Greetings from New England

[indulis]

Hi Everyone,

I was in the middle of buying a Mule when I stumbled across mini trucks... needless to say, the Mule went out on its "a$$"!!

I have purchased, sight un-seen, a 1989 Daihatsu Hijet with a dump bed and added a 72" Blackline plow, 23” ATV tires, 2" rear hitch and a spay-in bed liner. It "should" be delivered in a couple of weeks. I have a few questions if you don't mind...

When my truck is delivered, is there anything in particular I should look for or check out before I sign on the dotted line? It was advertised as only having 1767 miles. Certainly, I will try to make sure that everything works as it should, provided I can figure out how to make it work in the first place. I just thought that all of you have experience with these things and know what to look for in terms of tell-tail indicators!! Any tips would be appreciated!!!

Also, what is the deal with the “speed limiting devices”? From what I’ve read, it is an importing requirement to limit the speed. My machine will be used exclusively on my own private property… any reason not to remove “the device”? Speaking of which… what form does it take? Does it limit engine RPM, or does it limit the available gears? Is it hard to remove? Before anyone asks, no, I’m not some young “speed freak”… rather a 53 year old, “slightly over weight” guy who would like to get from one end of his property to the other a little quicker!! This is all on dirt roads… no 4 wheel’n involved!!

As it would appear that no repair manuals (in English) are available, I know I will have lots of questions!! Some are really basic… for example, what are the “capacities” for this truck?

Oil, how many quarts (or liters)?
Recommended oil weight?

Coolant… how many liters?

The same goes for the differential, transmission and transfer case.

Is there some recommended “routine” maintenance schedule?


Any pointers, or words of wisdom are welcomed!!!



Thanks
Gus

P.S. sorry for the double post

[Wolfman]

A big one is to check for rust. Depending on what part of the country the truck came from, it can be pristene, or about to dissolve back into the ore it came from. I'd advise caution on the 1767 miles. The older Hijets only had a 5 place odometer, so you can be looking at a truck with slightly over 100k kilometers on it. Your 1767 miles may in fact be over 62k miles. Condition of the truck should show this. They are a road legal vehicle in Japan, so the typical wear and tear indicators will apply, same as on any used auto sold here.

The speed limiting devices are extremely simplistic items, if yours is a Japanese RHD model. It is little more than a metal plate welded over the shift tower, to limit the truck to first and reverse. It is required to be on the truck to clear customs. Removing them, while not technically "legal", is common, and easy. My truck is a 660cc truck, and takes about 2.5 quarts of oil. As for the rest of the capacities, I'll have to leave that one to one of the other members.

[indulis]

Wolfman

Thanks for the reply!! The truck, "I was told", arrived 1/4/08 from Japan. Pictures of the truck on the seller’s website show it being “very clean”. The seller also told me that the “inside” fender well has none of the usual scratches from people dragging their feet getting in and out and the pedals pads, while not new, show only minimum wear. Yeah, pedal pads can be replace and a good power washing and some touch-up paint can make something “look-like-new” in a photo. I guess I won’t really know until it’s delivered.

Gus