I have a diahatsu s210 that I have had for about 8 years with zero problems til about 6 months ago. truck acted like it was running out of fuel, I could tap on the pedal a few times and it would straighten out for a few minutes then bog down again, tap on the pedal and another fix for a few minutes, after about 5 or 6 times the pedal tap wouldn't make it smooth out anymore but I could turn turn the ignition off then back on with the truck still rolling and it would run perfectly for a few minutes then the same thing again, figured it was about time for a fuel pump anyway so I replaced it, no help. This is what I have done so far: Replaced the fuel pump, steam cleaned the tank, blew out or replaced the fuel lines, installed an inline fuel filter, fuel pump is putting out a constant48 lbs. when it is running good or bad, replaced the plugs, replaced the air filter blew out the carbon filter, checked all the vacuum hoses, cleaned out the throttle body and verified that all the ports were open, removed and cleaned the fuel rail to the injectors, all the coil paks are firing whether it is running good or bad, changed out the computer yesterday morning. No change. These items were done over a 6 month period and there has been no change at all after anything I have done. This is a ranch truck and it makes the same 45 minute trip around the ranch every day without any starts or stops. No check engine lights. It will start easy enough but it's not a smooth idle, but just a touch on the pedal will smooth it out,,, Well, What do you'all suggest?
Sounds like the throttle position sensor needs adjustment, or the throttle cable is loose. Just guesses mind you as I am not familiar with your system, but sure seems like what happens to most OBD1 systems
Test the coil(s) whole they are warm. Not sure what the resistance readings should be. Hopefully you can find a ,manual that tells you. Engines need two things to run: Spark, and Fuel. It sounds like you have pretty much done all you can about the fuel side. So start checking the spark side of things. As coils age, they stated to break down and become heat sensitive. As they warm up they don’t work right. But work just fine when cool.
Just replaced all 3 coil packs, no change. There is absolutely no pattern to this problem, the only thing that is consistant is that turning the ignition switch off and then immediately back on it will run perfectly for a while. " a while" can be 10 seconds or 30 minutes. As stated above the daily feed route takes about an hour, some days we can make the complete trip [very seldom] and the next day have to turn the ignition off and on 15 to 20 times to get the trip done.
I’d look at the ignition switch. And the wiring from there to the engine controls unit. Sounds like an intermittent low voltage issue. And ignition switches do go bad. For a short term test, I’d wire in a toggle for the on/off, and a push button for the starter, and see if it fixed the problem.
could also be tps is dirty inside. do you notice it goes wonky when you have the accelerator at any particular spot?
it seems more like its running out of fuel, sometimes I can tap the acc. pedal and it will pick back up and run fine for a few minutes, it has backfired a few times while tapping the acc. pedal but that is not a common occurrence. If tps is throttle body positioner sensor, I installed a new one last week.
Is there a ballast resistor on the wire feeding the coils? I don’t think the S210 had one, but I had an old Dodge with similar symptoms, that i fought with for a couple of months, only to figure it out when the intermittent failures finally became a permanent open, and the car quit running completely.
Just got back from the daily feed route, this trip is made in 2nd and 3rd gear mostly, probably around 1000 to 1500 rpms, will fall on its face almost every gear change, out of the truck and back by the exhaust when it was barely running, no smoke, could not smell raw fuel. It seems like it drops a cylinder for a while then drops another at that point I just turn the switch off and back on and it will slam your head against the rear window. Don't know about the ballast resistor, maybe someone on here can tell me if there is one on this truck.
Hmmm sounds like you have changed most the electronic parts that could cause an issue. Have you gone over the harness and checked the plugs and grounds.
Solution,,,, Finally after a year and many hundreds of dollars. There is a sensor in the exhaust manifold, it has two wires coming from it, I cut the wires, twisted them together, tied them to the frame. Seven days and I have driven the heck out of it, no problems.
truck has been running OK but not perfect, Decided to install new O2 sensor. truck will not start, ether straight in the breather, no help, it will not start, pulled it around with a tractor got it running and it runs fine, idle is rough but at least it was running. I t has running issues of all kinds but it would always start easily. I have taken the throttle body completely off and cleaned it even though it was very clean all the ports on it are open all the vac lines to it have been replaced. Guys, I am about at the end here.
No I haven't, but I have started noticing blue smoke and it is using oil now. This is all relatively new, so rings or valves may have been the problem from the beginning. I will put some sea foam in the oil to see if it can brake something loose. If it doesn't I will put it up for sale,
update, blue smoke has backed off, was probably from all the junk I have put in the oil and fuel, did a comp check, got 140,135, 140. Still will not start without being pulled, idles rough and inconsistent, but then it runs pretty darn good when its doing its job it just won't start. Plugs were wet when I pulled them to do the comp test. I think that there is a sensor or sensors that are sending a false signal to the computer, I have changed the ones that I know about and will gladly change the others if I knew what they were and there location. Any and all suggestions appreciated.
You say it won't start without being pulled which would indicate that the starter has too much draw and is pulling down the voltage below the required level to operate the ignition system. Just food for thought. Fred
I guess it's possible, but tomorrow I might turn the key and it start right up. That has been the major complication with this thing, it doesn't do anything consistently. Driving it yesterday and with the truck rolling in first gear if you got on it hard it would spin the tires in the dirt. got it running today and every time I give it gas it boggs. Is there any way to reset the computer maybe, just grasping at straws here. And I checked the vacuum yesterday and it has a steady 16.5 inches of vacuum.
Fred may be onto something. My S83P was acting similarly and I was messing with the carb and timing etc. without results. Then, last year I did a complete rebuild, and when I took the battery cable off the starter, the power cable for the wiring harness fell apart. The wire was corroded and just came apart. Since I have fixed it, I have no more starting issues.
Another thing to check is ground connections. I did fleet work for many years and found some weird and intermittant problems occasionally caused by bad grounds. Fred
More info, there is no fire at the plugs when being cranked by the starter. As suggested I have been completely through the wiring from the battery, and from the switch, all is perfect, no skin marks, no mouse chew, no nothing. I have pulled the key cylinder and turned the switch with a screw driver, it will crank but no spark. It will still start by being pulled, after starting it runs fine, and it will idle, the idle is a little rough but it will idle. If I kill it and try to restart it, it will probably start, and it might start for 20 or 30 minutes after I kill it. But you can bet that in an hour or so it will have to be pulled again.
