Hiace Rookie Season!

Hello All,

I very recently purchased (and as of yesterday have in my possession) a 1992 Toyota Hiace 2.8l 3L Diesel 4x4, and I have to say in our short 24-hour love affair, I am wholly impressed. Very fun to drive, (seems) to run great, a smooth ride and a clean interior. I am pretty green to mechanics, and I am hoping to gain knowledge and source a plethora of information from the forum!

Here is a photo of the new beast!



A few questions?

I see the 'ECT' button in the console of the vehicle, and from my brief research, it seems like that is to help the vehicle operate better in particular situations. Still, the wide-range of info I found made it slightly confusing. Any insight?

Regarding how to correctly starting my Hiace (as it is a diesel which is entirely new to me.) To confirm to start the vehicle properly, I should turn the key on for a moment and wait for the glow-plug light on the dash to disappear before fully turning the van over? The brutally fundamental question,  I know.

I have read and been forewarned on making sure that the vehicle does not overheat and possibly adding an aftermarket temperature gauge to monitor assist in monitoring the temperature. I am attempting to get the van into a shop ASAP for a full overhaul inspection of the entire vehicle. But if anyone has any insight on anything that I should have my eyes or ears on to keep this van running at tip-top condition for as long as possible, I would greatly appreciate it!

Ecstatic to be here and learn more from all of you!

-Jake

Welcome aboard had mine almost 2 years to the day and knew it was what I wanted the minute I first saw her.

Bit of a novice myself, but I'll offer my thoughts and others with more experience will be along shortly.

ECT: As I understand it this delays the auto shifting up. It can prevent "hunting" where the gearbox is kind of stuck between the 2 best ratios and show shifts up and then back down and repeats constantly. Probably most likely to be used when towing or unusually heavily laden.

Start up procedure: Exactly as you say.

As for the temperature gauge, I've had no problem with over-heating (beyond a split hose), but I guess in many ways its down to the climate. I'm in Northern England, hardly tropical.

Quick tip, add you vehicle model details to your profile as if you have any specific questions, that will be the first piece of information other posters will need.

This site is a great source of help and information on a wide range of subjects. Take full advantage.

Congrats on getting your van! I like the color scheme. You've just started a very rewarding journey.

I'll echo Kippax's sentiments on the ECT button. I primarily use it when accelerating/merging onto the freeway, and when driving in the mountains.

Since you don't know the driving history, it might be a good idea to start running some Stanadyne Diesel Injector Cleaner (brown lablel), and then switch over to their Performance Formula (blue label). The 3L engine wasn't made for ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD), so your're going to need to run either B20 diesel or an additive in every tank to make up for the lack of lubricity in ULSD. Gotta protect that injector pump as the fuel also serves to lubricate its internals! I saw an improvement of 2 mpg after going through two 16oz bottles of injector cleaner, so it'll pay for itself. Best tank so far has been 21mpg. FWIW, I'm adding both Marvel Mystery Oil and Stanadyne Performance Formula to every tank of B20. Probably overkill, but you can't baby these vans too much!

Also, spring for some synthetic engine oil. I'm running Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic 10w-30 and I swear it runs smoother with slightly better fuel mileage as well.

Air Filter replacement: WIX WA6134
Fuel Filter replacement: WIX 33138
Oil Filter: eBay (best deal): Search "NEW GENUINE TOYOTA Oil Filter For Diesel Motors 90915-30002", seller is britishpartsplace

A note on the starting procedure.

Unusually for a diesel the 1kz-te has an air throttle too.
This has several advantages for engine safety, but also something to watch while starting: NEVER use the accelerator pedal while starting. Doing so will also add more air and cause any oil/diesel to combust with more violence.

So for the 1kz: always leave your right foot completely off the pedal when starting!

I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of you for your insight!

Kippax thanks for the explanation of the ECT button. That is kind of what I gathered. Also, I have bulked out my profile to reflect the exact model of my van!

Djathens I am going to hop into the auto parts store and get some of this Diesel Injection Cleaner today! And will continually keep it in the vehicle for fill-ups. One question? How long until you would switch the performance formula?

