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Has anybody had an experiences good or bad with these Japanese grey imports? The one I am looking at has an automatic gearbox with full spec.
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Alan,
I have an imported Japanese "Masterace". This is not marketed (by Toyota) in this country but, the "Spacecruiser" was, so, with your model, it is likely that much information, ie, manuals etc, are obtainable from the Toyota dealer. My vehicle is a 2Lt diesel with auto box & 4WD. The engine is the "2C-T" turbo which was fitted to the Toyota Camry and, a very comprehensive engine manual is available from the Toyota dealer. A translation is in progress, of a Russian version of the complete workshop manual, now being pursued on another site, which is run by enthusiasts for the Spacecruiser type of vehicle. You will find much information on this site, ie, www.ukspacecruisers.co.uk
These vehicles, because of their complexity, are not for the fainthearted and, do have a tendency to have cooling problems if not checked out thoroughly, but they do represent very good value in terms of specification and "extras" and. over the past year or so, I have been very pleased with mine. Mine has seperate A/C for front and rear, fridge & hotbox, seven "Captains " seats with multiple variations on position with all folding flat, power curtains, electronically controlled suspension, skylite roofs (six) etc, etc. The electronics are likely to be a bit mind boggling but, with the usual Toyota high quality of build and reliability, I have, so far, had no problems which I been unable to sort out.
Yes, bearing in mind the low initial cost, the specification and the "style", I think they are very good vehicles and, contrary to what people might believe, spares, though rarely required, are not a problem.
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What was the cooling problem you had?
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I did not have a bad cooling problem on my vehicle but many of these imports
seem to suffer from neglect by their new owners and, a number of fundamental checks do not get done. Many of the vehicles are around ten years old with very low mileages, ie, 40K and it seems that cooling inhibitors are overlooked and that head gasket failure is quite common. They have a viscous fan which MUST be checked for effective operation at motorway speeds, also, flushing the radiator (two rads on the 4WD) and the cooling system generally, including the rear heater matrix, must be done. I checked my vehicle early on and "bit the bullet" by changing the head gasket, bolts,cam belt etc and made sure that all the coolant passages, including the block, were clean and free of sludge, replenishing with a good antifreeze/inhibitor mix, avoiding, at all cost, any chance of "head cooking".
So far, and all through the summer, including tours through the Welsh hills, I have had no problems whatever
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John,
You mentioned viscous fan problems at motorway speeds.
I thought that the principle of the viscous fan is that it stops spinning at higher speeds when the airflow takes over.
My Vauxhall Monterey (rebadged Isuzu Trooper) occasionally gets a bit warm at 80+. Not really to be expected with a 3.1 TD at 3000 rpm..Does this mean the viscous fan is ill? Cooling at lower engine speeds is fairly OK.
I do have a Kenlowe kit ready to fit, (as I tow trailers, caravan, etc) but it's the time factor once again.
Any insight welcome.
(The beloved Pug 405 has electric fans. Fine. Except when the earth is not working. Cooked head. Whoops...)
rg
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John,
You mentioned viscous fan problems at motorway speeds.
I thought that the principle of the viscous fan is that it stops spinning at higher speeds when the airflow takes over.
My Vauxhall Monterey (rebadged Isuzu Trooper) occasionally gets a bit warm at 80+. Not really to be expected with a 3.1 TD at 3000 rpm..Does this mean the viscous fan is ill? Cooling at lower engine speeds is fairly OK.
I do have a Kenlowe kit ready to fit, (as I tow trailers, caravan, etc) but it's the time factor once again.
Any insight welcome.
(The beloved Pug 405 has electric fans. Fine. Except when the earth is not working. Cooked head. Whoops...)
rg
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Rob,
I hope this does not look as if I am a viscous fan expert (which I am not) but, on aquiring my vehicle, I did give this aspect of the cooling system a little more attention than normal. Yes, you are correct, ie normally, with a "conventional " vehicle, at speed, "ram" cooling effect takes over from the viscous fan and the fan starts to slip and eventually stops turning. You may know that most viscous fans have a "driven" chamber and a "slipping" chamber and, the viscous fluid is allowed to pass from one to the other via a bi-metallic operated valve, sensitive to engine/cooling air temperature. This does have the advantage of releasing a bit more power that would otherwise be lost in driving the fan uneccesarily. On the Masterace/Townace type of vehicle, the body design does not allow for much ram cooling effect at speed and it is important that the v/fan is operating correctly. If you suspect that the fan on your Monterey is failing you can test it's cold operation by tying a fairly strong cotton thread to one of the blades, and anchoring it somewhere on the engine. If the engine is run, from cold, for a few minutes, and the thread stays intact, it is indicative that the fan is operating correctly at low temperature. To test for hot operation, the engine can be run up to normal or higher temperature and, with the engine switched off, the fan blades can be tested for "drag". If they move easily, there could be a degrading of the viscous fluid or a fault in the bi-metallic valve/spring assembly. The difference between cold and hot operation is very noticeable and is easy to test. Some Masterace/Spacecruiser owners do fit an electric fan but, I feel that a viscous fan, working well, is as good, or better, than an electric one. On my 4WD model, there are two radiators and the secondary unit is cooled, if the temperature goes beyond a certain height, by two electric fans. I can test the main v/fan by driving with the passenger seat up and the fan can be seen turning although, as early warning of fan failure is essential, I am experimenting with an audible warning device which will indicate if the fan has stopped turning at, say, motorway speeds. The temperature gauge is, of course, a good indicator but, this is not always noticed until it is too late.
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Thanks John,
So, as I understand it, it's the heat effect on the liquid that governs the "slip" and hence the cooling effect, rather than just rotational speed? (as I was led to believe by the Kenlowe adverts...)
The Monster-ray fan blade is about the size of a light aircraft propeller. It's clearly audibile above the noise of the engine. Yes, I, too, have concerns about fan failure. This is my only concern with the Kenlowe set-up; some sensor/relay/wiring failure. No crude but effective belt-driven fan to cover the problem.
I once had a Mazda 323 engine "melt" without a great deal of warning, but that's another story.
Thanks
Rob
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Nearly right Rob (Although there may be fans which work on heating/cooling the liquid or gel). Really, it's the heating and cooling effect on the bi-metallic sensing coil which, in turn, opens or closes a port, between the two fan chambers, therebye giving drag or slippage
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