'96 Granvia out and about.

[Joey spud]

I have a 96 Hiace 2.4 diesel van and i love it dearly but it's a bit lethargic,actually it's not really considering its only got 87bhp and 4th and 5th gear are near enough the same ratio so about 60 mph is its happy speed and a hill without a good run up can be embarrassing.

Now i have been looking at getting a Granvia or Regus (mid 90's) instead as a day van / small caravan hauler that the sister in law,my son and myself can all use.

Anyone got any experience of these vans,what are they like on fuel and will they pull a light weight caravan ok ?

Also how easy/quick is it to pull the seats out for when it'll be used as a van ?

[big_al_granvia]

@Flat4 bore the gent to death, pulling seats out is 4x star screws for trim and 4x 14mm bolts, then use long nosed pliers to unclip the sliders, they are fast enough, corner like shit duee to torsion bars on front, 22mpg on a run, great driving position, will pull most caravans but watch your gross weight if you passed your test post 97... the wife will give you the rest of the info

[Arthur Foxhake]

Seats are bolted in, not detachable.

My 3.0 4x4 TD gave 16.5 MPG @ 70ish MPH at the last check, it isn't alone in giving such poor MPG, they aren't efficient at all. And , yes, I did measure miles, not kilometres.

Very comfortable to drive and plenty of power, as there should be with such poor economy! Will pull anything reasonable.

I Believe the 2wd ones to be better on fuel and I'm not convinced I don't have an issue with mine that may be causing excessive consumption.

I have the same engine in my Hilux Surf and get much better economy in 2wd so mine may need look at.

[Flat4]

3 hours ago, big_al_granvia said:

22mpg on a run, great driving position, will pull most caravans but watch your gross weight if you passed your test post 97... the wife will give you the rest of the info

He's talking shite btw about the MPG - he gets 30mpg on a run, I only manage 26 if I'm using it as a camper coz I usually have 4 dogs with me. Round the doors maybe 22mpg but AWD does make them thirsty. I wouldn't recommend a RWD as they can get stuck on a wet field.... The 3ltr diesel will run straight veg oil which if you buy in bulk from Farmfoods (20ltrs for £18) or cash and carries will slash your fuel costs to under a quid a litre. Best to mix it in winter tho or they can be sluggish to start.

I haven't towed with mine yet but I'm looking forward to trying! They have buckets of torque and are pretty quick for a 2 tonne van. 0-60 in 11ish seconds, which is the same as our auto V70. Which reminds me, the diesel Granvia's only came with auto boxes but they're fab. You can turn the over drive off to keep the revs up and you can manually select 1st and 2nd if needed. Handy in snow, which the AWD is surprisingly good in. 

The biggest downside is the body roll but if you fit decent camping tyres with stiff sidewalls, that makes a massive difference. Quite a few folk have also fitted larger wheels which a lower profile probably helps. They come with 15s as standard which is a daftly small size for a van. You can wind the torsion bars down on the front to lower it and VW T4 shocks and springs fit the rear. That's next on my list.

You probably know already but they're absolutely bullet proof. The same engine is used in the Landcruiser and some Hilux. Mine even survived a brief overheat after a stone went through the rad and still got me several hundred miles home held together with Rad Weld. I have read a few horror stories about heads cracking but honestly refresh the coolant and keep up with regular oil changes and it will look after you. Do check the oil pick up/return pipe for the turbo. Really common fail point at the flanges but you can buy a genuine replacement part from Toyota for about £20-30. Ditto the jacking points. They're actually just out riggers so not as well engineered as they should be really. Cost me £60 to weld both sides if I remember correctly. It's now on 250,000kms on the original engine and box, and touch wood, still going strong. It does like to eat batteries but that's mainly down to lack of use. I'd like to replace it with an Elgrand at some point as they have real shocks and springs but they're not as well built as a Granvia. You won't go far wrong, especially if you can find one that's been well cared for.

