I've inherited a Daihatsu Hi-jet 1300 16v Efi (Light 4x4 Utility) - it was my Dads

Hi all, my name is Adam and I live in Cardiff.
My father passed away March 2012 and this was his Hi-Jet, he used it for odd jobs, painting and decorating etc...
I really don’t want to get rid of it, and would love to get it running again, and give it a good clean.

My late Dad's Hi-Jet


As I have a young family (2 daughters) I thought it would be cool to do a DIY Camper conversion for weekend camping/day picnics.
However, I’m not mechanical at all (although I’d like to learn) and the van needs a fair amount of work first.

Firstly, it won’t start!

I know it has battery problems and since finding this forum I’m beginning to think it’s the corroded/damaged battery wiring which has been mentioned in previous posts.
The positive cabling doesn’t look to bad, but I’ve not thoroughly checked .

Battery Compartment:


Postive Cable


Earth Cable


The earth cable looks to have snapped and it appear my Dad may have attempted taping it.
Could anyone provide me with some advice on following the positive cable back through the van to check for breaks or damage?
Also I’m confident that replacing the earth cable might be wise, but what checks/tests can I do before replacing it, and also what cabling do I need to replace it?

Next point, the battery that is currently in there is flat as a pancake, I’ve taken it out to recharge, but the charger is displaying “To Low/Battery Damaged” so won’t charge.
I’d like to eliminate this issue and purchase a new one to help with problem-solving, does this battery appear to be the correct one?
www . carbatteriesonline . co. uk /details/DAIHATSU/HIJET/1.3/2000/__/137/S4018/battery
Providing I can get this thing started and running well, next steps will be MOT.
If it passes I would then like to clean up the rest of the exteriors new tyres, body work and fix exterior problems e.g. sliding doors, door locks, mirror.
Once the van is all cleaned up and running smoothly (taxed and insured), the dream would be to start thinking about the DIY camper conversion.
This would include;
• Bench seating
• Fold out bed (ideally a double)
• Storage and cubbies
• Leisure battery
• Slide out and reverseable front seats
• Carpeted/panel work
• Stereo player/speakers
• Re-spray
• Alloys
• MPV windowed sliding doors

At the moment, a lot of this is bit of a distant dream as I mentioned before I am not mechanical or even that good at interiors.
I don’t have a huge amount of money to plough into it, and will need to do as much as I can on the cheap.
I also need to get the basics covered off first, get it started, get it MOT’d, ensure there is no other mechanical problems.

What I’d like to know is if you guys think this is do-able based on my lack of mechanical knowledge and limited funds. Also would like to know if you think it’s even worth attempting to convert the van into a camper. Is it feasible? Lack of parts could be a problem.

I will be spending this Saturday (20 April) jet washing the van and emptying in it so I can trace that battery fault. Think I’ll need a new battery sooner rather than later too if I'm going to get anywhere.

I will take some more pictures on Saturday before and after I give it a good wash, and will try and identify additional problems and things that need fixing/replacing.

Thanks

Adam

POST MOVED FROM "Introduce your self..."

HighlyJetted wrote:Welcome Adam

Not to sound like the forum police.....

Start your own thread!

I can see this going on a bit.

First things first get a battery on it, you can fit pretty much any car battery on a hijet as the battery tray is quite big. As long as its a battery with stumpy round connectors, not the flat bolt on ones.

The battery on mine is off my civic, and the battery on the other one is off a peugeot 206, and I've fitted a battery off a corsa on one.


The battery wire fault is very detectable because the engine warning light won't come on when you turn the key to "on". If you get the warning light then we'll go from there.

BUT copy all your post, start another thread, and paste it in there!

Logi wrote:Welcome . Oooooh a 4x4! A rare beastie, deffo worth saving.

PFM wrote:Welcome Adam, I think you'll find this forum very useful, and you'll be able to get your Dad's van running with the help of the guys on here.

One small point - that bolt holding the earth cable down is quite small and can snap easily when you come to undo it so a spray of PlusGas today would not hurt at all.

Thank you HighlyJetted, Logi and PFM.

