toyota liteace/townace - engine access?

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dlb
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toyota liteace/townace - engine access?

Post by dlb »

there is a 1993 toyota townace (i think that's what it's called) for sale a few hours from me. it looks to be in generally good shape but has a cracked head. i'm contemplating buying it, trailering it home, and replacing the head but i want to know more about them, primarily: do i need to drop the engine to replace the head, and how lousy of a job is that? my friend has a lift so i could probably do it with him at his place.

any other info on these vans would be appreciated, too. i found a few forums i'm going to dig through but wante to check in with my trusted aficionados first.

here's the ad

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/camp ... 1142776232

and here are the pics they sent me.

Image

Image

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Re: toyota liteace/townace - engine access?

Post by Gottolovem »

I don't have first hand experience on the vans.
However member hiker Steve has 4 of them and hes says it's a PIA to do engine work.
Their very cool though :oldgeek:

Ohh :shock:
I just looked at the add a diesel for 600 bucks go for it David when will the next time you will have an opportunity to have a 4wd diesel van??? TOOOO COOOOL
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Re: toyota liteace/townace - engine access?

Post by dlb »

yeah, the diesel engine, 4wd, and $600 price tag are all selling points for me. i'm waiting to hear back from the owner, and to get on the toyotavanpeople forum, to get a better idea of whether or not it's worth it.
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Re: toyota liteace/townace - engine access?

Post by Mark »

If it's like the '80s Toyota vans I assume you have to lift the van and drop the engine from underneath. The access port under the driver's seat might not be large enough to access the head. I almost bought an '80s Toyota van, but when I saw how it hard it would be to to basic engine work, I passed. I still think they're pretty cool, but I don't have a practical use for one.
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Re: toyota liteace/townace - engine access?

Post by dlb »

heard back from the seller:

"Hi , Oil is clear , the head is off , it is a turbo , 2TC , brakes are good with new pads three yrs. Ago , ,steering good , elec good , we have owned it for seven/eight years. New water pump , new thermostat , new radiator , all in last two years. Back door wind shield wiper doesn't work , sunroofs don't leak"

i also called him and got more details. he meant 2CT in his email, not 2TC. a lot of the history he gave me was a little jumbled and confusing but what i gathered is that he thinks the coolant passages in the block and/or head got blocked with corrosion buildup and caused it to overheat, although he never noticed it overheating at any points. he said the head gasket was fine when he pulled the head off but he found a crack between cylinders 2 and 3. i asked why he doesn't put it back together if he's this far and he said new chinese heads are $500, and new ones from japan are $1400, so he decided to sell it as is. he also said he's 77 and while he was able to pull the head with the engine still in the vehicle, it's awkward and hard on his back so that's another reason he didn't want to bother with it.

it's already hard to convince myself to get it since it's an 8 hr round trip from here to there, plus i'd need to borrow a car trailer and i don't know of anyone with one, plus the head alone is expensive plus whatever else i'd find that needs replacing. but more than anything i didn't entirely trust the kindly old guy. his muddled history was a little weird and didn't make complete sense to me, and if all it needs is a $500 head, why wouldn't he give a pal or son in law some beer to install it for him so he could sell it for many times more than he's now asking?

i haven't completely given up on it but i'm leaning that way at this point.
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Re: toyota liteace/townace - engine access?

Post by Gottolovem »

What would you pay for that van good to go?
Prob 8 to 9 grand? I really dig peculiar cars and that's one of them. When's the next one will come up within driving distance of you?

I'd go for it :oldgeek:
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Re: toyota liteace/townace - engine access?

Post by dlb »

i'm actually not sure what they usually go for here. i'll look it up. but there are lots of these around here so it's certainly not hard to find. RHD JDM imports have become pretty popular in BC in the last 5-10 years.

can't find many in the same generation but what i can find is listed for about $6000. hmmm.
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Re: toyota liteace/townace - engine access?

Post by Gottolovem »

dlb wrote:i'm actually not sure what they usually go for here. i'll look it up. but there are lots of these around here so it's certainly not hard to find. RHD JDM imports have become pretty popular in BC in the last 5-10 years.

can't find many in the same generation but what i can find is listed for about $6000. hmmm.
Oh
Very rare around here
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Re: toyota liteace/townace - engine access?

Post by irowiki »

IS that right hand drive? NEver seen one!
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Re: toyota liteace/townace - engine access?

