First time Terrano 3.0 owner

[SunnySideUp]

Hi all,

I've recently purchased a 3.0 Terrano with 80k on the clock. It is 100% standard and hasn't been used as an off-road toy but has spent its entire life towing horses. I like the design of the Terrano and it reminds me of my Hilux Surf that I had years ago but with extra seats.

I'm planning to use the car for camping / gentle off-roading holidays (think gravel roads in Sweden or trans-Pyrenees in summer) with the kids and would like to take sensible preventative maintenance steps. Apart from rust treating everything possible, I'm really hoping someone can recommend a 4x4 specialist near Hertfordshire that would be able to competently handle the mechanicals. Simple things I can do myself but initially I feel I need someone familiar with these vehicles to get it up to a decent standard.

Everything on the vehicle seems to work except the heated seats and A/C. Other things like the auto-locking hubs I have no idea yet if they work or not.
I've put aside a budget of ~£2000 (am I being too optimistic here?) initially for replacement parts and maybe there is a common "hit list" of things to address?

I'm a paid-up member so will be searching my way around as well but I wanted to say "Hi" and very happy to be here!

Cheers.

[solarman216]

Hi and welcome, you should not need to spend very much on these motors, first thing I would do is change all the oils including the power steering clutch and brake fluid, if you are likely to visit cold climbs then auto transmission fluid in the transfer box (to stop oil drag engaging the front hubs) but with a 3Ltr I would suspect you have fixed hubs, look for body rust around the rear wheel arch seat belts mountings and all body mounts particularly the very front ones, also inner and outer cills, AC will have lost gas due to leaks, as for heated seats well if you really need them check the switches, Rick

[SunnySideUp]

Hi Rick,

Thanks very much for for taking the time to reply. The 3.0 I have seems to have auto-hubs but I wonder if it's worth swapping for fixed; anyway I dare say I will find plenty of extra info on that in the forum with a bit of searching. I'll take your advice on the fluid changes and see how I go with the other pieces; slowly but steadily to get everything as reliable as possible!

Thanks again,
Jon.

[panelbeater]

hi and welcome.if you have the small dia hub center and 17inch wheels then for sure its a fifed 4x4,on the large dia hubs with bolts showing can be auto/manual 4x4.

[SunnySideUp]

Hi and thanks for taking the time to reply!

It has the 17" wheels with no bolts showing and no obvious way to lock the hub so I'm almost certain it's auto. I am concerned about whether that's as reliable (or how to make it close to as reliable) as manual hubs but, with my sensible hat, on I think that's probably something for me to consider once I've got a few thousand miles under my belt.

The good news is that after two days of hoovering, shampooing carpets fettling trim and endless cleaning of the leather seats, it no longer smells like 6 horses are sitting in the cabin with me!

[panelbeater]

it almost to be fixed,ie shafts and hubs running all the time,but only in 4x4 when lever is pulled back,only way to stop this is to remove front drive shaft but that does not stop hobs running at the same time as wheels.

[elty001]

If you have the standard 17" alloys like this then you will be on fixed flange hubs.
Nothing mechanical in them to go wrong.
20210908_181536.jpg

[elty001]

These are the auto locking hubs which are fitted on the earlier models.
20210908_181821.jpg

[SunnySideUp]

Originally Posted by elty001

If you have the standard 17" alloys like this then you will be on fixed flange hubs.
Nothing mechanical in them to go wrong.
Attachment 11895

Thank you so much for taking the time to get those photos and post back.

This (the newer 17 inch with fixed flange hub) is the wheel I have. So does it mean that the wheel is always connected to the front drive shaft 100% time? In which case it seems pretty pointless to fit something like this https://www.devon4x4.com/avm-free-wheel-hubs-57326.html. unless I want to be able to select Low ratio but still have 2WD (which I could imagine being useful in rock crawling situations to avoid windup.

Sorry for the stupid question; my Surf had free wheel manual hubs so that's what I'm used to.

[solarman216]

Down side of your set up is the front diff, shafts and prop are turning all the time , plus the prop is non grease able, so prop failures are on the cards, and yes 2 wheel drive low box can be very handy if like me you do a fair amount of heavy towing on tarmac, Rick