# Outdoors > Outdoor Transport >  Toyota Prado 1996 (ish)

## Timmay

I've been looking at selling my old 1994 ln106 hilux for something more highway freindly, does anyone here know any issues to look out for with these cars? I would be looking at the 3lt (non turbo probably) most of them seem to have around the 250k's on the clock. It would be used for a bit of soft roading at the most but more for towing my current boat - and probably the next one (bigger one  :Psmiley:  )

I've been looking at:
- Toyota Prado 3.0 TX LTD 1997 | Trade Me
- Toyota Land Cruiser Prado PRADO TX 7-SEATER 1996 | Trade Me

I would probably lean towards the non turbo for reliability?

Any pointers would help

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## Pointer

get the solid axle ones bro, best of both worlds, comfy highway use with coils, pretty good articulation with soild axle and coils. Cheaper and more reliable too!

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## stu#71

The 3.0l 1KZTE diesel engine is bulletproof, as long as it's serviced.  The Prado is a great vehicle but in 230,000 k's I have had to change 2 rear stop lamps  :Thumbsup: 

Ask Cambo - he works on them (or not!)

(Dunno about the manual, they are pretty rare, most are auto)

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## Timmay

> get the solid axle ones bro, best of both worlds, comfy highway use with coils, pretty good articulation with soild axle and coils. Cheaper and more reliable too!


Eh are you taking the piss...   You mean Patrol? I've got my heart set on one of those 4.2lt Turbo 1999 ish ones but I cant afford them haha and people on trade me want stupid money for the old ones (ie more then ln106's)


Cheers Stu#, I wouldn't mind auto if its turbo (more grunt) --- A couple of lights you say.. that's pretty rough hah! I might do a bit more looking around


(ah are you talking about the old school ones pntr?

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## stu#71

They are holding their value as you cant import them anymore.  The low mileage ones are pushing $20k+
Just regular oil changes (as any diesel) and rountine servicing.

I've raised mine a bit and fitted some aftermarket suspension as the springs were shot at about 200k

Rest is "as new" lol

The do suck a bit of fuel as any 3.0 monster would but there's a large 90 litre (?) tank.

I would definitely PM Cambo though - he'll give you the good oil I'm sure

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## TITAN308

Hi timmay,

Both these prados you are looking at are turbo, They are a reliable vehicle but they do have there problems.
Firstly they crack heads, not every one, but we would do one every couple of weeks in our small toyota dealership. And not just vehicles that are not well serviced.
Then the rear shocks leak, the front brake hoses perish,and the steering rack bushes flog out and if you are really unlucky the glow plug tips fall off and can make a bit of a mess.
The majority of these items are run of the mill service items but will need doing if not already done.
Cheers

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## cambo

Titan has pretty much covered the common faults they have.
Shocks, rack bushes and glow plugs are all easily replaced relatively cheaply. A head job or more gets costly.

The best thing to do if you are really keen on 1 of these, is to get a comprehensive prepurchase check done by a Toyota dealer.
AA, VTNZ and the like are a waste of money as they really have no idea, to put it bluntly.

Get a leakdown and compression tests done. Another test very worth doing is having the glowplugs removed (good time to see if they need replacing), pressurise the cooling system and leave it on for 1/2 hr or so. Then with the injector pump unplugged, crank the engine over. If coolant comes out - it's screwed.
The reason for this is the heads crack above the valves in the intake ports.

To be fair, Prado's hold their price really well. So even with high k's you can still be looking at paying 10k plus.
They do ride nice, but I wish they were a selectable 4wd rather than constant 4wd. 
Being constant 4wd they wear tyres more and can be thirsty, especially if towing.