GPW noted on starting procedure. The glow-plug light seems to turn off within a matter of a second or two which has been nice but I assume that will change as the weather cools down.

Thanks again!

The glowplug light is only for indication...

... you can hear the glowplug relay click out quite a few seconds later!

It's an ECU feature, I don't know why they did it that way.

Noted! Thank you.

These are the case for the 1kz-te motor, I see you have the earlier 2.8L 3L one, so this may vary, just keep in mind!

@Jake, regarding the injector cleaner, I went through two 16oz bottles before switching over to the performance formula. I had to order it online, and after going through a few 16oz bottles of the performance formula, I ordered a 64oz container to get a better deal.

@djathens I ended up doing a half-tank fill-up Friday as I was heading out on a little maiden voyage trip to eastern Washington, and I started adding the injection cleaner into the fill-up. From my math, it seems like I was floating in the 21-22 mpg range.

That said, do any of you seem to have a lot of fluctuation in your fuel gauge? Going up and down hills, it seems to have a lot of play. I would say a quarter tank of movement in the indicator does not appear to be uncommon. Also, I believe I have a 15 US Gallon tank.

My gauge is digital since I have the limited trim, but it doesn't move around when driving. It'll only register one bar higher/lower if I've been parked on a hill for a while, or maybe on a very long climb. It seems to be buffered well (@GPW could provide the technical explanation, he's our resident electrical engineer )

Great to hear your mileage is already that good! When I got my van it was getting 16mpg. My EGR valve was also faulty so after blocking it off and using the injector cleaner I'm up to 20/21 mpg.

Per Pacific Coast Auto's Auto Catalog, the fuel capacity on the LH107s is 70L or 18.5 US Gallons. I've haven't been able to pump more than 16 gallons into my tank at a fill, and that's with my fuel gauge reading 2L remaining.

Does anyone have any insight possibly on tire pressure? I am finding it very hard to determine what I should PSI I should have the tires inflated too. The inside of the door states 2.5 BAR, which appears to be 36 PSI. I am not sure how that all translates. When I checked the tire pressure directly, they were all sitting around 32PSI.

I have contacted Toyo directly to see if they know, but even they are not giving me a clear answer.

Currently, the tires on the vehicle are Toyo TEO Plus 205/70R15 at 36 PSI.

36psi seems reasonable. I'm running 40psi F/R on 235/75R15 BFG K02s. There are other threads on the forum about tire pressure you can peruse.

"That said, do any of you seem to have a lot of fluctuation in your fuel gauge? "
Yes, heaps! I don't rely on it at all. Starting with a full tank the gauge shows little change for about 200km then drops rapidly to half full. Going up hill it drops below a quarter. When filling a near empty tank it will take at least 5 minutes for the gauge to return to full.
I always reset the trip meter to zero at each refill and cross-check that with the fuel gauge for the need to refuel.
I average 11.5litres/100km so without running through the conversions I think you're doing similar for mileage. (the same 2.8l engine).

@djathens - Toyo got back to me finally, and it was a loose answer, but it seems like between 36-44 psi is ideal.

@MaIL - yeah, I have been resetting the trip meter at every top off. There is tons of movement in the needle. I was worried the fuel gauge didn't work on my first fill up because it took so long to get to the F. Thanks for the insight on your average. I was pretty impressed by the MPG for a vehicle with so much size. I am going to track it continually.

By the way jbouchelle10 I can email you an owners manual and repair manual if you send me your email address.

You can send a PM via this forum

Nick

We have the same model as you. It has proved to be completely bomb proof in mechanical terms
Having had ours for 5 years now. We're in the UK where they put shocking amounts of salt on the road whenever the ambient temp drops below 4º C. I wish that I had spent a few hundred on comprehensively rust proofing it because that really is the only issue we've had.
We have a pop top on ours. I recommend getting one put in - if its not too pricey.
I tell you, if you put some appropriate tyres on these things they become a proper off-road fun machine. Enjoy

