Toyota Land Cruiser 2006 Problems

For a start, you can rule out the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) as the culprit as these weren’t fitted to the LandCruiser until many years after 2006. Nevertheless, if there’s a smell of anything when the vehicle is idling, there’s either something wrong with the mixture the engine is burning or there’s a leak in the exhaust system somewhere.

Since the problem has suddenly occurred, it’s probably the latter and you need to check all the joints in the exhaust system, the system itself for rust holes or damage, and even the turbocharger plumbing which can become loose and allow a leak.

So why do you only smell it at idle? Simply that when the vehicle is moving, the movement of air around the vehicle is whisking the fumes away. When you stop, the fumes `catch up’ with the vehicle, and you can smell them. This needs to be checked out as exhaust fumes can be very dangerous to humans, up to and including carcinogenic.

As an estimate if it’s got a petrol engine it would be $20,000-$25,000, it the engine is a diesel it would be $29,000-$33,000.

The Carsguide price guide puts the value at between $28,876 and $49,990. Here's the link. With a relatively low odometer reading for its age yours would probably be priced towards the top end of the range, but it does also depend on its condition.

I wouldn’t be agreeing to fit new heads unless he knows that’s the cause of the overheating. Before you go to that expense have him do a leak test to determine if there is a leaking head gasket or a cracked head, also check the radiator to make sure the core is clean and maybe flush the cooling system to ensure all is well there too.

There should be a plug on the side of the transmission that you can use to check the trans fluid level. It’s unusual to strip teeth off the crown wheel; we haven’t had any other reports of that problem on the Landcruiser.