Buying A Hilux Surf Ssrx Any Info

[hilux ssrx red]

hi all im new to buying surf its a 92 j plated ssrx any info on them i.e. bad point's to look for is great its the 2.4d auto box version 5door thanks in advance

[GT4 BOOSTER]

they are prone to cylinder heads cracking - any info from previous owners ??

also watch for autobox fluid boiling whilst towing.

[hilux ssrx red]

thanks for that any other known fault's i shud look for when i collect it... i am only picking it up next week..!!! also what causes the fluid to boil up on towing.. the motor has done 120.000mls apparently and had new tb belt and recent service but this could just be a selling tack..hmmmm

[GT4 BOOSTER]

its basically due to high revs mainly when towing up hills , for long periods. All autos can suffer from it. My wifes auto rav4 has a warning light on the dash .

i own the 3.0 td . a much better vehicle compared with the 2.4 in my opinion , few head failures , cam belt is easy to change ( 20 min job ) alot more powerfull 136 bhp compared to the 2.4's 97 bhp. Jap insurance isnt all that bad either £ 338 for me fully comp.

for a j plate with 120,000 mls i be looking to pay 800 to 1000 quid tops. This time of year.

ps dont be driving it around corners and roundabouts in 4wd you will cause wind up and damage the transmission. the earlier surf had no centre diff , its ok in the wet and off road on loose stuff though.Check the rear window goes up and down too , on both switch and key. should take about 7 to 10 seconds to close fully if not quicker

[hilux ssrx red]

thank's for the info again...!! i have read somewhere about the 4x4 cornering and driving normally try to avoid it amap cheers also what is the taxation class on these hilux...do they fall in the high tax bracket

[GT4 BOOSTER]

no , they are the same price as any 2 litre motor , due to the age of them .

[hilux ssrx red]

yes i found out last night..lol on dvla website

anyhow thank's for the help so far im sure i will be asking a lot more question's when i pick her up next monday..haha

however the previous owner's have said its a well looked after motor serviced regular and the tb shud have 40,000 left in it now and tyres are all vertually new...and there is a few blemishes due to daily use but no rot etc and they say everything does work ok and they have the immobiliser certificate for insurance... i did ask them about any overheating and they say no..!! no overheating at all hopefully they are right lol

i actually paid 1300 for it prob just a bit over the odd's but if it is really a sound motor i dont mind...i suppose..!!

the dvla website says date of first registration being 2004 is this the date it was imported / registererd

thanks m8

[GT4 BOOSTER]

TO SAVE ON FUEL ADD VEG OIL TO THE DERV a mix of 70/30 at first then 60/40 when ur happy . the surf loves the veg oil , runs all day long on the stuff.

[hilux ssrx red]

lol ok i will give that go...!!!

also the previous owners have mentioned the trip runs in kms can this be changed to mls aparently it has had a new speedo face to convert to mph..??

[GT4 BOOSTER]

yes you can buy a converter to make it read miles.

[Demondodger]

The 2004 registration date is the date it was first registered in the UK,Probably shortly after it was imported, As it's on a 'J' plate it was built in '92/'93 and registered in Japan

Cheers

Paul

[GT4 BOOSTER]

erm editing an edit had me lost then, yes 2004 as pointed out is when it left the boat to uk shores.

[hilux ssrx red]

ok chap's thank's for the info so far.... just one more i have seen some of the surf's with the spare wheel mounted on the back door can a surf without be modded to have it there...??? cheer s

[hilux ssrx red]

as previously mentioned the surf will run ok on fuel mix.... will it run fine on bio diesel from a garage pump ok..???

[GT4 BOOSTER]

yes of course it will - i put 25 litres of veg oil in yesterday topped up with derv and the needle is bouncing on the f for full. Excellent savings can be gained , you need to keep an eye on the fuel filter , crud in the tank can bond to the veg oil and make its way into the filter , 1000 miles or so check it for build up of crap - change if need be - milners do a full surf filter kit for about 10 quid for all 3 filters.

how much is the bio stuff at the pumps??? i pay 50p a litre for the veg oil .