I've had my 1996 HiJet for about 10 years and it's been pretty solid. About a year ago it got new plugs, cap, rotor, and air filter. Was running great, until about a month ago. Came out one morning after parking it the previous day and it cranked, but no fire or hint of combustion. Weather is nice so it's time to get it going! Cleaned the battery connections, charged up the battery Pulled the middle spark plug and it is sparking nicely Pulled the fuel line between the mechanical pump and carb and it is pumping fuel nicely I'm stuck on where to look next. Any help would be appreciated. I have basic knowledge, but don't have certain tools like timing light, vacuum gauges, etc.
What engine model is it, do you know? EF-NS? You'll find it on the model plate under the driver's seat...
What spark plugs did you use? Both myself and another member both had no-start issues resolved recently just by replacing spark plugs. Could be worth starting there as a possible cheap and easy fix. I replaced some E3 plugs with NGK BKR6E-11 plugs recommended by Roadster.
When mine did that it ended up being a clogged vapor canister. Which was causing the fuel tank to over pressurize, and preventing the fuel relief/return line from the fuel pump from working right, and the fuel pressure to go up. Thus overpowering the needle in the carb and flooding it. When I added the electric fuel pump, and regulated it to 2.5-psi,then bypassed the stock pump, and plugged the return line at the tank, everything cleared up.
We have a clue... I tried some starting fluid in the air filter and initially it did nothing, so I closed that up. Came inside for two minutes and thought about a possible plugged Evap-canister, and went back out... cracked open the gas cap (to avoid a possible over pressure... it let out some pressure, but nothing major) and tried to start it. It fired and turned over for about 5-10 seconds running roughly... then nothing, not a hint. I think it was just running on the ether starter fluid, I could still smell it.
Since it is possibly a fuel problem and the fuel pump seemed to be working well enough... any thoughts on it being the carburetor fuel cutoff solenoid?
In the search function, there is a "1998 Hijet won't Start" (shopteacher) thread that focuses on the fuel solenoid. Jigs says you can try taking out the solenoid and testing it, and replacing it with a plug to see if it will start. I think there is an instruction on "freeing up" the solenoid if it doesn't move...
Have you checked the fuel pressure? You can pull the solenoid, and check to see if it is working smoothly, by just applying power and seeing what it does. I’d check the pressure from the pump. The float and needle only hold to about 2.5 to 3-psi when new. As the needle and seat wear they drop down to about 2-lbs, which floods the engine.
Jigs - my truck has still been having some issues getting going, even though it is starting now. Very rough at the beginning and takes a while to really get going even above 40 F. I measured the pressure out of my fuel pump today and got about 3.5-4 psi. I should note this was what looked to be a return line and not the main one to the carb, but it was much easier to access and I figured it would give me the pressure just the same. It sounds like installing a new fuel pump + regulator could help my cause? Is it possible to just regulate the pressure after the current pump? Don't mean to hijack the current thread, let me know if I should take this elsewhere.
Do you know off hand what size nipples you got to fit the fuel line? Also it seems it would be ideal if this would just fit straight inline, but not sure there will be enough space between the pump and the carb.
I used 1/4-inch. I think the actual size should be 6-mm, I can buy 1/4-inch at the local parts houses, none of them had 6-mm. 6-mm is .236 inches, the 1/4 is 0.014-inches so it is well within the stretch of fuel line.
I tested the fuel pressure and it was 3.5 psi next moved to the fuel cutoff solenoid. still installed on the car. I thought by manually applying power to it I might be able to hear a click. Nothing. So that needs to be investigated further. Any suggestions on how to remove that sucker. The solenoid is only visible from the drivers seat access. 638C3474-F5BF-480C-A410-44C62BF94320 by slanted posted Apr 4, 2021 at 11:51 AM
You might check the thread length of the BPR5ES spark plug and compare it to the BPR5EK-B if you still have it. If I remember right, I bought the BPR5ES first, and took them back and exchanged them for the BKR6E-11 because the "reach"(thread length) was too short by quite a bit and would certainly affect the firing of the mixture. Mine was running rough (two cylinders) on start-up for a few minutes. Changing the plugs out to the BKR6E-11 cured that instantly.
I found setting the gap to .032 worked best for me. BKR6E-11 is the one recommended to me by my truck importer to replace the BPR5EK-B and is what he uses when servicing Daihatsu's. They are a common plug I got at the local auto supply store and are inexpensive. Heat range seems perfect after 4 months of daily use through the winter - we'll see if the summer makes any difference, though it shouldn't...
