Hey guys, I drive a 1991 catburated sambar. I barely got it started this morning to leave work, and it didn't like the two minute ride home. I didn't make it above 50km/h because once the throttle was past halfway, it started to lose all power and sounded kind of funny. And when I pulled into the yard and went to the back to listen/look at it, it sputtered out and then wouldn't start again for a few minutes - this makes me think it flooded itself? Any ideas? So far i'm thinking fuel filter as it hasn't been changed recently(going to check that as soon as possible, i'm at work right now and may be busy tomorrow), water in gas? Or maybe oil in the spark plugs(I do have a very small oil leak around a rubber gasket thing, but it doesn't appear to be burning oil otherwise so the spark plugs seem the least likely to me). Is there anything else that it could be? The engine sounds fine unless the peddle is past roughly the half way point, the sputtering is coming out of the exhaust and sounds kind of like a cough, or like it gets gas for a few seconds and then none, then gas again, repeatedly. This is what makes me think it might be a clogged fuel filter, but i'm not much of a mechanic so I could be missing something very simple. Any help(from directions on what to check, how to check it, etc) would be amazing. Thanks guys
Kody, A lot of info on this subject through out the forum, over the yrs. It's always good to do your regular maintenance on your vehicles, including, the fuel filter. Doesn't sound like that's the problem to me, especially if it's getting too much fuel and it's not being restricted at the filter, because it's clogged, and or dirty. Does it have the original carburetor? Sounds like it possibly needs to be rebuilt, or replaced, with a new carb. Do your re search under carbs. on the forum, to better understand, where I'm coming from. By looking at the plugs, they will tell you a lot! Water in fuel is always a possibility, a can of, sea foam,(mechanic in a can, if you will), won't hurt! $10 bucks!!! Doesn't sound like it's choking for fuel, sounds like it's getting too much and flooding. Are the plugs wet? Is there gas coming out of the carb., where the air cleaner attaches? Is the choke, dirty, and sticking, and not opening, and operating properly? So once the pedal is past the half way point, it starts to sputter, so when your trying to give it more fuel, she sputters, not the fuel, filter, it's getting plenty of fuel, sounds like too much! Stuck or dirty coke mechanism, worn carb., seats (jets). That small oil leak, doesn't apeer to have any thing to do with this, the way your describing it. Just a few thoughts, thinking out loud. Good Luck, keep us posted! Limestone
I was thinking the opposite- lack of fuel. Fuel supply can keep up under partial load but when you go past 1/2 throttle it starves.
Great point, I can see that also. I have seen it act both ways! Not trying to ride the fence here, or contradict myself. That's why we can talk about it as much as we want, and crash course this for him, but until he rolls up his sleeves and jumps in, we won't know!
GR Imports has a very good troubleshooting guide on their page: https://ae6452d8-792d-42d7-b8b0-720...d/d494d1_5c58849bbc94410c9dcb118fc9f6147b.pdf Note, almost all of the “carburetor” problems are something else.
Grandad always said, "changin yur fuel filter is like changin yur underwear"! You just gotta do it! LOL SORRY, COULDN'T HELP MYSELF!
So i'm back to having zero clue what's wrong again. Ended up not doing too well again, stalled out on me coming back into the driveway. When I got it running, it let out the loudest backfire i've ever heard. Then it was fine, parked it in the garage, idled for 10mins, turned it on and off a few times to see if it was okay. No issues. Went to bed, woke up and it hasn't started since. Pulled the plugs, they were carboned up so I put new ones in. Fuel filter is clear(brand new). I have spark, had a friend hold the wires for me while I cranked so we're good there. I have no clue what could be wrong. I let it sit for 12 hours, so if it was flooded it should have started by now. I crank it and it turns over, but the engine doesn't kick. I even took the air filter off and have the intake wide open, still nothing. Anyone have any ideas? I know the fuel pump and carburator should be fine, because when it was running it was beautiful.
