School me on Hiace

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2122]

Hey Guys,

looking at a Hiace to replace my Econovan (if anyone wants an econovan let me know). It is not the latest shape but the one before it that you still see hundreds of them around, late 1990s etc.

What are the key issues with this model? any particular spots to look for rust etc? is a 2.4L Petrol Manual LWB im looking at at the moment , but information on all of the engines/lengths would be good.

Thanks team.

[Apex 693]

Have just bought one of these and have spent a bit of time removing rust and prepping for a full respray.

Check for rust rust at the bottom of the front doors and around mirrors, rust at sills, around windows and where the air intake feed is, also found some on the rear door gutter.

Its a shame they rust because mechanically they are bulletproof!

Mine is a 2.8D 4WD Manual LWB Custom with the rear seats removed, looking for a replacement rear seat.. have just purchased two bull bars for it, if you are up this way you can have one of them if you want

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2122]

Have just bought one of these and have spent a bit of time removing rust and prepping for a full respray.

Check for rust rust at the bottom of the front doors and around mirrors, rust at sills, around windows and where the air intake feed is, also found some on the rear door gutter.

Its a shame they rust because mechanically they are bulletproof!

Mine is a 2.8D 4WD Manual LWB Custom with the rear seats removed, looking for a replacement rear seat.. have just purchased two bull bars for it, if you are up this way you can have one of them if you want

Thanks Graham

The one we are likely to be getting is in Whangarei, so will be bit of a roadtrip to get it back home, nothing like throwing a vehicle you dont know in the deep end! wanted a diesel ideally, but this one seems to be a good price, and we need one that is black to match fleet colours. decided repainting, even at John on here's price, its just not worth it on an old vehicle. going up next week to have a look and maybe drive it home.

Already got bullbars which is good. I will never drive a van without them again now. was doing marshalling on rally wairarapa a few years back. I was the 000 car in an L300 and a farmer trying to get to another paddock coming the other way smashed in the front of the L300 i was driving. I saw him coming and I was almost stationary, but his HiLux kept coming at me and bang. foot area pretty well disappeared, lucky i knew what was going to happen and swung my legs into the center passenger area or they probably would have been gone today.

[allan 295]

What year are you looking at Andy? Have heard the 2.4ltr engines are not bad but the 2.8 have given trouble the 3ltr engine is a little more robust. Fuel wise the 2.0ltr one I drove was not that good can't comment on either the 2.4 or 2.8 petrol versions. As for rust Graham got most of the areas covered , rear door window screen /seal, check the roof area also.

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2122]

What year are you looking at Andy? Have heard the 2.4ltr engines are not bad but the 2.8 have given trouble the 3ltr engine is a little more robust. Fuel wise the 2.0ltr one I drove was not that good can't comment on either the 2.4 or 2.8 petrol versions. As for rust Graham got most of the areas covered , rear door window screen /seal, check the roof area also.

Its a 94, has the earlier recessed type headlights. any idea if this one will be fuel injected or not?

E: Carjam says it is a 2RZ motor

Edited June 7, 2013 by _Ethrty-Andy_

[Allanw 1052]

It won't be EFI :-( not if NZ new.

I can look at it if need be - do you know what suburb they are in???

I had a few as rentals - the petrol motors are pretty good, not so much the diesels - they are all known for cracking heads, the 2.8 is still pretty common, and is worse in the vans than the hiluxes (!). The 3.0 is better, but still considered common. We had one that had a new petrol engine at 390,000, after some loser drove on, even though the coolant light was on, and one had done 490,000 and was still fine - they had been well serviced, with regular oil changes etc, and stuff like brakes, clutches, suspension etc. The newer D4D's can be a real time bomb for some owners anyway.

The 2.4P's aren't too hungry, if driven sensibly, but do suck through it when pushed - like most vans. They're quite a coarse motor (as it's under you) but will pull up to about 5500 happily and are very good down low - more torque and power at similar revs to the 2.8 diesel.

To be honest though - you're far better off with a jap import one - they tend not to rust like the NZ assembled ones (I don't know when they stopped doing that actually - might have been in the late 90's). Our NZ new ones rust has terrible rust problems all over the place - mostly the windscreens, front pillars and sill etc as mentioned above. The tailgates crack around the handle and start to rust too, and are a pain to fix. You just can't stop it once it starts. If it's really tidy now, it's probably OK if you rust proof here and there. The jap ones are more likely to be diesels, or 2.0 petrols though. The thing is, repairing the head on a diesel is going to be around $3500 if you pay to have it done, less if you do the labour. Repairing rust will be ongoing and will eventually scrap the van.

If I wanted a Hiace in particular, I'd probably find a 3.0 TD manual and keep some money aside for the head when it cracks. The cooling system needs to be kept up to scratch, but it'll probably still crack at about 200-225K I think is common, although my mates 3.0 Surf did it at 160 kms. Otherwise if you want to go easy on the capital spending, the petrol is the way to go, and second hand petrol engines were way cheaper.

