I feel so sorry for my hiace. (LH172-0031359 engine 5l-4869445)


I have a toyota Hiace Van. It was bought in Japan and shipped to Kenya.
I have it for 3 years now and the fourth automatic gearbox just broke down again. What on earth causes gearboxes to brake down so often ?
I know the roads are bad, the drivers aren't always carefull, but a gear should survive ?

I told the guys to always chck and top up the ATF fluid and they say they did. They want me to buy a ''new'' one again , but i am not willing for i cannot seem to find out what causes the problem.

Can you kind of give e a ''checklist'' ??

If i want another gear, does it need to be a toyota ? My dad says not, i just have to look at ''the specs'' but where to find such detailed specs ?

Toyota in my country (belgium) is not willing to help, for it is a Japanese Van and they say they differ from the Euopean ones. I am leaving to Kenya in a week, so I'd like to be able to suss out what is going on with my gearboxes....

Thanks in advance !
Monique

It may be that you are just having a bad run with gearboxes of unknown history.

A good automatic transmission should last at least 300,000 km before needing a service.

If you have a trans that has not been maintained properly or hasn't had regular servicing, it won't last. It may already be
due to fail before you install it.

You need to find a supplier of a gearbox that you know is reputable and will provide some history of the unit,
as well as some kind of warranty.

I personally don't like automatics, especiall in Hiace vans. They rob you of 10% of your engine power (and Hiaces never have enough
of that to start with!).
They require regular maintenance and when they fail they are expensive to replace / repair.

My suggestion, given you are living in a country where Japanese Toyota parts are difficult to get would be to sell your van and
buy a 5 speed manual. They are much less hassle and in my opinion, more reliable.

I wouldn't trust any rebuilds from Kenya but I would rather try to get one imported from Japan. Hiace autos are more reliable than most but they were never meant to be driven off road so that may cause them to break down faster.
I know a man who exports vehicles and equipment to South Africa so if you are serious about buying one I can pass on his contact details to you.