you consider that the hilux surfs and SR5s had them factory fitted and there is an obvious place to put them. Luckily this is an easy upgrade as the SR5/surf cup holders bolt straight into the ln106. I got some off ebay and figured I may as well clean the dash and fix my broken gearstick trim while I was at it.
First of all, the lack of cup holders in the ln106 has always bugged me especially when you consider that the hilux surfs and SR5s had them factory fitted and there is an obvious place to put them. Luckily this is an easy upgrade as the SR5/surf cup holders bolt straight into the ln106. I got some off ebay and figured I may as well clean the dash and fix my broken gearstick trim while I was at it.
boris mikilchuck
Active Member
boris mikilchuck
Active Member
The next thing on the list was the gearbox/transfer case mount. Ever since I have had the hilux I have noticed excessive engine and gearbox movement when ideling and accelerating. At first I thought it was the engine mounts (both of which were broken) but after replacing them I noticed no difference to the movement 
. I figured it must be the gearbox/transfer mount so decided to replace it with a cheap ebay one.
. I figured it must be the gearbox/transfer mount so decided to replace it with a cheap ebay one.
boris mikilchuck
Active Member
boris mikilchuck
Active Member
The old mount was genuine toyota and looked like it had never been replaced with hard plastic and excessive cracking. I threw in the ebay one and once again noticed absolutely no difference in gearstick movement . To add to the frustration after the testdrive I looked underneath and noticed that the safety bolt which goes through the middle of the mount has fallen out into the crossmember (the nut on top had disappeared). Overall I was unhappy with the quality of the ebay mount but at the end of the day you get what you pay for .
After this experience I decided to bite the bullet and buy something decent. Superior engineering are dealers for Trail Gear, a US company which makes upgraded parts for solid axle hiluxes like inner axle seals that don't leak, crawler gears, larger brake master cylinders and luckily for me, a heavily upgraded gearbox/transfer mount for the ln106. Unlike the standard mounts which connect the transfer case to the crossmember via free floating rubber the Trail Gear mount is connected via two bushes.
While waiting for the mount to arrive I tackled some other jobs. My tie rod had been bent ever since I have had the vehicle (someone had probably tried to snatch off it) and now looked in terrible shape with gouge marks and rust all over it. This was promptly removed and replaced with a solid one from superior engineering which bolted straight in except for the steering damper which due to the stronger superior engineering damper bracket needed to be replaced with one from a GQ patrol.
Next was the excessive play in the steering which I had noticed had been steadily increasing all of last year. Inspection revealed that this was coming from the pivot ball which had become loose in the boomerang J-arm. This was also promptly replaced with a new boomerang J-arm which fixed the excessive steering play.
. To add to the frustration after the testdrive I looked underneath and noticed that the safety bolt which goes through the middle of the mount has fallen out into the crossmember (the nut on top had disappeared). Overall I was unhappy with the quality of the ebay mount but at the end of the day you get what you pay for . After this experience I decided to bite the bullet and buy something decent. Superior engineering are dealers for Trail Gear, a US company which makes upgraded parts for solid axle hiluxes like inner axle seals that don't leak, crawler gears, larger brake master cylinders and luckily for me, a heavily upgraded gearbox/transfer mount for the ln106. Unlike the standard mounts which connect the transfer case to the crossmember via free floating rubber the Trail Gear mount is connected via two bushes.
While waiting for the mount to arrive I tackled some other jobs. My tie rod had been bent ever since I have had the vehicle (someone had probably tried to snatch off it) and now looked in terrible shape with gouge marks and rust all over it. This was promptly removed and replaced with a solid one from superior engineering which bolted straight in except for the steering damper which due to the stronger superior engineering damper bracket needed to be replaced with one from a GQ patrol.
Next was the excessive play in the steering which I had noticed had been steadily increasing all of last year. Inspection revealed that this was coming from the pivot ball which had become loose in the boomerang J-arm. This was also promptly replaced with a new boomerang J-arm which fixed the excessive steering play.
boris mikilchuck
Active Member
Petunia
Well-Known Member
Smurfs and 4runners had other good bits, beside cup holders, that stopped the gear leaver whacking you in the left knee, I cant recall if a 106 had it or not? But a 167 does have it, and at 350 odd dinars, mine has two [very big] zip ties and one day half a tube of magic fix all silicone is on the cards.
A counter weight hung off the left side the transfer case. I think it is called a ''dampener'' which works, thats why it has 2 [very big] zipties in it.
