My new 4x4 toyota van

[B Point]

Holy Crap!! That is a rare find. There are of course a ton of Town Ace, Surf Ace and Lite Ace vans here but NOTHING that old with those specs. Take care of that thing....it's a classic. I had this Nissan E25 that I camperized (built entirely by moi) but the Hiace vans sure are nice as well.

[/IMG] Can't edit out this bad link...

 

[jlhollowx13]

Holy Crap!! That is a rare find. There are of course a ton of Town Ace, Surf Ace and Lite Ace vans here but NOTHING that old with those specs. Take care of that thing....it's a classic. I had this Nissan E25 that I camperized (built entirely by moi) but the Hiace vans sure are nice as well.

[/IMG] Can't edit out this bad link...

Nice! I don't think my van will end up looking as Nice inside but it Will be functional and get the job done. Installed the tent today will post pics soon.

 

[ctcv1984]

Do a search on autotrader.com, nationwide...Zero hits for 4x4. One for 2wd.

You can also try "statewidelist.com. It takes all of the cities that Craigslist uses for a particular state and puts them all on one page. I can search the entire western U.S. for something like FJ40's in about 15 minutes. Great site except they're kinda slow to take ads down that are deleted so you may open an ad that was deleted on Craigslist but still shows up on statewidelist.

 

[jlhollowx13]

Here are a couple photos, inside is full of my camping crap until I build it up to store everything nicely so didn't take any of that yet. Enjoy!

 

[Ctenosaurian]

Looking good!

 

[jlhollowx13]

So some bad news. We recently took a 500 mile round trip to go camping this weekend and I had some overheating issues when driving the van under heavy load (going up mountain passes, etc). I've been trying to track down the issue for awhile now as it isn't new, but I thought I had gotten it resolved. My work did help, but now I'm thinking I have a blown head gasket. I'm not seeing any mixture of oil and coolant, but I think I'm getting exhaust into the coolant. I'm seeing fumes coming out of the coolant fill hole on initial start up when the radiator cap is off. Other than that I cannot find anything else that could be the issue, new t stat, new radiator, new electric fan, etc. I'm hoping it's the head gasket now as I've already started disassembly. I'm hoping to have it back on the road in the next few weeks as I wait for parts and find the time to do the work. Until then, here is a photo of the trip!

 

[fjman]

I remember my parents had one of these when I was a kid. I've always thought they were pretty neat. Probably not a terrible truck to fix When it's cold outside since I'd imagine you are inside the van while your fixing it!

 

[Bushwacker Inc]

Love the fact people are turning these into adventuremobiles. I remember when this, the Nissan Van and the Mitsubishi Van were for sale in the late 1980s. I always thought they were neat. Cool rig!

- Andy

 

[JRBobdobbs]

So some bad news. We recently took a 500 mile round trip to go camping this weekend and I had some overheating issues when driving the van under heavy load (going up mountain passes, etc). I've been trying to track down the issue for awhile now as it isn't new, but I thought I had gotten it resolved. My work did help, but now I'm thinking I have a blown head gasket. I'm not seeing any mixture of oil and coolant, but I think I'm getting exhaust into the coolant. I'm seeing fumes coming out of the coolant fill hole on initial start up when the radiator cap is off. Other than that I cannot find anything else that could be the issue, new t stat, new radiator, new electric fan, etc. I'm hoping it's the head gasket now as I've already started disassembly. I'm hoping to have it back on the road in the next few weeks as I wait for parts and find the time to do the work. Until then, here is a photo of the trip!

So was it the head gasket?

Where did you get the electric fan from?

 

[jlhollowx13]

So was it the head gasket?

Where did you get the electric fan from?

I'm still waiting to get the head back from the machine shop, the only one I trust in town is super busy right now so it might be another week. I'm not 100% sure it was the head gasket, I couldn't tell if there was a definite breach when I ripped the head off, but it seemed to be a small leak when I caught it. I'll know for sure once the head is finished and pressure tested and what not. Only other options would be a cracked block or cracked head, both of which I really hope it's not.

