r/hilux • u/kdane42 • 6d ago

Do any other US Hilux owners have this problem??

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I imported a '98 Hilux Surf a few years ago, and have never had any issues. Passed emissions in my county multiple times, even a month ago.

I recently got a letter in the mail that I've never seen before, even after living in Colorado for 20+ years. Apparently a citizen can report a smoking vehicle to the state, as it would be harmful to the environment, and have no chance of passing emissions...

The only issue is my Surf is a diesel...

I just wished the letter included my truck's make, model, and plate, so that I could frame this.

Any other US-based diesel Hilux owners experience this??

Wanna add, this isn't annoying in the slightest to me. I'm not looking for fixes because the letter is just a heads up that my gasoline vehicle isn't running right. I just found it amusing

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u/deanamtronix 6d ago

I drove my non-turbo 3L through Colorful Colorado last year smoking the whole way. I think it's somewhat known that they tend to struggle at elevation. I only saw mine blowing smoke there and Utah, pretty clean at sea level. Is yours an NA model?

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u/kdane42 4d ago edited 4d ago

Nope, it's the 1kz turbo. Also a 5spd, so it smokes quite a bit on each gear shift when I lose boost. But when I'm just cruising at high rpms, it's completely clear, even up to 12,000'!

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u/deanamtronix 4d ago

🛻💨 Lil’ Smokey

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u/deanamtronix 4d ago

I could clarify my comment the 3L NA smoked when climbing or accelerating but not much just cruising, so sounds somewhat similar. Without turbo it was even more of a dog… I wasn’t sure how that Eisenhower climb was gonna go!

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u/kdane42 3d ago

I have a feeling trying to keep up with traffic on i70 with a NA diesel was similar to my old '95 4Runner with the 3.slow in it 😂 (I blew the head gasket on that climb before I got to Georgetown)

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u/hillzy87 1d ago

Im guessing yours had the 5L 3.0L in it?

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u/deanamtronix 1d ago

'94 so 3L 2.8.

White-knuckling those climbs and passes. Hit the road super early that day to minimize my impact on other travelers and semis.

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u/hillzy87 14h ago

Copy. I had the 5L in my 98. Once i put 32s on it,it wouldve been quicker to go in reverse 🤣 But hey,it ALWAYS got me home!

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u/deanamtronix 14h ago

Could have been the slogan for this era of Toyota Hilux/Pickups; “Will get you where you’re going, eventually.”

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u/Steve_Guluk 5d ago

Sorry, I'm just jelous you have a diesel HiLux in he states. I own a '13 N70 3.0 turbo but have to leave it in Costa Rica because it's not 25 years old.

Regarding the Karen report, even mine with 180,000 kMs smokes a little when under pressure. you'll likely need new rings if you want to address the issue directly.

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u/thepangolinswrath 4d ago

An n70 is common rail - if running correctly, it shouldn’t smoke at all.

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u/kdane42 3d ago

Have you ever driven in high altitude environments? Diesels like air, and up high, there's not a lot of it. Especially without a turbo. We're talking about 9,000'+

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u/kdane42 4d ago

Thanks for the advice, but there's nothing wrong with the truck, it's just a '98 manual turbo diesel with absolutely nothing between the turbo and tailpipe, not to mention driving at high altitude. It just smokes a bit when I give it a healthy dose of the skinny pedal!

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u/Steve_Guluk 4d ago

"Skinny pedal" :-)

OK, then sorry you have to deal with this. I mean don't they have loads of Rolling Coal large truck knuckleheads running around the town? We have them in So Cal but maybe that's what the ordinance is all about.

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u/kdane42 3d ago

Colorado has passed a law for diesel trucks "rolling coal" but that's never really been a big problem here. You see it once in a while, but not much. I'm still laughing at the random citizen who thought my "regular 4Runner" was spewing black smoke up a big hill!

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u/tapatio8888 5d ago

The letter does stare Colorado law prohibits visible smoke from any gasoline powered vehicle, so you're good to go!

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u/kdane42 4d ago

That was my thought! I laughed a bit, and nearly threw it away.

Then on second thought, I figured I should keep it, just for fun