Post by Mad_Marx »

Yeah, the LiteAce is the same platform as what we had here in the 80's badged as the "Toyota Van". The HiAce is it's full sized Van big brother we can't seem to get those in the states. They were all over the place when I was over seas (LiteAce and HiAce) and all that I saw were Turbo Diesel. I've been on the toyotavanpeople forum a few times looking at rigs for sale. 4x4 Vans seem to be unobtainium here in the lower 48, hard to find, and when you do see them for sale, for the price you might as well buy a nice used landcruiser. :( Still cheaper than a Westfailure Syncro (not hating on VW, just making the point that dollars per mile ratio is very high).

P.S. Was sniffing around on the interwebs for Toyota information and found this list of the Toyota Vehicle models cross-referenced for market location.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Toyota_vehicles
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Re: toyota liteace/townace - engine access?

Post by dlb »

yep, it's a right hand drive. we have quite a few JDM importers here on the island and coast, and even in the BC interior. i think canada is more lax on regulations for importing vehicles, from what some of the guys on the ae95 forum have told me, which is probably why they're more popular here. plus everyone in BC thinks they need a 4x4 camper because we're all just sooooo adventurous and outdoorsy (*note my heavy, heavy sarcasm*).

my friend with the car hauler never got back to me so i called uhaul and it's only $55/day to rent one from them so that's very reasonable. so i'm going to call around today and get some quotes on how much a head really is and how available they are, and go from there.
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Re: toyota liteace/townace - engine access?

Post by Gottolovem »

David
You should see what an entire JDM engine would cost if available. Sometimes you can score a motor for the cost of a single part It's worth a try anyway :oldgeek:
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Re: toyota liteace/townace - engine access?

Post by Jarf »

DLB - They are indeed the same as the NA vans, for the most part.
A good reference for them is Toyotavantech.com (don't waste your time at TVP, hardly anyone goes there anymore)
TVT even has a subform just for those RHD vehicles and theres several members with them (and lots of info on them)
Seeing as they are quite similar to the NA variant, theres a treasure trove of info on that site, Tim, the forum owner has detailed many of his repairs, from engines to whatever you could want.
Its a great forum, almost as good as this one :)

From what I understand parts can be a pita but working on them isn't SO bad, mostly requires a perspective change, certainly harder than a turtle but not as bad as some newer vehicles.

As to doing the head, they can be done in situ.
There is a removable panel under the RS seat that, once out of the way, opens up the whole engine bay and makes access a breeze (once you've done it the first time, you can have it apart in about 15mins)
While the engine CAN come out from underneath, its actually easier to pull it out thru the RF door, you just need to keep the lifting chain choked up nice and short.
Taking it out from the bottom, you'll have to drop the exhaust, crossmember, front diff and propshaft, among other things, its pretty tight underneath.

Those vans do have a habit of eating heads, but once you get it all set up they are pretty solid, just don't expect much in the power department, the petrol versions actually have more oomph, in that respect.

That being said, at $600, you could easily make your money back just on parting it out, there are several guys out your way hunting for parts so you wouldn't have any trouble moving it, if it came down to it.

By the way, they are a blast to drive, the short wheelbase makes them infinitely easy to maneuver, and in 4WD they are a bit like a mountain goat, not too many places they can't go. Being "forward control" designed, the forward visibility is unrivalled.
And don't let anyone tell you they're a "death trap" in collisions, they actually fair very well in that respect.
I once saw a factory crash test vid where they drove it into a brick wall at 40mph, while it was dramatic (rear end bounced up a good 2ft) the front bumper was only slightly flattened without any visible body damage. Haven't been able to find the clip since but am sure its out there, somewhere.
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Re: toyota liteace/townace - engine access?

Post by Jarf »

Actually, come to think about it, being a RHD you'd probably want to take the engine out the LF door as the steering wheel might be in the way.
This why we take them out the RS as theres no wheel on that side of the NA vans.
And Tim doesn't have any of the JDM vans, all his info is NA variant, but as I said the similarities are many.
Good luck on the purchase.
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Re: toyota liteace/townace - engine access?

Post by Petros »

I would buy that in a heart beat, if nothing else you can put a gasoline engine in it, but the deisle is the way to go.

they are not that hard to work on with the engine in the car. you remove the seats and center console and there is a large floor hatch with like 70 screws on it that comes out, and the whole engine area is exposed. the "hard on your back" is when you have your feet on the ground and have to lean in to reach the engine, climbing into it and sitting next to the engine is much easier. These are similar to the early Toyota vans, routine maintenance is done through a few small hatches and a PIA, but once you get the center cover off, all access is really easy. If you are just replacing the head there is no reason to pull the engine.

if you do not get that van you will regret it later.
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