I've ended up spending a bit more than anticipated on extra parts I wasn't planning on replacing, had to get a new bvsv as mine was broke, a couple other new sensors, all new hoses, fuel filter, air filter, New pushrods, a few other odds and ends and my exhaust manifold was cracked through so I ordered a new one. Overall I've got about $700+ spent on the "head gasket" repair not including any of my labor, but at least I'll know it'll be reliable and most everything will be new or at least inspected by the time I'm done.

The electric fan actually came with the van, it was in it at one point in the past. It is a flex-a-lite if I remember right.

 

[jlhollowx13]

Love the fact people are turning these into adventuremobiles. I remember when this, the Nissan Van and the Mitsubishi Van were for sale in the late 1980s. I always thought they were neat. Cool rig!

- Andy

I read over at the van forum that the Nissan vans of the era had a real problem catching fire, they are almost impossible to find now days because Nissan tried Its best to gather them up and have them destroyed due to this. (I'm pretty sure it was Nissan, might have been a different manufacturer)

 

[JRBobdobbs]

I'm still waiting to get the head back from the machine shop, the only one I trust in town is super busy right now so it might be another week. I'm not 100% sure it was the head gasket, I couldn't tell if there was a definite breach when I ripped the head off, but it seemed to be a small leak when I caught it. I'll know for sure once the head is finished and pressure tested and what not. Only other options would be a cracked block or cracked head, both of which I really hope it's not.

I've ended up spending a bit more than anticipated on extra parts I wasn't planning on replacing, had to get a new bvsv as mine was broke, a couple other new sensors, all new hoses, fuel filter, air filter, New pushrods, a few other odds and ends and my exhaust manifold was cracked through so I ordered a new one. Overall I've got about $700+ spent on the "head gasket" repair not including any of my labor, but at least I'll know it'll be reliable and most everything will be new or at least inspected by the time I'm done.

The electric fan actually came with the van, it was in it at one point in the past. It is a flex-a-lite if I remember right.

New pushrods? Is that a preventative measure?

Oh I see. So the fan was not actually installed when it overheated? Some people wire electric fans to cool the radiator and ventilate the engine compartment after driving. Heat can accumulate int the engine compartment and cause difficulty starting in warm weather. Has this happened to you yet?

I also have one of these vans. It is an '87 LE 4x4 5sp Manual. I've had it for a couple months, and overheating is my biggest concern. I'm going to install an electric pusher fan. Hopefully I don't have to deal with a blown headgasket on my first camping trip.

 

[jlhollowx13]

New pushrods? Is that a preventative measure?

Oh I see. So the fan was not actually installed when it overheated? Some people wire electric fans to cool the radiator and ventilate the engine compartment after driving. Heat can accumulate int the engine compartment and cause difficulty starting in warm weather. Has this happened to you yet?

I also have one of these vans. It is an '87 LE 4x4 5sp Manual. I've had it for a couple months, and overheating is my biggest concern. I'm going to install an electric pusher fan. Hopefully I don't have to deal with a blown headgasket on my first camping trip.

The old pushrods were mushroomed slightly on a couple ends so I figured I'd just replace them while I was in there.

When the van first overheated on me it was when I was driving it home going over a long, steep mountain pass. I thought I pulled over in time, but maybe not. Or maybe it already had a small leak when I bought it, as there was some head gasket repair stuff in the glove box but it hadn't been used and I didn't see any signs of a bad hg. It also didn't have the fan shroud on when it first overheated so I thought that was the problem, but after fixing that and eventually going with a better electric fan (among other fixes) it was still overheating and shouldn't have been. We nnoticed some slight bubbling one day at initial start up with the rad cap off, so I figured it had to be the hg. If your ac doesn't work I'd recommend taking off the condenser, it really blocks air flow, much more than my 2wd did, although the condenser on it was vertical up against the radiator. Losing the ac also saves some weight, which in my case is definitely something I have to consider. I have 2 medium to large size dog's, and 2 adults, a roof top tent, roof rack with recovery gear and some other supplies, extra parts, hot water containers and everything else inside we need such as cook stove, food, chairs, drinking water, solar equipment, etc. The van is rated to hold 7 passengers and luggage, so it definitely can handle it and larger coils are also an option, but anything I can do to help it out I want to do. Especially if it involves getting rid of something that is dead weight for me anyway. Just the condenser and compressor took at least 100 lb away and you can use the 12 volt fans from the condenser for a ppusher fan or something. Also check your hose of death, mine was easy while doing the head gasket but you can cut an access behind the front seats. Mine already had one cut as well. From my research on it though the main things are to run a toyota oem thermostat from the dealer ONLY, keep coolant clean, system in good repair and pull over as soon as you notice any signs of overheating and these things are good to go. Bit removing that ac will definitely allow better airflow. Mounting auxiliary heater cores can also aid if you want ac

