Hey guys.

I have been looking for another toyota pickup. I was avoiding the 4x4's cause I don't need one but then I came across this nice truck ...
http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/2967138487.html

It's a 1985 the guy has restored really well.

It has:

-2.0L toyota turbodiesel swap
-power steering
-4x4 works perfect
-solid front axel with locking hubs
-body is beautiful. Paint looks great.
-Smokes alot when you hit the gas hard buy "might be OK"
-Toyota HILUX DIESEL genune seats with "HILUX DIESEL" red stitching on the seats (looks real nice)
-a snorkel setup. apparently it's some sort of a derivative of a factory toyota setup?? looks clean.
-He says it gets 40MPG. But I am calling BS on that one. It shouldnt get DOUBLE what the 22RE gets, right?

-navigation head unit with back up camera / bluetooth, etc.
-280000 miles on the body, dunno about motor.


I wanted to get some of you guys opinion on the truck. I am trying to talk myself out of it.


-what do you think it's worth?
-smokeing bad turbo, piston seals or it's OK?
-Where could I get parts for this motor if I need it?? pistons, turbo, head components?
-Is the transmission specific to the diesel?
-No AC compressor. Anyone know what AC compressor I would need to mount up and get the AC working again? would a 22re compressor work or is it diesel specific?
-thoughts in general? Talk me out of it!?!

 

well, i dont think ive ever seen a diesel that doesn't smoke at least a little. If it smokes really bad, then the PO probably drove it like he stole it, i guess worst case could be piston rings worn. You could probably find parts for it on EBAY, since they use that engine in Europe, Asia, etc. You could probably make the 22RE compressor work. If the price is right i'd say go for it. Great, i just realized i did exactly the opposite of what you asked us to do. I kinda talked you into it.

 

Okay. It doesn't smoke excessively. If you stay on the gas hard it doesn't keep smoking. Just when you rev it. That kinda makes me think it's the turbo.

It was slow as balls though. I am sure an old 22re '85 in that truck would be slow too though.

He is asking $7500. But I want to offer $5500 or $6000 to get a feel. What do you think?
He says he spent $16,000 on it. $4000 for the motor alone.

I wish I took a pic of the interior (seats) to show you guys.

 

You can hardly ever get out of a truck what you have into it. It's rare that folks do. Regardless of what he says he has into it, you need to only pay what YOU feel it's worth. Smoking blue smoke? There's a lot of options on the cause/source of the smoke. If its black smoke, there are a few options. how much are you willing to spend to make it tip-top shape? It could end up being in the thousands. Are you willing to spend 5,500 bucks only to spend another 4-5 grand just to make it street-able?

If it were my choice, I would not entertain the thought of getting it. Say it breaks down on some back country exploration/trail ride. Can you run to town to grab a 2.0L turbo diesel injection pump? Nope... But you would have a good chance of finding an igniter at a local parts store, if it were a 22R-E... And if it were a 22RE, the internal engine components are only a couple days away if it needs rebuilt. And any reputable machine shop can do wonders on a 22RE, whereas hardly anyone stateside has dealt with a 2.0L Toy turbo diesel... Good luck finding readily available info about the turbo diesel here in the US of A...

Look around some and find what you need, not what's "there"... Just my opinion though...

 

Although it looks completely awesome... IMO it will really be a PITA for parts availability as said earlier and diagnostics... Any shade tree mechanic can wrench on a 22R-E, but a rare diesel engine? Even finding info about it on the internet can be tough if you have problems with it...

 

I live in New Zealand and turbo diesels are the norm here. As for parts, google toyota parts in NZ & Australia. A lot of them will ship to the states.

 

Thanks for the posts all.

To be fair, I would say the truck is already pretty streetable, except for the AC. It ran great and everything worked smoothly.

As far as needing a mechanic.... not required. I would work on it myself. I have some good experience on working on my old POS 92 toyota pickup, and doing some engine swaps in a couple other cars. I'm also a mechanical engineer so I'm confident I can figure something out if I need to. :-)

But... that aside... you guys are right its not what I need right now. I have shyed away from it. Maybe ill send him a note that if wants to sell it for alot less (5500) I might pick it up.

 

How about the smoking? is it normal? I could check it out again later and get a video perhaps.

Good to know about the parts. It should be easy to get another turbo or aftermarket (or toyota overbored?) pistons if need be...

 

Would he let you check the turbo? Check the oil inlet. Wiggle the fins. Manhandle the manifold. ..............heh, manhandle.

 

I have one of these trucks. it has 215,000 miles. My power steering pump went out recently... Does anyone know if a pump from a gasoline p/u will fit on the 2L-T engine?