Hi @jbouchlle10. Just an FYI I also have the same 1992 super GL 4wd model down here in the SF Bay Area. Some parts have been a bit hard to get and ended up using Japan sources, common filters are pretty easy to find. Anyway we have less options in US so just want to touch base in case you need info. This thread makes me wonder how my mileage is without having used all the additives. I’ll try that out too. But be assured the 3L is a workhorse and can handle some abuse. My super gl 3L was pretty well worn when I imported it. Wish I held out for something fresher. But engine wise has been trouble free after changing all filters and fluids. I had a lot of hidden rust issues in wheel wells and such. But I’m a welding hack and patched it all up pretty good. Well good enough. Hopefully your chasis is better than mine. I still need to freshen up the suspension and replace all the rubber bits down there. They are beat. Tom

@solaesthetic | This is great to hear! She has been running like a champ thus far. Honestly, the van feels like it runs smoother than both of our newer model vehicles. I have discovered not pushing her too hard when doing big climbs, etc., and she seems to do fabulous. I am reaching out to see if I can get some of the rustproofing done on the underside. The pop-top is very enticing. I will explore that option. I plan on getting the slightly more knobby tires to come wintertime and keep the smaller road tires for the summer season.

@thompsono | I would love to hear your thoughts about part sourcing at some point. I am in Washington about an hour east of Portland, so I have some resources, but nothing very close. It seems like I have been provided pretty solid resources for filters. I am honestly worried if a piece of glass ever gets shattered or something more substantial. I guess I will cross that bridge once I get to it. After using the additives on three fill-ups, I am up in the 24mpg range right now consistently with a kayak on the roof rack and a mixture of highway driving, mountain passes, and forest service roads.

One question for anyone. One thing I have realized is my air-condition is pretty crappy. It blows but is hardly cold. I would say it is cool at best. Luckily, where I live we don't have scorching heat but for about a month-two a year. Any insight? I saw the other AC feeds on the forum and nothing really seemed to match the issue I am having as it is blowing cool just not cold. Is this normal?

Thanks so much for your responses. I love the van so much.

Something else to keep in mind, the suspension parts and the 4x4 running gear are usually the same as the hilux from a similar year.

My aircon is usually good enough to cope with a Brisbane summer (equivalent latitude to Florida). Whenever performance has dropped off a regas usually fixed it. I think the compressor had to be replaced a few years ago, and a couple of minor seals.
Does yours have separate aircon for the rear cabin? Mine does but the on/off switch isn't obvious and isn't marked. In the right hand drive version it's above my left shoulder so there could be difference for left hand drive.

Just had my aircon regassed after owning the van for 2 1/2 years. Works really well now - unfortunately we might not get any more hot days in the UK this year . My mechanic did say he had to change the valves for regassing to a more modern adaptor.

Also I've just changed my knobbly tyres for smooth road tyres, which looked great but gave a horrible noisy ride. Wow, it's like a different vehicle. Too early to say whether that will improve fuel efficiency (currently 120-22 MPG).

@maIL | Thanks for letting me know. I will have to get it in to the mechanic and see what they can figure out. It does have the dual climate control with the AC button directly over my shoulder from the right-hand side driver's seat. I was messing around with the AC yesterday, and it appears the AC button on the dash does nothing in terms of cooling airflow vs. the AC button not being turned on.

@andonic | Maybe it just needs a regassing. I know that feeling about the hot days dwindling—best of luck on the fuel efficiency. I plan on doing the opposite, tire wise, in the next few months. I will update you on how it affects my MPG.

I was a little worried about how much the smooth ride of the van would change with the knobby tires. I assume a lot of that depends on which tires you decide to put on. I will have to do some more research and see which ones seem to provide a smoother ride than others.

My AC was pretty weak when I got my van, I had it recharged, and it's better, but still not great. Strangely the rear blows colder than the front.

On the tires, the BFG K02's (235-75R15) that I'm running year-round are very smooth running and quiet. I'm sure they ding my mpg slightly, but they are worth the traction! I wouldn't say they are the best tire for the types of winter precipitation we get here in the PNW, and I would almost recommend you get a snow tire for the winter (especially since you are in the gorge) and then run the knobby set once the snow melts.

I also have a set of Firestone Destination A/T's on my other 4x4 and they are also very smooth, quiet, and capable. The BFG's have a more aggressive tread/sidewall pattern and look really good on the van.