Manuals are quite rare and they tend to be the lower spec'ed vehicles like the basic RV model. The autos drive nicely though. No real reason to pick a manual over an auto apart from personal choice. Unless doing heaps of towing, but if your going to be doing that, there are other vehicles that would be better suited.
The manuals have a 2 piece flywheel, which can be an issue. If there is a metallic rattle on start up it is usually a sign the flywheel is starting to fail. 
There are aftermarket solid kits available which are cheaper and better than the genuine 2 piece part.

Hope that helps  :Wink:

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## Timmay

All that info is perfect Thanks Cambo and titan308. I 100% don't want full time 4wd, so that will scratch the prado off the list, with the price of fuel I don't need a bill that's higher. 

What would people recommend other then the usual older safari/patrol as they are just stupid expensive. I don't mind spending around a that 15-16k mark.

I'm wondering if just spending 1500 to turbo my 3l hilux is the way to go...

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## Pointer

> Eh are you taking the piss...   You mean Patrol? I've got my heart set on one of those 4.2lt Turbo 1999 ish ones but I cant afford them haha and people on trade me want stupid money for the old ones (ie more then ln106's)
> 
> (ah are you talking about the old school ones pntr?


Yeah mate. Not too sure on specs, the Toyota guys will know, but there was one that came out with hilux diffs and coils front and rear - in Oz the SWB ones were called a bundera. I've only seen jap import LWB ones in NZ but they are bloody good off road and easy to modify. I can't tell you about the exact specs or reliability, I'd say Titan or Cambo will give you the inside info on them. They are cheap, so are older safaris  :Have A Nice Day: 

But yeah the late 90s GU patrol, awesome!

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## gadgetman

I must say that I like the power output of the Toyota 1KZTE engine, we have one in an AWD Hiace. Sure outstrips the non turbo 4.2 in the Safari going through one of the early slush boxes. Just hope it all stays together and I don't have the cracked head issue. I don't push it hard, though it does a fair bit of towing, and keep the maintenance up.

Another vehicle I'd consider is a 2.8 Isuzu, good reliable engines and drive trains, nice strong tight diffs. Garnish with a turbo and enjoy. If I had to replace the Safari I'd likely go the Isuzu, getting fed up with 24V systems. Most of the newer stuff, although more powerful, just seems too soft.

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## TITAN308

Yea pointer not sure which model you are on about there.

the hiluxs don't have solid front end and coils.

2.4 early hilux Ln65 have leaf springs over solid axle.
89 on 2.8 Ln106 have leaf springs over solid axle.
98 hilux Ln167 with 5L has torsion bar on front wishbone suspension.
2000 on hilux kzn165  1kzte also has torsion bar over wishbone.
2005 hilux on Kun26r has mcpherson strut with wishbone.

Could be a option overseas ??

Timmay another option would be a 96- on surf which is 2wd normally and 4wd is engaged manually when needed , this still has the same 1kzte engine and can be bought in intercooled or non intercooled options. They are also usually cheaper than prados to. 15k would easilly buy you a tidy one.

Just my 2 cents.  :Wink:

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## Timmay

Nissan Patrol 1994 | Trade Me has caught my eye. Just don't want one thats got eleventymillion Psi stuffed in it from a massive turbo.

I think pointer was talking about these sort of prados Titan: Toyota Prado Landcruiser 1990 | Trade Me

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## kiwijames

Go the Surf. KZN185 (1KZTE) inter cooled. More toe than a roman sandal. Wife has one and it eats my 2010 Navara ST-X. Had a new head as the dude we got it off did not tell us that (Trademe :Oh Noes: ). 
Radiators can be a bit shit (plastic) I have been told and was also suggested to get a remote oil cooler. Pretty good on the juice too. Also the auto is sweet. I too was not keen on it but the Surf is really good.

