Elixir Automobile LTD

A Deep Dive into the Fiat 500e Bateries!

Hilux and Prado owners!!!

DON'T BECOME A STATISTIC! The mighty Hilux is an absolute weapon, known for its reliability and longevity. However, these vehicles do need a bit of love and care. The N70 range suffers from a few mechanical issues that can be avoided with the correct preventative maintenance.

Things to keep an eye on:

1) Injector's over-fueling. This can cause major damage to pre-facelift N70's, often burning or cracking holes through the piston. Symptoms include loud cracking/knocking noise on cold start-up and high fuel consumption.

Repair: Basic compensation data can be read via our scan tool and we can detect if an injector is out of spec. Recommended replacement is around 150 000km however we look at the actual data before condemning them. To be replaced as a set.

2) Leaking injector seals. These seals should be done every 40000km. We personally extend that service interval slightly especially with the upgraded washers. If the washers are not replaced regularly they often will leak combustion gas into the cavity where the injector lives. The injectors are oil cooled which means the combustion gas/soot/carbon then accumulates in the oil. This accumulation can get bad enough that the carbon build-up in the oil clogs up the oil pump pick-up. This would cause sever engine damage due to a lack of lubrication. Easy way to see if your sump is blocking up is to inspect through the drain hole on your next service.

Repair: Regular injector washer replacement and oil changes.

3) Turbo actuator failure. VNT turbo's are awesome however they come with their own issues, being electronically controlled. You might have fault codes present or a random check engine light pop up from time to time. Most commonly the stepper motors do give up however the turbo internals could be seizing/carboned up and there is a common wiring fault associated with this issue. Best to get this fault diagnosed by Toyota specialists like ourselves.

4) Intake manifold restriction due to carbon build up. Due to the engine breather being plumbed into the intake and the EGR system. These vehicles are known to have issues severely clogging up the intake. This restricts airflow and can be hazardous to your engine. Not only does it limit performance and make a massive difference to your fuel consumption, it can also cause fault codes by restricting the movement of your swirl flaps located inside the manifold.

Repair: Intake manifold remove and clean - we suggest doing this every 100000km. It might be a bit of a job ( trust me, we have done 100's) but the results are definitely worth it!

If you are worried about your Hilux and want to keep it going for years to come. Speak to the team . We can diagnose, repair and supply parts for these lovely machines all at an affordable price.

Don't let your 1kd look like this!

Keep safe out there team and have a great day 😎