[big_al_granvia]

following on from the wife's post, if you dont need 7 seats as we dont remove the 1 next to the sliding door, as the base runners are exposed what we did for maximum versatility was to make up false floors using 3x1 timber framing and 12mm ply, i just made the frame to suit the 4x2 sheets. as a camper flat4 has dogs with her i dont, her configuration is to put dog crate in place of the 2nd row offside seat and use the 3rd row folded flat as a bed, for me being tall i leave that seat in and lie down the offside, nie 7' long bed, using a mattress saved from a bed sofa to smooth out the bumps. you have space for a camping loo, i open the massive sunroof so i can stand up to pee. 

for me using the bus as a camper means it is a lot more comfy than a tent but without the hassle of towing the caravan, it is perfect for weekends away, space to sit, sleep, cook and pee. get home, no putting caravan on drive, plus it does through drive thro takeaways... easy enough to park. dont use th underslung spare wheel carrier as its just a pain, the spare goes in the back. as a load lugger we have had a massive 8' long sofa in it, you can get 8' x 4' sheets of timber in. 

[1duck]

Personally I'd get the hiace remapped, rather than pissing about getting a granvia. 

 

[yes oui si]

On 11/04/2021 at 17:19, Joey spud said:

I have a 96 Hiace 2.4 diesel van 

[The Moog]

Can you remap a 1996 2.4 diesel?

[New POD]

1 minute ago, The Moog said:

Can you remap a 1996 2.4 diesel?

Does it have a turbo.  If so, just fit a bigger spring to the waste  gate and fuck about with the mechanical pump a bit. 

If not. Just make sure you have a new air filter. And hope. 

[1duck]

There's certainly people online claiming they'll do it, but i'd have thought a ronbox style thing just chucking more fuel into the mix would be the best you could hope for on a 1996 toyota.

[BorniteIdentity]

On 4/11/2021 at 5:19 PM, Joey spud said:

I have a 96 Hiace 2.4 diesel van and i love it dearly but it's a bit lethargic,actually it's not really considering its only got 87bhp and 4th and 5th gear are near enough the same ratio so about 60 mph is its happy speed and a hill without a good run up can be embarrassing.

Now i have been looking at getting a Granvia or Regus (mid 90's) instead as a day van / small caravan hauler that the sister in law,my son and myself can all use.

Anyone got any experience of these vans,what are they like on fuel and will they pull a light weight caravan ok ?

Also how easy/quick is it to pull the seats out for when it'll be used as a van ?

I happily had our Granvia for 6 years until the gearbox decided it didn't want to gearbox any more.  @wuvvum tried but eventually it was put out to pasture at @Arthur Foxhake's place.

What did we like?  Absolutely bloody everything.  I now have a LWB T4 Caravelle which is worse in most ways.  

First of all, they're tough.  Don't worry about pulling a caravan - we pulled a tree down with it.  The torque is unreal - you've got a 3.0 turbo powered engine putting out just 120hp.  It'll pull your bean tin along just fine.  They're very comfortable, the seats move fore and aft and the middle row can swing around (in 7 seat format anyway) to face the rear - perfect for picnics and involved games of Top Trumps.  

They're tough as old boots, so much so that I neglected ours mechanically (other than service items and tyres) but one that's been looked after will likely do you well.  At the end of the day, ours did 130k miles before declaring and - after 24 years - I've probably no cause to complain.

They're not TOO big. My Caravelle is longer than our front room and, tbh, I do think twice about where I'm going before I grab the keys.  If I think parking is a squeeze I'll take a car, but I never had those crippling doubts with the Granvia.

They're different.  You hardly EVER see them.  Ever.  I like that about them.  Service items are cheap, but some things are becoming harder to get (I had a right old fight getting an exhaust of all things!).  The breaker in Hemel Hempstead gave up a few years ago and chucked a load of stuff in the bin, so it's worth bearing in mind that a Granvia as your ONLY source of motorised transport might be a gamble too far.

If you're already bombing about in a Hiace you'll love it. I'm sure.

This is ours when we bought it back in 2014.

And, quite randomly, outside Hyacinth Bouquet's house.  You're welcome (!)

[wuvvum]

On 4/11/2021 at 5:19 PM, Joey spud said:

I have a 96 Hiace 2.4 diesel van and i love it dearly but it's a bit lethargic,actually it's not really considering its only got 87bhp and 4th and 5th gear are near enough the same ratio so about 60 mph is its happy speed and a hill without a good run up can be embarrassing.

That seems to be a thing with that generation of Japanese vans - my Midi and H100 (rebadged Isuzu and Mitsubishi respectively) were exactly the same.

