as i get rid of one problem, another rears its ugly head (possible BEB?)

[Aguirre]

so i JUST solved the problem that was causing the unwanted vibrations (x2 front uni joints), i now have another possible serious problem

i was pulling away from my house with the window down and heard a ticking noise that got faster when i revved it harder.

i stopped, got out and applied the handbrake on a level surface. got my brother to rev her while i listening for the noise. it seems (i think) to be coming from the sump area. it cannot be heard when standing over the engine with the bonnet open, only when i am underneath....

little about the cruiser:
1994 (L) 4.2td vx
240k miles
manual

pulls like a train up hills, no increased fuel consumption, no excessive colored smoke, etc

im not very mechanical minded and really cannot afford to spend hundreds on my beloved cruiser, if it is the big end bearings, how much would a garage cost roughly? excluding price of the bearings. if its too expensive im afraid she'll have to go!!!

 

[Towpack]

I changed my BEB's and also the cap bolts and AFAICR it came to around £130 for parts but this was almost 8 years ago. It took me around 6 hours start to finish but I took my time. The difficult bit was getting the sump off. An experienced mechanic with a fully equipped workshop could probably do it in less than half that.
You ideally want to find someone with Landcruiser experience and who is aware that they can be changed with the engine insitu.

 

[Aguirre]

thanks for the reply. my concern is, if i can hear that noise does that mean its too late - has the damage been done? i've been reading up about people changing the BEBs and there hasnt really been any mention of noises...

regarding a person who has experience with lcruiser, a mechanic at one of my local garages has a 80series so my first port of call tomorrow is to get on the phone to him, but i only heard the noise about 2 hours ago. im afraid to drive her now

 

[IRLGW]

I have a 93 manual. it ticks when cold but i traced this to the cold start mechanism. putting pressure on the actuator with your finger should be enough to stop it if that indeed is the case... If it is beb I guess its not possible to tell damage without removing the old ones but if nothing appears through the side of your engine it is probably still serviceable

 

[Aguirre]

I have a 93 manual. it ticks when cold but i traced this to the cold start mechanism. putting pressure on the actuator with your finger should be enough to stop it if that indeed is the case... If it is beb I guess its not possible to tell damage without removing the old ones but if nothing appears through the side of your engine it is probably still serviceable

i dont think it would be that as it makes the same noise hot or cold, im guessing the cold start mechanism noise you have stops when she's warm?

 

[karl webster]

My opinion if you hvnt done them get them done. I learnt the hard way and it cost a fortune to sort. i sell the bearins. That isnt sales ploy by any means

 

[karl webster]

If its a very faint tap you shoul be ok but i wouldnt drive it or start it until they are done, the job should be around 350 all in

 

[Aguirre]

If its a very faint tap you shoul be ok but i wouldnt drive it or start it until they are done, the job should be around 350 all in

£350.00, eh... half tempted to try it myself, lol

it seems that the noise only starts after a certain amount of revs...around 2,000 i think.

 

[TonkaTruck]

I'm just about to do my BEB's Sunday. Been draining oil, next to get sump off and leave it for a day to drip. Got a shell kit ready and new bolts just turned up from Simon at Aylesbury Toyota. I've also fitted a full ironman sus kit too so at the moment my front axle is in lowrider mode which will give loads of space under the sump. Apparently the bolt torque is 37NM + 90deg . I've also got a hedge cutter face visor thing, hoping it'll keep the oil of my face and glasses....

 

[TonkaTruck]

£55 + vat and delivery for the bolts. Not sure what the shells cost as came with other stuff. I reckon the whole kit of parts came to £100 or less. Was quoted locally £400 +vat for supply and fit so I'll put the £300 difference in my pocket thanks.

 

[karl webster]

I would defo do them yourself. Just with you asking how much a garage would charge and by the sound of it you didnt fancy it.

 

[nathanrobo]

I'd not do another mile before stripping it out! I've also learnt the hard way in the past - thankfully not on the cruiser, but why risk making it any worst?

 

[Roger Fairclough]

Two things you can do to verify.

1) Loose bigends quieten under power (relatively) and rattle on slow down from blipping the throttle.

2) Oil pressure check. The bigger the bearing gap, the lower the pressure.

Roger

 

[karl webster]

Roger is right. But I had a mate that wouldnt listen regarding his bearings. His engine developed a tap. I told Hom again to get them done. He spoke to a garage that checked his truck and told him it was ok and that the person that had I formed him to get the bearings done was full of sxxt! A week after that the lad rang me and his bearings had failed and chucked a rod through the block. I brought the truck back off the guy. Bearings are a must if you havnt done them on the 12 v

 

[Towpack]

The jury's out on wether the BEB's always cause ticking or not when they're shot. There's been many cases of them letting go and wrecking an engine without any noise or other symptoms. The one thing everyone agrees on is you MUST get them done. The main bearings are first in line for the oil feed from the pump and are the main factor determining oil pressure. The BEB's will have relatively little effect. JMO

 

[joinerman]

What grade oil are you using, i ask this because if i use 10/15 mine ticks, when i use 10/40 no ticking & before anyone pipes up i know the latter is the PROPER grade, i did my beb's when i first got mine it was on 100k then, 150k on her now, i only did mine on advice from others & glad i did two of the shells were badly delaminated but i had no indication anything was amiss, still had good oil pressure but as topwpack says oil pressure comes from the mains. my advice is DO THEM, £150 ish is much cheaper than a new lump.

 

[frank rabbets]

Oilp ressure is equal throughout the whole system. If you were to drill a large enough hole anywhere in the system the oil pressure would drop. So the fact the mains feed the big ends I think is of little matter. Any bearing within the pressure system with equal wear will have the same effect on oil pressure. Having said that I have had worn mains and big ends on some engines and the oil pressure has been OK. This is because the oil relief valve will take up the slack by closing a bit. The oil pressure gauge cannot therefore be used for diagnosis especially on a well made engine with heaps of grunt in the oil pump.

Ticking noise from the sump area especialyy off throttle/load means don't even start the engine...........very sorry.

HAS ANYONE HAD BEB FAILURE ON A 24 VALVE ?

Frank

 

[karl webster]

I have a 03 100 series 24 valve ATM frank that hs thrown now 6 conrod through the block. I havnt opened it up yet to have a look around.

 

[Roger Fairclough]

Based on what I have read on past and present strings, the BEB's will delaminate, without loss of oil pressure or noise to advise the driver of probable serious further damage. Once the clearances have opened up to allow BEB knock, damage to the crank would appear to be imminent, with catastrophic damage just after.

Answer, change the shells, NOW.

Roger

 

[frank rabbets]

Hi Karl

Hi Karl,

Bloody hell mate!! I've got one of those !!


Lets hope it was a one off faulty rod or something..........not a trend.

I stayed on a farm in Devon a few years back and the farmer had 2 LC's with written off engines due to BEB failure. He was kicking himself as he had a slight ticking noise and left it idling.........then BANG.

Frank