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Lessons learned when a turbo fails.. D4D

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Hi all,

Wanted to start by saying what a cracking community of like minded Cruiser-heads this is, generous with their time and insights. It's been an invaluable resource with the turbo problem that's left my D4D going nowhere, and i wanted to share my experience/learnings in case another novice like me encounters similar!

I love my D4D - I'm a photographer/film-maker specialising in outdoor adventure. It's invaluable for hauling kit, bikes & models to remote locations around the UK & EU, not to mention sleeping comfortably in when getting up at 3am to climb a mountain as well as like driving an arm chair on long motorway journeys. What a vehicle.

My turbo has been diagnosed (through fault codes and initial inspection) as faulty, suspected actuator arm problem. Vehicle gradually started losing pulling power, flat lining at approx 2500rpm and surging. I had encountered this 22 months previously, had a new pair of SCV fitted which instantly sorted issue, however it resurfaced last month and now things are pointing toward replacing turbo.

I have discovered that the world of remanufactured/refurbished/replacement Turbo's is a dark place; mutterings of 'cheap chocolate chinese' turbos bought from e-bay, shoddy rebuilds with shoddy parts and in my own instance, a diesel specialist here in Dorset who is now refusing to remove the turbo for further inspection unless I agree to only purchasing a genuine Toyota turbo and parts (at approx £3000 ex vat.) for him to fit. Tales of people supplying crappy turbos that come back to bite him on the a$$ have been told often.

I have spent too many hours researching the dark art of turbo remanufacturing, speaking with about 5 different firms in the UK. Some are ISO 9000 accredited with 40+ years doing only turbos, others working only with garrett turbos. It transpires the turbo on this particular D4D had some known 'issues' (I love learning about these various issues years down the line of owning!), spare parts for it are scarse, cheap replacements readily-available.

My current debate is;
- with a vehicle (much loved as it is) worth < £6k, spending over half of that on a turbo seems ludicrous
- some/many mechanics will only fit parts they source or vouch for. I get this - no-one wants their name put to shoddy work and the problems that must cause. Some will fit anything you give them, but don't come back crying when sh!t goes wrong. How do you find a 4x4/diesel experienced mechanic, fond of Land Cruisers, who is happy to fit a refurbished turbo from a reputable firm?!

I'll just add that my level of mechanical skills doesn't extend anywhere close to replacing parts like this, so I'm dependent on reputable, trustworthy and knowledgable mechanics. SVS in Wimborne has been recommended on this forum so I'm hoping to have her taken to them this week to get things going. I don't want to fit cheap parts - it doesn't seem to make sense with such a well built vehicle but I don't blame those who are able to save money by fitting themselves.

Any advice from those who've replaced, refurbished or run a million miles from a turbo problem much appreciated.

Cheers,

James

'02 D4D 3.0
KDJ120
150k
 
It is definitely a head scratcher when trying to replace a Turbo for the LC5 120, Because the Turbo on an LC5 is very different to a LC4 or LC3.. even differences from an early to a late LC5... The problem i had was companies selling Turbos For 120 D4D But not checking weather it was for a LC5/4/or 3.. Then there are the different connector variations, Is it In line 6 pin connector Or is it 6 pin 3 up 3 down Or 4 up 2 down There are so many Variations, My Fault was an Open/Close Circuit on the Turbo Actuator Which would Cause loss of Power and Limp Mode. Some companies were trying to sell Actuators or control arms separately... This is not possible on an early LC5 Before August 2004. (It was a complete unit). Later models of the LC5 were fitted with a different upgraded Turbo.. After a long long Search the only place i found who would do an exchange unit were Toyota them selves At £3,000 A pop.. My problem turned out to be the inline 6 pin Plug that connects to the front top of the Turbo was faulty.. You can see it clearly if you remove the drivers side front wheel and the rubber splash Guard...( Or just remove the air filter Housing ) .... It took 20mins and a Blob of super Glue... Job done!.. Hope you have the Same Luck......Dont be tempted to buy an after market Turbo it probably wont work,..I even matched up part Nos, That turned out to be different.. The turbo on a LC5 made before Aug 2004 were over complicated Thats why they changed them...... I really hope you prove me wrong and can Find one Good luck..
 