From my brief ownership of the ex-Bornite Granvia I can confirm that when the gearbox is behaving they do indeed go like the absolute clappers.  I can also confirm that they are shit on fuel - I drove like a nun when delivering it to Arthur Foxhake (and the gearbox was working properly that day) and it did about 29mpg.  They can also rot, like most grey imports.  If you get a good one though, and you don't mind tipping diesel in it (or you have a good source of cheap veg oil), they are an awesome thing to roar around in.

[phil_lihp]

On 4/11/2021 at 7:46 PM, Arthur Foxhake said:

Seats are bolted in, not detachable.

My 3.0 4x4 TD gave 16.5 MPG @ 70ish MPH at the last check, it isn't alone in giving such poor MPG, they aren't efficient at all. And , yes, I did measure miles, not kilometres.

Very comfortable to drive and plenty of power, as there should be with such poor economy! Will pull anything reasonable.

I Believe the 2wd ones to be better on fuel and I'm not convinced I don't have an issue with mine that may be causing excessive consumption.

Wow, last time I checked on a long run it did 23mpg, hardly brilliant but better than that!  Generally got around the same regardless of speed/driving style.  The small 55 litre tank makes its bit more obvious as I found 250 miles was about it's maximum range.

I did exactly the same thing @Joey spud - when my Hiace succumbed to rot I changed it for the Granvia that Arthur now owns.   I had the same thoughts on the Hiace 2.4D, quick enough off the line and around town - in fact my current 1.9TD Transporter feels less sprightly at lower speeds - but ran out of breath at 70mph and sounded like the pistons were going to burst through the bonnet at 75 due to gearing.  I did read on a forum somewhere that there is a possibility of changing the gear ratios in the rear diff to give it longer gearing but no idea if that's either correct or feasible.  If I could have sorted that I'd have been happy to keep it and may even have stumped up the enormous repair bill to put some metal back in the chassis.  

As the guys above said, Granvias are very comfortable and indecently quick for a van plus the interior is quite cool but as a camper conversion it was a pain removing all the seats, rails, carpet and underlay.  Parts can indeed be difficult to get although if you open your wallet wide enough your Toyota dealer may be able to get some bits.  They are getting rarer now, they're an interesting alternative to the more common Bongos.

[Joey spud]

Thank you for your thoughts everyone.

Low 20's mpg isn't actually a worry as i doubt my 2.4 Hiace does better than 30 on a run.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TOYOTA-HIACE-REGUS/254936040571?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

This Regius in nearby Essex has been on sale for a while now,the mot history isn't too bad but it's an awful dull colour but i am working in Suffolk next week so may well detour to Billericay and have a poke about under it.

[Arthur Foxhake]

On 4/14/2021 at 9:06 AM, phil_lihp said:

Wow, last time I checked on a long run it did 23mpg, hardly brilliant but better than that!  Generally got around the same regardless of speed/driving style.  The small 55 litre tank makes its bit more obvious as I found 250 miles was about it's maximum range.

I did exactly the same thing @Joey spud - when my Hiace succumbed to rot I changed it for the Granvia that Arthur now owns.   I had the same thoughts on the Hiace 2.4D, quick enough off the line and around town - in fact my current 1.9TD Transporter feels less sprightly at lower speeds - but ran out of breath at 70mph and sounded like the pistons were going to burst through the bonnet at 75 due to gearing.  I did read on a forum somewhere that there is a possibility of changing the gear ratios in the rear diff to give it longer gearing but no idea if that's either correct or feasible.  If I could have sorted that I'd have been happy to keep it and may even have stumped up the enormous repair bill to put some metal back in the chassis.  

As the guys above said, Granvias are very comfortable and indecently quick for a van plus the interior is quite cool but as a camper conversion it was a pain removing all the seats, rails, carpet and underlay.  Parts can indeed be difficult to get although if you open your wallet wide enough your Toyota dealer may be able to get some bits.  They are getting rarer now, they're an interesting alternative to the more common Bongos.

I haven't even checked the tyre pressures. Could be that or a dragging brake. Either way, it's not great but the small tank emphasises it!

I'll have a look at it before summer and big mileage happens. Hopefully I can find an issue.

[Arthur Foxhake]

On 4/11/2021 at 7:46 PM, Arthur Foxhake said:

 

 And , yes, I did measure miles, not kilometres.

 

Err...

No, I didn't!  It's actually doing 25MPG. 

Because I am an idiot, I believed the readout on the clocks, which says KM, not miles. I then converted it into miles and came up with 16.5MPG. 

