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Hi everyone, I think I posted about this earlier, but I am in the process of possibly buying a 1986 Toyota Hilux Turbo, 4x4. It runs on gas and has 178,000 freeway miles. I went to go look at it, test drive it and take some pictures and have found a couple questions along the way. In one of the pictures you can see a hole that I found underneath the tranny. It looks like it has been open for sometime because the oil drippage looks to be in a solid form at this point. Besides that, I found no major rust issues, only small amounts of surface rust on corners and on the roof. The interior has the common rip in the seat and the dashboard is all cracked. The owner said the front windshield leaks a bit too. First off, what do you guys think the deal is with the hole in the bottom of the tranny? Do you think that is some type of cap that is missing? And if so, depending on how long that has been missing do you think that could have messed anything up over the years? And then second, what do you think this truck is worth/what should I be paying for it? The truck also comes with a camper shell, but does not look like in the best condition. Let me know what you think, thanks!
I have no idea what a hilux is worth, but that's a cool truck.
As for the hole in the bell housing, people sometimes cut one in automatics so it's easier to get to the torque converter bolts. Not sure why a manual trans would have the cutout, but it's not really going to hurt anything. Just get a little dirtier in there, but the throwout bearing should be sealed so no harm done.
I have no idea what a hilux is worth, but that's a cool truck.
As for the hole in the bell housing, people sometimes cut one in automatics so it's easier to get to the torque converter bolts. Not sure why a manual trans would have the cutout, but it's not really going to hurt anything. Just get a little dirtier in there, but the throwout bearing should be sealed so no harm done.
But shouldn't the manual transmission have oil in it? That's why I would have thought that a cap is missing...
But shouldn't the manual transmission have oil in it? That's why I would have thought that a cap is missing...
Yes, but, having said that, that hole is in the bell housing, forward of the part of the transmission that has oil in it.
Here's a picture to help a little. You can see that the bell housing is forward of the sealed up portion of the trans, which does have oil in it. At least it's supposed to
To see, there's a bolt, about 22 or 24mm, where the horizontal arrow is pointing. The trans oil should be up to the bottom of the hole, maybe a little over, so that it leaks out a bit when you remove the bolt. That's the filler hole, BTW.
Never remove the drain bolt, right about where the vertical arrow is, centered on the underside of the tranny, until you know you can remove and re-install the filler bolt. It would be bad to drain all the oil out and not be able to refill it!
Anywho, in the exploded view above, you can see that the bell housing is not filled with anything other than the clutch, and it's associated devices, not to mention some air. It's there to adapt the transmission to the engine, and protect the clutch from all the icky-ness you get off the road, or trail, wherever you drive.
The rest looks pretty good, except the wire going from the battery positive to the fuse block. It's supposed to be a "fusible link", a wire with extra thick insulation, and designed to burn open, like a fuse does, if there's much more current than it's designed to take running through it. It protects the fuses in the fuse block, and the rest of the electrical system. If it's just a regular piece of wire, that protection is lost. Something to check on. Fusible links are available all over the net.
Beware of the leak in the windshield! That trim is a trap for water, and causes the body metal under it to rust. Also, if it leaks into the cab, it can get either into the ECU, or the fuse block, depending on which side it leaks on. Either way, not good.
That dash cap that's all cracked is going to need replacing. I think they go for about $300.00, but I may well be wrong on that. Pretty easy to replace, really, from what I've seen.
The radiator looks like it may be needing a replacement soon. Some corrosion on it. Check the coolant in it, and look to see if the down-tubes are clogged with corrosion, too.
The rusty area on the roof will spread fast, definitely deal with that.
Yes, but, having said that, that hole is in the bell housing, forward of the part of the transmission that has oil in it.
Here's a picture to help a little. You can see that the bell housing is forward of the sealed up portion of the trans, which does have oil in it. At least it's supposed to
To see, there's a bolt, about 22 or 24mm, where the horizontal arrow is pointing. The trans oil should be up to the bottom of the hole, maybe a little over, so that it leaks out a bit when you remove the bolt. That's the filler hole, BTW.
Never remove the drain bolt, right about where the vertical arrow is, centered on the underside of the tranny, until you know you can remove and re-install the filler bolt. It would be bad to drain all the oil out and not be able to refill it!