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Just one more thing... And i mean No Disrespect.. Are you sure its an LC5. I didnt think the LC5 was out in 2002, I thought it came out Later, But I could easily be wrong.... Sorry if i am
 
Fitting a turbo is actually very straight forward because the only way it will fit is correctly to do it any other way would be like trying to put your foot in a toddlers shoe .

Different turbo but i gambled on these guys after searching for hours and failing to find a single bad review , (they supply a vast number of parts for a vast number of vehicles) and believe me its been tested towing a heavy trailer all the way to Romania and back averaging maybe 80mph with no complaints from me .

https://www.maxpeedingrods.co.uk/turbocharger/toyota-turbocharger.html
 
Hello and welcome. Sorry to hear of your problems. It might not be of much help in your case, but from memory, Higgy (@Higgy) had actuator problems that were down to a faulty connector. Might be worth a search.
I've no experience of them as a company or regarding quality, but pattern actuators are available here:
https://www.turbocharger.uk.com/product_p/actuator_land_cruiser_turbo.htm
I think you told me about these folk Flint when i was having trouble with my Turbo... But 'alas' that actuator is not Compatible with a 2004 lc5.. To be fair Non are, I contacted loads of suppliers who said it would fit, but it doesn't.. Because the turbo on a 120 lc5 pre August 2004 was like no other Turbo that Toyota ever made. Thats why that Turbo was only around for a short Time Before Toyota Changed it. (Its a completely sealed one piece unit with No interchangeable Parts) To try and fit any other Turbo than an original would open up a mine field of electronic Doom!... The electronics in the Turbo control pitch/ Blade speed and the open and closing of the variable vein Wizardry!... Some Turbos that i looked at, at suppliers had completely different Connections... Im not saying these were inferior Turbos, They were just Not compatible with the 2004 (pre Aug) 120 LC5... NON are......Sorry Shayne Maxpeedingrods.co.uk Do not sell a Turbo for a 2004 120 LC5....I did try them when i was looking
 
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It is definitely a head scratcher when trying to replace a Turbo for the LC5 120, Because the Turbo on an LC5 is very different to a LC4 or LC3.. even differences from an early to a late LC5... The problem i had was companies selling Turbos For 120 D4D But not checking weather it was for a LC5/4/or 3.. Then there are the different connector variations, Is it In line 6 pin connector Or is it 6 pin 3 up 3 down Or 4 up 2 down There are so many Variations, My Fault was an Open/Close Circuit on the Turbo Actuator Which would Cause loss of Power and Limp Mode. Some companies were trying to sell Actuators or control arms separately... This is not possible on an early LC5 Before August 2004. (It was a complete unit). Later models of the LC5 were fitted with a different upgraded Turbo.. After a long long Search the only place i found who would do an exchange unit were Toyota them selves At £3,000 A pop.. My problem turned out to be the inline 6 pin Plug that connects to the front top of the Turbo was faulty.. You can see it clearly if you remove the drivers side front wheel and the rubber splash Guard...( Or just remove the air filter Housing ) .... It took 20mins and a Blob of super Glue... Job done!.. Hope you have the Same Luck......Dont be tempted to buy an after market Turbo it probably wont work,..I even matched up part Nos, That turned out to be different.. The turbo on a LC5 made before Aug 2004 were over complicated Thats why they changed them...... I really hope you prove me wrong and can Find one Good luck..
Wow. This is exactly why this forum is incredible - thanks Higgy. To confirm, my V5C states it's an LC5 D4D KDJ120(K) variant. It's absolutely typical that I've gone and bought a one-off model, with an almost irreplaceable part it seems! Completely sealed unit - that's bizarre but i look forward to seeing what comes off this week. Yep - £3000 sounds right from Toyota for replacement new part. Love the fact that super glue saved your bacon - I sincerely hope that's the case for me but I very much doubt it, knowing my fortune with vehicles!

Again - thanks.
 
Wow. This is exactly why this forum is incredible - thanks Higgy. To confirm, my V5C states it's an LC5 D4D KDJ120(K) variant. It's absolutely typical that I've gone and bought a one-off model, with an almost irreplaceable part it seems! Completely sealed unit - that's bizarre but i look forward to seeing what comes off this week. Yep - £3000 sounds right from Toyota for replacement new part. Love the fact that super glue saved your bacon - I sincerely hope that's the case for me but I very much doubt it, knowing my fortune with vehicles!