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## burtonator

Yea +1 for the intercooled surfs!
Mine does the business, great 4x4 and (family wagon) !!
Got mine at 300,000kms it had a knocking noise in the top end so i just chucked another engine in and all good!! 
It hadnt had a head done before that though so not a bad run  :Have A Nice Day:

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## veitnamcam

> Yea +1 for the intercooled surfs!
> Mine does the business, great 4x4 and (family wagon) !!
> Got mine at 300,000kms it had a knocking noise in the top end so i just chucked another engine in and all good!! 
> It hadnt had a head done before that though so not a bad run 
> 
> Attachment 791


Nice tidy looking Smurf Burt they do go well,Il keep an eye out for it down the Appleby :Cool:

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## burtonator

Haha you mean like this?
Toyota Surf playing in the mud NZ - YouTube

Toyota Surf playing in the mud 2 NZ - YouTube

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## veitnamcam

Yip

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## crnkin

Do prados honestly not have a transfer case? 

Man, never knew that. Even the kzj ones?

I have a 1995 kzn130 surf, the one without coils up front, but 3lt turbo diesel. Its manual too. The thing goes real well, I'm surprised to hear the st-x is slower, it has over 100nm more torque. 

Im looking at upgrading in the near future (1-2 months) so will be selling my surf. Its a white, widebody, 1kz-te manual, with 235,000 kms on it, 31 inch wranglers, oil and filters done 5 or 6 times last 9 months (every 5000), it does a lot of long distance driving.

Probly looking at 7500, bugger paying 10k for an auto prado with no transfer case!

Chris

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## burtonator

Yea they do have a transfer case, but are just full time 4wd  :Have A Nice Day:

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## crnkin

Ahhhh dammit.

Too many things at once.

Whats it when they put rock crawler gears in, twin transfer cases?

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## veitnamcam

> Ahhhh dammit.
> 
> Too many things at once.
> 
> Whats it when they put rock crawler gears in, twin transfer cases?


Some times but more usually just replacing the gears in the existing transfer case to provide lower high and more so low ratio to compensate for big tires without changing both diffs.

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## savagehunter

Stay with the Hilux man. I've got a 1995 SSR-G (petrol) and apart from being a bit costly in the petrol stakes it is the best you can get (IMHO) without paying out the arse for a Safari.

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## Timmay

Yeah I'm thinking that more and more. The best thing is I have mates that know them (hilux's) inside out so fixing anything ie I did my cambelt, waterpump, crank seal, head gasget and a few other things; for cost + 2 box's of piss. I might just stuff a turbo in it down the track.

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## Pointer

Yeah! or a duramax! Woohooo

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## sniper80

> All that info is perfect Thanks Cambo and titan308. I 100% don't want full time 4wd, so that will scratch the prado off the list, with the price of fuel I don't need a bill that's higher. 
> 
> What would people recommend other then the usual older safari/patrol as they are just stupid expensive. I don't mind spending around a that 15-16k mark.
> 
> I'm wondering if just spending 1500 to turbo my 3l hilux is the way to go...


I've got a 97 Terrano Regulus. Had it for 7 years, done 165,000km in it, its done about 215,000. Its pretty much standard. I've put slightly larger rubber on it. I've only had to do the alternator, and the shocks. Its a 3.2 diesel, turbo and intercooled, auto. It will pull anything, took a large horse float with 2 big horses from Invercargill to Chch no problems, cruised at 100k easy. Also surprisingly capable off road, had it in to Boundary Hut in Mavora the other weekend, on road tyres.
I highly reccommend them. Although apparantly the later model ones (3l diesel) have motor probs.

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## Timmay

> Yeah! or a duramax! Woohooo




I would probably need to leave the truck in 4wd all the time.

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## veitnamcam

Timmay is your lux a 3L = 2.8 or a 3 Liter  = 5L ? 2.8 definitely bung the turbo on but you wont realize the benefits unless you have a boost compensator fitted to the pump and tuned properly. I supercharged mine but i wouldn't recommend it for a towing/road vehicle. turbo is the way to go there and they can definitely handle it if boost is kept sensible IE < 12p

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## crnkin

I sold my turbo kit off my rolled 2lt ln61 a while back, the guy reckoned he had done like 5 or so of them and they are peice of piss, go really well and are far more reliable than the old 2lt head.