 

[Bushwacker Inc]

I read over at the van forum that the Nissan vans of the era had a real problem catching fire, they are almost impossible to find now days because Nissan tried Its best to gather them up and have them destroyed due to this. (I'm pretty sure it was Nissan, might have been a different manufacturer)

Yes, it was Nissan. It was odd that one showed up for sale a couple years ago in Oregon. Not sure how it escaped the crusher.

Andy

 

[JRBobdobbs]

The old pushrods were mushroomed slightly on a couple ends so I figured I'd just replace them while I was in there.

When the van first overheated on me it was when I was driving it home going over a long, steep mountain pass. I thought I pulled over in time, but maybe not. Or maybe it already had a small leak when I bought it, as there was some head gasket repair stuff in the glove box but it hadn't been used and I didn't see any signs of a bad hg. It also didn't have the fan shroud on when it first overheated so I thought that was the problem, but after fixing that and eventually going with a better electric fan (among other fixes) it was still overheating and shouldn't have been. We nnoticed some slight bubbling one day at initial start up with the rad cap off, so I figured it had to be the hg. If your ac doesn't work I'd recommend taking off the condenser, it really blocks air flow, much more than my 2wd did, although the condenser on it was vertical up against the radiator. Losing the ac also saves some weight, which in my case is definitely something I have to consider. I have 2 medium to large size dog's, and 2 adults, a roof top tent, roof rack with recovery gear and some other supplies, extra parts, hot water containers and everything else inside we need such as cook stove, food, chairs, drinking water, solar equipment, etc. The van is rated to hold 7 passengers and luggage, so it definitely can handle it and larger coils are also an option, but anything I can do to help it out I want to do. Especially if it involves getting rid of something that is dead weight for me anyway. Just the condenser and compressor took at least 100 lb away and you can use the 12 volt fans from the condenser for a ppusher fan or something. Also check your hose of death, mine was easy while doing the head gasket but you can cut an access behind the front seats. Mine already had one cut as well. From my research on it though the main things are to run a toyota oem thermostat from the dealer ONLY, keep coolant clean, system in good repair and pull over as soon as you notice any signs of overheating and these things are good to go. Bit removing that ac will definitely allow better airflow. Mounting auxiliary heater cores can also aid if you want ac

My A/C works so I'm keeping it. These vans are sensitive to changes in aerodynamics, the tent and roof racks must be having a significant impact on your Hwy fuel economy. That and the added weight and your pushing the little 4-YE to its limit.

Yes Toyota OEM thermostat and radiator cap only. Don't cheap out on the cap either. They are $12 online.

Yeah I remember seeing that thread @ TVT about using the previa heater core mounted in the front. The same guy also made a air "scoop" out of galvanized steel to force air into the engine compartment.

I also found these aux coolers at summit.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hda-459/overview/year/1987/make/toyota/model/van
and
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hda-457/overview/year/1987/make/toyota/model/van

I need to check the hose of death. That thing is a big liability, but I really don't want to cut a hole in my van to replace it.

Where do you find the larger rear coils?

 

[jlhollowx13]

My A/C works so I'm keeping it. These vans are sensitive to changes in aerodynamics, the tent and roof racks must be having a significant impact on your Hwy fuel economy. That and the added weight and your pushing the little 4-YE to its limit.

Yes Toyota OEM thermostat and radiator cap only. Don't cheap out on the cap either. They are $12 online.

