Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What can be said about this Little Mini Truck in North America ?
A.  The Japanese Mini Truck or Kei Truck as it is known in Japan is the daily driver. It has a low consumption of fuel. The low center of gravity allows excellent traction. The midget 4x4 has a weight of less than 1500kg. Surprisingly this little truck can carry over half it's own weight in cargo. If the maintenance is kept at regular intervals the engine and transmission will last a great deal of time. You can find the Japanese Mini Truck in the Hills of Arizona at many truck functions, or on the golf courses in California as a working tool for the grounds keepers. Many farms in Texas, Utah and Idaho use the small truck in place of an ATV or UTV. The enclosed cab keeps out the dust and dirt. Some models are equipped with air conditioning making them very useful in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Hawaii where it can get quite hot. The Mini Trucks have a water cooled 660cc engine and the heater core allows heat to circulate the cab making the truck very handy in Alaska, Minnesota and Michigan in the cold winters. There have been sightings of these Kei trucks pulling out gators in the swamps of Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. There are three Japanese Mini truck with mid engines like the prehistoric mounds of Nebraska, North Dakota, Kansas and South Dakota. You may see a Daihatsu Hijet or Mitsubishi Minicab on a Farm in Oregon hauling Pumpkins. A favorite past time of the farm hand is loading hay in the box of a Honda Acty or Subaru Sambar in the fields of Arkansas or along the Colorado River. It is said that Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky and Missouri have bad drivers. The Small Japan imported truck like the Suzuki Carry is not so have to drive. You might find it a little different being on the right side of the vehicle. It only takes a short time to get used to. In Canada the right drive is very common to see in Postal and Garbage trucks. British Columbia has Public insurance like Saskatchewan. Some of the Canadian Provinces have Private Insurance like Ontario, Quebec and Alberta. The Japanese 4x4 Mini Truck has become very popular in eastern Canada where you will see them in New Brunswick, New Found Land and Prince Edward Island. It is a good idea when you purchase your Mini truck to change the water pump and timing belt as the moving parts made of rubber will crack over time. A tune up and replacement of the Air and Fuel filters, with a new distributor cap and rotor, some spark plugs and plug wire set will improve fuel economy.

Q. My Clutch is Slipping in my Japanese Mini Truck ?
A.  Clutch Kits are available for on our shelf for most Mini Trucks. The Suzuki Carry, Daihatsu Hijet and  Mitsubishi Mini Cab use a standard pick up engine and transmission configuration so the transmission fuild can be drained then the drive shafts removed. Once this is done then the shift cables and clutch cable can be removed. The lite weight transmission is very easy to remove and install the new parts in your clutch kit. The Honda Acty and Subaru Sambar Sambar have a rear mounted engine so the transmission is connected in the same fashion as a front wheel drive car. The rear suspension must be lowered in order to remaove the transmission and change the clutch in those mini trucks.

Q. I Just Received My Mini truck What should I do to maintain it?
A.  Mini Trucks can be between 15 and 20 Years old and will require some maintenance items replaced. The Distributor cap and distributor rotor should be changed, as well as the spark plug wire set. The contacts inside the distributor cap are aluminum and a white powder builds up over time causing a weak spark. When the timing belt is old the rubber gets hard and can snap at any time. Most of the mini trucks have interference engines so when a timing belt breaks the engine valves will bend. Replacing the timing belt and tensioner will assure that you have a fresh belt, the water pump should be changed at the same time. The common items that need repalcing on a regular basis are the Air, fuel and oil filter.

Q. Where do I get Parts for my Japanese Mini Truck?
A. At minitruck.ca we stock hundreds of parts for all brands of Japan made mini trucks. Most of these items are listed on one of our websites and ready for shipping. Order online, by fax on through the phone. Feel free to contact use for any information about the maintenance or service on mini trucks. We also stock English service manuals or shop manuals for these little mini trucks.

Q. Need a windshield or a door glass for a mini truck?
A. Windshields and door glass are available instock ready for next day shipping through out North America. We take great care when packaging a windshield. We use plywood to make a thin crate and enclose the windshield in bubble wrap so that it is suspended inside the plywood box, that way it will make the deliverey to the purchaser so they can install the windshield or door glass in their mini truck.

Q. What about hard to get parts for my mini truck, do we have to order them from Japan?
A. We stock many minitruck parts like Windshields, Door Glass, Back glass, Front and Rear brake parts, struts and steering parts, water pumps, timing belts, clutches, oil and air filters, engine rebuild kits, carburetor kits, wheel bearings, seals, brake drums, brake rotors, brake calipers, timing belt tensioner, fuel pump, carburetor, and many more mini truck parts on our warehouse shelves ready for shipping.

Q. Can the minitruck be driven on the road?
A. All our minitrucks and minivans are inspected, any work needed is done. All minitrucks get new DOT approved tires and they are then registered and ready for on or off road use.