I don't know if this forum is one for moans but I assumed that all Townie owners would be proud of their vehicles...it would not appear so with the one I have just picked up.
The owner says he has had it for two years during which time he has never washed or polished it either inside or out, the back was absolutely black with diesel fumes and dirt. The green moss around the window rubbers were worthy of Kew Gardens. It was impossible to cram any more fag ends or sweet wrappers/bubblergum/spearmint/half chewed boild sweets in any of the ashtrays front or back.
The blower blows very well I can hear it but no air comes up to demist the screen and all the facia bits and pieces seem loose as if some one has attempted to get behind it and gave up.
Now a couple of questions.......
Main auto gear lever I understand except there is a little button just like an O/D button on my Supra....what does it do ?
There is a little red button to the left of it in between the two gear levers....what is it for.
The second far left gear lever marked H and L4 does what exactly.
A switch on the dash marked 4WD does what exactly.
The main lens on the front with the word TOYOTA and the fog lamps behind is broken.....are spares available ?
All of the inside needs to be professionally valleted to remove the stink of burnt tobacco.
There are no sun/moon or roof lights of any description and I thought this was a feature of all Townies.
It is about a foot higher than my Cruiser but a good thing is I suppose the engine appears to run quite cool and there is no smoke at all from the backend.
I drove it 50 miles at 100 kph and it felt like it could cruise all day at that speed.
Look forward to replies and comments.....incidently it was £700 MOT till Feb 2006 and taxed till Sept.
.Rik
- (#904) Rik vonTrense, 23 Apr 05 15:01
Rik, just about ALL of your questions have been answered before. A tour of the archives is advised.
- (#904) David Miller, 23 Apr 05 15:46
Yes David they probably are, I have already spent hours going through the archives, I am not lazy and it would be different if the archives were collated, but they aren't and I could spend more hours looking for the different answers to my questions.
I know it seems elementary to someone that knows and probably the same questions have been answered a dozen times or more.
I run two forums and I have over 300 members on one and I frequently answer elementary questions as I find it just as easy to give a short answer as to tell them to go and look in the archives.
It saves them time and I am sure they appreciate it.
- (#904) Rik vonTrense, 23 Apr 05 16:53
Most of the stuff is as David said in the Archive. Personally I find the plain index at http://www.mpvi.net/ia/ifindx.htm a lot easier to use.
Bridges of Pease Pottage currently have a Townace in their yard, or did on wednesday. The front end was intact complete with the Toyota logo. Otherwise BBC Spares is quite near to you in Radlett. A bit pricier than ordinary scrappies but he usually has all the bits you want as he imports direct from Japan.
And as for never washing the van, well you know why golf balls have little dimples rather than being smooth. That dirt could be an extra mpg or two.
- (#904) D Hill, 23 Apr 05 16:58
And a further point, the Townace is ridiculously over-geared when you consider that motorists is Japan rarely drive outside their home cities (the bullet train is so much cheaper and faster for travelling between cities and most of the non-city bits are mountains). In addition to the 3 speed auto it also has an overdrive, which functions as a fourth gear. I don't know why it has a separate switch (the one on the gear stick) because most of us just leave it switched on. After all a warning light comes up on the dash if you don't.
On top of this there is the 4 wheel drive. To engage this press the 4WD button on the dash then get out and turn the little dial in the centre of the front hubs to the locked position. Make sure to turn it back to free when you have finished.
Finally you have a second gearbox just like in landies and tractors which goes between High and Low Ratio, effectively giving you three (maybe 4, not sure if O/D still works) sub first gear gears.
I have used the last two precisely one time when I drove a little too far onto a pebbly beach. Even then I didn't really need them but what the hell, they are there and they are my toys.
P.S. If you sit in the driver's seat and look just below your right knee you will see another mystery button. Even the archive isn't exactly sure what this one does.
- (#904) D Hill, 23 Apr 05 17:22
Chuckle.....I know what happens if you press that little button by MY right knee....
Cheers Mr Hill you are a hive of information ...I thought the other gear lever was high and low ratio but I didn't know about the getting out business as I am disabled and the O/D button and light are the same on my Supra .....I hope I don't have to get out in some awkward situation.......
I will have to search for the little RED button between the Hilo and Auto gear levers..
Into the car wash first thing tomorrow though as I vcan't stand a dirty motor even though for me it's only transport from A to B....but I must say that like my Toyota Supra these Cruiser/Townies are a joy to drive..
- (#904) Rik, 23 Apr 05 18:48
On this Townie the button can be seen next to the gear shift, I picked this off of an eBay vehicle.
- (#904) Rik, 24 Apr 05 01:39
Press it and try moving the gear lever without the ign on. It's there so the box can be moved out off park to allow moving the Ace if it can't do it under it's own power.
