Opinion needed on this 99 F78 Rocky

[Chimi]

Hey guys, I have been reading alot of the info in this forum and it has been very helpful..! Im down in Panama and have come across this 99 Rocky beauty
http://www.encuentra24.com/clasificados ... 16-es.html

I know you guys surely dont speak any spanish, so the story is 99 2.8TD rocky with 55,000 kms. I spoke to the owner and he tells me the vehicle was part of a shipment that never got sold by a long "extinct" dealership and that he purchased it on 2004 with 0 kms on the clock... the guy is asking for 8,000 USD...what do you think?? What things can go wrong to a car not being moved for 5 years??

I test drove it and felt very good (a bit jumpy) and when pressing the clutch to shift i felt some motion on the driveline/engine, maybe loose motor or gearbox mounts? And also spotted a leak on the transfer/front diff? The owner claims he hadnt seen it, maybe a loose screw (guy looks trustable i guess)...

Also i have to say that when test driving it i put 4Lo in asphalt for maybe 50 meters and have been told that i shouldnt have because its very bad for the driveline/transmission...could this be a problem?

In any case your opinions are greatly valued...cheers!

[meece4x4]

Hey guys, I have been reading alot of the info in this forum and it has been very helpful..! Im down in Panama and have come across this 99 Rocky beauty
http://www.encuentra24.com/clasificados ... 16-es.html

I know you guys surely dont speak any spanish, so the story is 99 2.8TD rocky with 55,000 kms. I spoke to the owner and he tells me the vehicle was part of a shipment that never got sold by a long "extinct" dealership and that he purchased it on 2004 with 0 kms on the clock... the guy is asking for 8,000 USD...what do you think?? What things can go wrong to a car not being moved for 5 years??

I test drove it and felt very good (a bit jumpy) and when pressing the clutch to shift i felt some motion on the driveline/engine, maybe loose motor or gearbox mounts? And also spotted a leak on the transfer/front diff? The owner claims he hadnt seen it, maybe a loose screw (guy looks trustable i guess)...

Also i have to say that when test driving it i put 4Lo in asphalt for maybe 50 meters and have been told that i shouldnt have because its very bad for the driveline/transmission...could this be a problem?

In any case your opinions are greatly valued...cheers!

cant really comment on the price as each country is different, take for instance that model Rocky in New Zealand you'd pick one up for around $4500-5000 NZ (US $2200-2500) however the F78 wasnt sold in NZ after 96 when they killed the Rocky/Feroza range and Daihatsu released the Terios Model (well Toyota killed the Rocky as they didnt want it's sister company 4x4's compeating with it's own.

As long as the truck was stored properly then being "parked up" for 5 years isnt a worry, find out if the motor/axles/driveshafts where rotated once in a while to prevent rust, same way as you should *aways* run your 4x4 in 4wd once a fortnight or so even if you dont go 4wheeling as this prevents the oil completely drying off the top of the front crownwheel and rust starting (Panama's a hot humid climate from memory,)

As for driving in 4wdLo on seal ... no not a good idea at all, for the short 50 metres you did it would be ok just dont do it too often .. any further tho or at speed and you will get transsmition "wind up" and that can break things. ... very expensive things

oh and welcome to Outerlimits ... by the looks of your join date youve only just found us

[MightyMouse]

If the front hubs weren't locked in then there is no chance of doing damage as there's no drive to the front wheels regardless of the transfer position

If the hubs are in, then any speed difference between front and rar axle will generate drivetrain "wind up" which can be very destructive.

This usually makes itself very obvious as there is a pronounced shudder as the drive train stresses.

[Chimi]

well i dont recall any shudder so it should be fine....i still need to take it to a mechanic for revision so is there any specific checks i can ask him to do to make sure no damage was done?

Also, out of curiosity what is a confortable highway cruising speed in the td rocky? 110? 120? i hear they had/have some overheating issues...is this the case for the f78 as well?