As the old battery seems dead and won't take the charge, thanks to HighlyJetted tip, I've rescued my old battery from my Civic.

It's old, but is taking the charge - so I can hopefully use it this weekend to figure out if it's the connections causing it to not start.

If I figure out the battery connections problem I will pick up a new battery.

Ok, specifically what are the battery problems? Do you get dash lights? The little wires to the positive corrode, if these break = no power.
Get the battery charged, let us know from there.

Same here, can't wait to follow this one though.

Good to see another hijet brought back to life!

Bet there won't be much wrong with it.

An update from today.

Today’s Plan
• Empty the back of the van
• Hook up the old fully charged battery
• Jet wash and shampoo the car

Linked photos within the text to come, once 7 day ban ends!

For those who want to copy/paste and remove the # from the link below:
A full photo album can be found here: https:#//plus.google.com/photos/100336713718764290764/albums/5869020902924407425?authkey=CKqUx9rPmMPeiAE

Empty the back of the van
Emptied the van and removed an old carpet my Dad had on top of the Dahatsi carpet. Dahatshi carpet not too bad, except for some big paint spillages!

Hook up the old fully charged
I dropped the battery into place and decided to remove the negative cable as I suspect this might be the cause of the battery problems as it looked damaged.
Following PFM’s advice I WD40’d it before attempting to loosen it. Just as PFM had warned, I snapped the bolt! Great start 
So now I need to somehow remove the broken bolt, but I’d also like to replace the old cable – Anyone know where I can get one? Suppose it’s a generic part.
A tip which I learned recently I decided to earth the battery using a jump lead to hook up the battery.
Immediately the hazard lights come on, so I know I got power.
I turn the key from “ON” to “IGNITION” and all the power cuts out, and everything it totally DEAD. Sounds a little like something shorted.
Dead as a dodo
At this point I decide to disconnect the battery quit for now to get it cleaned up.

Jet wash and shampoo the car
Using the jet wash I cleaned off all the grime and muck
Photos to follow – 7 day ban!

Try to start the van again
Once everything was washed and dried I decided to go back to trying to start the van. I hooked up the battery once again like before, bolting the positive and using the jump lead for the negative/earth.
We get power again and all the dash lights come on. Turning the key this time didn’t knock out the power and did turn over a bit. I almost thought it was going to start but not quite.
I popped the seats back to see what was going on. I was a bit clueless to be honest and was trying to find the spark plugs – Didn’t know what to try! I checked the oil while I was at it. Open and closed the petrol cap, don’t know why, thought it might help.
I tried to remove the air filter as my brother-in-law suggested this might help .
The 3 screws when on tight and the tube going into it was tough to remove, so I left everything as it was.
Before calling it a night I tried a few more times and videoed it so you guys could see/hear the van.
It was starting to sound less likely to start now

Other repairs needed
Driver side sliding door won’t open from the outside and the sliders are not very smooth.
Driver side door is drooping when you open it, hinges seem loose.
Rear bumper has damage which my Dad has duck-taped and painted – a new one would be nice.

Postives
Once emptied and cleaned the van looked in pretty good shape, with just the carpet down the interiors looked good! Need to scrub it all up, but it’s promising.
Also popping the seats back and having a poke around the engine made me feel slightly more confident trying things out.

Good idea using a jump lead. Bad idea earthing it to a painted surface. Clip it ti the rear door catch in the floor & try again.

Got nothing on the rear door catch. Looks like it's been painted. Used the side door catch instead. Connection seems good, all dash lights on. Belt is turning, just won't catch.

Take out the air filter spray some of this into the induction, see what happens

Adamation wrote:I dropped the battery into place and decided to remove the negative cable as I suspect this might be the cause of the battery problems as it looked damaged.
Following PFM’s advice I WD40’d it before attempting to loosen it. Just as PFM had warned, I snapped the bolt! Great start 
So now I need to somehow remove the broken bolt, but I’d also like to replace the old cable – Anyone know where I can get one?

I snapped the bolt on ours, so I just drilled a new hole next to it & secured the earth strap with a nut & bolt.
You could get an earth strap from any scrap yard.

