Toyota Commercial Range

Failed axle seals in Toyotas of this vintage are not unknown, but I’m not sure that they’re any more common than in any other make or model. And you’re right, replacing the seals in this model requires an awfully big hydraulic press and some pretty specific tolerances to be observed.

But the bigger question is why the seals keep failing and, more specifically, why two seals would fail simultaneously. Often, an axle seal will fail because of wear or play in the wheel bearing it helps protect. But to have two to fail together (one being a new-ish one) suggests a problem with the rear axle’s breather system. This is designed to allow pressure to escape as the axle unit heats up and internal pressures rise. If the breather isn’t allowing this to happen, the pressure can increase to the point where it will cause the seals to fail. So that’s where I’d start looking. A blocked breather fitting or crimped breather tube could easily be the cause.

It’s pretty unlikely that a 1987 Toyota van even has a limp-home mode. These were pretty simple engines and shouldn’t really tax a good mechanic too badly. Provided you have spark, fuel and compression, an old Toyota four-cylinder engine is more or less obliged to run.

If you’re happy that the carburettor and ignition are spot on, the next step is to perform a compression test to see if the engine is internally worn out. This is a possibility and would explain the sluggish performance. You should also make sure things like the air filter and fuel filter are clean and not restricting the flow of fuel.

This model Coaster bus was fitted with a 90-litre fuel tank. While that sounds like quite a bit, these vehicles are quite heavy (upwards of 2.5 tonnes) and are fitted with relatively thirsty diesel engines. As a result, you won’t be going more than about 500km between fill-ups, and that’s on the highway.

Add a trailer, roof rack or even drive into a headwind and fuel consumption can spike. But these vehicles have a great reputation for reliability and make great mobile-home conversion platforms.