#JimThePrius Overland Conversion in the making.

On the first leg of my road trip I had the stalling and red triangle of death problem again going up a steep hill, I eventually realised it was the engine starving for fuel under heavy load and high throttle use, so didn't happen if I kept my foot light.

At the first stop I put a bottle of injector cleaner in, which didn't make a noticeable difference. At the second stop I filled up with premium fuel which seems to have solved the problem, 200km later and I can floor it with no adverse affects and the red triangle is gone.

I'll keep an eye on it over the next few tanks and try different fuels out to see if i can find a pattern.

In the mean time I've pulled the rear end all apart again...

 

Well that didn't last long, I've already cut it up and made a new square frame similar to the hitch racks a lot of people on here have.

It still takes 10 seconds to slide into the hitch receiver, but now has the added bonus of being very versatile for anything I need to carry rather than just a spare wheel like I had before.


I still need to get some steel mesh for the top, and some eye bolts for around the edges to strap things to, then paint.


I also need to remove and paint the towbar, and run the wiring for trailer lights while the bumper is off. I may even put some lights or reflectors on the hitch carrier also, in case I put something too big on and cover the tail lights.

 

This wheel and full fuel can are probably under 100lbs together and my hitch is much more robust than the CURT ones as it uses the factory bumper reinforcement mounts as well as the tow hook mounts they use.

I will keep an eye on load weights though, regardless of tow hitch strength having that much weigh sticking out way behind the rear axle is no good for handling.

Thanks, il give the oil a look.

Those 'cool looking flood lights' are high end spot beams and are a lot brighter/more efficient than almost any 24" LED bar on the market, also mounting it in the lower grille is much too low for good distance, even where they are is too low but I didn't have much choice, they are tucked into the body quite well so shouldn't make a noticeable difference on fuel, especially compared to the other mods.

The stock halogen headlight reflectors are not designed for LED bulbs and as such I would end up with worse lighting by just swapping the bulbs, instead I will be retrofitting good quality bi-zenon HID projectors.

Cold weather isn't too much of a problem here in Australia, but I will be covering the lower grill with a new metal bash plate once I've decided on a design that allows better clearance and protection off road while not spoiling the aerodynamics too much

 

I just did the conversion and my jerry can is only 5gal, so your weight guess wasn't so far off.

I will definitely be keeping an eye on it, especially when off roading.

 

Next on the list was restoring and fitting my LED fog lights, they are just a cheap spot beam LED pod that I got many years ago but they're quite efficient and have never let me down over countless cars and recently I found out that various covers are still available so they live to fight another day.


They're quite well designed with a big rubber seal inside which is still in perfect condition


They used to be painted black but I think il leave them polished to match the big Livid spot lights


Still a lot of work to do but I couldn't help test fitting them after cutting out the factory fog pods in the bumper


With yellow covers on, I'm very interested to see how they go in dust/fog/rain because I've never used yellow lights before.

 

Hey guys,

Been a while since an update, not much going on except driving for the last few weeks.

Im still having intermittent fuel problems, "premium" fuel seemed to help the engine run more smoothly and powerfully than the cheap stuff but I still get P0171 'system too lean' and P3190 'poor engine power' every few days if I reset the codes.

I've borrowed an "engine data scan" computer from my dad which allows me to check and reset codes (basically a cheap scan gauge imitation). Unfortunately the gauge part doesn't work the way I expect it should and seems to randomly turn on and off whenever it likes rather than anything to do with the key or engine being on or running. I still want to get a proper Bluetooth module so I can use the Prius apps.

I've now finished, painted and mounted my tow bar, and used it to tow a 6x4 trailer with furniture without any issues.




I have also mostly completed my rear carrier ready for my next road trip which will start tommorow.


My current project is some corflute window covers made from old election signs for insulation and privacy while camping, I need to get some reflectix to cover the outside and some nice looking material to make the inside a bit more cozy.


That's all for now

 

Well my next road trip was certainly eventful!

Halfway through the 12 hour voyage to the High Country I decided to do some exploring on the back streets and wound up running out of gravel road as it turned to clay very quickly.


After many hours of digging the sticky clay out from the rear wheel arches to allow the wheels to turn again, only to have them clog back up within a few metres the sun came up.


After many more hours of digging and skidding and dragging the clogged rear end along, a friendly farmer came by and helped me out with his tractor.


The second half of the trip was less eventful, and despite 15 hours of muddy hell and running the heater to keep out of the freezing outside temperatures I still managed 34mpg on this tank lol.

It turns out camping with 2 people requires a lot more gear than just one, I certainly need better rear suspension and a lift kit (my Rising Tuning kit still hasn't arrived). The rear carrier proved itself very handy for my highlift jack, spare tyre, jerry can and TRED recover boards (which helped a lot in the mud)


Another eventful journey took us from my partners house to the campsite, rough dirt roads, lots of rocks and the early sunset in the middle of winter made for some white knuckle moments, but Jim The Prius just kept on chugging and got us there safe and sound.


The solar panels worked well to keep the music running and devices charging all weekend, after the sun went down I used ready mode to warm my bed inside which was very luxurious. A quick plunge in the icy river followed by some gourmet food and great company was the icing on the cake.




I even managed to convince my girlfriend to film some of the journey!

That's all for now, the journey back home start tomorrow.

 

Oooh I almost forgot to mention that I will be doing some aerodynamic testing on the way home tommorow, I've found a nice straight flat road that goes for 100+ miles at 65mph so I can get a good average consumption at cruising speed and compare windows up/down, mirrors folded in/out, and the front bumper on/off to get a base line for my bash guard and under floor panel build.

First I needed to remove the broken factory undertray.


Lots of things that need protecting from mud/rocks in the future.


Stay tuned

 

I didn't mean to go in the mud, it was the middle of the night and I didn't see the smooth gravel road change to soft clay until it was too late.

Also there aren't many 4x4 vehicles that can do 50mpg on the highway and 34mpg in the mud

 

Now that I'm back home and locked in quarantine again (due to travelling interstate I have to stay home for 14 days) I decided to pull the car apart, get rid of the remaining mud and start planning my new off road bumper.


First I removed the factory bumper and the last few bits of extraneous plastic that were in the way.


Then got to work with the beers, chin scratching and CAD (cardboard aided design).


I also decided after the recent trip that more lights are necessary after all, the livids are amazing on the highway but much too focussed for twisty country roads and tight offroad tracks.


I'm yet to decide between steel and aluminium construction (I can weld steel myself but would have to outsource aluminium) but this should provide more than enough ground clearance and strength for any wayward small animals, rocks or tree branches.

I still need to add holes to allow room for a winch and fog lights later on but my favourite part of this design is that the factory plastic bumper fits over the top so I can keep the aerodynamics and somewhat stealthy look around town and on the highway, then remove it for offroading.

Next stage is to fill up the massive holes left by removing the plastic undertray.