Just as an aside, my mate up here with the electronics shop ended up buying a 2.4P Misti L300 - they were better value for money for him at the time (I think he spent about 9K for a 2004 with about 100K on it), but it's only a low roof SWB. And that might be a bit more than you're looking to spend. The diesels tend to cost more, which is weird, because they pop a bit too often too.

Left me know if you want me to have a quick look sometime.

Edited June 7, 2013 by Allanw

[Allanw 1052]

Oh Yeah, If you buy one up here, I could put you in contact with out IT department - they had several hundred PC's to "recycle", last I heard they were running out of places to stack them.

[NZ BMW 368]

I'll tell you everything you need to know about Hiace:

1. Purchase only in white

2. Always drive too close to the car in front of you

3. Always park on yellow lines or half mounting the curb

Here ends the lesson.

[kiwi535 538]

toyota vans are overpriced IMHO

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2122]

Oh Yeah, If you buy one up here, I could put you in contact with out IT department - they had several hundred PC's to "recycle", last I heard they were running out of places to stack them.

Thanks Allan, would be appreciated. Ill send you a PM shortly.

We have taken a gamble on the one from there, and brought it sight unseen.

3. Always park on yellow lines or half mounting the curb

For some people its cheaper to take a fine or two a week than it is to put a dollar in the meter every time you park + lost time looking for a park.

toyota vans are overpriced IMHO

Can be on the high side, but whats the alternative? The Fords and Mazdas are narrower, and even the SWB and LWB are both shorter than the toyota 'equivlent'. A good friend of my boss owns a VW parts company/importer or something like that in Auckland, and told us to keep well away from Transporters, so that leaves the Mercedes Vito and the Mitsubishi L300. From very early on its always been a toss up between these three, but examples in Black are very hard to come buy, they are usually white or red (couriers)

[kiwi535 538]

Hyundai h 100?

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2122]

Hyundai h 100?

hmm maybe. but i suspect parts would be even harder find than Vito? you dont see couriers driving H100s, so thats probably enough of an indication to keep away

[Silver Fox 43]

Toyota all the way, have had 10 or 12 of them now, never an issue.

Mainly 2.8 manual diesels, and a couple of 3.0 turbo diesels, they go real well.

Current one has 356000 on the clock, still tows the E28 around the tracks, no worries.

Price reflects their value, they wouldn't retain it if they weren't worth it.

My 2c.

[slybma 38]

If you go with the 2.4 petrol then i would highly recommend having the cooling system flushed and new coolant put in. Also make sure the terminals on the engine coolant temp sensor are corrosion free, we see a few of them getting a bit of corrosion giving a false temp reading saying it's cooler than it really is, then they can crack the head in some cases.

Also, i know it sounds stupid but, keep good wiper blades on the front if they get a bit worn it puts a bit too much load on the wiper bushes and they wear out and pop the arms off the motor. Not a major issue but it's the first thing they put in the van so to get at it everything else has to come out.

let me know if you need any genuine parts, can offer trade grade pricing to members

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2122]

If you go with the 2.4 petrol then i would highly recommend having the cooling system flushed and new coolant put in. Also make sure the terminals on the engine coolant temp sensor are corrosion free, we see a few of them getting a bit of corrosion giving a false temp reading saying it's cooler than it really is, then they can crack the head in some cases.

Also, i know it sounds stupid but, keep good wiper blades on the front if they get a bit worn it puts a bit too much load on the wiper bushes and they wear out and pop the arms off the motor. Not a major issue but it's the first thing they put in the van so to get at it everything else has to come out.

let me know if you need any genuine parts, can offer trade grade pricing to members

Appreciate the advice mate thanks, i assume you must work for Toyota?

Ill be changing all the fluids incl diff and gearbox when it gets back down here, so will do the temp sensor same time. where is it on this engine? can be a real pain to find on some motors, like BMW M40 its under the intake etc.

our boss picked it up today and is using it to get around auckland for a few days before bringing it home. sounds like it runs very well but I'm going to have sore biceps giving it a well deserved cut and polish

[slybma 38]

Appreciate the advice mate thanks, i assume you must work for Toyota?

Ill be changing all the fluids incl diff and gearbox when it gets back down here, so will do the temp sensor same time. where is it on this engine? can be a real pain to find on some motors, like BMW M40 its under the intake etc.

our boss picked it up today and is using it to get around auckland for a few days before bringing it home. sounds like it runs very well but I'm going to have sore biceps giving it a well deserved cut and polish

they aren't too bad on these normally at the front of the head on the intake side or on the thermostat housing area.

Ya i ,manage the service department for the Hastings Toyota. They are a solid van we have some customers with a couple done over 400ks, don't see many in black though.

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2122]

they aren't too bad on these normally at the front of the head on the intake side or on the thermostat housing area.