From memory I sold the setup for $550, so that could be a good reasonable upgrade for not a lot of $$$, and it looks factory so you might not need a cert.

Is yours supercharged cam? I honestly thought it was just turbod, did you use a holden eaton 90 or something? Goes well that thing, whats it like on gas?

Chris

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## Timmay

Yea its the 2.8lt 3l donk.  A friend has done his Lux  and its much faster and he thinks its the same if not better on gas as he isn't thrashing it to get up hills etc.  i will keep my eyes open for a deal on trade me 

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## veitnamcam

> I sold my turbo kit off my rolled 2lt ln61 a while back, the guy reckoned he had done like 5 or so of them and they are peice of piss, go really well and are far more reliable than the old 2lt head.
> 
> From memory I sold the setup for $550, so that could be a good reasonable upgrade for not a lot of $$$, and it looks factory so you might not need a cert.
> 
> Is yours supercharged cam? I honestly thought it was just turbod, did you use a holden eaton 90 or something? Goes well that thing, whats it like on gas?
> 
> Chris


 I supercharged my HILUX Chris  :Grin:  my landcruiser is factory turbo and was really really gutless when you were in it due to being tight from rebuild and under fueling. Going ok now,probably put the intercooler back on when i get a chance :Wink:

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## crnkin

Oh right haha

I was wondering how much of a bohemith super charger you'd need for that cruiser!

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## mucko

> All that info is perfect Thanks Cambo and titan308. I 100% don't want full time 4wd, so that will scratch the prado off the list, with the price of fuel I don't need a bill that's higher. 
> 
> What would people recommend other then the usual older safari/patrol as they are just stupid expensive. I don't mind spending around a that 15-16k mark.
> 
> I'm wondering if just spending 1500 to turbo my 3l hilux is the way to go...


i have a 1996 prado tx 3.4 petrol that is selectable 4x4 it does love petrol thou would get diesel if i could. picked it up for 12k with 165km

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## chrome

a bundera or up till 1994 prado is a kzj71 with coils front and rear, not hilux diffs per se but actually a little stronger and hi pinion,
i had one for 6 years without many issues, problems in these models include the usual cracked heads (same with the surfs) but this can be sorted with proper cooling system maintenance and dump pipe exhaust size increase, I towed some heavy loads all over the country with mine

i was lucky to find a manual one swb
got a 89 surf now

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## Twoshotkill

Hay Burtanator... What size wheels on that wagon?

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## burtonator

They are 265/75/16s I am now running 285/75/16s so 33"  :Have A Nice Day:

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## JoshC

Thats a nice wee Prado you have there* chrome*. Getting hard to find with decent kms and in good nick. There's a minter getting around Dunedin, totally orginal and not a stone chip, with like 60,000 clicks.

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## Tuckerbox

Digging up this thread as I’m looking at a 1996 1kz prado with a manual box. 300ks on the clock but looks tidy in the photos. I’m going to get someone else to view it as I won’t get an opportunity. What’s the important stuff to check (other than cracked head)

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## Maca49

@Timmay the guy at Mount Autos is importing a few of the older ones from Jap Land when he can get em

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## Tuckerbox

@GWH

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## Danny

> @Timmay the guy at Mount Autos is importing a few of the older ones from Jap Land when he can get em


Is he? Were looking.


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## Maca49

@Danny Mount Maunganui, Totara Street

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## Gapped axe

I've got a 2001 over 400000 on the clock as my work truck. New head 4 months ago my fault, transmission around 2yrs ago, still like it thou.

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## GWH

> @GWH


Hey mate,

Yeah mines a '96 1kz, but the auto.

