advice for buying 1992 2.4ltr td surf

[Rustaroo]

Hi im new to website and am thinking of buying a 1992 hilux surf 2.4ltr turbo, any advice? I have heard they are prone to cracking heads due to turbo overheating. This vehicle has had an engine rebuild with new head, cambelt etc.

[kaney]

when i saw the title of the thread my first opinion was....DON'T


but honestly, even though it has been rebuilt its still at risk of doing it again, Does the guy have receipts?

[benorange]

when i saw the title of the thread my first opinion was....DON'T

my is thought was same. the 1st one i had blew had been rebuilt and cracked year later (2nd hand head)
the 2nd one o got had a big bore exaust on it and i was told this would stop it crackin, something to do with heat and built up exaust pressure.

[chevrolux]

i think some decent extractors can sort out the problems with cracking the head. just what iv heard

[haynzy]

people love gettin into the poor old 2lt, I have one in my prado and it spat the head out recently, fortunatly for me its my work truck and I could afford to spend the money on it to fix it and it set me back $3500 for new genuine head etc. Now what people wont tell you is that the loved 1kz motor is just as bad if not worse for cracking heads so if you want a surf ya pretty much have to live with it. It may be also worth mentioning that I did 60k in mine before it blew and that was in 9 months so it gets a thrashing. Now that its fixed its a minter

[mattscruiser]

the 2lt not a lot like them i have a 1988 surf got it 11/96 i still have it and its only done one head in that time and i used off road with a welded rear diff an on 33s i had a lot of fun with it found it a great truck ..its now parked on the back lawn with a bent chassis to much jumping in an out of mud holes an the motor is using oil .the truck is now parts for my sons surf and we are thinking about doing some work to the 2lt and putting it in his truck as his is a non turbo 2.4 ...just to say there are some good storys about the 2lt

[mattscruiser]

for got to add mine had the big exaust the week after i got it and no muffler for years till i had wof probs

[rangimotors]

for got to add mine had the big exaust the week after i got it and no muffler for years till i had wof probs

and it pulled some pretty high numbers in its late years as well

I had one, shit the water pump, never got over half on the temp gauge but bam! stuffed head, some are lucky others are not. If you get one, look after it, get a good gauge and treat it well, oh hand cross your fingers while standing on one leg with the opposite eye closed..

[mattscruiser]

yes they dont like over heating at all i put a temp gauge on the top of thermasts housing had to weld a tube on for it but worth it for a early worning i all so put on the turbo off the 2lte motor and this bosted the motor much better plus turned the pump up

[Heath]

I've got a 1kz-te and like the 2lt I have heard they like cracking, but its about being aware of the fault and doing what you can to mitigate it. Ensure the cooling system is clear and working properly, maybe get a better radiator with higher volume or more efficient design, get a lower temp thermostat (on my list, yet to do). Fit a proper after market temp gauge as the factory ones seem to have a delay buit in, if they work at all. EGT guage and extractors seem to be a good idea also so you can get the heat away from the head and monitor exhaust gas temps (maybe catch a problem before it becomes a bigger one). Fit a turbo timer to let everything cool down a little (and slow down) before shutting down. Ensure the nut behind the wheel remembers that there are potential issues with excess heat and drives accordingly.

My thoughts. YMV.