Ya i ,manage the service department for the Hastings Toyota. They are a solid van we have some customers with a couple done over 400ks, don't see many in black though.

Yeah this one will be over that 400k mark by the end of the year.

But all in all it runs really well, I'm very pleased with it. It only has three problems,

1/ Factory Toyota headunit no go. might be the code, but good excuse to put a new one in.

2/ Syncro on Reverse gear blown out i think, or something. For some reason it crunches into reverse unless its idling, no quick manouvers etc. If its something else simple I can fix let me know. Hopefully some new gearbox oil at some stage will solve.

3/ And the RPM gauge sometimes works sometime doesn't, i took the dash facia out when installing the stereo as required, couldnt see any loose connections or anything. anyone know what that could be? edit: clock also doesnt go at any time, and no hvac lights at night time when headlights on. May be related?

Will post up a picture at some stage anyways. Looks quite smart I think

Edited June 27, 2013 by _Ethrty-Andy_

[slybma 38]

Yeah this one will be over that 400k mark by the end of the year.

But all in all it runs really well, I'm very pleased with it. It only has three problems,

1/ Factory Toyota headunit no go. might be the code, but good excuse to put a new one in.

2/ Syncro on Reverse gear blown out i think, or something. For some reason it crunches into reverse unless its idling, no quick manouvers etc. If its something else simple I can fix let me know. Hopefully some new gearbox oil at some stage will solve.

3/ And the RPM gauge sometimes works sometime doesn't, i took the dash facia out when installing the stereo as required, couldnt see any loose connections or anything. anyone know what that could be? edit: clock also doesnt go at any time, and no hvac lights at night time when headlights on. May be related?

Will post up a picture at some stage anyways. Looks quite smart I think

The reverse idler is something we strike people having issues with, its due to the design of it. Check the rubber clutch line that runs down behind the cylinder head and down to the gearbox, we have seen these weep or swell causing the clutch not to fully disengage, which is fine for the forward gears because they run synchros but with reverse being just a gear being jammed between two others it becomes quite noticeable. New oil wouldn't hurt either.

The next time the RPM gauge doesn't work try giving the top of the dash a bit of a smack, if it starts working again or the needle bounces up and back down then i'd suggest its a problem within the dash cluster itself. Behind the RPM gauge is a little black transistor unit that breaks one of its connections so becomes intermittent, happens to a few Toyota's.

As for the lights and clock, id say it will need new bulbs and more than likely a new clock unit. The clock and radio run off the same fuse (DOME) normally a 15A so if it has power then the unit itself will be the issue.

Hope this helps

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2122]

Over rated pieces of sh*t

low performance vehicles that drive like rubbish and the petrols suck fuel something heinous.

I totally disagree. Its a van, its not a BMW or any car for that matter, but i think it drives brilliantly and plenty of power for what it is. Quite solid on the road for nothing over the rear wheels as well. And im getting 9-10L/100km, what more do you want for a van. Sounds like your experiance is from just one example.

The reverse idler is something we strike people having issues with, its due to the design of it. Check the rubber clutch line that runs down behind the cylinder head and down to the gearbox, we have seen these weep or swell causing the clutch not to fully disengage, which is fine for the forward gears because they run synchros but with reverse being just a gear being jammed between two others it becomes quite noticeable. New oil wouldn't hurt either.

The next time the RPM gauge doesn't work try giving the top of the dash a bit of a smack, if it starts working again or the needle bounces up and back down then i'd suggest its a problem within the dash cluster itself. Behind the RPM gauge is a little black transistor unit that breaks one of its connections so becomes intermittent, happens to a few Toyota's.

As for the lights and clock, id say it will need new bulbs and more than likely a new clock unit. The clock and radio run off the same fuse (DOME) normally a 15A so if it has power then the unit itself will be the issue.

Hope this helps

Fantastic, i really appreciate the help! Will contact you when i need some parts for it.

Andy

[Allanw 1052]

I wasn't comparing it to a BMW, I ran a diesel Navara ute for about 5 years , totally pissed over the equivalent Toyota.

Used to drive LOTS of Hiace vans , hated every one of them. they are the epitome of average nothingness and market mythology, Plus I am looking for a van at the moment and it won't be a Toyota

This year iI have spent close to $9 grand on the prado with 170,000 km on the clock

Transfer case, clutch,head, cam belt, water pump, head gasket, and quite a bit more, next is the radiator

Compare this to my unreliable X5 with 220,000 km on the clock just the usual oil service at $400 plus a couple of worn out bits.

The are overated by some people - they are just an average van. However the price andy's was, wasn't inflated for "reputations" sake. It seemed a pretty honest van for the money (It's was owned by a company up here that had it for a LOOOOOOONG time)

People seem to see Hiaces as the best - even our 2006 one at work is VERY avaerage - certainly no Euro van either. But then our replacement is a near $80K VW that our performs it entirely. It should, for that money.

I'd say the older Hiaces are far better than the new ones, when you consider the cost!