For the EF-NS engine the rock plug is the NGK-BCPR5EKD-10, gapped to 0.9 to 1.0-mm. Which decodes to: BC- 14-mm thread with 5/8-inch hex, P-Projected insulator, R-Resistor; 6-Heat Range 6; E-Reach 19-mm, K-Dual Electrode, D-Special Design; Gap of either 9 or 10mm. The closest non dual electrode plug is thus the NGK-BCPR5E-11: https://www.amazon.com/NGK-BCPR5E-11-V-Power-Spark-Plug/dp/B000COTKXW BE careful decreasing the gap. The extended insulator plugs are easy to crack, and you don’t always see the damage. With the insulator cracked the spark can short circuit to the body of the plug instead of firing though the electrode gap. The EFES and EFTS engines had a heat range 6 plug from the factory.
I have also found these iridiums that work well with our hijets, Champion 9804 -RN8WYPB3. I was having starting issues with mine as well, setting the valve clearance and putting in new spark plugs fixed my starting issues. Also check oil level, could be fouling plugs if on the high side.
The purpose of the iridium plugs is that they erode less from the spark/arc, and therefore maintain their gap and last longer in the newer vehicles, which have the multi-spark ignition systems, and in which changing the park plugs is near to impossible. So the manufacturer can put them in and they will last until the warranty expires, before the owner has to pay someone to partially uncounted the motor to get to the rear bank of plugs on their transverse mounted V6. Our little trucks don’t need them.
If you are running a carb you should pull them every tuneup, to check how the plugs look. They are a very goo indicator of how rich or lean the carb is set, and on the state of the rings and oil seals on the valves. I pull mine every tuneup to see how they are burning. So, I pull them any way, and with the dump bed raised they are easy to get to. And, it doesn’t take very long. If I stock up when the parts houses have sales, they cost about $10 a set. I don’t check the plug condition on my newer vehicles with fuel injection and computerized engine management. If they aren’t burning oil yet, the plugs will look just fine, and if they are burning oil the check engine light comes on, because it messes up the O2 sensor.
Wondered if anyone has found a stateside source for plugs for the EN-ES fuel injected motor? The only two plugs for these engines is either an NGK BCPR6EKD or a Denso QL20TR-S. By the time I get them here from either jdmsparkplugs.com or Amayama Trading, they're going to cost $12-13 each after a 2-6 weeks wait.
NGK BPR5E-11, or BPR6E-11 with the gap reduced to 0.9 or 1.0-mm. If you we’re trying to pass emissions the multi electrode setup could make a tiny difference. You are probably not worried about emissions, and the two I listed have all the same features except the multi electrode tip. The same reach thread dimensionally the multi-electrodes, and being special use (multi-electrode). The 5 and 6 are the heat range. I went to the BPR5 after running the BPR6 and deciding it was a little hot. The BPR5 set looked better after three months, than the BPR6 did. Other’s may show up and say something else. But, I actually understand how to decode the manufacturers numbers on the plugs, and being an old fart how to read the plug condition. You should be able to buy one or both of the ones I’m recommending at any parts house. Last time I bought some they were $15 on sale for a set of six.
Thanks Jigs, but I suspect you may be wrong. These plugs I need have an especially long shell body (about an inch that is, from the porcelain to the gasket), which is the 'D' of an NGK. The plug wells are tapered, and the extra length keeps the plug hex out far enough so that a plug socket stays engaged on the plug. Anything shorter, and the socket runs out before the plug seats. I tried to find an image for the plugs you suggested to compare, but neither shows up.
I have he same stock plug you do. I went to NGK, Europe, and looked through their online catalog to decode the numbers on the stock plug, then kept all of the dimensional, resistance, heat range, and gap info, and ended up with this: https://www.amazon.com/NGK-BCPR5E-11-V-Power-Spark-Plug/dp/B000COTKXW. Which has a split/forked electrode, and not the two separate electrodes. I ordered a set, and compared them to the stock plugs, and they are the same dimensionally the same. But, they are not available through normal parts house channels. They can order them but it may take a couple of weeks. Napa had the BPR6E-10 in stock, on sale in sets of 6, and they are dimensionally the same, but no split in the electrode. I bought a set and ran them for the year. Worked fine but not quite the right heat for the tune, and driving style of my truck. Bought BPR5E-10, and tried them. They looked good a year later at the next tuneup. I’ve had them in for five years now.
This is the spark plug of which I speak. None of the suggested plug images that I’ve seen match. May be that I’m only finding generic pictures. Jigs, anyone else have these plugs that I could purchase and not wait a month?
