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Thread: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

  1. #61
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    Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    It's possible turning on the fan increased the load on the alternator (causing a loose alternator belt to squeal) or perhaps you inadvertently turned on the rear AC (assuming your AC system is still intact) and that belt was loose.........or perhaps the compressor is seized-up .

    If it's a loose alternator belt, it should react the same way when the front fan is turned on and/or your headlights are turned on. Tim

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    Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    Hi,

    New to this thread. Have been lurking for a bit of time. wanted to say Thanks for the info. You guys are awesome!

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    Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    this thread has been my go-to since buying my van

    this is going to sound really dumb, but my van is missing the OEM jack, and i was wondering what the factory recommended jack points are? anyone know? whats your favorite way to jack it?

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    Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    These are the factory jack points:



    I usually use a floor jack and do the back from the differential housing. After throwing a couple of jack stands under the axle, I jack the front from the center of the cross-member under the radiator (for 2wd vans). On the 4wd vans, I usually use a jack and a block of wood under each of the factory jack points. When the height is adequate, I put tall jack stands under the sway bar bushing brackets. These brackets are round and fit nicely (and securely) in the axle sockets of the jack stands. Tim

    PS: Never jack a 4wd van from the front differential.

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    Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    Slider door maintenance:
    Cleaning?
    Best lube?
    Should the floor track be clean and dry?
    I get a lot of sand in mine...

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    Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    I use the WD40 Silicon based lubricant on anything that squeaks or has trouble moving on my van including the sliding rollers, the tracks they sit in, front door hinges, the windows' tracks, and the hydraulics on the back hatch so they smoothly fully extend.

  7. #67
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    Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    Hi does anyone know what type of Gas I should put in My 1985 Toyota Van Cargo 5 Speed Manual? Regular or Premium? Also does anyone know the Thread I can find help on Body work, Mine has a few dents and bends on the metal. Sliding door and Passenger door.

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    Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    Regular Octane 87 or higher is fine. I found no benefit running 91 octane

  9. #69
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    Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    Quote Originally Posted by timsrv View Post

    For removing the AC & PS belts you will need to loosen the idler pulleys. To do that you'll need to loosen the the set bolts in the front/center of the pulley (14 mm) then use the long threaded 12 mm bolt to loosen/tighten. After the new belts are on & tight, snug up the center "set" bolts. Have fun. Tim
    So my van lived most in the salty Illinois area, so I'm having to deal with a lot of rust. So I need to replace those idle pulleys, but the mount for the PS one (which is the middle belt I believe) is pretty rusty and i'm scared I might bust the mount trying to get the old pulley off. Is there a part number for the mount or will I have to find a scrapped one? I can always try to use the old one, but I'm trying to get rid of rusty stuff as I go. Any thoughts or directions would be much appreciated. Thanks!

  10. #70
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    Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    Assuming this isn't you're only vehicle, I'd just put the brute force to it and if it breaks, then deal with it. If not then count your blessings. I suspect multiple Toyota vehicles from this era would have interchangeable parts, so if it breaks, and it's not easy to extract/replace, I'd take your busted parts to the salvage yard to compare/match-up. Tim

  11. #71
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    Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    Here's an example of a interchangeable part-

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/8844035010-A...FYuR12&vxp=mtr

    JDM

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    Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    Quote Originally Posted by JDM VANMAN View Post
    Here's an example of a interchangeable part-

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/8844035010-A...FYuR12&vxp=mtr

    JDM
    There you go. It might not be a bad idea to have one of those on hand before going neanderthal on the rusty bolt.

    Regarding the long adjustment bolt, if you need that too, here's one http://www.ebay.com/itm/8mm-Full-Thr...5UoeZr&vxp=mtr. That's pretty spendy for just a bolt, so I suspect you can do better. But it's easy to add to the cart when you check out. Tim

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    Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    The article is very useful for reference

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    Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    Hi -
    I have a bunch of stuff under the hood dismantled, trying to address issues with the fuel injectors and power steering leaks -- I am also trying to fix anything odd that I come across while I have such good access, but my knowledge is a bit limited. Hoping someone can help me identify 2 spots:
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    I am assuming this is some kind of coolant temp sensor? There was nothing attached to it and it was caked full of a dried silicone type substance.

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    In pictures of Tim's nice clean engine these holes have bolts in them. What do these holes do?

    Thanks for any guidance.

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    Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    Quote Originally Posted by BigDawgGottaEat View Post
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    In pictures of Tim's nice clean engine these holes have bolts in them. What do these holes do?

