Turbo Timer

[Roadwrangler]

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone knows if its possible to fit a turbo timer to a T180? With keyless ignition and the fact the car wont let me lock the doors with the engine running, I suspect it wont be easy, unless Toyota make one as an optional extra?

Regards Austin..

[anchorman]

No option on that one but unless you really cane it then turn the engine off you won't have any problems. Regular oil changes with good quality oil is the secret.

[Roadwrangler]

No option on that one but unless you really cane it then turn the engine off you won't have any problems. Regular oil changes with good quality oil is the secret.

I suspected as much, I tend to just let it idle for a minute when ever I pull up anyway just to be safe. Is there a particular oil you recommend, semi synth, fully synth? My car has just turned 38k miles.

Regards Austin..

[anchorman]

I use Morris's 5W/30 semi-synthetic but I recently bought some Shell 0W/40 fully synthetic from bargain buys who were flogging it for £9.99/4 litre. 3 tubs is enough for 2 oil changes. Don't know if they still have it. The one I went to was on Shaw Heath at Stockport.

[Roadwrangler]

I use Morris's 5W/30 semi-synthetic but I recently bought some Shell 0W/40 fully synthetic from bargain buys who were flogging it for £9.99/4 litre. 3 tubs is enough for 2 oil changes. Don't know if they still have it. The one I went to was on Shaw Heath at Stockport.

I've never come across Morris's Oil. I've still got about 7L of Chevron semi-synth Diesel oil that I used to use in the Pajero, though not sure what viscosity it is, will have to check the bottle. Normailly get that in 20L tubs from Costco. Are you using Diesel specific oil? I've noticed Mobil now do a diesel varient of "Mobil 1"

Regards Austin..

[anchorman]

There are diesel specific labelled oils but if the have a API "S" rating they are suitable for petrol engines. So - if the oil is rated API SL/CF the S is the petrol rating and the C is the diesel rating. The higher the second letter is (in this case L for petrol and F for diesel) the more durable the oil is. Cheap oil might be rated SD/CD and oil that has a greater number of qualities or a higher spec might have a SM/CF rating.

The Morris's online price is delivered to your door and it doesn't come in a UPS van it comes on a ruddy great Morris's Scania or similar!

http://www.morrislubricants.co.uk/scripts/prodview.asp?idcat=36&idProduct=45

You really want an oil with a low cold rating so either 5W/30 or 0W/40 or similar, the lower the better.

[Logie]

From what ive read turbo timers are not really worth the cash just warm up and cool down your engine by driving economically the last few k's of your journey does the job and from what ive heard some insurance companys wont cover you if you have one fitted due to your walking away from a running vehicle.

[Roadwrangler]

There are diesel specific labelled oils but if the have a API "S" rating they are suitable for petrol engines. So - if the oil is rated API SL/CF the S is the petrol rating and the C is the diesel rating. The higher the second letter is (in this case L for petrol and F for diesel) the more durable the oil is. Cheap oil might be rated SD/CD and oil that has a greater number of qualities or a higher spec might have a SM/CF rating.

The Morris's online price is delivered to your door and it doesn't come in a UPS van it comes on a ruddy great Morris's Scania or similar!

http://www.morrislubricants.co.uk/scripts/prodview.asp?idcat=36&idProduct=45

You really want an oil with a low cold rating so either 5W/30 or 0W/40 or similar, the lower the better.

My local car parts place are getting me a set of filters for the car, I'll have a weigh up on the different oils. The Morris's site looks interesting, amazed I've never heard of them when they have been going so long.

[Roadwrangler]

From what ive read turbo timers are not really worth the cash just warm up and cool down your engine by driving economically the last few k's of your journey does the job and from what ive heard some insurance companys wont cover you if you have one fitted due to your walking away from a running vehicle.

I see where your coming from, but having had to replace both Turbo's on my GTO (although I had a turbo timer on it, I don't know what kind of life the car had for 8 years in japan) and the amount of smokey diesels you see on the roads, I beieve they are an advantage, the 92 Pajero I just traded in to buy my Rav4 had nearly 190,000km on it, and not a drop of oil smoke, engine was sweet, to my mind, having a turbo timer on it played a big part of that.