Did a run I knew to be 75ish miles the other day and it had counted 74KM, the penny dropped and I realised what was going on. 

I'm much happier with 25MPG, what a bunglecunt I am!

[Joey spud]

After much searching and looking at much over valued tat i have finally purchased a Granvia.

Good ones of these things at sensible money seem to sell within hours of being posted up so you can't hang around it really is you snooze you loose.

Not my first choice of colour but everthing works even the front/rear air con and its only done 100k miles so pick up is scheduled for Tuesday.

I am going to bung my Hiaces Hilux wheels and tow bar over onto the Granvia then move the Hiace on.

[Ian_Fearn]

Tell me more about the Granvia….. is it a diesel? Always thought one of these would make a great extended family visit/back up/utility vehicle.

[yes oui si]

Roffle for the hiace? 

[Joey spud]

18 hours ago, Ian_Fearn said:

Tell me more about the Granvia….. is it a diesel? Always thought one of these would make a great extended family visit/back up/utility vehicle.

It's a 3 litre turbo diesel (simple 90's Hilux engine) with autobox.

The plan for this one is for it to be used by all the family for stays away at car shows and festivals and sometimes dragging an early 90's Polish Fredom caravan behind it.

Also i think as it has seats in the rear i can use it for tip runs and upset the Council Gestapo who normally point blank refuse to let any vans through their gates.

[BorniteIdentity]

The engines really are tough old bastards, but the gearboxes aren’t as hardy. So keep up the servicing on that at least! The engine service stuff is so simple that even I managed it. I loved ours; our first ever seven seater and it did literally everything well at a price far south of what our T4 cost. 

[Joey spud]

This has got to be a rare sight two of these old girls side by side.

And can anyone tell what the top left button here does please ?

I picked the Granvia up from Crowborough last night and did the A21,M25 and A2 route back home at indecent speeds for a 26 year old van it was really quite amusing.

I need to give it a once over as it has a bit of a vibration when you lift off the throttle slightly at 100 kph (i'm guessing propshaft joint or gearbox mount maybe) and its new Durun 205/70 tyres are very skittish compared to the 205/65 Enduro Runways on my Hiace.

 

[big_al_granvia]

power button, it revs higher before changing up allegedly.... nice bus joey, looks tidy

[Joey spud]

It is an honest old girl with a pile of receipts including a painfull one for a new cylinder head,cam belt and water pump a few years back.

I have been looking on the internet (always a mistake i know) and found a thread on Retro Rides about lowering a Granvia to improve its looks/handling and stability.

Oddly my Granvia is way higher than my Hiace front and rear so i think i will wind the front torsion bars down an inch or so and cut a bit off the rear coil springs.

Also rumour has it heavy duty VW T4 shocks fit and stiffen things up nicely too.

Ideally it could do with some paint as the lacquer on the roof and tail gate has long gone,maybe i can find a better second hand one.

 

[big_al_granvia]

T4 shocks allegedly fit, the wife is looking at fitting them to ours

[Flat4]

No I'm fitting coil overs to ours, but aye T4 coil overs.

@Joey spudI can get you the part numbers for the updated T4 shocks if you want them.

[Joey spud]

Yes please.

[Flat4]

4 hours ago, Joey spud said:

Yes please.

Sachs 105 819 for the front, 105 820 for the rear. Those are the ones I was recommended but Meyle also do a similar heavy duty shock. Genuine Toyota are £70ish a corner for reference.

[Joey spud]

I have made a start fitting the tow bar today.

For a 25 year old Toyota that's been here since 2005 its in good nick but corrosion is just starting to creep into the rear box sections so i ground back the loose bits..

And gave it a couple of thick coats of black zinc primer that i will later go over with stone chip and then waxoyl.

The Hiace tow bar physically fitted fine but the rear silencer box fouled against it on the o/s.

So i had to cut the pipe and move the silencer back about five inches and weld it up again.

While i was in cutting 'n' shutting mode i moved the tail pipe trim over to the Granvia too.

In the back on the van the interior lamp doesn't work so i had a look and found there's no lamp fitted.

Looking online there should be a weird shaped fluorescent tube fitted and the cheapest replacement i can find is a painful £28..

Can a Mod possibly move this thread over to the main board for me please.

[Flat4]

Ours was getting similarly flakey in those sections so Al undersealed those as well.

Nice work on the tow bar!