Yeah the head only becomes an issue if overheated, and the overheating is often just caused by a faulty Rad cap, also at that milage the radiators can become quite blocked up, so if it hasnt already been replaced, you'd def pay to get it taken out and flushed and inspected and checked for blockage etc at a minimum, some people just replace at that milage. 

If the cooling system is looked after and engine not overheated, then the heads are normally fine.  

The radiators in the auto also have an oil cooler for the trans in the bottom tank which causes a restriction and also dumps extra heat into the water, which is really hard on the cooling system especially when doing heaving towing - But being a manual you shouldnt have to worry about that.

Often the guys with auto prados, fit a radiator from a manual and fit a seperate transcooler, or just fitting a seperate trans cooler helps a lot on its own.

Also you want to have the front ball joints checked very well by someone who knows how to check them properly.  The original ones after quite a few miles do tend to break, causing a front wheel to fold back under the vehicle, not something you want to have happen at all, let alone at speed.

But those things aside, i love my old truck, just keep up the regular oil and filter changes and she keeps on chugging, it suits my purpose perfectly. It gets me where i need to go hunting etc and Nothing to flash to leave at Public road ends.

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## Tuckerbox

> Hey mate,
> 
> Yeah mines a '96 1kz, but the auto.
> 
> Yeah the head only becomes an issue if overheated, and the overheating is often just caused by a faulty Rad cap, also at that milage the radiators can become quite blocked up, so if it hasnt already been replaced, you'd def pay to get it taken out and flushed and inspected and checked for blockage etc at a minimum, some people just replace at that milage. 
> 
> If the cooling system is looked after and engine not overheated, then the heads are normally fine.  
> 
> The radiators in the auto also have an oil cooler for the trans in the bottom tank which causes a restriction and also dumps extra heat into the water, which is really hard on the cooling system especially when doing heaving towing - But being a manual you shouldnt have to worry about that.
> ...



Cheers mate exactly what I needed to hear

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## Timmay

Bit of an old thread, but after making that post I did go out and buy a 96 prado Auto 1kzte, Ive owned it the last 5-6 years now. Nothing has gone wrong bar one thing, but I did fit an additional trans cooler (after reading the above post if anything goes wrong with the rad I'll fit a manual one). Ive done about 100 thou k's in her and have only had one fix and that was the steering rack ends (200 bucks) everything else has been fluids, oil, filters, tires etc. I actually really like the old girl. Very comfy to drive plus its *bloody* practical for what I do.

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## Grue

Just wanted to say thanks for this thread. Looking for a late 90's Prado and this has been big help!

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## Cartman

> i have a 1996 prado tx 3.4 petrol that is selectable 4x4 it does love petrol thou would get diesel if i could. picked it up for 12k with 165km


You sure it's selectable 4x4 mucko? I have the same model although a 98. I didn't realise it was fulltime 4x4 untill I tried to do a paddock hack and nearly rolled it lol. Going into 4x4 locks the back diff I believe, diff lock works well in mine I get quite far on aggressive a.ts and would do much better on m.ts. I have the 3.4 petty aswell and you'd be amazed the fuel economy if you keep it below 90kms really stretches a tank out. I get 500-550 driving normally I get 600-700 driving like a bitch.

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## GWH

> You sure it's selectable 4x4 mucko? I have the same model although a 98. I didn't realise it was fulltime 4x4 untill I tried to do a paddock hack and nearly rolled it lol. Going into 4x4 locks the back diff I believe, diff lock works well in mine I get quite far on aggressive a.ts and would do much better on m.ts. I have the 3.4 petty aswell and you'd be amazed the fuel economy if you keep it below 90kms really stretches a tank out. I get 500-550 driving normally I get 600-700 driving like a bitch.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk


It locks the centre diff

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## Cartman

Roger that. So in layman's terms? Cause the rear seems to lock up (maybe lsd) and the front just single spinner

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## Timmay

If you don't have lockers all you  have is single spinners.