- (#904) Clive (Bristol), 24 Apr 05 02:07
Rik,
A little bit rude there to one of our longest standing & best respected contributor to this site. Unfortunately, it seem that you have purchased a vehicle that you know absolutely nothing about & have not researched at all. I can only assume you purchased via Ebay, or you would have known about the state of the vehicle before parting with yor money. However to cover your points:-
Main auto gear lever I understand except there is a little button just like an O/D button on my Supra....what does it do ? If you look closely, it does say O/D, so therefore is the overdrive like your Supra.
There is a little red button to the left of it in between the two gear levers....what is it for. As Clive says, disengages PARK, when ignition is off, or if a fault in the lockout circuit.
The second far left gear lever marked H and L4 does what exactly. Engages high ratio or low ratio in the trasfer box, it seems you don't even know it's a 4x4.
A switch on the dash marked 4WD does what exactly. Ah!!! answered my above question, you don't know it's a 4x4, surprise, surprise, this engages 4 whell drive!!!!!
The main lens on the front with the word TOYOTA and the fog lamps behind is broken.....are spares available ? Yes, from BBC Spares, links supplied at various points on the main site.
All of the inside needs to be professionally valleted to remove the stink of burnt tobacco. Available anywhere.
There are no sun/moon or roof lights of any description and I thought this was a feature of all Townies. Nope, very few Townies are exactly the same, the spec list is endless & therefore combinations exist. It is likely to be a low roof line model if it has no skylights or moonrooves!
It is about a foot higher than my Cruiser but a good thing is I suppose the engine appears to run quite cool and there is no smoke at all from the backend. Sounds like it runs OK then, it is taller due to being 4x4 & could be highline roof, but unusual if it has no sunrooves/skylights.
I drove it 50 miles at 100 kph and it felt like it could cruise all day at that speed. Excellent, but that's only 62Mph, however pushing much more than that for long distances could bring in the cooling gremlins.
Look forward to replies and comments.....incidently it was £700 MOT till Feb 2006 and taxed till Sept.
Hope these comments help!! Shame you're disappointed with the behicle, as they are excellent value/quality/equipped, especially when you have a tribe of children to ferry around.
Regards Rob.
- (#904) Rob Drinkwater, 24 Apr 05 03:44
The previous owner deserved but, evidentley, did not get, all the usual problems inherent to a Townace(or any vehicle) when in the hands of a careless owner. These vehicles,in the hands of a careful owner, and used within their design and performance limits, in my opinion, can be the most satisfying and enjoyable to own. Motorway burners they are cetainly not and, in the hands of the "once a month" bonnet lifters, will deteriorate but, because of Toyota's care and precision in their manufacture, will go on far beyond many vehicles subjected to similar neglect.
Yes, I think that the careful Townace owners ARE proud of their vehicles because they were purchased, rightly, for their uniqueness, their quality, and for the pleasure of having one of the best equipped MPV's on the road, the most stylish, and all for a very low initial price. I think that you have a bargain Rik and, with some care and attention, you should be rewarded with a very satisfying vehicle.
- (#904) John Davis (Leics), 24 Apr 05 04:11
hi,
my 1992 townace 2.0td 4wd, has developed,over the last few days, an annoying noise eminating from somewhere in the region of the turbo.i can be heard over the normal sound of the engine.
the turbo still works, and the little greenlight flashes on when it kicks in, however there is some sort of whining noise (like a belt slipping) that happens just after i have revved the engine.
a friendly mechanic has checked all the other belts (that were recently fitted), but he is encouraging me to move it on.
i don't want to loose my townie, and i have fitted a new clutch and £300 towbar, but if the noise persists the car will end up in scrapheap hell.
i'm not prepared to splash out for a new turbo, and i was wondering if you have any ideas?
colin whiteway
- (#904) Colin Whiteway, 27 Apr 05 18:34
Check the flexible hose from the turbo to the inlet duct, it has a habit of popping off at the turbo end. If not, likelyhood is that the turbo is about to die.
Your choice, throw a £150 turbo at it, or drive it into the ground- if the turbo happens to fail catastrophically it'll take the engine out with it and the vehicle WILL be beyond economical repair at that point...
- (#904) David Miller, 27 Apr 05 23:54
Oh well done Rob !!
You managed to make me feel like a know-nothing 10 year old instead of my 73 years of well informed mechanical knowlege, spawned from my early racing days and dealing with engines all of my life.
Although I am sure it wasn't intended, I am also sure it wasn't necessary, after all all of my questions were answered the day before you woke up, by Mr Hill.
As for researching, isn't that what I am doing now ?
There does not appear to be any readily available manuals to explain all of these things peculiar to these Japanese imports, so I guess that excuses my ignorance to some extent.
However I thank you for your concern.
Kindest Regards......
- (#904) Rik vonTrense, 28 Apr 05 06:05
please can anyone advise me on my royal lounge 4x4 over drive it was fine til the end of last year and now the over drive doesn.t kick in, but the od light still comes on is this an electric fault? i would be very gratefull for any advise anyone may have? thanks Neil contact(pauldodd203@aol.co)
- (#904) Neil groves, 30 Apr 05 20:30
If the light is on, overdrive is turned off...
- (#904) David Miller, 1 May 05 04:15