A counter weight hung off the left side the transfer case. I think it is called a ''dampener'' which works, thats why it has 2 [very big] zipties in it.
boris mikilchuck
Active Member
Gearbox/transfer mount finally came and I must say I am very impressed upon initial inspection, it looks very strong in comparison to the factory one. The mount bolted straight it with no modifications needed and was a surprisingly quick and easy job. As is often the case with older vehicles, problems are found and companies design and make upgraded components. Trail gear even makes an upgraded crossmember for the ln106. One of the many advantages of owning an old toyota . Haven't taken it for a drive yet (thats another story) but hopefully it doesn't transfer too much vibration into the cab.
. Haven't taken it for a drive yet (thats another story) but hopefully it doesn't transfer too much vibration into the cab.
boris mikilchuck
Active Member
boris mikilchuck
Active Member
With the long persisting wobbly drivetrain issue looking like its on the run I could finally start a job I have wanted to do for a long time. As many of you are probably aware some trucks and large mining machines are fitted with oil centrifuge devices which clean the engine oil and extend the service intervals of the engines. Some smaller 4WD engines were also fitted with these centrifuges such as early Toyota 2H's and Land Rover TD5 engines (there are probably other I am not aware of). The 3L is known for having quite short service intervals and regular oil changes every 4000 km were becoming quite expensive. A company in the US also makes kits to fit centrifuges to Cummins and Duramax engines. With this in mind I figured I had nothing to lose by fitting an oil centrifuge to my beloved hilux.
I found a company in China which makes oil centrifuges and ordered a couple followed by some oil fittings, banjo bolts and pipes. The oil centrifuge looked very well made and I couldn't wait to fit it up.
I found a company in China which makes oil centrifuges and ordered a couple followed by some oil fittings, banjo bolts and pipes. The oil centrifuge looked very well made and I couldn't wait to fit it up.
boris mikilchuck
Active Member
boris mikilchuck
Active Member
Everything is coming along nicely so far (touch wood) ill post up more info the oil centrifuge as it progresses
boris mikilchuck
Active Member
Just a few pictures of the centrifuge itself and its internals. Very clever design and i'm impressed with the quality.
boris mikilchuck
Active Member
boris mikilchuck
Active Member
With a good mounting location found in the engine bay I went about making a bracket to mount the centrifuge to the body.
Leaving out a lot of the smaller boring details here but next step was to attach the oil feed and return lines to the engine. The 3L has two oil feed plugs, one of which is unused, I decided to use the one already feeding oil to the alternator to avoid having to return the oil to the sump. Overall supplying oil to the centrifuge is basically the same as supplying oil to a turbocharger.
Leaving out a lot of the smaller boring details here but next step was to attach the oil feed and return lines to the engine. The 3L has two oil feed plugs, one of which is unused, I decided to use the one already feeding oil to the alternator to avoid having to return the oil to the sump. Overall supplying oil to the centrifuge is basically the same as supplying oil to a turbocharger.
boris mikilchuck
Active Member
Some oil resistant gasket paper and loctite gasket maker was used to create a seal between the centrifuge and the mounting surface. Following this the centrifuge was attached and the oil lines plumbed up.
boris mikilchuck
Active Member
boris mikilchuck
Active Member
Put the centrifuge cover on and kicked her in the guts, initially everything seemed alright but after the engine reached operating temp the entire centrifuge seemed to be getting too hot (only the bottom should be hot because that is where the oil is). It seems that the oil was not draining back into the sump like it should . I felt a bit silly because the cause of this was quite obvious in that the diameter of the oil return fitting attached to the blue hose was not large enough to allow the oil to freely flow back into the sump therefore causing a buildup.
To solve this, I drilled a larger hole in the bottom of the centrifuge and tapped it while blocking off the old oil return. A 45 degree adapter was needed to allow the oil return pipe to face the engine at a resonable angle.
Doing this raised a few more small issues which I won't talk about but related to oil leaks. After fitting a new gasket and a lock screw on the pipe thread I was ready to try again (fingers crossed)
. I felt a bit silly because the cause of this was quite obvious in that the diameter of the oil return fitting attached to the blue hose was not large enough to allow the oil to freely flow back into the sump therefore causing a buildup. To solve this, I drilled a larger hole in the bottom of the centrifuge and tapped it while blocking off the old oil return. A 45 degree adapter was needed to allow the oil return pipe to face the engine at a resonable angle.
Doing this raised a few more small issues which I won't talk about but related to oil leaks. After fitting a new gasket and a lock screw on the pipe thread I was ready to try again (fingers crossed)