Hello. First time 1993 Subaru Sambar owner here... need help and advice with... well... virtually all of it.
Welcome. I’ll give you what advice I can. But, I don’t know much about the Subies. Pretty good on general mechanics of carbureted, engines.
There are a few issues with the truck, the first of which has to do with me… and my decision to go down this road. When I bought it, I had an abstract idea of what I was getting into, but no real experience working on cars. So I've gotta build that competence but it's gonna be trial by fire. At any rate, after I bought the Sambar, I drove it around for a couple weeks, noticed it was often slow to start.... then one day it wouldn’t start at all. So even though I know a standard US shop can't really do much when it comes to repairs on these things, I took it to a shop to at least get a thorough diagnosis. Here’s what they found: The most urgent in terms of driveabilty is that the fuel filter and wires are old so the spark plugs got fouled. So that explains the starting issues. But also one of the fuel lines is damaged… apparently because a rat was chewing on it. And that seems to have occurred recently. Also, they say the right front ball joint has play and the left rear shock is leaking (but the fluid levels are good). So that's where I'm at. Trying to source those parts now.
C, Welcome, don't get discouraged! A lot of good guys here, on the forum, that will only try to help. Yeah, I'm sure that it can get a little over whelming at times, but heck non of us know it all! Just roll up your sleeves and put your thinking cap on. No questions are dumb or stupid. It would help you a lot if you had someone local that you could count on and take advice from. With that in mind, read and study, a lot of things on this forum. A lot of folks have worked through there mechanical problems on the forum, no matter what mini truck make, they all take fuel, and people like us to make em go! You can learn a lot if your willing! Keeping in mind, budget, every day driver, or just a hobby, like mine! When I got mine, two yrs. ago. It didn't run at all! A friend bought it 30 yrs. ago, and his two grand kids, totally destroyed, this thing. It didn't run at all, flat tires, all lot of issues. I have been having a blast rebuilding it though, so again, it's all what you want! Good Luck, Limestone!
I'm sure there is a cross reference on here for plugs. Wires might need to be bought from somewhere like gnrimports.com although there might be a cross reference available on this site. just do a search. Fuel line is metric, but 1/4" should be pretty close. Just go by the auto parts store and match some up. Several shock options are available.
Are things like oil filters and spark plugs pretty easy to replace with US parts? If so, is there a good reliable site for cross-referencing? It looks like PartSouq is a good place to find original product numbers and diagrams, but there's probably a better place to buy from, eh?
I had to go to the NGK Europe site, and use their reference tables to figure out what the stock plugs in my Hijet were. They are multiple ground plugs not sold airside of Japan. But, knowing the dimensional information: thread diameter and pitch; plug extension from the gasket to the electrode; and heat range the guys at NAPA come up with as close of a substitute as I can get in the US. Plug wires: Buy a crimper, like this one: IWISS Ratchet Spark Plug Wire Crimper for Spark Plug Ignition Wire and Terminals Dia. 8.5mm https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K2VG6XY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_A7duEb5A3FQ8Y. Then you can buy a plug wire set for a large V8 or a cut to fit set, and make up your own. Or get a crimper with interchangeable heads so you can do wire terminals, if you want/need to to. I have a couple of different sets of crimpers for different types of wiring connectors, because all the manufacturers seem to use some proprietary setup no-one else uses. The trucks are getting old, connectors are oxidizing and not working right. It is really handy to be able to replace a crumbling piece of nylon with a new weather proof connector.
CtrlZ, welcome to the club! The sambar's are a bit unique compared to many of the kei trucks out there. Rear mounted, four bangers! I'm new to kei truck ownership and figuring things out as I go with zero mechanical background. As for filters and sparkplugs, I have had success with the oil filter and spark plugs finding readily available US parts. My engine air filter, not so much. Some things will be easy, some difficult. Feel free to check out my blog style posts in the daihatsu hijet section of the forum for an in depth process of what I'm going through.