Kody, Don't get discouraged! Stay with me for a minute here.You and I have two different vehicles!(but, same ERA) You've got a 91 Sambar. Me an 89 Daihatsu! When I inherited mine, it had several issues, caused by poor maintenance, by two knucklehead grand kids, of a friend of mine! So with that being said. When this happens several things were involved for me. I'm trying to keep this as short as I can and still get to the point! Once my friend dropped this in my lap, we aired up the 4 flat tires, got the dead battery charged, jumped, and starting fluid, applied to get her going. Diagnosed the unit and what I was wanting to do to it if I was going to keep it and jump in or what! So, got her running pretty good puttzing around the country setting homestead, with room to roam! She started to miss, run a little rough, backfire, etc... It's always good to be able to diagnose a running engine, and listen to it, as my friend Tim always said, listen to her, she's talking to you! I did all the typical things first, fuel filter, checked and cleaned the plugs! At the time, I had a lot of projects going, irons in the fire, so to speak, but that's life! One day I was test driving her down the driveway, 500 ft., around to my neighbor, who's younger, pretty mechanically inclined, and always working on something also! I shut her off, and we shared a beverage and talked about what I was doing, and what my plans were, with it! Getting ready to leave, she would not start! We towed her to the back, to my shop with his 4 wheeler, and put it in the garage. I went through the whole fuel system, like I have stated before. Eliminating, fuel issues. Replaced, plugs, wired cap, rotor, all things that I planned on doing anyways! So every time I tried to start it she would want to try to start, but when I released the key from start to ignition, she wouldn't stay running! Telling me it's electrical! After a lot of trial and error, and time, several months as my schedule would allow! Tim and I, after work on a few occasions, and on a few Saturdays, discovered that, we could keep it running if we added another ground wire, to on,(run) terminal on the switch! Crazy! Why did it run before and not need this wire? Why all of a sudden? First a fuel issue, carb., dirty tank, fuel lines, any and every thing I could think of! Keep in mind, I've now owned this thing in my garage for two years! I still don't have all the literature, and printed material that I'd like, but that's another story. We used to fix a lot of things in the Heavy Equipment shop, without, half the stuff we would have liked to have! I guess what I'm trying to say here is don't get discouraged and, sometimes there's not one simple easy answer, but through trial and error, we learn by trying, and yes, by screwing up! We can and will try to help as much as possible. Not being there, and not completely knowing the history of your vehicle, what's been done and what hasn't. We would, pow wow, in the H. E. shop, and do a lot of out loud thinking, and problem solving. Much like we do here on the forum. So bear with us as we try to help you figure out your problem also. I like to reference to the past, forum conversations, and experiences, because there is a lot of good info here! It's just time consuming, I know, because, I reviewed the forum for a yr. in a half before joining! With all that being said! Trying to stay focused on your issues; Usually when you hear backfire, we think of timing! Is the vehicle in time? A lot of things usually come before that though! Plugs, wires, rotor, points,(if you have them)! I don't think you have Electronic Ignition! Vehicle history! Whats the timing belt look like? is it new, old stretched, worn? Might not have any thing to do with it! How many miles on the unit? Jig's mentioned something a while back, that I've always agreed with! Maybe a piece of dirt, or debris got stuck in a carb. jet! You know it doesn't take much! These carbs. are finicky! Somebody just mentioned that the coolant hose going in and out of the carb. was blocked, affecting their choke! Something like that could be going on! Keep rolling your sleeves up, Kody! You'll get it, and learn a lot in the mean time! Life's a learning experience, Enjoy it along the way! God Bless! Good Luck! Stay healthy! Well, with all that being said, gonna wander down to the river, and see if I can't fool a couple 30 inch Steelhead! Limestone
Generally most of the “carburetor” issues aren’t. GR Imports has a good trouble shooting page, on the web: https://www.grimports.com/maintenance-tips This will give you some good starting points on what to look for. Look on eBay for a Motors manual from the sixties, and seventies. They had very good general troubleshooting guides, similar to flow charts, that were just ask questions, and depending on how you answer the questions. I learned to work on cars in the late sixties, and early seventies. And those trouble shooting guides were invaluable, in learning to address problems on the car, in an orderly progression Now for a few ideas. The fouled plugs indicate that it is rich. I’m guessing you have the typical wax pellet choke, with water lines to the carb. Do, they get warm? If not the choke my never get warm enough to pull out. The right hand drive, versions of minitrucks, imported to the US in the later eighties, early nineties, had a speed limiter system, which included at solenoid on the carburetor, which when you hit 25, would pulse the main jet on and off, thus starving the engine and keeping you from going easy faster. Looking at carb rebuild kits, and the carb on my 94 Hijet, there is a very fine little filter on the seat for the needle valve in the carb. It could be plugged.