At the end of the day, even driving economically. your turbo can still be spooling at 30,000-40,000rpm and not actually boosting, its so there is less turbo lag when you do need boost. Its only really at idle with the engine not under load that the turbine starts to slow down, if you just pull up and kill the engine, all of a sudden the turbine can be doing 40,000rpm and there is no oil getting pumped through it, what little oil is in the bearings starts getting cooked and can break down, over time deposits build up, less oil gets through the bearings and the wear starts. Admitted, the better yout oil the more protection it will give, but on any turbo charged engine, I'd always recommend letting your engine idle for at least a minute before turning it off.

From a security point of view, the engine is running on a timer counting down, it can't be altered once running, there are no keys left in the ignition, your steering lock will engage if the wheel is turned, the car doors should be locked and the immobiliser will kick in the second the einge dies. The Blitz timer I have fitted to my GTO even kills the engine if anyone tries to drive off with the timer running! The likes of Clifford alarms even have a turbo timer add on..

[anchorman]

The different oil types are shown on the pinned service data sheets. There is no need to change the gearbox oil but if you feel better for doing so you can only get it from Toyota (Kingo will fix you up). DO NOT use a multigrade oil even if it is 75W/** grade - you will not get gears in cold weather. That straight 75 grade oil is like water.

[Roadwrangler]

The different oil types are shown on the pinned service data sheets. There is no need to change the gearbox oil but if you feel better for doing so you can only get it from Toyota (Kingo will fix you up). DO NOT use a multigrade oil even if it is 75W/** grade - you will not get gears in cold weather. That straight 75 grade oil is like water.

I'll leave the gearbox oil for now, though the car is approaching 40k so perhaps look at it next year. I did notice on the Data sheets that some cars use GL5 gear oil, and some GL4 (inc mine I think) I know with the GTO, mk1's like mine use GL4, if you put GL5 in it actually destroys the gearbox, there is some additive in GL5 that eats copper, the 5 speed Getrag box that's fitted to the mk1's uses a copper alloy in the syncro's, put GL5 in and the syncro's dissolve.. Is it a similar reason for the difference with Rav's?

regards Austin..

[anchorman]

Austin

Your T180 takes GL5 (scroll down the SDS to the diesel info). It is a very special gearbox with twin countershafts and triple syncros. It is also full of special metals and plastics which is why I have always resisted this Redline MT75 that pops up now and again bristling with recommendations. One of those boxes would be very expensive and very complicated to work on so I would only get the proper stuff. Kingo sells it in one litre bottles but it ain't cheap!

[Roadwrangler]

Austin

Your T180 takes GL5 (scroll down the SDS to the diesel info). It is a very special gearbox with twin countershafts and triple syncros. It is also full of special metals and plastics which is why I have always resisted this Redline MT75 that pops up now and again bristling with recommendations. One of those boxes would be very expensive and very complicated to work on so I would only get the proper stuff. Kingo sells it in one litre bottles but it ain't cheap!

There's a blast from the past, MT75, used to have a XR4x4 Sierra with the MT75 box, think I've still got a coule of litres of Fords MT75 oil in the garage some where.. Interestingly the sierra was a 2.9EFi V6 petrol and the T180 has more horses and a faster 0-60 time.. (The sierra's 4wd system was a cracking bit of kit though) I think the Redline ois are very popular in America with some of the Jap tuners, their GL4 is recommended for my GTO.

[anchorman]

Yes the MT75 made made the transition from a rear to front wheel drive in the Mondeos. It was also the first box I came across with a synchro on reverse but our posh RAV 6 speed has one now!!!

[Roadwrangler]

Yes the MT75 made made the transition from a rear to front wheel drive in the Mondeos. It was also the first box I came across with a synchro on reverse but our posh RAV 6 speed has one now!!!

Cool! What are these things like for changing the clutch? I can hear a bit of noise from my release bearing. I was always taught never start a car with your foot on the clutch, as it pushes the crank against a partially dry crank thrust washer, it wears the washer down and increases crank end float. Perhaps using modern oils this is no longer an issue, though just wondering if the clutch release bearing suffers early wear instead now.

Regards Austin..

[anchorman]

Do you mean when your foot is off the clutch? It sounds like a bag of pots which is the twin countershaft gearbox and the dmf having a chinwag while they are doing nothing. Don't even contemplate doing the thrust bearing unless you really need to!