Who owns 1KZ-TE 4x4

Hey TW I spoke to importer who sells RHD Toyota 4x4s and he has few 1996 Hilux Surfs with the 1KZ-TE 3.0l diesel. I have read these are great, but have also stumbled on few that say they have had head issues with these. Who can chime in on this, btw they have around 130k miles. Worth getting, will they last 300,000 miles?

 

I have the engine but its been on a stand for three years with the intention of going into my hilux but idk if I ever will. They are good engines but are prone to cracking the head when they over heat. Nearly all of older Toyota diesels are idi and all have this same issue. If the engine has been maintained properly they'll be good but buying from Japanese importers is a coin toss. All the cars come from auctions and most of them have been beat to shit and they just clean them up nicely and say has low mileage cus the odometer got rolled back. If you want one go test drive it on the freeway and for ten minutes and see how it goes.

 

Soup, Thanks for your input that's what I needed to hear. I really wanted one for good mpgs and being able to convert to veg oil or other fuels, but I've been happy with reliability of the 4.0l and 2.7l gasoline engines.

 

I had a 2.4 (2LT) surf that I drove to work daily for like three years. They're pretty gutless but as long as you arn't in a big hurry it was fine. The Hilux I have now has the bigger version the 2.8l and it moves a little quicker. Hopefully one day I can put that 1kz into something lol

 

I have a 1996 Hilux Surf 3.0l TD with 130k kilometers on it. Runs like a champ. I have a gentleman about 15 miles away from me in Florida that has several for sale right now. It is a blast to drive and gets lots of double takes from people.

 

Bought my truck with the 1KZ-TE already swapped and a new AMC cylinder head installed. From my reading, those AMC heads have a slight design change that makes them less susceptible to cracking (might also be an OEM design update from Toyota as well, but don't quote me on that). As long as you keep the motor sufficiently cool and keep the EGTs down then they seem to be quite reliable in the long run.

Love how it feels in my 1st Gen- truly is a shame that it was never a factory option in the Tacoma. It also continues to get 22-25 mpg with full armor, 255/80/R17 tires, and a GFC on the truck.