Toyota Hi-Ace Cooling

Cooling is a genuine stress point on a hard-working Hi-Ace — these minibuses carried passengers and cargo for a decade plus without much fleet-level maintenance attention, and tired radiators are a regular reason donors land in the CPT yard. Our toyota hi-ace cooling stock covers radiators, water pumps, thermostats, radiator fans, radiator hoses, expansion tanks and heater cores for the 2L, 2L-T, 3L diesel and 2Y/2RZ-FE petrol variants. Used OEM radiators from CPT donors at R650-R1,400 pressure-tested; new aftermarket replacements from the JHB depot at R1,400-R2,800.

The classic Hi-Ace radiator failure is plastic-tank cracking at the top seam after years of thermal cycling — a pressure test confirms the fault. Water pumps on the 2L and 3L diesels fail around 150,000-250,000 km; R650-R1,400 new aftermarket. Thermostats are cheap (R180-R450) but often overlooked — always replace with the water pump. Radiator fan clutches on the 2Y petrol variant commonly fail the bimetal spring; simple test (spin the fan cold — free-spinning means failed clutch). Heater cores on classic donors sometimes leak into the cabin footwell; used OEM heater cores R380-R850.