Yeah I remember seeing that thread @ TVT about using the previa heater core mounted in the front. The same guy also made a air "scoop" out of galvanized steel to force air into the engine compartment.

I also found these aux coolers at summit.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hda-459/overview/year/1987/make/toyota/model/van
and
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hda-457/overview/year/1987/make/toyota/model/van

I need to check the hose of death. That thing is a big liability, but I really don't want to cut a hole in my van to replace it.

Where do you find the larger rear coils?

Not sure where to source larger coils yet, not sure if I'll even need them so I haven't looked to far into it yet. I've read astro van coils may work and are larger. As far as the hose of death hole, you don't even know it's there until you have to do the job, it's very well hidden. You can do it without cutting a hole, I've just heard it's a real PITA and mine already was cut. My 2wd didn't have an access cut yet and I didn't mess with it. If I had to do it I'd make an access. Toyota should have done it from the start, but you can make it look really nice and even like it was always there if you have the skill.

As far as the tent and roof rack go I didn't actually notice much if any change in mpg in the couple 200+ mile trips I made with and without them. Both averaged about 20 mpg empty and loaded, which surprised me, I'll need to do more tests once it's on the road. I'm sure in high winds and faster speeds I might notice more, but either way it's better than my cruisers so I'm happy and quite honestly I won't find any other vehicle that is as capable, roomy, reliable and gets that kind of mileage with those accessories. I'm estimating I'll be carrying a total load of about 1500 lbs with people, dog's and all cargo on the high end. I haven't noticed any sagging or anything so far. The vans capacity is 7 people with cargo, so I figure that's about in the stock load range. Tim on the van site (who did previa cooler) carries a static load of 3000 lbs in his van and still uses ac and has all his accessories, so he has a lot of ideas for mods to help different situations. He's been helping me a lot getting this thing together. I thought of getting my ac fixed and will keep all parts but for now I'm not going to fix it as its not a necessity and I have many other priorities I need to deal with. I do have the ice box so I'm missing out on that until I do fix the ac. I got quotes for getting the ac converted to the new stuff as the r12 is really expensive and hard to find, but either way they require an entire overhaul of the system and it's not cheap. The van guys say if your ac works Then keep it as it's not common to have a working stock system. I personally really like the more open pathway to the radiator and also the space and weight it clears up in the engine bay (just the electric fan alone helps a lot though). We don't need ac where I live so I'll just have to deal with the heat when I go on trips to hot places. So since mine wasn't working anyway it was just better for me to do away with it for now. I know I'll be working the 4 cylinder, but when it's actually running and cooling correctly it definitely has plenty of power and seems to be dealing with the load quite well, and I'm in a very mountainous region. I have to say it definitely out performs my cruisers on the highway, gets up to speed much quicker, has a much better passing gear and seems to be able to accelerate much better up the mountains, even with an empty cruiser and a loaded van. Once the head gasket and everything else is done I'll see how it does and maybe add an auxiliary cooler if needed.

I think there are 2 possibilities as to why my van had a hg go. One is that I bought it that way and who knows how it happened, and 2 is that a combination of no fan shroud, wrong thermostat and a possibly bad fan clutch going up a long mountain pass all allowed the engine to run hot and thus blow the gasket. My new thermo, and the electric fans definitely helped, but my hg was already toast by then, so I'm thinking once it's all buttoned up those issues should be resolved and keep it from overheating again. I should have know better with the shroud, but I was thinking about how my fj40 hasn't had a shroud for many years and never got above half temp in every condition, but they are designed much differently.

When I bought my 2wd I had to bring it home on the same route as the 4x4. I raced up the pass to see how it did and no signs of overheating and it performed as well as my 2006 forester I had at the time. I was amazed at how much get up and go it had and I even had it loaded down with about 700 lbs of stuff. That engine also had 50k miles more than my 4x4.

 

[jlhollowx13]

For those that are curious, and for me to get a better idea myself, here is a breakdown of non stock things I have or will add and weight and also a list of stock things removed and its weight. This will help me get a better idea of what I'm carrying and the load. I'll be generous with accessories and conservative with removed parts. This is also for a very extended trip, ie the max amount of water I will carry at once as well as fuel and food, propane, etc.

