Maggiolina Airtop

For more then 2 years we have planned to sell our old but reliable ARB Simpson Roof tent and buy a new Maggiolina Airtop Roof Top Tent. We believe the Airtop fits our travel’s around Europe much better. We had great times with the Simpson roof tent. Of course the Airtop can be opened within 20 seconds and packed away within a minute. Which is very  good. To open an close the Simpson it took me at least 15-20 minutes and was no fun to do it in the rain. Of course the Simpson could folded in half and this has give me some space on the roof rack for gear which I rather not have in the Car. This of course is now gone as the new tent use the whole length of the roof rack.

I had to re-arrange  the layout in the Land cruiser to fit all the gear in. The good side on it is, some of the equipment which I have carried around for years and of course never have used has been thrown out and flung in to one of the dark corners in my Garage and probably never see the daylight again.

The tent fit perfectly on to my old roof rack. I’m still be able to slide the table under the rack.

There is plenty space in the tent. Although the height is restricted compares to the Simpson roof tent.

Replace Air-con Condenser on Landcruiser

The Condenser on my Land cruiser has seen better days and  I decided to change it out before the unit fails completely. Aftermarket condensers are very cheap and plenty full to choose from. I had no intention to purchase an original condenser from Toyota as they extortionately expensive.

First step was to remove the ARB Bullbar, Spotlights for better access.

Next step was to remove the oil cooler for the automatic gearbox and the inter-cooler including pipe work. This has also give me the opportunity to maintain the T-max winch, as it was a bit in a bad state but still working.

The condition of the oil cooler is not that bad. I believe I can get a view more years out of it.

A bit of paint and the cooler looks much nicer.

The same with the inter-cooler. A black spray can and everything look much neater.

This was the state of the old condenser, still in working  order but no idea for how  much longer.

This is the new condenser, no doubt Chinese manufactured, but good enough for me. For the cost of an genuine Toyota, I can buy four of this type. The condenser comes with air dryer already attached.

Connecting was strait forward, as the aftermarket unit fitted very well. Just a bolt on job.

 

Installing the oil cooler and inter cooler was easy.

After recharging,  the air-con system was good as new. I can be sure the system don’t let me down on hot days.

Front Axle Assembly Replacement

The other day while I was checking the LC over I have noticed the inner boot has split open on the right hand site. How long this has been I can not say. I did not noticed anything while driving or any noise coming from it. As the LC has now close to the 150 000 mile my best option is now to change a view more parts which will fail soon ore later.

First step was to remove the steering knuckle with axle hub to access to the drive shaft. Unfortunately I could not get the ABS sensor removed. On the end the cable snapped off behind the sensor. Another expense to add on.

The removal of the drive shaft was very simple. I had just to pull it out. I fitted a new differential oil seal, as it would be false economy to save a view pennies and ending up with a leak after assembling.

The removal and fitting of the inner and outer bearings and races was very easy work with the 20 tonnes hydraulic press.

I installed new upright needle bearing, bronze bush and and inner knuckle seal.

New axle shaft assembly installed.

Original Toyota brake backing plate. The old plate was in a bad state.

 

Axle hub assembly ready to go back on

New brake disc and pads installed. New hub side snap ring installed. Toyota has different sizes between 1.8mm and 2.8 mm. In my case the one I had fitted perfectly.

 

Installing Automatic Transmission Filter

Another job which I had planned for some time is the automatic gearbox filter change. It is a fairly easy  to do but can be a bit messy. Cleanness is very important and definitely not recommended on a wet and windy day while doing the job on the drive way as it is by me.  Luckily the LC 100  still has a drain plug which makes it easier.

First job was to drain the transmission oil.  I’m not a believer of leaving this over night as some folk suggest. A couple of hours should do to get most out of it. Before removing the transmission pan it is advisably to use a big tray as after removing the sump, oil will still leaking from the gear box.

When I have removed the pan I have been surprised how clean it was. I thought it will be full of sludge and the magnets covered with metal . The removing of the old gasket material was a pain and has taken a lot of time.

Only a little bit of metal shavings on the magnets, nothing to worry about.

After I have cleaned the old casket from the transmission,  I have fitted the new filter which is connected with 4 bolts.

I have used liquid transmission gasket which is apparently good for 750 Fahrenheit. Probably an overkill. Torqued all the bolt to spec, filled up with new oil and gave the car a good run before checking for any leaks. No problems, everything fine.

Timing Valve assembly installation completed – Land Cruiser Amazon 100, J10

I received the timing valve in the post and of course I head outside to install it to the injection pump.  I could complete the build up in a fraction of the time which took me to dismantle everything. I got a bit worried when I could not start the engine strait away. In fact it took me about 20 minutes to start the motor. The injection pump and pipes have been empty and it took some time to get everything running. I have used the little hand pump on the filter to push the fuel in to the injection pump,  but I’m not sure if this has made a difference.

