X48
New member
Hey everyone this is my first post providing information on all the Upgrads and Modifications I’ve completed on my Hilux
Overveiw:
Toyota Hilux LN108
1996
2LTE
These are some of the pictures as it looks currently. The pictures following will be from the past as I go through the modifications.
I’m going to start from the very beginning. I bought this truck when I was 19 because I’d always wanted an old Toyota, and I’ve always been a truck guy. After arriving in Japan, there were plenty of 4x4 options to choose from, but I ended up going with this 1996 Hilux.
Right from the moment I bought it, though, I ran into a serious issue—it wouldn’t start in the parking lot of the bank
. The previous owner assured me it was just a bad battery, so I decided to take the chance.
That first weekend, I took it on a road trip with my boys. We headed out to Okuma for a camping trip, and honestly, it went great. I’ll share some pictures from the trip below!
After that trip, the battery issues only got worse. Despite the trouble, I kept driving the truck because I absolutely loved it—it was so fun and just felt incredible to drive.
A few weeks into owning it, the truck completely refused to start, even after trying a new battery and troubleshooting everything I could think of. I ended up having to call for a tow. The shop found the issue was electrical, so I brought it to DENSO to pinpoint the exact problem.
They eventually discovered the root cause—it was an issue with the ECU. Unfortunately, DENSO couldn’t repair it, so I started looking for alternatives. That’s when I found a shop in mainland Japan called CANNY EQUIP. They were able to fix the ECU in just one day!
Once the ECU was shipped back to me, I brought it to the shop to reinstall it. Within a few days, I got the truck back—and it was running way better than before.
That said, I started having some trouble with warm starts shortly after. I’ll pick up the story from here later!
After getting the truck back, I was sent to 29 Palms, California, for three months of training. While I was away, my friends would occasionally start it up and take it for a drive to keep the battery charged and the fluids circulating.
When I returned to Okinawa, I took the truck out for a drive, but I immediately ran into major issues. The engine began to overheat, and the check engine light came on. I pulled over right away to check what was going on. The cooling system was low, with nothing in the overflow tank, so I topped it off and continued driving.
Unfortunately, that didn’t solve the problem. The truck overheated again on my way back to base. I pulled over, stopped driving, and called a tow truck to take it in for inspection.
After a day, I returned to the shop and found out the water pump and thermostat were to blame. The shop replaced both and took care of a few other minor issues as well.
After all that maintenance averaging went great and was working flawlessly so I continued to drive it it only issue was warm starts…
But I was loving every moment of the Hilux I want camping a few more times 2 miles off shore and was enjoying the tropical weather of Okinawa Japan.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Overveiw:
Toyota Hilux LN108
1996
2LTE
These are some of the pictures as it looks currently. The pictures following will be from the past as I go through the modifications.
I’m going to start from the very beginning. I bought this truck when I was 19 because I’d always wanted an old Toyota, and I’ve always been a truck guy. After arriving in Japan, there were plenty of 4x4 options to choose from, but I ended up going with this 1996 Hilux.
Right from the moment I bought it, though, I ran into a serious issue—it wouldn’t start in the parking lot of the bank
. The previous owner assured me it was just a bad battery, so I decided to take the chance.That first weekend, I took it on a road trip with my boys. We headed out to Okuma for a camping trip, and honestly, it went great. I’ll share some pictures from the trip below!
After that trip, the battery issues only got worse. Despite the trouble, I kept driving the truck because I absolutely loved it—it was so fun and just felt incredible to drive.
A few weeks into owning it, the truck completely refused to start, even after trying a new battery and troubleshooting everything I could think of. I ended up having to call for a tow. The shop found the issue was electrical, so I brought it to DENSO to pinpoint the exact problem.
They eventually discovered the root cause—it was an issue with the ECU. Unfortunately, DENSO couldn’t repair it, so I started looking for alternatives. That’s when I found a shop in mainland Japan called CANNY EQUIP. They were able to fix the ECU in just one day!
Once the ECU was shipped back to me, I brought it to the shop to reinstall it. Within a few days, I got the truck back—and it was running way better than before.
That said, I started having some trouble with warm starts shortly after. I’ll pick up the story from here later!
After getting the truck back, I was sent to 29 Palms, California, for three months of training. While I was away, my friends would occasionally start it up and take it for a drive to keep the battery charged and the fluids circulating.
When I returned to Okinawa, I took the truck out for a drive, but I immediately ran into major issues. The engine began to overheat, and the check engine light came on. I pulled over right away to check what was going on. The cooling system was low, with nothing in the overflow tank, so I topped it off and continued driving.
Unfortunately, that didn’t solve the problem. The truck overheated again on my way back to base. I pulled over, stopped driving, and called a tow truck to take it in for inspection.
After a day, I returned to the shop and found out the water pump and thermostat were to blame. The shop replaced both and took care of a few other minor issues as well.
After all that maintenance averaging went great and was working flawlessly so I continued to drive it it only issue was warm starts…
But I was loving every moment of the Hilux I want camping a few more times 2 miles off shore and was enjoying the tropical weather of Okinawa Japan.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk