Hiace Update And Some Questions

[Master_Simon]

Hi all

Well it was a long time but I have the ace back on the road, 1200 quid later :o

Anyway I have a couple of questions now.

1st where is the front washer bottle filler, there is one inside the rear door shut but it doesn't seem to be emptying, and I can't find another one anywhere

2nd Glow plugs how do they know it is cold and they need to heat up? I only ask because mine seem to think it is summer ;)

[chrisandhiace]

Hi Simon, glad you are rolling now - hope the 'bitter aftertaste' disappears quicker than the 1200 quid did! Sometimes it just comes down to bad luck....

anyway - Washer bottle - open passenger door and look just over the step.

Glow plugs - don't know - you could try removing them to see how well they glow.

I have been led to believe that renewal is probably required if they are not doing their job well - but havent had to do this yet

I find that about 3 seconds from cold (4 secs from freezing) before the light goes out on mine - and no wait required if warm.

[Master_Simon]

Well I have enjoyed driving it so far, only real rub is the appalling fuel consumption even with me driving it like one of an israeli religeous persuasion.

I shall have a look for the washers at lunchtime.

The glow plugs thing made me ask because they have always gone off quick, but if the air temp is very low it is like they are not working at all, the engine is such low mileage that it is a good starter anyway, except when it is very cold.

[chrisandhiace]

Does sound like glow plugs may need replacing - however it would be worth checking related

connections/relay and seeing how they glow 1st.

I'd get the toyota part number and cross ref it at local auto factors if they seem pricey.

Fuel - have tried different driving techniques but the consumption is always high (18.5-23). The only one I have not / will not try is the 55mph thing when cruising. My view is it drinks, I can't improve it, so there is no point in me trying to drive for economy.

The weight, aerodynamics at speed and torque convertor all go against getting very far on a tank. Still wouldnt have anything else though......

[Master_Simon]

Bugger, oh well in for a penny, I shall do some checks first to make sure they are actually drawing any current, I can borrow a current clamp so that will be cool!

Have you considered an electric fan, I am not sure wether to go the route of a kenlowe kit or go for the breakers route and have it on a switch, i think the kenlowe route would be good insurance for their guarantee alone, they also have a temperature sensor to cycle the fan, i also had the idea of fitting a secondary rad, it is not as if we don't have the room.

I thought of developing a kit to do this but am not sure of how many people would be interested, my idea involved fitting a second rad in series with the main one with some switch operated fans, this as well as the main kenlowe fan should see it running well cool.

I must say if you haven't checked your rad for scaling do so, mine has been recored as part of the guarantee for ukcyclinderheads, new stat and rad cap too.

I took out the net curtains for a wash, the first i reckon in 9 years, they look like a zebra's butt. They have been in soak for over a week and they still turn the water black

I have even thought of dying them black!!

Point of interest what model and year is yours again??

Rgds

Simon

[edit] hey thanks for the tip about the washers would never have thought about looking there, and I like the idea of the built in funnel. [/edit]

[chrisandhiace]

Its the LH107 (2.8) non turbo 4wd. A couple of pics at;

http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/HiaceSupe...erCustomWagons/

You will need to 'log in' to see though.

On the 4wd there is a second radiator mounted horizontally at the front. this is purely for the aircon though. My stat is the standard 88c one. I find that it runs about 90-91c so I'm happy with that.

Does your cap have a float in for the vacuum draw? I ask because toyota supplied me with one which I later discovered was for a post 96 model (no float). I have the right part number but they won't tell me if the 92 spec has the float. On import the cap had a float but I didnt know what it was at the time.... (wondered why the draw valve was rattly, figured it was probably knackered, binned it and renewed with what toyota sold me)

Chris

[chrisandhiace]

Simon, just looking in my engine manual specs (pre-heating system) and on my unit (2779cc) there is (I think) a water temp sensor somewhere which tells the glowplugs what to do. Yours may be different but this one can be checked as below

Water temp sensor resistance

-20c = 10-20 ohms

0c = 4-7 ohm

20c = 2-3 ohm

40c = 0.9-1.3 ohm

60c = 0.4-0.7 ohm

80c = 0.2-0.4 ohm

It lists 3 types of glow (at 20c)

Superglow 2-3 secs

Variable delay type 5 ish secs

Fixed delay type 15-19.5 secs

Hope this helps.......you should be able to get a toyota 'engine manual' from a dealer. This may not be for the hiace specifically, but for your engine.

Mine has loads of info which is easy to digest, but I hope I never need to.......

[cal]

Hey Simon,

Well done for getting back on the road. Hope you are well.

About the glow plugs, have you checked the individual resistance? If not check them with the coolant temp sensor which chrisandhiace suggested.

As for the secondary rad, if I were you, I will go for an oil cooler. This is more effective than a rad or a fan. Only thing you need to watch out for when doing this is make sure you spend money on decend hoses and have the thermostat fitted. Most people tends to ignore the latter which gives additional problems.

Anyway, congrats on getting back on the road!!

[Master_Simon]

Chris and Cal,

Sorry for the delay in reply, busy with work.

Rad cap in mine is a rattly sort, so can I presume that is the float type of which you speak?

I shall have to find the temp sensor there is what looks like this at the back of the block but I haven't had chance to look carefully yet.

I take on board your comments about an oil cooler cal it might be my next move, I am in communication with kenlowe's technical department with regards fitting an electric fan kit, this is fully adjustable so I can set the temp I want it to run at, they have recommended a 16" fan set up to suck air through rather than try to push but I am concerned that the fan pulley might chew it, am not sure how much room would be left by the time I had removed the assembly.

In the mean time I am keeping a very close eye on the temp guage, not helped by it being one of those digital ones which is very low resolution ;)

Just another quick question, what threads are the oil pressure and water temp sensors likely to be? I would like to add some durite gauges and obviously they specify their own sensors.