Anywho, in the exploded view above, you can see that the bell housing is not filled with anything other than the clutch, and it's associated devices, not to mention some air. It's there to adapt the transmission to the engine, and protect the clutch from all the icky-ness you get off the road, or trail, wherever you drive.
The rest looks pretty good, except the wire going from the battery positive to the fuse block. It's supposed to be a "fusible link", a wire with extra thick insulation, and designed to burn open, like a fuse does, if there's much more current than it's designed to take running through it. It protects the fuses in the fuse block, and the rest of the electrical system. If it's just a regular piece of wire, that protection is lost. Something to check on. Fusible links are available all over the net.
Beware of the leak in the windshield! That trim is a trap for water, and causes the body metal under it to rust. Also, if it leaks into the cab, it can get either into the ECU, or the fuse block, depending on which side it leaks on. Either way, not good.
That dash cap that's all cracked is going to need replacing. I think they go for about $300.00, but I may well be wrong on that. Pretty easy to replace, really, from what I've seen.
The radiator looks like it may be needing a replacement soon. Some corrosion on it. Check the coolant in it, and look to see if the down-tubes are clogged with corrosion, too.
The rusty area on the roof will spread fast, definitely deal with that.
Other than that, I wish you all the best
Pat☺
Thank you for the clarification on the bell housing, that makes sense to me now. I agree with the replacement of the radiator at some point and the wiring. Why does the dash need to be replaced? Do you think moisture can get in the vehicle from that? Also for the windshield, how do I know if there is rust inside where the water potentially sits without removing the window? I know that these trucks are usually worth what a buying is willing to pay for them, but in the case of me not trying to flip this truck. But wanting to have flexibility if I sell it later down the road, what do you think is a fair price?
The hole and plug is only found on 22R-E Turbo Trucks and 4Runners. The oil you see around the hole might be from a leaky rear main engine seal or a leaky transmission input shaft seal.
The chrome trim strips around the windshield pop off and back on pretty easily. Pull the corners, mainly, and look for rust in the metal the wind shield rides in.
You can also try having owner spray the wind shield with a garden hose, back and forth across the upper side of it, and look inside the two kick panels in the cab for water intrusion. The one on the passenger side has the ECU and the COR, the driver's side has the fuse block and relay panel.
It has a ground on the driver's side, above the fuses, big bolt with 4 wires attached to it. They tend to come loose over the years. The crimp onto their ring terminal, not the bolt, although if you get water intrusion in there, the bolt will corrode rapidly. Bad ground points can cause all kinds of weird problems, believe me!
Personally, I would go about $3500.00, but that's me. YMMV!
Pat☺
Where abouts are you located? That kinda dictates price unfortunately. Out here in the Carolinas it would probably be worth 5-7 grandish and that's purely because of the turbo and complete interior.
I have an 86 Turbo 4Runner, and it has the same metal trim around the windshield(I think it was a "feature" on the turbos). It also leaks. My understanding is that leaks around the windshield on vehicles with the metal trim is common. I've heard that some owners remove the windshield and trim, and replace the window gasket with the stock(non-metal trim)one.
If you buy the truck, you might want to consider removing the windshield, repairing any rust damage underneath, and replacing the gasket.
Cool truck! Good luck with the purchase!
I have an 86 Turbo 4Runner, and it has the same metal trim around the windshield(I think it was a "feature" on the turbos). It also leaks. My understanding is that leaks around the windshield on vehicles with the metal trim is common. I've heard that some owners remove the windshield and trim, and replace the window gasket with the stock(non-metal trim)one.
If you buy the truck, you might want to consider removing the windshield, repairing any rust damage underneath, and replacing the gasket.
not a feature at all. it was the only thing available for the trucks of that era, with or without the turbo. some came from the factory with the stainless painted black, but the trim was still there. there is no "stock" non-metal trim for the windshield.
to the OP - if the truck isn't running, it's merely parts. you'd have to decide how much you want to pay for parts, and then take on the added task of making it run again. i wouldn't give $2000 for it, but i am sure that a lot of people would give more. ymmv.
08-28-2021, 01:32 PM