[meece4x4]

well i dont recall any shudder so it should be fine....i still need to take it to a mechanic for revision so is there any specific checks i can ask him to do to make sure no damage was done?

Also, out of curiosity what is a confortable highway cruising speed in the td rocky? 110? 120? i hear they had/have some overheating issues...is this the case for the f78 as well?

lol 120???? id personally put "comfortable" crusing in a Rocky (well one that dosnt feel like your kidneys are being pummled to death) at 90-100kph the short wheel base and agracultural springs make for a choppy ride at speed. aftermarket shocks and springs help a lot there

*most* of the overheating issues are with the 1600cc petrol powered F300 Rocky/Feroza, the diesel Rocks where/are pretty reliable with PROPER AND REGULAR maintance and servicing,

it's been my experience that any make or model diesel is capable of chugging along into very high km providing oil and filter changes are done on time with quality replacements, (Ive seen/driven diesel vans with 600000+ km on them and the motors are still as tight as a nut .. but only because the firm insisted on the 5000km oil changes.)

[tabrocky]

I own a 1992 F75 TDI Rocky on 31x10.5 tyres with the same engine configuration as the one in the F78 your looking at.

Comfortable cruising speed... 100kph easy. Quite happy up to 110 but the fuel tends to go quicker thats all. 120 for short overtaking is fine also.

I would also say that "comfortable" cruising is quite possible in the F78 given it has a wider track, coil rear springs and independent front setup as compared to the F75's leaf setup front and rear. Well on par with similar vehicles of it's day.

An overheating Diesel Rocky is one to stay away from. The cooling system may struggle when towing or loaded up in hot climats, but this is easily fixed by sensible driving (changing down a gear) and is not necessarily a Rocky trait. It shouldn't be an issue.

The biggest problems you'll ever experience owning a Rocky are:
- Slowly dwindling supply of spare parts.
- Lack of aftermarket accessories.
- Finding people who know anything about them.

Things to check:
* Engine, gearbox, tansfer, diffs oil quality - visual check for discoloration, milky from water ingress. The engine oil will obviously be black being a diesel.
*Drive line backlash - may indicate a worn gearbox, transfer or previous heavy towing work.
*Engine should start easily and run smoothly. Check for any fuel leakage around the injector pump. This can occur from the new low sulfur diesel found in most countries which can attack seals in the pump.
*Check everything electrically to make sure it operates.
* Make sure the 4wd light on the dash lights when selecting 4wd.
*Investigate all leaks, defects as they may be more expensive to fix than they first appear.

Good Luck


Cheers

[Chimi]

thanks all for the replies, they have been very helpful......i have made an offer for the rocky and hopefully ill get an answer soon. Tabrocky i see you have 31x10.5 tyres on your ride, what mods did you have to do to fit them? Does it loose much acceleration with the change? Are the stock gears able to handle this tyre size? Also yours is a f75, so if any f78 owners want to tell me about your experiences on this...

[tabrocky]

I'm running 31x10.5 Goodyear MTR's

Only modification to fit the tires is 2 inch lifted suspension (Lovells leaf springs and Rancho Shocks). I also fabricated some bump-stop spacers to protect the shocks from being damaged at full compression. This would also help prevent some wheel scrubing but does limit articulation very slightly.

I don't have any wheel scrub problems with the setup.

However as the one your looking at is an F78, it's a completely different suspension setup to mine. Your probably better off asking HotFourOk about the setup on his F78. I believe he also runs 31" MTR's.

Possibly a small amount of acceleration loss as compared to the standard 255x70R15's but not a massive difference. Put it this way... If you drive your rocky for what it is (a 4wd and not a street racer) it won't be a problem.

IMHO the driveline is quite adequate to turn this size rubber, assuming its mechanically sound. The low range in a Rocky is no match for your average landcruiser or patrol, but it does the job. Not great but ok. Again I havent noticed much difference since the upsize.

What I have noticed is the massive traction gains and boosted clearance. I have no regrets about going to the larger size.

Hope that helps.


Cheers