Forum:
hi all, was looking at a Fourtak today, and wondered if i could get some advice from more knowledgable people.
the fourtrak is a 2000 Fourtrak tdx se. the bodys in good condition, as is the underside. the interior smells of farm use, is a commercial with no back seats. the fact that it was a farmers car has plusses and minuses. it more than likely wasnt abused.
some of the bushes are pretty worn. the engine has 161,000 miles on it, which is huge, hence my concern. i drove it around a bit, the engine sounds really good, the front cv joints are knocking something terrible when turning.
also, ive never sat into a rocky before, - the green 4 wheel drive light on the dash wouldnt turn off no matter where i had the transfer stick. is that normal?
ive read a lot of positive things about fourtraks, and they tend to hold theyre value here in Ireland quite well. this one is cheap, 1400 sterling with a new mot.
so im deliberating. what are the engines capable of?
thanks for reading.
kind regards,
ned .
Fourtrak
Ned, i wouldnt let the mileage concern you. General concensus is that the 2.8 will run forever if properly looked after. Its not unusual to see them for sale in the UK with that sort of mileage on them. Ask for some evidence of regular oil changes. Bushes are cheap to replace, CV joints will be more costly. Not sure about the 4wd light although I am sure that someone on here will be able to answer that. Parts are generally cheap. Check out Milner off road website.
Dash board button/switch
The TDX has a switch on the dash on the right of the clocks, above the heated rear window switch. In this model if the gear/transfer box probably only has 2H, N and 4L on the transfer stick, if should go into 2H if the transfer stick is in 2H and the dash switch is not "pushed in".
161K miles isnt too bad, have a '01 on 320k+ miles, and is still going (this is under almost permanent towing).
If it is not in four wheel
If it is not in four wheel drive, but the light remains on then it is a sticky switch.
Mileage Hmmmm irrelevant, i know of two local farm vehicles with over 500,000 miles and on original engines, despite working hard. They have been maintained and serviced regularly, thats all thats needed.
As for the front joints, easy for a novice to replace. Bushes need replacing with polyurethane ones, not the uprated ones which are common, read the section on poly bushes in the "how it works" section.
cheers for the info
thanks for the replies gentlemen, appreciated. imm no mechanic but ive dissassembled the front end of a car before, so id have a go at the cv's. im reading a lot about the fourtrak being tough, does this extend to all the parts? its a toss up between a 2002 patrol gr or the fourtrak at the moment. the engine bay in the fortrak looked pretty simple to work on, which i like. i have a niva at the moment, its so simple to work and learn on, and tough as hell. its loud though and my hearing is sensitive. the fourtrak seemed much quieter and had a really nice engine note.
the niva has a centre diff, and the patrol has a lockable rear diff, the fourtrak does not? that centre diff came in handy many times!
I had a niva before my
I had a niva before my Fourtrak (Rocky), great little jeep. I believe that the centre difflock on the Niva is because it is constant 4 wheel drive and has a centre differential in the transfer box to allow the front and the back to go at different speeds, which you can lock when the going gets tough. The Fourtrak being 2wd on road and 4wd off means that in 4wd its essentially the same as the niva with the the center locked, although I could be wrong on this...
The main difference I find is the extra power in the Fourtrak allows you to go slower and more carefully through difficult stuff and still have the grunt to get you through, I found with the Niva you had to pre-empt the rough stuff and floor it to make sure you had the revs to make it. The Niva is a much smoother ride with the coils all round, so you might need to get used to a harder less forgiving ride, but it is much stronger at the front, broken axles and front diffs are quite common with the Niva.
My rocky has a rear LSD which helps a lot, you might find this one does too but I think they are rarer in GB and Ireland than on the continent.
Good luck with the purchase...
On paper the Patrol is a much
On paper the Patrol is a much better vehicle, and if driven off road it is actually a better vehicle in a number of circumstances. The Fourtrak does not have the disconnecting sway bar, the rear diff lock, or the centre diff lock.
Where the Fourtrak scores is in its size, it is much smaller than the Patrol, and it is a basic vehicle. The Patrol relies upon engine management systems which are very reliable but very expensive when they go wrong, and they do go wrong. In many circumstances the patrol would have to lock its diffs because of its bulk, the Fourtrak will just go through.
Both vehicles have pro's and cons, the big thing for me is the simplicity of the Fourtrak, and the better reliability and cheaper costs. Bear in mind that the oldest Fourtraks are 26 years old and you can easily get spares, will this be the case for a 26 year old Patrol.
If a Fourtrak does 12,000 miles P/A and is 20 years old, thats just about run in with 240,000 miles on the clock. Most will easily achieve and double this mileage with nothing more than regular servicing.
yah, i like simple cars i can
yah, i like simple cars i can fix and maintain myself. plus the more i read (which is a lot) the better the fourtrak sounds.
because of the underbody protection i couldnt get a good look at the lower half of the engine. there was no oil on the ground underneath it though, and its been sitting there for ages. ill bring a torch when i next look at it. is there any other common concerns i should be looking for around the engine bay? if theres a FAQ please point me to it!
kind regards,
ned .