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Nov 30, 2018 19:05:23 GMT
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Hi all
having recently sold my CLC I needed a reliable, 8 seater winter vehicle that could be a van,tow vehicle,people carrier and comfortable every day hack.
I have converted quite a few of these to campers over the years but of late they have been hard to source with most succumbing to rust, abuse and generally wearing out.
I came across this one on the bay of e, a japanese import with 90k miles on her. Shes a 2.2 turbo diesel auto,full time 4 wheel drive, with air con,hot and cold box etc.
She came with quite a few issues, some of which I have already sorted.The interior,whilst being essentially unworn was filthy with mould growing on the seats,head lining and even the
windows. The power steering went on holiday every time it rained and you went through a puddle and the front suspension knocks its tits off.
On the good side, she starts on the button,barley turning over before bursting in to life, she has never been welded and is incredibly solid underneath.
So far I have spent a full day on the interior with the wet can and most of the trim has come up really well.I have freed of the recirculation cable on the heating so she doesn't steam up constantly.
The intermittent power steering was just a very slack belt but this took some proper sorting as the adjuster pulley was completely seized. The belt is the original Toyota belt and is like new even at 24 years old!.
Next jobs are to give her a service,change the transmission oil,fit a new thermostat and check out the front suspension.
Cheers - mike
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Nov 30, 2018 19:06:17 GMT
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Hi all
spent an hour on the bus yesterday.
The catch for the window in the side was loose and letting in the wind and rain. The mount for it in the glass was loose and I couldn't get it to tighten up so I popped it out,cleaned everything up and then bonded it back in using window fitting adhesive.It s now good and solid and the window shuts properly.
Have also order a service kit for it which is due tomorrow. I checked the oil in the top up tank under the bonnet and its clean but when checking the dip stick the oil looks good and black. I'm not sure how the top up tank is supposed to keep the level correct so will have to look that up.
Have done nearly 300 miles in her in the last 10 days and she's not missed a beat. She's not the most economical bus around town but pretty good on a run.
Cheers - mike
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Hi all.
Checked the web for info on the oil tank and it's the auto top-up tank. When it's working properly there's a sensor in the sump that detects when the oil level in the engine has dropped and then a pump on the auto top-up tank brings the engine oil level back to where it should be.
There's also a warning light to tell you the tanks empty.
Very clever these Japanese
Cheers - mike
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I remember my Dad thought about buying one of these when my brother was at University. Shame he didn't - they look like really useful old buses. Your interior appears to have come up nicely.
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Very nice. Love the three spokes. What does it drive like with diesel auto?
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Hi Jim
it drives ok, not quick but a really easy drive. The auto box suits it,once its in overdrive top its doing 2500 rpm at 70 so surprisingly quiet.The ride is quite firm but no worse than my Mercedes clc.
I quite like the wheels too and they will be refurbished in a few weeks once I have it sorted mechanically.
Cheers - mike
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I drove one of these things on New Zealand this year. It had a gazillion miles on the clock but it was comfortable, fast enough and good on fuel. I did not mind that thing at all.
And they are not bad looking either. I think with cleaned up wheels and a scrub in the tub she will look great mate!
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They always seem to drive well despite huge mileage.
I think they are miles better than the newer models, more solid and much better built.
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Dec 15, 2018 15:01:09 GMT
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Hi all
I have been running around in the Lucida for a couple of weeks and she's been fine.
I'm currently running 50/50 with ktc veg oil from Asda. Apart from a slight misfire when starting from cold she's running better
than on 100% diesel.
I have started putting together bits for a major service including;
oil and filter
air filter
new thermostat
new cam belt
new sads couplings
uprated head lamp bulbs
new speakers
plus a few other odds and sods
So far parts have been cheap and easy to source.
I hope to get everything sorted prior to Thursday next week as she's taking us up to Whitby for a few days before christmas.
Cheers - mike
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79cord
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,608
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Dec 15, 2018 21:44:16 GMT
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Amazing '90's jelly bean there, glad it's looking good when most are sadly succumbing to age & driven into the ground.
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Dec 19, 2018 11:44:08 GMT
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Hi all
spent the morning working on the Lucida
Did and oil and filter change as the last one was supposed to have been done on the summer but the oil was really
black and degraded. I suspect they just topped up the under bonnet tank.
I have had a strange rattling noise when ticking over which I thought was the sads couplings but on checking I found play in the
drive shaft that goes to the front axle from the transfer box. I stripped it down and found the nut that secures the spider to the rear part of the shaft was loose. Its a staked nut but still came loose which is odd. Anyways I managed to get a good third of a turn on the nut and have re staked it. I will have to keep an eye on it over the next few months as there's slight play in the splines.
