Offroad-Express

Ok can someone tell me if they think Im getting pissed about my my mechanic. No names to be mentioned incase Im wrong but it feels like I am.

Took my prado to them because I had a bad loud vibration going on and I wound up having a new transfer case put in and also swapping from a dual mass flywheel to a solid inc a new clutch.

The next day I took it back to them as it had a whole new noise that I had never heard before.

Turns out that for some reason the front drive shaft was spinning even though it wasnt in 4wd...?... causing the new vibration (when i got up to about 100ks)...so aparently a new diaphram or something was fitted or whatever bla bla bla.
Anyway it was supposedly fixed.

Well #### me but I wind up meeting up with some skank that was hungry for some ginger in er.

So I took her down the hutt river and put in my hubs, pushed my buttons was in low range 2nd gear and began to cross over to a seedy looking spot for some baby making practice.
In the river at this spot were alot of track marks, the river was only about two foot deep and looked perfect.

Half way over one of the back wheels broke traction. No problem i though to myself....its in 4wd....one of those mickey t's on the front will drag me out.....
the problem was my front wheels weren't turning . Everything was how it was supposed to be but my front wheels were getting no power to either of them.....lights were on, no-one was home.....

Eventually after some tricky playing and alot of water splashing about and stones getting tossed about by alternating rear wheels as they each broke traction I got out of the river, one valve had ripped out and one tyre was stuffed.

The next day I went up the Aotea block and got mildly stuck on some ground that a toyota corolla wouldve got through at pace...hmmm this ain't right I thought.

So today I put it on blocks and tried every possible combination I could think of in order to get power to the front wheels to no avail.

Is it coincidence that after getting something fixed that within days something else craps out? I think not...
What does the audience think?

might be an idea to check the solenoids that engage 4wd. under the bonnet, drivers side firewall.

Sounds like you have a dodgy mechanic

Nailz wrote:So I took her down the hutt river and put in my hubs, pushed my buttons was in low range 2nd gear and began to cross over to a seedy looking spot for some baby making practice.

Important things first, did you succeed in your mission

Seriouly though, there is something not right about the original fix. Break one thing, it happens, another, coincidence. But ongoing issues has to have a root cause thats not been addressed. When you say the transfer case was replaced, was it with a new unit (highly unlikely) or something that the mechanic happen to have available (used unit).

Hell yes I succeeded.

The transfer case was an exchange one with the cruiser people in chch, some company down there or something.

and that soliniod on the firewall, it clicks one of them clicks but thats all.

OK get the front wheels off the ground, and hang onto the driveshaft (hubs locked) and spin a tyre with a foot does the other one spin? if it does then the hubs are locking if not look into the hubs one ot other may need looked at.

Next hold one wheel and spin the other, can you feel some torque trying to turn the driveshaft? if it does then the issue is not in the front diff, if not then you may have a pinion or diff issue.

Next put it into 4wd (cant remember the engine may need to be running to give vacuum) try the second test again (Handbrake on as the rear wheels could be connected now) see if the driveshaft spins freely (it shouldn't), if it does the vacuum actuator may not work or the vacuum lines may be split disconnected or something like that.

you can try manualy actuate the transter case through applying a vacuum from another source.

Pity you did the transfer case swap sounds like the prob;em could have (in part cant prove now) been no or poor vacuum.

Nailz wrote:Well #### me but I wind up meeting up with some skank that was hungry for some ginger in er.

So I took her down the hutt river and put in my hubs, pushed my buttons was in low range 2nd gear and began to cross over to a seedy looking spot for some baby making practice.

HAHAHA LMAO!!!!

Alright good to hear someones getting some off road action

But Seriously, you dont think you may have done a hub locker in?? even if one goes that should stop both front wheels from driving, worth a check, somehow?!?

^^^ As steve said above, thats what happens when you go watch the warriors loose half way through your reply ^^^

shit sorry dude sound like a hassle your have meanwhile the surfs going great now .......pm me if ya need a hand to sort ya truck

shit, you have bad luck with vehicles dude....

has to be said..... get a nissan (now that i have one lol)

i would be finding the name of the firm in chch that did the exchange transfer case, and double checking whether they actually supplied one.... if your mechanic is dodgy he could have just done an oil change and cleaned the outside of your one and told you its a nice new one...


or he could be a brother/father/son/grandson of some skank and he's getting revenge on ya...

You know, that's the first thing I though too. Like maybe I gave his daughter the clap or something at somestage through life

I thought Prado's were fulltime 4wd? Or are some of the squarer shape parttime?

Weasel wrote:I thought Prado's were fulltime 4wd? Or are some of the squarer shape parttime?

just the new shape are full time it think. i know my one was part time.

Nailz wrote:You know, that's the first thing I though too. Like maybe I gave his daughter the clap or something at somestage through life

I would be just about 100% confident in saying it will be the electric free wheel hubs if you have them on yours. The cause no end of trouble, its some thing brush related in them.

up to 95/96 is part time 4wd, new 96 models onwards are fulltime...

if its the hubs I have a set of spacers which allow a set of manual hubs to bolt on ... I did a conversion on mine.... they are surplus , I have a set of warn hubs in bits too but you should look for a set of aisan ones....

PM me if you want them....don't want much for them..... and this will solve your problem ...

other option is to rip them off and get OLDBLUE to do a conversion on them, charges $150 from memory....

