Just picked up a used 2000 U62T and it needs a bit of love and parts. There are a few electrical issues that we need to address, but have started with the motor first. So far we have done an oil change (not bad), new air filter (it was horrible), and 2 new belts (alternator and power steering). Alternator is ticking and I'm not 100% is actually charging the battery. Things wrong so far: 1. The vacuum lines to the 4x4 are cut and the actuator is full time stuck in 4x4. So would like to price those out. 2. The dump doesn't lift. There is power from the battery to the hydraulic. I can jump the solenoid and it makes noise. 3. As said above, alternator is ticking. Would like to price one out. 4. Heater does not work and it was starting to overheat. (possibly air in the line?) 5. When turning on the lights, it sometimes shut the engine off. Any advice on any of these things would be VERY much appreciated!
1. The vacuum lines to the 4x4 are cut and the actuator is full time stuck in 4x4. So would like to price those out. >>> I think this could be fixed by removing the line, making sense of your line size, and trying to buy locally at auto parts store, rather than OEM 2. The dump doesn't lift. There is power from the battery to the hydraulic. I can jump the solenoid and it makes noise. >> Sorry, no experience here...If you jump the solenoid and power is getting to the hydraulic and its just making noise but not moving ( guessing ) then the problem may be with the hydraulic ram and/or fluid / air in the line. 3. As said above, alternator is ticking. Would like to price one out. >> Check OEM but better yet look locally for electronic rebuilders. These old school guys are still out there and would love to rebuild that thing ( maybe lol ) >> Do you have a volt meter? Check battery voltage at battery for well over 13+ volts to ensure charge is working. If under 13V or power is surging then alternator / charging system need attention 4. Heater does not work and it was starting to overheat. (possibly air in the line?) >> Possibly, how is your coolant level in radiator and overflow? I would focus on this problem first as a hot engine is not a good thing, everything else is secondary to this problem . 5. When turning on the lights, it sometimes shut the engine off. >> Sounds like your charging system, grounds, or something electrical needs attention too. Start with #4. Try to make sense of engine coolant temps ( could install in-line temp gauge on upper hose ). Make sure coolant is clean and up to level and then go from there. Copying from my post on sourcing parts: Don't rely on vendors in the US unless your desperate / lazy / can't surf the internet. Their pricing will of course be higher than if you purchase from overseas directly The link below is your best resource for parts diagrams and figuring out part numbers. You can order other US vehicle parts here to, I get all of my Toyota stuff from them >> https://partsouq.com Amayama is not as good for parts diagrams but they have a lot of aftermarket options and OEM options. Reliable and more access to Japan parts but slower than Partsouq >>https://www.amayama.com/en I haven't used this website yet but here is BeForwards filter for available parts on the 1995 Mitsubishi Bravo U44. Used parts but they seem to have options for alternators and other parts that are expensive to buy new OEM. May be worth the risk. https://autoparts.beforward.jp/search/MITSUBISHI/MINICAB/1995/V-U44V/
Thank you for all of the suggestions! I am hoping to be able to have a bit of time next week to start diving into it some more.
Just some advice. Replace any rubber (vacuum hoses/brake lines/coolant hoses). Change all the fluids (brake/coolant/oil/tranny fluid) with fresh. Make sure all the ground connections are good. Do whatever needs to be done for a tuneup (cap/rotor/wires/plugs). Then attack the functional issues that remain. You'd be surprised how things fix themselves with fresh hoses and fluids. If you don't do all this now, you will over time end up doing it or having more issues until you do. I'm not trying to be a Debbie downer but these are 25+ year old vehicles that probably had little to no real maintenance done except for during the inspections over the years.
We have cleaned up the ground and the positive and negative on the battery and now the electrical issues seem to be better. We "burped" the coolant and that might have resolved the the overheating. We will be keeping our eyes on that. The radiator fan never came on, so that might be on the list of things to look into. We have replaced coolant, oil, oil filter, and air filter so far, and it has a brand new battery from the previous owners. We will keep plugging away at it little by little!
Todd, probably WAY too late to help you out, but maybe it'll help somebody else in the future. My new (to me) 2000 Minicab actually had the radiator refill sticker still in the doorjamb. I've attached the google translate image for everybody's use.
To fix the 4x4, replace the brittle lines with standard 3mm vacuum hose and verify the solenoids are correctly switching the actuator out of its fail-safe engaged state.
Thank you for the ideas everyone. We are planning to work on it once the weather warms up. Very excited to get this thing going.
My 2000 Honda SDX dump truck did not dump on arrival. The solenoid would click when i pushed the up button, but no motion. It would work momentarily if the end of thr dump motor was lightly tapped with a hammer. The brushes inside the dump motor were stuck in place and not making good contact with the commutator. The motor needed to be disassembled and the brushes worked back and forth until they worked freely. Reassembly required holding the brushes back with long wires to get them past the end of the commutator. If there is any motion after tapping the motor, you should look into the brushes or take the motor to a local rebuilder for starters, alternators and electric motors if you are not comfortable taking it apart.