I took the Land cruiser for a test run and after the engine warm up, it run perfectly. All what I have to do now is to put the bracket clamps on to the fuel line and the 2 covers for the injection pump.

If anyone ever experience the same problem on the Land Cruiser 100 with the HD-FTE engine and the injection pump 22100-1C170 the suction valve or the proper name Valve Assy, Timing  number is 09630-0580 from Denso. This valve can not be ordered via Toyota or Denso. It has to be 3rd party supplier and  I could not get it from Partsouq or Amayama in the UAE.

Can someone spot the mistake what I have made with the assembly?

 

 

Checking Valve Clearance on HD-FTE and other small tasks

As I’m still waiting for the new Timing Control Valve, which will be delivered soon, I got time left to do other tasks which I have pushed out far to long. One of those is to check and adjust the valves on the engine. The cylinder head cover No.1 and No. 2 are off and the access is very good.

On the outside of the intake manifold I have noticed a carbon deposits  build up and as it is everything stripped down I changed the gaskets and also cleaned everything up, so good as it gets. I did not bother clean the inlet ports on the head as I don’t want anything going down to the valve seats. On the end I would have to take the cylinder head of to cleaned out. No way.

Timing Control Valve – Land Cruiser 100

As I have mentioned on my previous post I noticed a small leak on the injection pump. Not a lot, but enough so I have to fix the problem.  I checked the pump and noticed the plug for the Timing Control Valve was soaked  in fuel and when the engine is running a trop of fuel came out every 10 seconds or so.

As it is always, the access to the valve is very bad  as it is located on the bottom of the pump. The only way to remove the valve is to dismantle the injector lines, brackets and pump stay.

It took me a long time to remove everything. Some people say it can be done without removing the injector lines but I could not get on to the rear bolts of the pump stay while the lines are in place.

This is the timing control valve or suction control valve which is a DENSO part. The problem is, the fuel is leaking  through the plastic connector which cannot be repaired. Unfortunately Toyota will or can not sell this part. They would rather sell me a new injection pump for an astronomical prize. I could source this valve from a specialist company but it will take some time to get it.

Oil Level Sensor – Land Cruiser 100

The other day I have noticed a slight oil leak on the Oil sump on my Land Cruiser Amazon.  The sump was covered with lub oil and it took me not very long to discover it came from the oil level sensor which is located  on the left side of the oil pan. I checked with Toyota and a replacement o-ring is available for the sensor. The sensor is connected with 4 bolts on to a flange which is glued to the oil sump. My concern was,  the leak is not from the o-ring on the sensor but on the flange connected to thee oil pan. As the lub oil needed changing anyway I dumped all the oil out and then it was very easy to remove the 4 bolts. The sensor is very easy to remove and I noticed the o-ring was in a bad state.

With the replacement O-ring came a description how to change it. I’m pleased I have read it as I found out the old o-ring is connected to a smaller o-ring on the sensor. The connection need cut off without disturbing the inner ring. Very easy to do and takes only a view minutes.

Before fitting I have given everything a good clean and also smeared a bit flange sealant on. Just in case. Added lub oil and give the Car a good run. Everything is fine so far.

As I have check it again  I noticed another leak. It looks like this time from the Injector pump but I have to do this on a another day.

 

Replace wiper assembly

Over time, I noticed the the windscreen wipers were starting to become out of alignment; obviously this is through the age of the car (and possibly the British weather!)

Luckily I was able to purchase the whole assembly for a decent price, and it was not very difficult to remove the old one.

Whilst the assembly was removed, this gave me a good opportunity to thoroughly clean it out.

Only four bolts was needed to remove the wiper motor, and to connect it to the new assembly was no problem.

NOKIAN HAKKAPELIITTA LT2

Since I have had the Land cruiser 100, I’ve never bothered about Winter tyres. I live in a country where it is debatable to buy some, as wintery conditions are seldom therefore making it difficult to justify the purchase. The LC is not my main transport and on bad weather it can stay on the drive.

All the previous years when I travelled to the Alps in the winter, I was more than happy with the BFGoodrich in the snow. It seems, there is now not the amount of snow on the roads as many years ago and for 2 weeks it is just not worth.

I am planning to drive to the Alps at the end of the month; I will be travelling through mountain passes where winter tyres (and snow chains) will be needed.

I have purchased a set of Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT2 on original Toyota steel rims which  makes my life much easier when I change them over.

It will be interesting to see how the winter tyres compare to the BFGoodrich that I used previously.

I have raised the pressures in the tyres from 35 to 42 psi. Lets see if it makes a difference on the road handling

I like the way how Nokian put the safety indicators on the centre surface of the tyre. The numbers wear out as the tire wears down. Less the 40% the tyre should not be worn in wintery conditions.