Aftermarket additions:
Exterior
-RTT - 150# with annex, plus I'll add 25# for bedding that will always be kept inside and the weight of crossbars and feet.
-Roof rack - mine is extremely light on it's own, maybe 25#, plus 2 metal ammo cans, one with misc. Stuff and one with recovery gear, I'd put them at 40 # max each (anymore and I won't carry them as I need to easily be able to load and unload), plus one more plastic container with spare fluids and parts at 40#.
- hi lift, chain and mount - 50#
- hot water containers - 2 at about 30 # each, about 7 gallons total
- Jerry cans - 2 at 35# each

Interior:
- inverter - 25#
- mess kit, cook stove, propane - 100#
- drinking water - 14 gallons at 120#
- toolbox -100#
-bikes and rack - 75 #
- cooler, ice and food - 150#
- clothing and personal items for 2 - 100#
- people - 2 at about 325# total
- dogs -2 at about 150# total
- solar panel - 20 #
- assorted lumber and hardware I use to build the inside - 175#

Removed items:
-Ac stuff so far - 75 #
- rear seat - 25#

So in total for my most extended trip where I Would need to be most self reliant and prepared (not resupplying for around a wweek or so) I'd be looking at a total of 1840# minus 100# for what has been removed. In a normal trip where I can resupply every few days or so I can subtract 35# for one less Jerry can, another 60# for one less water container, about 40# for not needing to bring a large bbq propane tank (may not need it anyway), and maybe about 50# of food less between 2 people and 2 dog's. That brings us to a grand total of 1555# for most trips I'll be doing. And keep in mind this is being fairly generous with the weight of most things and the amount of things we will be taking. I really don't see the need to be as prepared as the 1840# list, as even my normal 1550# list has gotten us through week long trips. besides maybe needing more ice or fuel, we seem to always have enough food and water, although the dog's can get water where available naturally and this will be our first year with 2 dog's so that will make a difference. The van in a 2 seater configuration is capable of 1600 lb load stock. I have read that there are springs that can give it a 2 inch lift and add another 1k# weight capacity to it. For what I plan to do with it I think I'm safe around the 1500# Mark as it will be rare if ever that I will not be able to go to a town at least once in a week to resupply.

It will be interesting to see how well it does, the gas mileage and overall driveability of it when it's complete. We have to go to denver in a couple weeks for a Dr appt and I'm waiting on the head still, machine Shop is slammed I guess. If I get the head back by Wednesday next week I think I can get it back together before the trip depending on weather and work. If I do I may load it up as if we were camping and replace the weight of what I don't have built in yet with sandbags to see how a 400 mile trip with 1500 lbs will be like in it. I took the 60 on the same trip this week unloaded and although we made decent time I felt like I was working the engine to keep up, especially up the passes. The new 33s didn't help. Surprisingly when I calculated mpg it got about 12, when I corrected for the 33s I got about 14. I Thought that was decent. I'll be happy with a solid 18 in the van and I expect it to keep up with traffic better in the hills.

 

[JRBobdobbs]

Hey! Did you get the van fixed yet?

If so, how's it running? Has your mileage improved at all ?

What else have you done to it?

 

[jlhollowx13]

Hey! Did you get the van fixed yet?

If so, how's it running? Has your mileage improved at all ?

What else have you done to it?

Im still waiting on the head. We only have 1 machine shop on town that does work on engines and they are slammed. If i would have known before i would have taken it out of town but they kept telling me a couple weeks so i didnt think ot was worth the drive but im considering it now.

We decided to keep the inside simple for now, use it and see exactly what we need. I installed a heavy duty rubber floor inside for now and we kept 2 captains chairs in the back instead of just one as originally planned. We also thought this would lower some of the weight as i wont be building anything inside amd wont have excess weigjt to carry when we arent camping amd this will allow us to use it for hauling to its full potential if we need to.

I also replaced the fuel filter, air filter and other miscellaneous parts and will do a thorough flush of the coolant system once its back together.

 

[Mr Tibbs]

This looks like a blast! I'm looking forward to the updates, enjoy!