Since I have had the Lucida there has been a knocking over bumps that can be felt through the floor so I set to to try and find the cause. The bus has had new springs,shockers,bottom arms and drop links but for some reason the roll bar bushes had been left untouched.The passenger side one had a good 3-4 mm on play and the drivers even more. I had already ordered the bushes so it was just a 10 min job to change them over.I have not been for a spin in here yet but I'm hopeful that the knocking has been cured.
I had a good look over the underneath and am very happy with the overall condition. She's completely rust and rot free and apart from a minor oil leak from the filler cap shes oil tight.
Its not all good news though. Some of the hoses and clips are looking past their best so will order some up.Another issue
is that when I put her on the ramps a lot of water came out of the doors and sills. It looks as though all the drains are blocked. Not a major issue but one that needs sorting.
Next jobs on the list are swop the cam belt, thermostat and sads couplings ( when they part arrive)
Off to Whitby in her tomorrow for a few days so hope she performs ok.
Cheers - mike
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Dec 19, 2018 21:23:17 GMT
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Hi all
got another hour on the Lucida this afternoon.
I changed the fuel filter. It should have been a 10 min job but the system refused to bleed with the new filter on.The pump on the top of the filter head would not prime the system. I tried turning her over on the starter but she didn't want to start.
I ended up using my vacuum oil extractor tool to pull fuel up from the tank and prime the filter.
Whats odd is that one I had dome this the pump on the filter head decided to work normally. Maybe I didn't pump it for long enough when I first tried or possibly one of the pump valves was stuck.
Anyways I took her for a spin to pick my grandson up and she is running much better. The slight tappet noise has gone,the clunk when going into reverse has gone and the knocking suspension is much improved.
On a negative point I caught the lamp post outside the house when parking her up. Its too dark and wet to see if there's and damage or not,i'm hoping that it was just the bumper.
Cheers - mike
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Fossilfish
Part of things
Thank fossils for fuel!
Posts: 653
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So many of these have been running into the ground with zero maintenance, so it's lucky that thing has you and your care.
Keep up the good work!
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Thank fossils for fuel!
1996 Jeep XJ Sport 2.5 Manual
1975 Scimitar 3.0 V6
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79cord
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,608
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A friend recently bought a Hilux Surf with a presumably related (though no doubt revised) diesel, that had broken its timing belt.. Its valves were sturdy enough to break the camshaft in two, so definitely worth replacing.
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Dec 21, 2018 13:04:58 GMT
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Hi all
Had a bit of luck at hardwoods yesterday as they were doing veg oil at 80p a litre.
Filled her up 50/50 with diesel and ran here up to Whitby and despite some horrid weather she didnt miss a beat.
Cheers mike
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Hi all
got a big day on the bus tomorrow
she's going to have a new cam belt,new thermostat,new sads couplings,new exhaust mounts and a few other bits and pieces.
We are off to Scarborough in her on Friday for a belated new years do at the Grand so hope all goes well.
She's been doing duty as the family taxi all over christmas and she's been faultless. She's running well on 50% veg oil and returning 27mpg around town.
Once my current camper conversion is finished she will be fitted out with a rear, removable camper conversion and get used for an early spring fishing trip i'm planning.
Cheers - mike
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Hi all
got quite a bit done today
it took over 3 hours to strip everything out and remove the old cam belt.
I was lucky in that not one fastener was seized but no so lucky that lots of them are almost impossible to get
to.
The belt was not the original as it was a contitech belt but it was definitely over due for replacement as it was showing signs
of wear and tear.
The sads couplings were totally shot even though they were not making any real noise.They are a complete pain to do but really should be changed when the cam belt is replaced.
The last job for today was to swop the thermostat which thankfully went without a hitch.
I managed to get the cam belt and covers back on,clean the egr which is cable controlled from the throttle ? so tomorrow morning I have to refit the sads drive shaft,support bearing mount,under trays,engine covers and seats etc.I can really see why people shy away from
doing this job and why garages want to charge an arm and a leg.
Cheers - mike
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hi all
got the bus back together on Friday. The auxiliary drive shaft was a night mare to refit with the new couplings.
She started first turn of the key and runs smoother than before.
I literally fired her up,ran her off the ramps and then headed off to Scarborough for the weekend.
We got there and back with no issues, she now runs at 70 with no noise or vibrations and sits at halfway on the temp gauge
whatever speed your doing (she used to run cold apart from when she was pulling up hills).
The next jobs are to replace the exhaust mounting rubbers,change the automatic gearbox oil and re grease the brake pipes.It will then be time to address some of the cosmetic bits such as refurbish the wheels,clean and polish the paint work,remove the dodgy window tint and deal with the dent in the tailgate.
Cheers - mike
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