I've never worked on a carburator before, so I wasn't sure if this is something I should leave until he can come back(whenever covid ends and he can drive from NB to NS). Which is why i'm trying everything else I can think of, I don't want to open up the carburator and mess it up. I'm curious how hard it would be to find the needle you're talking about and see if it's plugged. I'm also not completely sure where the choke is or where i'd find it other than "somewhere on the carburator". I know where the throttle is. My current last idea is I may have moved the plug wires into the wrong spot by accident. Does anyone have a clear picture of where each wire should go? The ones on google were too blurry for me and now i'm second guessing my placement.
As a general statement, I have found 1-3-2 to be the firing order of all the 3 cyl engines I have dealt with. Take off dist cap, crank to note rotor direction, get to # 1 firing position, install # 1 plug wire, then # 3, then #2. Should go. Fred
Mine is a subaru so four cylinders. I believe the order is 1 3 4 2 based on a comment on here a while ago, I just don't know which place those numbers are on the distributor cap. I've been trying to find a clear enough picture online to tell
Yeah, I changed the plugs, and opened the distributer and sanded all the points and the rotor. I used a sharpie to mark the distributor cap and also marked the wires correspondingly. Didn't fix my problem, but boy oh boy it was white crusty all over them points. New cap and rotor on the way. Mine flooded really bad once, removed one plug, unplugged the fuel pump, disconnected the coil wire and turned it over a few times. Reconnected everything and started right up. ??
Where's the fuel pump on these? I found the filter when I changed it, is it near there? And how would I know I had a problem with that?
Rex, A little Die Electric grease on those points of contact won't hurt! Actually helps a lot! Limestone
Follow the fuel line from the filter, it will go to the pump if it's mechanical,then to the carb., on your vehicle. If it goes to the carb. then you probably have an electric fuel pump in the tank, before the filter, with possibly another filter, bag so to speak, in the tank! If you have this, these bags get dirty, clogged up. that's there job, to filter! The best way I like to check it is to get a small can, jar for fuel. Disconnect the fuel line going into the carb. and have someone turn the key on, not to start(ignition), you won't enjoy that! It will pump fuel into your container, if it's working properly! Just for a quick minute, it will tell you if your pump is working properly, or not! It's good to start there and then work backwards, to solve any problems that you might have! There is no such thing as having to clean a fuel! Filter, Filter, Filter! Their cheap compared to all the problems you can have, without properly maintaining them! Limestone
Do I disconnect it all the way up by the carb, or can I just take ofc the line that goes to the carb from my filter? That's in an easier location to take the line off(I think it's electric, if not i'll follow the line to the mechanical one)
Yes, you can! As long as it's after the fuel pump, you can disconnect any where it's convenient, to see if the pump is working properly! Remember you are working with fuel/gas! Be smart/safe! No open flames naturally, cigarettes, Cigars, or Tiperello's! Sorry, that's an old time joke! Again, be safe, the pump is going to squirt fuel, that's what it's designed to do. Instruct who is ever at the switch to just turn it on and off quickly, and not to try to start it! You should see fuel immediately!
Let me try to explain myself a little better! Think about this. Your fuel tank is your source of fuel, naturally(storage area), from there the fuel line coming out of the tank, and going to the fuel filter is the fuel supply line! The other line is a return,(no filter needed on the return line to the tank), After the fuel filter, the fuel supply line will go to the carb.,(probably yours,I'm guessing), or go to a Mechanical fuel pump, that Mechanically works off the motor. From there, would be a fuel line, to the carb., supplying fuel to your carb.! I'm guessing you have an electric fuel pump inside your tank, that sends fuel through a supply line, through a filter, then to your carb.! I hope this helps, and I hope I was able to simplify things! Remember, we didn't have computers, and Forums growing up, we learned by trial and error! Old School! Yeah we made a lot of mistakes, that's how we learned! Limestone
Didn't end up checking, I messed around with the plug wires and I may have had them on the wrong spot because it started right up. Still not sure if my fuel pump is electric or mechanical as there was something between the filter and the carb, but that's a question for another day considering the truck is running again. Thanks for all the help, I love this community!
My truck had same symptoms. I am doing a frame off restoration and when I pulled the tank and looked inside, it was full of rust and debris. There is a strainer on the inlet inside the tank that cannot be serviced, I suspect it was plugged solid. Luckily I have a parts truck with a good tank so I will just clean it out and swap it.
