The 1991 HiAce has lap seat belts in the rear seats. We are looking to buy one but concerned about being able to put a child seat, or baby seat with those belts. Can the seat belts bechanged, if so what kind of cost. Or are lap seat belts perfectly safe for child seats?

When talking to a private dealer he was saying the 2.4L was terrible because it they can self destruct. They can run themselves to hard and blow gaskets. DO you know why this is or if it is true.

One last question, is it necessary to change the wrap around head lights that come with the original model to a more standardized plain light because of insurance standards?

I have a 1990 Landcruiser Prado with lap belts and it works fine with all the car seat I have used (3 kids). Just buy the seats with the five-point harness and belt it in. The seats should have a strap on the back that can be secured to the frame. My cruiser has these nice steel clips that are bolted to the frame for attaching these seat. I would think the Hiace would have the same clips.

I am getting a 1991 HiAce in the next couple of weeks. My cruiser has the 2L-TE engine (available on some Hiace models) and I think you are talking about the cracked head problem. There is a problem with the 2L engine but not the 3L. The good news is that it can be fixed, but it might cost you a few bucks ($1000 or so). The problem is if your engine gets too hot (climbing, summer driving, towing) the head might crack. You can prevent this by making sure you change the coolent system and slow down on hot days, towing things in the summer. Turning off the AC and doing 90 kph on 25+ degree days will go a long way to preserver your engine.

As for the headlights, once the vehicle has passed the provincial inspection you are good to go. I have heard some talk on this form about changing headlights. The good thing is that the marker lights (amber lights at the front and red lights at the back) look to be fine on the Hiace. I will learn more in a couple of weeks.

I'd run away from the 2.4 "2l-te" for reasons Jake and others have described.

Lap belts are fine for child seats especially with the rear tether strap securely anchored. Our Hiace has one shoulder belt on right side middle seat, other may also? NOt sure what other HIace configs are with seatbelts (ours is a 1992).

You will need entirely new headlights, front side markers, turn signals, and grill I think, unless you can find a way to use the stock lights and pass inspection.
cheers,
john

The head cracking issue DOES apply to the 3L as well.

I know, because I got my Hiace in bits - it had a cracked head and the previous owner had pulled it down, then lost interest (or didn't know what to do from there on in).

The problem is caused by HEAT. As previously mentioned, poor attention to the cooling system will cause it, as well as another less commonly known problem - the size of the exhaust.

This really only applies to the 2L-T: if you take the stock exhaust off and fit a 2" or larger system all the way through, you will never crack another head. The problem with the factory OEM exhaust system is it's too small and doesn't allow the heat generated by the turbo to escape the engine quickly enough.

With the 3L, you just have to take good care of the coolant system.

You guys are great,

Thanks for getting back to me quickly, I'm about a day or 2 away from purchasing it (91) and wouuld like to know what types of things that are going to being coming up and what to expect. If I can take it to a mechanic to have a look at the cooling system and exhaust before buying it (should I really try to do this)...

How about any problems with the special features, power curtains, sun roof, intercom system... Has anyone had problems with the electrical and power side of it.

Just getting started with the 1st import van, want to make sure I'm not that far in the cold.

So you have a cracked head on your 3-L. Mine overheated once breifly because of loose belts from a stripped alternator bolt. My stepbrother tells me that if I had a cracked head from that , I'd know it - fouled coolant, constant white smoke, and crippled power. Did you have either of these things?

Cheers,
-Mark

I would NOT get a 2.4 litre. The chances are good that the head is pre-cracked for your replacing pleasure. Get a 3-L, be good to the cooling system, and slap a 2.5" exhaust on for good measure. It will give you roughly 10% more power (which you will need if it's an auto) at no efficiency penalty.

Cheers,
Mark

the one I want to buy is a 2.8L engine should I still look into changing the exhaust to a 2" or 2.5"? How is the engine on this one? I know its not the as good as the 3L.

The 3-L is a 2.8 litre engine. It's one of those silly things - it's the "L series". The 2-L is a 2.4 litre, and I think the 1-L was a 1.8 litre. To make things more confusing, the next engine in the late '93 hiaces was a turbo charged 3 litre jobby.

From what I have read, the 3-L is the most reliable of the Hiace diesel engines. I rarely hear of a cracked head on one, whereas I have heard of a few on the turbo 3 litres, and containers full on the 2.4s.

