Went on a Caribbien cruise last week! Luckily the ship didn't break down. Went to Costa Maya, Belize, Roatan, and Cozumel. Had a good time but glad to be home. I found a Toyota Hilux in Belize:



Also went dune buggy riding in Roatan:

 

Wow, that is just awesome! Thanx for inviting me! hahaa... no really, thanx for sharing, cool pix!

 

I am really thinking about taking my big winch bumper off and putting a stock bumper on. I really liked how it looked when I had off last summer. Want to make a rear hitch mount for my winch to keep it functional. I think I can get a new bumper, brackets, and end caps for around $150 online.

 

Be careful when ordering parts for a stock bumper. There is a difference between the bumper, bumper brackets and bumper ends for a 4WD and a 2WD. A lot of retailers list them as interchangeable between the two models and they are not.

Just a FYI, 4WD bumper ends are nearly impossible to find. I originally was going do a factory bumper and then thought about building a more aggressive offroad style bumper, but I think now I am going build a more conservative stock looking steel bumper with a couple of tow points and more reinforcement.

 

That is a pretty heavy looking winch mount. I live in flatland, and a winch would just rust on my rig. All depends on whether or not you need the winch I suppose.

My truck had the light protector and beam/lamp mount center section when I got it. There is a stock bumber underneath it all, and although it needs to be straightened, I like the looks. Stock bumper is nice looking.

By the way, those Toyota HiLux trucks also come with the Turbo Diesel in those parts. Man, I would be in one tomorrow if they were here.

 

I spent an extra $500 when I was in Barbados on my honeymoon to rent a 2008 diesel Hilux. My new wife was a tad bit jealous that I wanted to spend more time riding around in the truck than I did with her! They are great driving trucks, even better than Tacomas and you can't beat those diesel motors. Too bad the EPA has emissions on lockdown or I would have one quick! Or better yet, a new Land Cruiser half cab diesel:



They apparently only sell those in the UAE, where ironically my father-in-law is currently working! They only cost around $23,000 (US) new. Too bad they can't be imported and legally tagged here.

 

I love that Land Cruiser. They sell 'em in Aussie as well.
http://www.toyota.com.au/landcruiser...ble-cab-chasis
My brother in a Canberra 'burb has a neighbor that owns one. There are a few different models, but the flatbed is great. You can get it in a 4 door too. And a OEM snorkel is available! You can't get the smaller diesel (only HiLux), but that's a minor drawback. The bigger 4.6L diesel is a torque monster. Must be a joy to drive!

I wonder if the heavy truck 7 liter dually will get to the US?
http://green.autoblog.com/2008/05/29...h-7-0l-diesel/

 

Ok so my truck makes a weird noise. I will try my best to describe it. When I start going forward or backwards I hear this loud squeaking noise. The fast I got the faster the sounds gets and eventually I get fast enough to where the engine over powers the sound of the squeaking. However If I am going slow like 10 mph and I push the clutch in the squeaking stops. Let back off the clutch it starts again. Best i can tell its coming from the middle underneath of the truck. I had always assumed I need to grease my drive shafts or something and finally did a couple weekends ago using the FSM to get ALL of the grease ports (thankfully I have the adapter to hit the spider grease ports) and the noise didn't stop. Since we have had a few warm days I have had the window down and that's when I noticed what It did with the clutch.

Any ideas? Possibly the clutch?

 

carrier bearing. That is exactly the symptoms (also could be a uni joint).

 

What in the world is a carrier bearing lol

 

rear driveshaft, middle, bearing. sounds like it's time to upgrade to a single-piece driveshaft

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f199...l#post51944099

.

 

My rear drive shaft is one piece from the transmisison to the axle...

 

My front drive shaft is not single piece. I wonder if its whats making the noise.

 

a front 2-piece shaft? huh, never seen that, got a picture?

 

The driveshaft goes from the differential up to the carrier bearing, which is mounted to the frame. Easy to find. The carrier bearing gets the driveshaft off the ground faster (BETTER GROUND CLEARANCE). You can bypass it, but not necessary, and more expense, loss of ground clearance. Not sure I'd call that an upgrade! The slight improvement in torque delivered to the rear axle may not be worth it.

That squeak is classic carrier bearing failure symptom-it squeaks faster and faster as you go faster.

$20 and a couple of hours. Easy fix.

To be sure, have someone observe from outside the truck while you make the noise driving away-they can help pinpoint the source of the sound. You might be able to duplicate it with one rear wheel off the ground (spin the tire), but it might need torque on the bearing to really make the noise. If you are under there with your hand on the bearing while the wheel is turned (with your foot), it may be obvious.

 

I see it is called a center support bearing by some parts stores.

Mine failed on my '94 4x4 way back when. I cost about $20.. now it may be more like $40. I still don't see a real advantage to buying a new driveshaft, losing ground clearance, just to have a one piece drive shaft. I know there will be slightly better torque transfer (less loss of power) with a single piece shaft, but this is not exactly a high performance vehicle to begin with

 

single piece driveshaft = less parts to break, easier to balance, and cheaper replacements. you're right about the ground clearance, though.

carrier bearing replacement:
http://www.ttora.com/wiki/index.php/...ng_Replacement

 

Ok well my rear shaft is definitely one piece. Pretty sure the front is two pieces. I will try and get pics when I get home.

 

Ian, ...good source for one piece rear shafts for me and my now more lifted Ruby Redrum? Lol.

 

i just google'd "driveline shops" and called around til i found someone with a good price and didn't sound like a creepy backyard operation

looks like there are quite a few in your area:
https://www.google.com/search?q=driv...ient=firefox-a