Did you get the EFi / Engine warning light when you turned the key?

Yes, the yellow engine light is on.

I'd like to link up a video and photos. But not reached one week membership.

Will also try the start ya bastard spray in the filter when I find a can

EFI light on is a good sign!

Here are my next series of questions:-


Can you hear the fuel pump run when you turn the key to the ignition stage? - it should run for about 2 seconds approximately


Next...

Find a long screw driver, put the head onto an injector (under the passenger seat, orange in colour, in the inlet manifold) and put your ear against the handle. Turn the key to make the starter motor turn over.... Can you can hear the injectors ticking?

Yes, you can hear the fuel pump.

Not sure where the "injector" is, can you point it out in this photo?


Also I posted up a video on Youtube of me trying to start it.

It sounds like theres not enough power coming from the battery, but I'll see what you guys think.

https://youtu.be/pkoEc1esNjk

Yeah that battery / or cabling is crap.

Should turn over loads faster than that.

It could either be the battery is crap. Or that improvised earth cable.

I more suspect the battery personally.

Get some jump leads and try it off another running car.

Great video by the way!

Plus if its turning over like that there is no point checking the fuel injectors are working.

If you've got the EFI light, and the fuel pump is running, your half way there already.

Thank you everyone!! Yesterday I finally managed to get the old van going!! Whoo hoo!

Firstly I tried drilling/extracting the snapped bolt.

I bought a pair of 1.5mm cobalt drill bits, when I attempted to drill the bolt the drill bit snapped - TWICE!

Plan two, I removed the other bolts and tried to remove the battery container to get better access to the bolts.

Two bolts nearest the back-door had both snapped, I was able to remove the back left one and the back-right one wouldn't budge.

Plan Three
I decided to wire the earth to the ONLY bolt I could remove, once connected I tried the engine. No power! Nothing!

I then decided to replace the bolt with a new longer one I found in the shed.




See rest of the gallery here: https://plus.google.com/photos/100336713718764290764/albums/5872335867385285585?authkey=CMnCh5eQr-_8Ng

SUCCESS!!! It started!

See video....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ2_c-01u9I&feature=youtu.be

I'm not overly pleased with wiring the earth over the positive, so I'd like to try and drill-out the snapped two front bolts if possible. I'm just happy the van is working.

Now I can move on to some other tasks.... Get it prepped for MOT, insurance.

Then I can move onto fixing it up and doing a semi camper conversion.

Now see if it overheats............

I don't recall my Dad ever having overheating issues with the van, but fingers crossed!

When you bolt down a cable banjo, it is best to grind back the paint where it touches and send the bolt in and out a few times with some wd40.

As for your drill snapping, when drilling steel its a gentle process, its best to start small and work up in size. Let a nice sharp drill bit do the work and don't push too hard. The drill needs to run quite slowish, and use some oil to keep heat away and the surface lubricated nicely. At first you brake drill bits, but with practice you get to know the game.

P.s. that is where the speedo sits at stand still, they don't go all the way down.

Sounds like it runs OK too.

Looks like your making progress!.

great read this one 

Ok it’s been a while since my last update, but don’t let the time fool you. I’ve been a busy bunny (on and off).



Over the last few months I’ve continued with my plan to make my van cool and suitable for my family and keep my Dad’s memory going a bit! I love the idea that he’s proud his van is still live and kicking.

On my shopping list was some doors, seats, new bumper, radio and other things.

Over the last few months I managed to pick up the following….
29 May 2013
daihatsu hijet side doors – 2 windowed sliding doors
£60.00
23 June 2013
seats for daihatsu hijet - from a MPV High Jet
£26.70
26 August 2013
Vactan Rust Converter and Primer 1 litre Rust Treatment – To fix up some rust patches
£11.28 + £7.25 p&p
2 September 2013
Daihatsu Hi-Jet Upper Cargo Deck – Bargain, new and original cage for rear
£15 + £5 p&p
10 September
Bumper – Nice clean rear bumper to replace my cracked one
£30 + £10 p&p
12 September
Radio cables – To fit the stereo
£2.99
16 September
Mechless Sony Radio – Bought a Pioneer one, but was too deep, swapped for the Sony
£60
24 September
Carpet liner & glue – Mega van stretchy carpet for interior lining
£100
24 September
Bearings – Improve the door runners
£5.94 + 75p p&p
14 October 2013
Daihatsu Hi-Jet 2000 To Now Tailored Car Mats – Finish off the footwells
£12.95
22 October 2013
10 X universal PANEL Interior Door Card Trim Clips buckle – Fasten the door cards
£3.20


Firstly my plan was to fit the doors.




