The 2017 Daihatsu Hijet with its 0.66L KF three-cylinder is a workhorse kei truck that runs forever if you stay on top of valve train maintenance, but will punish neglect with expensive top-end failures. These little engines work hard, and the most common issues revolve around lifter noise, timing chain wear, and head gasket failure when overheated or poorly maintained.
Lifter/Tappet Noise and Failure
Common · medium severityTypical onset: 60,000-100,000 mi
Symptoms: ticking or tapping noise from valve cover, especially cold start, noise worsens under load or acceleration, rough idle as lifters pump down, eventual loss of valve adjustment causing misfires
Fix: Requires valve cover removal, lifter replacement (all 6 recommended when one fails), and valve adjustment. 3-4 hours labor. Use OEM or quality aftermarket lifters—cheap parts fail quickly on these high-revving kei engines.
Estimated cost: $600-1,100
Timing Chain Stretch and Guide Wear
Occasional · high severityTypical onset: 80,000-140,000 mi
Symptoms: rattling noise on cold start that fades after 5-10 seconds, check engine light with cam/crank correlation codes, rough running or hesitation, catastrophic failure if chain jumps timing
Fix: Chain, guides, tensioner, and sprockets all need replacement as a set. Requires timing cover removal, careful alignment. 5-6 hours labor. Oil change intervals matter—extended intervals accelerate wear on these small-displacement engines.
Estimated cost: $1,200-1,800
Head Gasket Failure
Occasional · high severityTypical onset: 90,000-150,000 mi
Symptoms: white smoke from exhaust, coolant consumption without external leaks, overheating episodes, milky oil or oil in coolant, rough idle and misfires
Fix: Head removal, resurface, new gasket, new head bolts. Often reveals warped head requiring replacement. Check for cracked head while off. 8-10 hours labor. These engines overheat easily when worked hard in hot weather—head gasket is the result.
Estimated cost: $1,800-2,800
Transmission Oil Cooler Line Leaks
Common · medium severityTypical onset: 70,000-120,000 mi
Symptoms: transmission fluid spots under vehicle, burnt smell after driving, transmission slipping or delayed engagement when fluid gets low, visible fluid on lines near radiator
Fix: Replace corroded hard lines and rubber hoses to/from cooler. Sometimes requires cooler replacement if internal leak into coolant. 2-3 hours labor. Inspect annually—these corrode from road salt and age.
Estimated cost: $400-700
Harmonic Balancer/Crankshaft Pulley Deterioration
Occasional · medium severityTypical onset: 100,000-160,000 mi
Symptoms: visible rubber separation on pulley face, vibration at idle that worsens with RPM, serpentine belt misalignment or unusual wear, wobbling pulley visible with engine running
Fix: Balancer replacement requires crankshaft bolt removal (impact gun necessary, proper torque critical). 2-3 hours labor. The rubber bonding layer fails from heat cycles—common on these hard-working small engines.
Estimated cost: $350-650
Camshaft Wear from Oil Starvation
Rare · high severityTypical onset: 120,000+ mi
Symptoms: severe valve train noise that doesn't improve when warm, loss of power, check engine light with multiple misfire codes, metal shavings in oil
Fix: Requires cylinder head removal, cam replacement, often new lifters and rockers. 10-12 hours labor. Almost always caused by extended oil change intervals or running low on oil. Inspect cam lobes during any head-off service.
Estimated cost: $2,200-3,500
Buy one if maintenance records show religious oil changes and it's been driven gently; avoid high-mileage examples with unknown history or any valve noise—you'll own an expensive rebuild.
AI-assisted summary drawn from NHTSA recall data, our labor-times database, and platform knowledge. Not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on a specific vehicle.