Again - thanks.
Good luck with it.. The reason i asked is because i dont think the LC5 came out till early 2003.. (Does it have air suspension)... I doubt if the Turbo will have a mechanical failure its probably electronics, If its not at the garage yet pull the plug off the turbo and inspect the male pins in the plug, They were prone for corroding. That was my issue, one of the pins had broken off and was stuck inside the female connector. give it a good clean up and some wd40.... If its at the garage ask them to inspect the plug before they do anything else it could save them a load of Ball Ache and you about 3Grand... Get them to try it after.. Dont always assume the plug is ok just because it looks ok..... Always assume After 2001 Toyota electrics were no better than Italian Electrics:lol:
 
Ah! Unnecessary electronics.
We love them don't we.. :?

I agree... so why would a turbo that gets hot have electronic's going to it anyway? When you know that a turbo has a vacume actuator and a rod... that we all know works very well! Many of the newer variable vane turbo's have the vacume actuator too!

Older vehicles are so much easier to maintain for yourself... and thats the motor to stick with. :thumbup:
 
If the Manufacturers made the engine Properly in the first place, Why should it need a Turbo, Lack of Power should have been on their Minds when they were building the Damn Thing..:lol:....
 
Turbo's i believe became mainstream to improve fuel efficiency rather than to increase power .
 
Good luck with it.. The reason i asked is because i dont think the LC5 came out till early 2003.. (Does it have air suspension)... I doubt if the Turbo will have a mechanical failure its probably electronics, If its not at the garage yet pull the plug off the turbo and inspect the male pins in the plug, They were prone for corroding. That was my issue, one of the pins had broken off and was stuck inside the female connector. give it a good clean up and some wd40.... If its at the garage ask them to inspect the plug before they do anything else it could save them a load of Ball Ache and you about 3Grand... Get them to try it after.. Dont always assume the plug is ok just because it looks ok..... Always assume After 2001 Toyota electrics were no better than Italian Electrics:lol:
Italian electrics... classic. Praying it's electrics - will report back. Problem is it seems 90% of diesel mechanics don't have the insights or knowledge base you guys clearly do, so spend days (and ££) either throwing up wild suggestions or just replacing something out of hope!
 
How many miles? I would say in the first and cheapest instance remove and clean the actuator ring and vanes with carb cleaner. If the action isn't silky smooth then replace the ring as actuating on heavy soot will wear the groov. It won't be money wasted and not expensive parts. Step 2 would be to consider a warranted genuine used part but you have no way of knowi g if the internals are genuine or not. Throw £100 and replace the core if it looks damaged on removal. Again you are adding a cheap part which won't go out. I fitted one to s previa 2 years ago and working OK. If you identify the pins then you can add a permenant supply to hold the vanes open for test purposess. Iirc the vanes are closed at low rpm to increase spool up speed. If they are too closed the engine will not idle properly but not sure how this is calibrated on the electric actuator. Ideally get yourself a copy of techstream and monitor the actuator position along with boost. Us you can open/close it manually to test functionality. Def not worth 3k of parts imo..
 
Italian electrics... classic. Praying it's electrics - will report back. Problem is it seems 90% of diesel mechanics don't have the insights or knowledge base you guys clearly do, so spend days (and ££) either throwing up wild suggestions or just replacing something out of hope!
Good luck in your search, I really hope you can get it sorted.. But please remember The Turbo On a 120 LC5 pre Aug 2004 is completely different to any other Turbo... It was a complete one off. NOT the same in any way to a LC2/3/4.... Or 5 after late 2004 or any other Toyota Turbo ever made Ever! ..... I know i sound like a long Playing Record. BUT!!!! ....Im just trying to relate the head /heart ache i had while searching...... You say yours is a 2002? you might be lucky in the sense that it has an earlier Turbo fitted that might be compatible to say a lc4...... Good luck James
 
What to do what to do what to do ......................................

Get it removed that has to happen any which way you go so its not money wasted and its progress of sorts .

Perhaps when its out the problem will be immediately obvious and repairable .

As i see it when shes bust to the tune of 3 grand you can't break it and gambling on a cheap copy or something from a scrapyard is not lunacy .
 
Let us all Know either way James what the outcome was... There are too many threads where people ask for advise/information. Which is gladly given. Then we never hear from them again, So it would be good to get some feed back, For others to use..... Cheers James and good luck
 
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