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## Gillie

I have a manual 1996 SWB Prado. It is full time 4x4. It has a central diff lock that distributed power evenly to both axles (this is locked in low range) and also has the factory diff lock on the rear axle only. Works well and that rear diff lock has got me out of some places!

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## Cartman

> I have a manual 1996 SWB Prado. It is full time 4x4. It has a central diff lock that distributed power evenly to both axles (this is locked in low range) and also has the factory diff lock on the rear axle only. Works well and that rear diff lock has got me out of some places!


Right that's what I thought.  Yep rear duff lock is awesome. 

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## GWH

> Right that's what I thought.  Yep rear duff lock is awesome. 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk


I dont think many have a factory rear diff lock. Most have a factory LSD, which on Toyos are shit, by the time the vehicle has done 50k from new the LSD is worn out and basically an open diff.

Wish my 96 Prado had the rear locker

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## Cartman

Mine definately has positive lock up in the rear. Is nz new model if that makes any difference 

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## Timmay

@Cartman you would know if you had a rear locker

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## Cartman

> @Cartman you would know if you had a rear locker 
> 
> 
> Attachment 85591


Duley noted .. lol 

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## ROKTOY

> @Cartman you would know if you had a rear locker 
> 
> 
> Attachment 85591


One of the best features in my Prado

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## veitnamcam

> Right that's what I thought.  Yep rear duff lock is awesome. 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk





> I dont think many have a factory rear diff lock. Most have a factory LSD, which on Toyos are shit, by the time the vehicle has done 50k from new the LSD is worn out and basically an open diff.
> 
> Wish my 96 Prado had the rear locker





> @Cartman you would know if you had a rear locker 
> 
> 
> Attachment 85591



Scuffing the inside rear tire on a hard or gravel type surface is a symptom of being in 4wd on a part time 4wd generally they have no center diff.....think hilux.
Allwheel drive or permanent 4wd  involves a center differential of some sort so very generally speaking you can still get stuck with only one wheel spinning front or rear.....untill you lock the center diff giving you "hilux" 4wd where by two wheels must spin in order to be stuck one front and one rear.
When one speaks of "diff lockers" one should not be really be referring to the center diff....that is the domain of front and rear selectable diff lockers.
Toyota lsd may be "shit" as an off road lsd but if you understand how they work and drive them accordingly they work pretty well.....if you regularly have wheels off of the ground you should have lockers or at least an Auto locker in the rear.

Where lockers suck ball is in steep country and ice, keep the diffs open and spin... or lock em and slide off the track,soft sand/dunes same same open/lsd diffs win but crossaxle situations its a locker every time.

 @GWH I know what you are saying re the wear but static pressure is not how the diff is designed to work, it is designed to lock up threw the clutch packs with torque supplied threw the diff and pressure clamping that clutch pack supplied threw the side gears thrust.
Ie if you roll up onto a cross axle with momentum and stop with wheels off the ground or very light contact you are going no where unless brake and throttle are applied to load the clutch pack  :Wink: .

My current 2wd hilux has done a lot more burnouts than it probably should have and every single one has been both wheels at 340,000km ...Why? because there is torque flowing threw the diff forcing those side gears into the clutch packs locking up the 340,000km worn diff.

Is the Toyota lsd diff ideal for off road work new or worn NO!. Does it work if one understands how it works and how to drive to make it work yes. (worn or new)

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## Snowgrass

Not long bought a 97 manual prado 1KZ. Third of the price I sold the Patrol for. Sat in the garage most of the time so could justify having it and too worried I'd dent it up. Was too tidy. Just done a head on it plus few other bits. Will get a bigger dump pipe fitted and snorkel. Possibly aftermarket water temp gauge. Bloody comfortable and goes well. Won't matter if it gets scratched up etc as not worth a lot.

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## mucko

> Duley noted .. lol 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk


that was sometime ago, I was wrong at the time, it was fulltime 4x4 hungry as fuck just had selector for hi and lo range

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