I think the stock exhaust on it was a 2". I'd go 2.25" or 2.5". Mind you, I had a blocked muffler on the heaviest Hiace you can get, with an Autotransmission and 4X4, so the increase in power that I got from a bigger exhaust was sorely needed. I also use mine for commercial purposes carrying heavy loads - if you don't, or don't care so much about speed, you may not need it. A bigger exhaust will be noisier.

However, it will lower your exhaust gas temperatures (EGT), which will protect the head and make things last longer and run better.

Are you getting an auto or a manual? 4WD or 2WD?

where did you get the larger bore exhaust .... was it made as a one off or can it be purchased over the counter, also how did your mpg go... up or down.... cheers

I went to an exhaust shop here in Edmonton Alberta. It was a custom job, but not too weird of one; with a performance muffler and 2.5" all the way back from the dump pipe it was $630 Canadian, or about 315 pounds. Cheaper with 2.25" I am sure. I splurged because the company I bought it from was willing to pay for a basic exhaust from the front pipe back, so it was only $280 for the upgrade.

Hard to say what it did to mpg - most of the driving since then has been driving with a large square box plus a ski box on the roof, and a considerable load at as close to 110km/h as we can keep it. Since we can go faster now we do go faster, so our mileage has not improved while touring. I will say that power is way better, and my bet is mileage will see a slight improvement in the 90-100km/h easy highway driving range with no huge box on top. It was doing 12.5 l/100 km in that state before. I am hoping for 11.5.

My Step-brother did a driveline treatment he has said improved his mileage by 8-10% (!). I may give it a try. I guess I had better get some "before" data in advance.

Cheers,
-Mark

it was an auto tranny, thanks for clearing up the 2.8-3L thing. I'm not planning on having heavy loads just more for touring around and occasional company inside. Just want to give a little break on the van, if exhaust is the way to go then I might just do that. Not to keen on the noise increasing but I guess its a trade off. I'm not sure if there is a damper that could deaden the sound a bit, is there?

Hi there,

I have a 91 Hiace with a 3-L engine that is eating coolant. I think the previous owner overheated the engine and cracked the head. Luckily I go the van for free. Does anyone know if it is worhtwhile for me to replace the head or should I try to replace the entire engine?

I'd stick with what I had ...who knows what problems you'l find in a second hand engine.... but first find out what caused the first head to go before you crack a second.... have you checked its not just a head gaskit

Apparently the last gut who owned the van had the head shaved and the gasket replaced but it didn't fix the problem. Does anyone know if the 3.0 liter turbo diesel would fit in this van?

The '93 has the 3.0 litre turbo-diesel, more powerful but supposedly less reliable. But who knows - we have not tried them out here in NA, where we seem to like cracking heads!

I would just buy a new head for your 2.8 litre, and find out how the thing overheated. Make the radiator as good as possible, replace the water pump and thermostat, use good Toyota coolant, make sure all of your belts are tight. It will cost you far less than putting a new engine in. And hey, you got the van for free.

You can also put in a bigger exhaust, which will lower your EGT's and boost your power nicely. The 2.8 litre rarely cracks unless its cooling system is failing it. Mine even overheated breifly once without cracking the head. I have never heard of anyone attempting a head shave to fix a head problem on an L-series engine.

I say fix 'er up. If she's what you want when she's done, great. If not, sell her and get a '93 or a Delica.

"it was an auto tranny, thanks for clearing up the 2.8-3L thing. I'm not planning on having heavy loads just more for touring around and occasional company inside. Just want to give a little break on the van, if exhaust is the way to go then I might just do that. Not to keen on the noise increasing but I guess its a trade off. I'm not sure if there is a damper that could deaden the sound a bit, is there?"

You can ( I am told ) get a resonator that will dampen the sound a bit. But for what you are planning to use it for it seemes to me that if you have a new water pump, a new thermostat, and a rad that is suitably desludeged and charged with good Coolant, you should be OK. Some times the importers will do that for you. So unless you crave the power, save the quid for the cooling system.

Cheers,
-Pard

Hey there Pard,

I noticed that you are also from Alberta...I live in Calgary. Can you recomend anywhere in Calgary to service these vehicles. I talked to Proactive Automotive but their prices seem really expensive.