broken hilux(what to do?)

[750Y]

dilemma... 92 hilux d/cab ute, 2.4 diesel('2L' motor with 220+kms).
heard a dodgy tapping sound which turned to a clacking sound, which turned into a knocking sound(sounded like maybe the valve was hitting the piston on no.4). did some ringing round only to find prices for 2nd replacement engines ranging from $2250+gst(older engine like what just went) - $4000+gst(00-02 3litre engine). I could swap them over myself no problem. I havent had an expert check the engine over but it sounds ugly & i can't be stuffed tearing it down just to confirm what i already can hear.
dunno if i should get another engine or flick it & get a newer ute.
I can get another just like it for $4500ono which has 300ks & a year older but it sounds like a backward step to me. A decent replacement will cost around $12-$14k.
what to do?
any mechanics/car experts here have an opinion?
also anyone have an opinion on 4x4 diesel utes like Mazda Bounty,Nissan Navarra etc?

[XTC]

It's not that hard to pull the head and have a look. Fixing yours will be a bettter option than replacing the ute with one that's done 300kms providing the body is worth it?

[XTC]

Could always do this??
www.4wd.net.nz/suprasurf.htm

[750Y]

It's not that hard to pull the head and have a look. Fixing yours will be a bettter option than replacing the ute with one that's done 300kms providing the body is worth it?

I had heard of these engines costing $4k plus for a recon.???

[ktulu]

I have driven a 99 ford courier 2.5 turbo diesel a fair bit and its awesome, fully drives like a petrol car, plenty of go and smooth on the open road, the guy who owned it used to do a fair bit of hunting aswell and we took it out in the mud and stuff and all over paddocks and it went well, remote hub locking aswell so it was handing when you were in the shit, didn't have to get out. I understand the bountys are pretty much the same ute.

[MSTRS:Me]

The Bounty & Ford are same ute. Watch the heads after 100,000. They have a tendency to warp etc

[Motu]

First the possible good news - we had a Hi Ace with a 2L come in Xmas Eve with a bad knock,sounded just like a big end or piston...but I suspected a sticky injector.After a compression test we cracked each injector and found the noise was in No1 cyl - so swapped 1 & 2 injectors,and the noise went away! Injector reco and all is well.You could get it down to me,but my mech has called in sick and I'm stuck with my usless apprentice,I'm gonna have a shit of a day...

Is it a turbo? The 2L turbo Surf was prone to dropping exhaust seats,kinda wrecks the motor if it goes on too long.The last one we did,which goes back to about 99 - we put a 3L non turbo into (2.8 litre) The engine was fully reconed and it was a fairly simple conversion - but I still charged 24hrs labour and dropped some time on it too.Costs about the same to recon a motor as they want for a good 2nd hand job,and yeah,about 4 grand for a motor,so 5 to 6 all up,not good eh?

[750Y]

First the possible good news - we had a Hi Ace with a 2L come in Xmas Eve with a bad knock,sounded just like a big end or piston...but I suspected a sticky injector.After a compression test we cracked each injector and found the noise was in No1 cyl - so swapped 1 & 2 injectors,and the noise went away! Injector reco and all is well.You could get it down to me,but my mech has called in sick and I'm stuck with my usless apprentice,I'm gonna have a shit of a day...

Is it a turbo? The 2L turbo Surf was prone to dropping exhaust seats,kinda wrecks the motor if it goes on too long.The last one we did,which goes back to about 99 - we put a 3L non turbo into (2.8 litre) The engine was fully reconed and it was a fairly simple conversion - but I still charged 24hrs labour and dropped some time on it too.Costs about the same to recon a motor as they want for a good 2nd hand job,and yeah,about 4 grand for a motor,so 5 to 6 all up,not good eh?

Thanks for that Motu, when You say 'cracked each injector' do you mean you pulled it out? could you see the damage? did you replace them with good ones before the noise went away? do you think i could swap the suspect cylinder injector & see if the nopise moves? it is a non turbo 2.4. it will start but runs very rough & noisy..

[Motu]

Just slacken off the 17mm pipe union on top of the injector,that will cut the fuel to that cyl - doesn't prove it's the injector,just isolates the noise to that cyl.If the injector is sticking taking it out and putting it in again will often be enough to free it,just change cyls in case it doesn't - if the noise changes cyl it will be the injector,if the noise stays in the same cyl,well something more expensive is involved.Carefull of course when you pull them out,don't damage the pintle - the face of the injector should be smooth and flat with a small pintle pocking out,badly undercut nozzle means it's seen some kms and it will need new nozzles.Keep an eye on all those little washers too - a small wavy one under the nozzle,a big copper one under the gland nut.

Fingers crossed eh?!

[750Y]

mate i won't get my hopes up, but i'll reip ionto it as soon as i get home, i'd be a very happy chappy if it were the case. I really appreciate the help, now haven't you got an apprentice to go an yell at or something? 8-)

[bondagebunny]

one less cage on the road

[sAsLEX]

Could always do this??
www.4wd.net.nz/suprasurf.htm

mate is just finishing putting a soarer V8 into his 4x4 hilux, sounds pretty good, he has an old 2.4 motor he needs to sell will find out about condition price etc

[Motu]

Sure,a petrol engine makes more horsepower - up top,but if you are doing any off road or hauling you don't want HP that comes with revs...that means wheelspin.Stay with the diesel.

Did you see Clarkson try to destroy a Hi Lux on Top Gear last year? He couldn't kill it because it was a diesel - put them under salt water,set them on fire,what ever you like,you can't treat a petrol engine like that...no way if it's got a computer.

[What?]

I agree with Motu - could well be an injector. 220Km is barely run in for a 2.4 Toyota (as long as it has been serviced...)

[750Y]

well last night i cracked the injectors & tested for the knock. #4 then 3 then 2 then had trouble cracking #1. the whole injector body turned with it maybe a quarter turn & it was then that i noticed the little metal pipe which runs between injector body 1 & 2 was broken. Now i'm not sure whether i did it or it was like that but anyway now i have a compound problem, alas i'll continue... i thought ok & got a big crescent on the body and managed to crack it, so i pulled out the injector body(kinda looked like a spark plug shape). i'm not sure if i took the whole thing out as the body that came out only had a spring inside with a little nipple cap kinda thing. anyway i started the engine again to test & i think the knocking noise has gone(although it was running that rough that it was kinda hard to tell). it was puffing a smokey mist, with it out, & barely able to keep running. now i must replace the broken piping to test properly but it seems that all the injector bodies are interconnected with this piping. how do i fix this problem now?

Oh & thanks for the helpful advice bondagebunny, but i have kids to pick up after school & daycare, so i need a cage as much as i loathe them...

oh & What?, the engine has had a good service history, I am the 3rd owner & know the previous owner also...