    Thanks for any guidance.
    What? No bolts here in any of my engines. Not sure why these holes are here, but they serve no purpose that I know of. Here's a view of this area on my 86 van:


    That "sensor" is worthless anyhow and IMO you're better off the single wire that goes there is grounded out. It's actually a temperature switch that only activates when the coolant temperature reaches 230° F. It's talked about in the "HEAT SOAK" thread. If you find the wire that's supposed to go there, simply ground it out (perhaps a previous owner already did). Attaching that wire to a ground point will improve your van's ability to combat heat soak issues. Tim

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    Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    Quote Originally Posted by timsrv View Post
    According to Toyota there isn't really any set schedule unless your van qualifies for "severe service". For "normal service" Toyota recommends checking for leaks and checking fluid level every 20k miles (they don't actually say when it should be replaced). The dealerships I worked at would replace transmission fluid as part of the 60k mile service. That seems about right to me so I always replace my ATF and swap out strainers every 60k miles. I like the Amsoil synthetic ATF and have exclusively used that for many years (at least on the vehicles I cared about). Tim.
    I've owned my van for a little over 4 years and have put about 28,000 miles on it, and I recently realized I haven't even touched the transmission since I bought it, and I'm not sure when the last time the previous owner touched it either. There are no issues that I can tell with the transmission as far as how it feels or operates, and the fluid appears to be full and, while not bright pink, still is pinkish at least and doesn't appear burnt or otherwise damaged.

    Anyways, I know I need to address this ASAP, the question is how should I go about it? I imagine a flush wouldn't be good and would probably be better off with a simple drain-and-fill. However, I don't really know what type of fluid is in there now, if it's Dex, Merc, synthetic, etc. I thought that I read somewhere here that Amsoil plays nice with other transmission fluid types, but I haven't been able to find that post again. I've also read to just "not touch it" as replacing fluid could actually grenade the transmission if the fluid was black/burnt/metallic before replacing fluid. I don't think my transmission is anywhere near that but want to be sure.

    So what should you do with an otherwise normal operating automatic transmission that you don't know the history on and don't know exactly what brand/type of fluid was put in there when it was last serviced?

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    Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    Whenever I get a vehicle with unknown automatic transmission service history, I start out by draining, removing the pan & checking for excessive metal flakes (there's always a little black fuzz on the magnet(s). If all looks good I replace the filter/strainer, thoroughly clean the magnets & pan, reinstall the pan w/new gasket, then service with an approved fluid. On our vans you can use Dexron III, Dex Merc, or any synthetic fluid that is compatible/friendly to mixing with those and says that it meets or exceeds the minimal requirements of the vehicle manufacturer.

    I use Amsoil synthetic ATF but there are others. Tim

  18. 11-04-2017, 07:29 PM


  19. #78
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    Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    I bought a fuel filter for my 1985 but it did not include any washers? I think I read somewhere that the washers should be replaced when changing filter. And advice?
    Thanks

    Quote Originally Posted by timsrv View Post
    Rawb, sorry but until now I somehow missed your post. I'm sure you've already figured it out but I wanted to reply so the "next guy" could benefit.

    The fuel filter is on the passenger side of the engine between the distributor and the oil filter (see arrow in picture below):


    This is a big filter so unless you have a contaminated fuel system it should only need to be replaced at 60,000 mile intervals. To access and replace you must 1st remove the passenger side seat, center console and engine access panel. Before you remove any lines, loosen the fuel cap enough to release pressure from the system. When pressure is gone use a 6 point 17mm socket on the top banjo bolt and remove. After that's off use a 12mm socket with an extension to remove the 2 bolts holding the bracket to the block. The lower fuel line is flexible, so once the bracket bolts are removed the filter can be maneuvered to a position favorable to access the lower fitting. Again, a 6 point 17mm socket will fit the banjo bolt, but since the filter is loose you'll also need a 19mm open end wrench to back things up (counter torque). Tim

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    Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    Quote Originally Posted by lamont View Post
    I bought a fuel filter for my 1985 but it did not include any washers? I think I read somewhere that the washers should be replaced when changing filter. And advice?
    Thanks
    Always best to replace those washers, but they can be reused in a pinch. Just make sure to check for leaks before putting the engine cover back on. I know the OE Toyota filters come with new copper washers, but not sure about aftermarket ones. You can always buy new copper washers as they should be available at any auto parts store. Just take an old washer and/or your banjo bolt down to help them match it up. Tim

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    Cool Re: Basic Van knowledge for new owners

    Thanks Tim! I think I will go to the parts store and get new ones just to be safe....would hate to have a leak and set my van on fire!

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