I followed the guide on this site to get the old ones removed and the new fitted.
http://www.daihatsuhijet.co.uk/repair-hijet-sliding-doors-rough-sticking-grinding-bearings-dropped/





I found the slider ends were heavily rusted and I couldn’t remove the nuts. I picked up a nut remover and was soon able to remove them.






I was quite happy with how the doors looked, and found it quite strange to drive with all the light coming in from the windows.





I popped the seats into place to “complete” the look…





I arranged with a friends Dad to get the seats fixed into the back, as I didn't see any holes where they’d naturally line up.

He fitted the bench style seats behind the driver’s seat, using the seat clips at the rear and wing nuts on the front. He also fitted the seatbelts, but these were in a “fixed” loop position which I was slightly miffed about, as I had all the parts to do it properly from eBay.

Next up Stereo! Don’t have any pictures but my friend fitted the stereo for me.

I originally bought a mechless Pioneer, but it was too deep. So I exchanged it for a Sony http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-dsx-a4oui-DSX-A40UI-Stereo/dp/B00FF4QPEQ

My friend is pretty handy and wired up the harness and speakers, I cut the hole and slotted it in!

Next, I sanded the paint and treated some of the rust with Vactan. At this point we took it camping to Wisemans bridge… It looked awful with the mismatched doors and Vactan stains. But I was still proud to take my family camping… And the boot space and bikes on the roof was a joy! Compared to squeezing it all in my Honda Civic.

Once we return I booked it in for a paint job!! I hired a local Graffiti artist Peaceful Progress http://www.peacefulprogress.co.uk/ to come up with an original design. I’d was open to style and design and only mention Japanese as it’s a Daihatsu.

See the pics below:




It’s quite an eye-turner and I forget why people are staring sometimes.



Next up… Interior!

I order a bunch of carpet from http://www.megavanmats.com/liningcarpet.htm as it was highly recommended by the VW T4 lot…

Although expensive it’s great quality and good to work with. It also came with the spray glue.


I started with the door cards, as I thought these would be easy and a good place to start. Over a few days I worked around the different areas of the van.







Rear panel, around the doors, around the front windscreen.



Lastly I ripped out the cloth from the roof and replaced that with carpet.



Once all covered I put the door cards back on but found they kept falling off due to the extra weight and thickness.



I ordered more door card clips but they didn’t work. Instead I decided to screw them on with self-tapping screws and bought washer screw covers http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007IWGU02/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_2d2htb1BCG10W which was a nice finish.

That pretty much takes me up to date, apart from small things….
I bought some seat covers, some mats for the boot space.

Next jobs on the list….
• Heatgun rear and front bumper to bring out the black. Like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-dtbBzky-s
• Fit new rear bumper once colour restored
• Footwell of driver side is always wet, so find source of leak! Any suggestions?
• But the bearings on the sliding doors as a little stiff, and not sitting correctly
• Fit some cool black curtains!
• Maybe some alloys if I see any on eBay cheap enough
• New tyres
• Service – to keep it purring!!
• Break pads or fluid or both! Light has come on.

Full Gallery:
https://plus.google.com/photos/100336713718764290764/albums/5989607173435898113

Paint Job:
https://plus.google.com/photos/100336713718764290764/albums/5989609744496019281

Getting a graffiti artist to paint your van is a pure stroke of genius!!

That's one hell of a nice spray job A++++++

Oh my god that paint job is amazing!!!

WOW!!!   

How many square metres of the carpet did you buy?

  cool

Def needs bling wheels tho