Another mug has bought another overheating hijet..!

Hello!
Baaaasically I seem to have made the mistake many others have made.. A month or so I bought one of these marvellous little vans, unknowing it had a pretty bad overheating problem!..
Im hoping to get it road trip-worthy by the summer so I'm here in a desperate attempt to gather some info to try and fix it up myself. especially as I have little mechanical knowledge!
So I'm just putting this out there cheekily hoping someone might be able to help me out when there is nothing i can think of to return the favour!..?
Anyway here is the deal- She's a (1998?) 1.3 hijet.
I'll try and run through the problems from ignition..
Occasionally it's very hard to start.. Takes many revolutions of the engine, especially if it's been sat for a few days and when it does start its very (rough?) unsure how to describe it.. a couple of times you can tell its only firing on one cylinder. this lasts for a few seconds. then the revs rise noticeably for about 30/40 seconds then return to normal. the other day it smelt of un combusted fuel.
Drives absolutely fine, quite a bit of torque for a small van!..
I believe someone must have removed the thermostat as the temp only starts rising (very slowly!) after a few mins of driving. into about 20 mins of constant driving on a hot day it would reach half way up the gauge. After 20 mins it still keeps rising, especially in traffic and falls slightly at high speeds. The fan has been bypassed with a switch which doesn't help things.. After about half an hour to 40/50 mins the needle rises all the way to the right and no matter how constantly you are moving does not fall. eventually it boils.
After time the water level falls, one to a few shots a day. no visible leaks. I've started using normal water to refill as coolant became too expensive. Is this OK?
Also the overflow tank next to the cap under the seat always fills up. maybe the water is being lost into here..? pressure problem?

I'm thinking its a head gasket..? The water is being lost through the cylinders. maybe this is why it starts rough sometimes?

Another possibility could be a leak i guess but i have looked pretty hard, I've noticed there are some really tiny pipes coming off the coolant pipes that are completely rusted. Also the heaters don't work so well and only the windscreen and foot heaters work (not sure if this is relevant).

So, im thinking if i can sort the over heating problem i can then fit a thermostat and then take out the fan switch..
Does anyone have any ideas?
Thank you in advance!! I hope there isn't too much for you to bother reading!!

Having trouble uploading photos.. Do i copy url it gives me?

bristolvanman wrote:Hello!
Baaaasically I seem to have made the mistake many others have made.. A month or so I bought one of these marvellous little vans, unknowing it had a pretty bad overheating problem!..

As you've found out, you ain't the first, and you sure as hell won't be the last! Welcome to the Hijet forum

bristolvanman wrote:
I'll try and run through the problems from ignition..
Occasionally it's very hard to start.. Takes many revolutions of the engine, especially if it's been sat for a few days and when it does start its very (rough?) unsure how to describe it.. a couple of times you can tell its only firing on one cylinder. this lasts for a few seconds. then the revs rise noticeably for about 30/40 seconds then return to normal. the other day it smelt of un combusted fuel.

Could just be a lack of maintenance, new spark plugs due, maybe it's the over heating causing this as you've already thought - down on compression and water contamination. From your own little ponderings you sound like you might be above the clueless idiot class of human being

bristolvanman wrote:
I believe someone must have removed the thermostat as the temp only starts rising (very slowly!) after a few mins of driving. into about 20 mins of constant driving on a hot day it would reach half way up the gauge. After 20 mins it still keeps rising, especially in traffic and falls slightly at high speeds. The fan has been bypassed with a switch which doesn't help things.. After about half an hour to 40/50 mins the needle rises all the way to the right and no matter how constantly you are moving does not fall. eventually it boils.
After time the water level falls, one to a few shots a day. no visible leaks. I've started using normal water to refill as coolant became too expensive. Is this OK?
Also the overflow tank next to the cap under the seat always fills up. maybe the water is being lost into here..? pressure problem?

Fan switch + water purging into header tank + climbing temperatures = DOOM!!!!

bristolvanman wrote:
Another possibility could be a leak i guess but i have looked pretty hard, I've noticed there are some really tiny pipes coming off the coolant pipes that are completely rusted. Also the heaters don't work so well and only the windscreen and foot heaters work (not sure if this is relevant).

I think 9/10 times these coolant systems/head gaskets etc are caused because of some knackard hose clip, which causes water loss, which results in it boiling up sooner or later.

Heat only ever comes out of windscreen and feet on a hijet. But that's enough to make you take your coat and hat off even in cold winter.

bristolvanman wrote:
So, im thinking if i can sort the over heating problem i can then fit a thermostat and then take out the fan switch..

Yep, automated fan is a core component of a functional coolant system, and the thermostat controls the exact running temperature.


Now, this is my hunch....

So it's got an over ride switch, some one flogged it. Ask yourself how many times has it been over heated already? Once? Twice? 10 times? I'd guess at least a few

Hijet parts are cheap, and they are easy to work on. Time is money, and messing around is pointless.

You want to depend on it, you want it to be reliable?

In one fell swoop, take it apart and:-

Replace thermostat
Replace Water Pump
Replace Radiator Caps
Replace all the hose clips
Inspect metal coolant pipes for excessive rot
Flush out radiator
Clean the water jacket in the block out
Replace Head Gasket
Skim and pressure test head, and adjust the valves while its off
Closely inspect the radiator/crudely pressure test it
Repair fan wiring
Make sure the fan cut in control switch works
Refill with coolant mix and bleed up properly

It'll cost you about £200 tops, and about 15 hours labour if your competent.

Then enjoy a decent van - well that is if it is a decent clean van in the first place

bristolvanman wrote:Having trouble uploading photos.. Do i copy url it gives me?

Yeah copy and paste the middle one into the message window.

Good luck, and you really won't find anywhere that is more clued up on Hijets. If only everyone found this place

hey there bristolvanman good luck,
ive been there and done that, (my head gasket went nearly 4 years after buying it) i now have my great van back tho and saved a fortune doing the majority myself
as long as you have a space and the time to do it its not such a bad job

Thank you so much!!! I will respond properly when I have the time but scanning through this it's going to be so helpful!!! Thank you!

HighlyJetted wrote:As you've found out, you ain't the first, and you sure as hell won't be the last! Welcome to the Hijet forum

Yep, welcome to the Hotjet Owners Site..

Possibly we could ave a subtitle? MANUAL FAN SWITCH? WALK AWAY!!!



Never fear, it's fixable. And once fixed, they're great