NewHilux.net

Hilux had its 96 month service on Friday.

Told me all 4 rear mount bolts were missing. I just said “c’mon guys, surely upselling hasn’t gone this far’. I went outside and looked underneath, sure enough the 4 x bolts that hold the rear mount to the back of the A750F are missing. I reckon it has been like that since the box was swapped out in January this year! Normally I’d have not considered driving it, but it must have been like this for a long time. I’d have expected it to be flopping around but obviously not. And bugger me, you’d not even know. This has towed, 4x4’d, driven to Adelaide and back (from Lake Macquarie), been all over Kangaroo island etc. There is no evidence of damage or even marks. The box has simple sat in the “cradle” of the U shaped mount. The only thing I did notice after the box swap was done that if parked on a slope in Park without a lot of handbrake that when I took my foot off the brake it crept forward more than it used to. Before I put bolts back in I tried this on a slope and looked underneath and I could see the box skewed a bit, maybe by 10mm from the holes, which is the extra movement I noticed.

So went to local 4x4 wreckers and got some bolts, put them in and back to normal. Will monitor them!

I’m still in disbelief that this all worked OK without the bolts but it did!

It is a support but most of the weight is taken by the connection to the engine block, the support helps of course but it is more to support the weight through gravity so yes it would always move more but the extra movement would be seen at the engine mounts. So who did the swap? Maybe they were never fitted??

I’d say they forgot, there was no evidence of the bolts having slowly come loose. It was a rush job too. The tail shaft having a centre bearing probably helped too.