Yeah its already had the 'OLD BLUE' conversion done to them. Today it seemd to work so now I'm even more pissed off. Going to get a new set of hubs, Would've prefered auto ones but I guess manuals it will be.

I was told by someone that had done it before that to save buying spacers that you can just machine off the bottom 13 mm of the auto hubs and there goes your spacers.
Has anyone else heard of this sort've thing?

Quoted about $500 pingas for spacers and a new set of AVM hubs. DOes anyone know if these are anygood?

Aisan hubs are the best

There is no real difference between Asian manual hub s and the "Blue" modified hubs. are you sure you locked the hubs? or maybe your memory of " put in my hubs, pushed my buttons was in low range 2nd gear and began to cross over to a seedy looking spot for some baby making practice."

was pushed your buttons and "and began to cross over to a seedy looking spot for some baby making practice" if you have done the blue mod then there is no reason to change hubs.

It could have just been stiff to engage 4wd and with the excerciseing it you have been doing the right thing and it free'd up.

If it all works now I suspect the vacuum engagement was a little stiff (new transfer case) and is now happy

Steve_t647 wrote:There is no real difference between Asian manual hub s and the "Blue" modified hubs. are you sure you locked the hubs? or maybe your memory of " put in my hubs, pushed my buttons was in low range 2nd gear and began to cross over to a seedy looking spot for some baby making practice."

was pushed your buttons and "and began to cross over to a seedy looking spot for some baby making practice" if you have done the blue mod then there is no reason to change hubs.

It could have just been stiff to engage 4wd and with the excerciseing it you have been doing the right thing and it free'd up.

If it all works now I suspect the vacuum engagement was a little stiff (new transfer case) and is now happy

Yeah Im with Steve on this one.... I reckon you were so full of buck fever that you just headed for that secluded riverbank as quick as you could without sticking it in 4wd or putting the hubs in

No it was definately done all properly.

Lock the hubs with the allen key , and then push the buttons, as per the instructions on the old blue sticker.

And when it was up on blocks with the wheels all clear it wasn't working.
so Im sure I had done it all properly

Sadam_Husain wrote:

Steve_t647 wrote:There is no real difference between Asian manual hub s and the "Blue" modified hubs. are you sure you locked the hubs? or maybe your memory of " put in my hubs, pushed my buttons was in low range 2nd gear and began to cross over to a seedy looking spot for some baby making practice."

was pushed your buttons and "and began to cross over to a seedy looking spot for some baby making practice" if you have done the blue mod then there is no reason to change hubs.

It could have just been stiff to engage 4wd and with the excerciseing it you have been doing the right thing and it free'd up.

If it all works now I suspect the vacuum engagement was a little stiff (new transfer case) and is now happy

Yeah Im with Steve on this one.... I reckon you were so full of buck fever that you just headed for that secluded riverbank as quick as you could without sticking it in 4wd or putting the hubs in

knowing ben im surprised he didnt just do the deed right there in the river.....

Well I was tempted, she wasn't too keen on the idea...

It is all working so I would spend the money on something else and wait and see if it happens again. You never know how long the transfer case was sitting, how it was stacked when transported (vertically flat upside down etc and if it was excercised or tested after fitting.

I would put odds on it being stiff having a little ramp of somethink in front of a moving part and your on and off testing of it has allowed it to move and will be good now.

Spend the $500 on condoms, pink handcuffs, fuel or a locker

edit: Spelling

AS my old man said said Lean into it son!
put some manual hubs on and sort the problem.
Chreers Scott

PS we're not here to fuk spiders

Steve_t647 wrote:It is all working so I would spend the money on something else and wait and see if it happens again. You never know how long the transfer case was sitting, how it was stacked when transported (vertically flat upside down etc and if it was excercised or tested after fitting.

I would put odds on it being stiff having a little ramp of somethink in front of a moving part and your on and off testing of it has allowed it to move and will be good now.

Spend the $500 on condoms, pink handcuffs, fuel or a locker

edit: Spelling

Can't've been the transfer case as the front drive shaft was turning but just no power at the wheels, indicating (maybe) a hub problem.
The way I look at it I'm better off to fix it now than to have it shit out the next time I'm somewhere where I really need 4wd to get home again.

Took it out for a play first thing this morning on the way home from work. Spun sum mud, Dug some holes, Yup 4wd was working fine.

OK if the driveshaft was spinning? I hope you mean when you were driving if you can spin the driveshaft with both front hub's in and wheels on the ground then something is wrong in the diff if the rears are on the ground and you are in 4wd and can spin the driveshaft that means transfer case.

Are you sure in the rush to "get somewhere" you locked both hubs? with blue's mod they are a manual hub pretty hard for a manual hub to fix itself.

I have done that jumped out the drivers side thinking grab the passenger one and come back to driver, got the passenser one alright and never did the drivers. Took to lunch when I was sitting by the tyre looking at it to figure out why it was so hard today

If you want to spend the money go for it.

Why dont you just get some hilux front hubs and spindles and just swap the whole lot over?

Because that would cost more, be a longer more drawn out job, and I figured that new parts would probly be better than hunting around for some second hand ones

Howsit, I ran into the same prob with an old truck of myn, after a bit of inspection found it was my auto hubs shitn out, so replaced with manuel hubs and problem solved!! plus although you have to get out to lock your hubs they still have their advantages, when on steep hills coming down, ive seen first hand auto hubs disengage on the way and it was like bungy jumping in a 4wd only you dont bounce back up.