How does your SFA do up steep hills?

[Rusti]

Hi guys.

I've got a pretty standard 97 2.4 petrol SFA and it manages hills okay when not loaded with a bit of carefull gear management. Durbanville rd turn off hill is a good example of a hill I can't do in 5th..

But when loaded it really struggles and drops from 120 down to 90. That's with a RTT and allot of camping items in the back. We're not towing anything either. I find myself gunning down the previous hill at 130 and as I get a little up the hill i lose speed so i drop to 4th and it helps but we still continue to lose speed. Then half way up the hill speed has dropped to 100 and heading for 90 so I'm forced to drop to 3rd to make it over with a que of angry cars behind me. We did cape town to Knysna in december and it was a real problem.

Does your SFA do this too?

I've suspected for a while now that the petrol pump needs repair because I sometimes pull the keys out and then the bakkie shakes and grunts as if it's still being fed petrol. Then on the way back from knysna we stopped for something and when we started up again the bakkie pulled away fine but when we got 60km my foot was still on the petrol and it dropped to 40km and then took off again a few seconds later.

Is it easy to repair or recondition a petrol pump without experience?
I've been thinking about reconditioning the car myself too. Is this easy enough to do myself?
I read a post yesterday where someone said that bent radiator fins can also affect performance. Is there anything else I can check for that may be affecting performance?

[dalkill]

when i was still driving the 2.2's i use to dread going to arniston... that n2 is just hill after hill... and then you get stuck behind a truck, and if you don't gun it down the hill , i use to end up doing 60 in 3rd.... not being able to go anywhere... and this was not even fully loaded... just 4 guys with fishing tackle.

once i moved the the 2.7... OMW... i was so much more relaxed when i got home. Worlds apart.

did not have any of the symptoms showing petrol pump issues. It was just lazy.
the d/c 2.2 had LPG gas fitted , so i replaced the manual pump with facet electric pump. This after installer of gas cut fuel before the pump instead of after which meant it ran dry this stuffing it up.

[dantjie]

Hi good day I have the same Hilux 2.4 I just fitted the EFI on mine with Dictator I must say the 2.4 is not built for speed or the best of comfort but I love mine your question on the hills is that the Hilux is not a speed freak when a hill is being approached that what you are seeing on the dials is not going to get better even when fitting a new fuel pump or fan blades maybe a engine conversion will help with that what you want.

I discover driving in forth gear helps when not on a level road but also cant get 120km/h up a hill but its just one of those thing you have to live with.

But keep your eyes on this post I'm sure someone will help with this and give advice.

Regarding the fuel pump really easy component to fit make Shure you have a few spanners and some silicon for the gasket and a plier for the clamps and in my experience of fuel pump try and get a Toyota one pirate one do not last .

[Bliksempie]

Same here Duane. Went to Tree Provinces over the Easter Weekend with our Jurgens XT120 Trailer at the back. Some places I had to go down to 3rd gear, and eventually reached 75 - 80km/h.

You may have a look at the Idle Cut Off Solenoid, which might be the reason for the feed after switching off the vehicle. Mine did the same and problem solved after replacing that little bugger on the Carb.

[Knuppel]

2.2, 2.4 and 2.whatever engines are reliable turds. You can polish them as you like. All they become are shiny reliable turds!

There is just no way you can soop them up to the point where a 90 kph hill will become a 120 kph hill. You may get to 95 or even 98kph by shining it but no ways are you going to get further.

So if you really want to maintain your speed then you will need a transplant.
BTW, mine now does 150kph up the type of hill you would do 90

[ChrisF]

These ARE some pretty decent hills !!!

Did the Bredasdorp Caledon stretch over Easter .... MUST gear down and get the revs up so the engine can generate power ...


But YES, those old 2,4 bakkies were reliable workhorses ... but you needed a fair bit of patience ....

[Mud Dog]

Have your ignition timing checked for the pre-ignition that you are experiencing - if it's out it can also make a huge difference to the performance on hills. Fuel octane is another factor that can affect pre-ignition and performance.

I doubt that you have a fuel pump problem, if you did the motor would splutter and fart at higher revs.

SFA's are notoriously sluggish on the open road. My suggestion is to adapt your driving style, relax and enjoy the scenery - your fuel economy will also improve.

[Stef]

SFA & uphills do ot belong in the same sentence

The EFi improved the uphill ability but only slightly; mine can do 140 on a level road quite easily with a caravan hooked up, but on a recent trip I went as far down as 2nd gear on a mountain pass with the trailer hooked up.

[Rusti]

Hey guys. Thanks for all the advice. Much appreciated!

Knuppel.. I'll keep polishing my "terd" Thanks for that..

I'm going to tour Africa and one day do cape to Cairo with my bakkie so I've opted for no EFI or major mods. I need to keep it as stock as possible to keep it easy to work on in the bush.

Im not after a racer and I know these SFA's are slow like rhinos because they are as tough as rhinos.. It just makes for very tense situations when the cars behind you on the hills are driving up our... so any power increase will help. They cant seem to understand that ill pull over the second it is SAFE for me to do so. Until then they can enjoy the view of my bakkies backside..

I read an old post yesterday where a gent was experiencing similar issues with his KZTE when towing a boat up hill. The petrol pump and the radiator fins were at the top of the list of possible issues so I thought I would ask the other SFA owners if they had similar issues with hills before I start scratching around.

That being said I would still like to recondition the carb myself. Is this difficult to do? I've read that it's simple and that the refurbishment kit comes with detailed instructions. My bakkie is 20 years old next year so I think it's time to start looking for items like this that can be reconditioned or reset etc like MD said. Any donkey power I can get will be great..

If you have any other suggestions for tweaks or checking this or that please let me know.

Thanks again guys.

[Knuppel]

Duane, if you want to do Cape to Cairo then you will only have the speed problem while in SA. 90kph in the rest of Africa can be a bit too fast sometimes. Your 2.4 will be perfectly suited to the conditions and you wont complain then.

Also if you want to travel afrika then keeping it stock is best.

[Mud Dog]

Totally agree, keep it as stock as possible for trips off the beaten track. It also helps to know the mechanics of the vehicle so that you can do your own repairs if needs be.

[Rusti]

Thanks Knuppel and MD. Glad I'm on the right path.

The idea is that I do as much mechanics as possible myself over the next few years so I can learn from it before I go too deep into Africa. Hopefully next year we'll tour Southern Mozambique for 3 weeks, the year after that Botswana for a few weeks, then Zim etc etc keeping it all close to SA and then do the Cape to Cairo in 5+ years, funds permitting..

When I was in Knysna I bought Tarquins canopy so I mounted the RTT onto that recently and have been driving around for about a month now. WHAT A DIFFERENCE with far less wind drag on the RTT. I can feel it a tiny bit when the rest of the bakkie is unloaded but it has not changed my gearing at all and has not made a noticeable difference to fuel efficiency.

I also think we can lighten our load when camping. We've only been camping 5 times in the 2 years since I bought the bakkie so we are realising what is necessary and what is not so we are taking extra tables etc off the list. Only after a few trips do you start thinking and realising what you actually need and also start buying the lighter items.

I also thought of getting a small to medium trailer for the RTT and all the heavy stuff like fridge, potjie pots, table etc in there and just have bedding, clothing etc in the bakkie. My theory is that if I displace the load off the bakkie the bakkie itself will have less weight for the engine to turn those 4 wheels under it. Then dragging a small to medium trailer in the slip stream will increase fuel efficiency.. It's like a body builder.. He can't lift a truck over his head but he can pull it behind him in an ironman contest.. Same principal of weight displacement.

Anyway.. Thanks again gents.. If you have any more ideas please keep them coming.

[Scott]

I had a 2.2 and hills ate that 2.2 even my wife had a lot to say about the lack of grunt on hills.Then got my current with ford V6 major improvement but you loose reliability.I then installed KZTE with manual pump and what a difference hills no problem.2.4 is in my view the best std petrol motor in the SFA but I wonder if the 2.4 Diesel is not the better choice as it gives better economy on the long flat roads up north.

[Rusti]

Hi Scott,

The old petrol vs diesel question always ensures interesting responses from both sides.. I've heard great things about the 2.8 diesel SFA's so I'm sure the 2.4's are also great. Is there a reason for your preference for the 2.4?

I'm also interested in the old V6 4Runners as a possible 2nd vehicle in a few years time. If all goes according to plan I might just get 1 as a SA runner & then use my bakkie for those Africa trips and hopefully on a small holding that I am also planning to buy in the next 5 years. I'm no mechanic so I need to do more research before fixing my sites on those beasts.. I'm no where close to MD or Knuppel's skill set(not even in same universe) so I prefer stock standard and basic(just like me..). Less head scratching for me.. I'll leave the high end mods to the professionals. BUT my ultimate vehicle would be an SFA with an old V6 4Runner or Prado motor in it.

[Borntofish]

I must say that mine is much better after the EFI conversion on the 2.2. Still struggles up some hills when loaded. But it was a pain when it stil had the Carb on.

[Family_Dog]

I second this on the 2.2 with EFI conversion. The truck is a pleasure to drive after the conversion. Hills? Hey - I live in the old West Tvl, we don't have those things here!


-F_D

[Mud Dog]

The old 2.4 Toy diesel motor (3L) was not successful in the SFA - even more sluggish that the 2.2 petrol (4Y). Fitting a turbo helped, but the motor was not designed for a turbo so it was not recommended.

The newer 2.5D is a different matter, and more well suited, as is the Ford 2.5 WL motor. Diesel has it's advantages and although pretty reliable, will normally not allow for an easy quick fix out in the bundu's. I would still stay with the standard petrol motor. If you do an EFI conversion for Africa trips, you might consider carrying a spare ECU and injector set along with back-up ECU maps in a laptop.

[Knuppel]

The old 2.4 Toy diesel motor (3L) was not successful in the SFA - even more sluggish that the 2.2 petrol (4Y). Fitting a turbo helped, but the motor was not designed for a turbo so it was not recommended.........................

Just a small correction there Andy. 2.4 turbo diesels were released by toyota but not in SA. I had a import 2.4 TD stock from the factory in one of my vehicles.

[Mud Dog]

Thanks for that snippet, Marius. Interesting. I wonder if that 2.4 TD motor was the same as the 3L we had here, and if so whether it had the same pistons and head as the old 3L. IIRC the guys that did a turbo on those old motors used to tone the boost down significantly to save the motor.

[Knuppel]

Will check it out a bit when I have some spare time Andy. Externally it looked the same barring the turbo attachment and attachments for the turbo. It was no rocket but you did not lose speed going up a hill.