Considering getting a Sambar

My Mits croaked, exhaust getting into the cooling system. It's gonna be a long time getting fixed, and I'm considering a 2nd mini truck. The gas alone on the F250 is killing me!

One truck I looked at was the Subaru w the rear 4 cyl engine.

Any pros and cons from Subaru owners out there?

 

I am looking to do the same thing. I've heard many good things about the Subaru's. My only set back is from what I've seen the parts and accessories are a little harder to come by. For example you can find about any accessory you want for a Suzuki but not near as out there for Subaru's. Unless I'm not looking in the right spot?
I'm really curious to see what responses you receive on this.

 

Something that you want to share that formed your opinion?
That's why I'm asking.

 

hello, i can not speak to any other make as i have only owned a subaru...I LOVE IT I drive it both on/off road i have heard that it is not the top choice for off roading but it has done everything i have asked it to do off road...mostly farm terrain and open hardwoods unasumed roads..on road it travels nicely not too noisy and handles fine for what it is.. i did change my road wheels to 13" rims

would i buy another Subaru if i had the choice? absolutely!

 

From my experience, the Subaru 660cc 4 cylinder engine is the most unrealiable and high maintainence engine there is. Well known for head gasket leaks due to overheating and bottom engine failure even in low milage trucks. The cooling lines are about 10 feet long from the back to the front of the vehicle. Also parts are not as common and easy to find and more expensive than the Carry, Minicab & Hijet (in that order). Subarus sell for the cheapest of the 5 speed mini trucks in Japan so many dealers love to pump them here in Canada.

 

I have a theory about this, see if it makes sense to you guys. I had my rad flushed once, the guys asked if I'd used some form of rad leak sealer, I had not. He flushed the system twice for good measure. 4 weeks later the engine dies, so we pull it out and find even more sludge in places you'd need to remove the thermo to see. System is flushed with the engine out. New engine goes in and I'll be going back in 1000km to swap the fluids and flush the rad again.

I'm not entirely sure how the Shaken test goes in Japan, but if you're leaking fluids I'm sure they make you fix it. Is it possible guys are finding leaks and dumping in some form of leakstopto avoid servicing the truck. This goes on for several years until the rest of the truck is too costly to repair and fails the Shaken. Guy scraps it or it's bought by some dealer in Canada, US, UK who claims the truck will do 120kmh. So, with one coolant change we set out on the road thinking we're ok but the truck's arteries are filled with sludge.

So, why does this happen more with the Subaru? With other Kei trucks the engine and rad are closer, there's less hose and fewer couplings, ultimately fewer things to leak and go wrong; the owner is less likely to turn to a quick fix like a leakstop product. The Subaru, with it's engine in the back and rad in the front, there's plenty of hose and couplings, a greater chance of a fluid leak and more nooks and crannies for sludge to hide when someone bubba's the coolant system. It's not a good scenario in an automotive culture like Japan's where maintenance is costly and consumers are encouraged to buy new over maintaining the old.

Her's a bit from good 'ol Wiki on Shaken
End of shaken period
As vehicles get older, maintaining them at the standards required by the shaken can become expensive. This is because beyond the tuner scene, most Japanese do not get involved in mechanical repairs, and as a result, mechanics can charge high prices. Vehicles which cannot pass inspection are not allowed to be driven on public roads. Unwanted vehicles must be destroyed and recycled, or as some do to make more profit, export the vehicle. As a result, many Japanese used vehicles are exported to other nations right before or after their shaken is up.

Putting the rad in the front and the engine in the back requires a greater volume of coolant (gains might be cancelled out if the engine has to work harder to push that extra fluid) and it also keeps the rad out of the engine bay where it could pick up heat from the engine. The other zuki, honda etc systems might require less maintenance, but that's not to say the Subaru can't perform the same or better if properly maintained.

Anyway, all just a theory and I could be completely off.

 

Well said! I have also heard if you use straight water as coolant those 10 foot long cooling lines rust out and leak.

 

I was talking to a buddy of mine who works for Christie Digital in Kitchener Ontario. He works specifically on the coolant systems for Christie's huge projectors so I figured he'd have an opinion. He said if you have dissimilar metals in a coolant system (i.e. Copper and aluminium) the water in the coolant systems will cause a galvanic reaction which leads to leaks. It makes sense. I look for dissimilar metals when I review a job site, copper flashing with copper nails, aluminium flashing with aluminium screws etc. so I'm not unfamiliar with the concept, I'd just never considered it in this context.

The effects of this are less if you have a coolant system made from one metal, but tap water doesn't help either scenario as it contains heavy metals. It's good for our body, bad for our coolant systems. Your best bet when mixing coolant and water, or using straight water, is to use distilled water, not tap water. I wonder how many people do that?

On larger vehicles the negative effects of using tap water must be minimal. I've used tap water to mix my rad coolant for 15 years with no ill effects. But I wasn't maintaining a foreign vehicle with a delicate engine and cooling system.

 

I would say the Subaru issues have something to do with engine configuration as well...4 cylinders displacing the same 660cc means that everything has to be that much smaller and subsequently a little less robust..fitting 4 connecting rods crankshaft journals/bearings, in a package the same size that others are using for 3.....Subarus of all types have always been known for bad head gaskets...not trying to put down Subarus as they have some real positive qualities as well...just throwing out possibilities as to why there may be some issues with the Sambar that others don't face...long cooling hoses as pointed out by Jessf have long been problematic with all vehicles with rear heating cooling (minivans SUVs) and the cooling system should be closely inspected just to be sure

 

what is the benefit to 4 vs 3 cylinders I wonder? Is it more low-end torque or a higher RPM? I'm curious to know why Subaru went that route. Many subaru engines are layed on their side and as a result are more likely to burn oil. There's a give and take with all things. What are some of the positives backing the Sambar? Might be worth listing for BC_MMC, I've only had the Sambar so I have no real comparison.

 

The Sambar supposedly rides very well.4 wheel ind. susp..has better 2wd traction (weight over driven wheels in 2wd) and has a larger cab since no engine to share space with...quieter with engine in back...4 cyl. less vibration that 3 cyl. ..Subarus oddly ,also (from specs) have less torque than the 3 cyl. used in the other makes...but rev higher...much smaller piston bore but longer stroke than the others...odd because long stroke generally equates to high torque..possibly not enough mass in the smaller pistons for high torque......
Forgot to mention the Subarus have the option of the super cool VW Samba kit...a big plus

 

just my 2 cents....having worked with MANY Japanese people for MANY years ( i work for for a auto manufacturer ) i have not seen them ever BUBBA ANYTHING now that being said they do have their quirks and yes i'm sure there are circumstances that they cut corners....but for a general rule it does not seem to be their nature

again this is just my personal observation not fact ....and obviously there are exceptions to any rule

 

Why get a Subaru?

I'd say that it's more of a city truck than a back-woods machine.

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  Nearly 50/50 weight distribution on the front/rear tires when unloaded.

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  Rear engine is quieter (I can't imagine how loud other trucks would be based on the sambar!)

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  Good engine access from the rear and top of bed (makes putting a tow bar on a bit trickier though)

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  Super charger option available! This is why I got it, more power and a taller transmission gear means you can do 110 km/h easy and 130 km/h if the mood strikes you.

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  It's still a pretty capable off-roader, but lacks some of the custom accessories that the other trucks more commonly have (lift kits, tow bars, ect...)

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  The heat is coming from a lot farther away, but even on a -35C day it starts to defrost the window within 10 minutes or so. It never got really hot on the coldest days, but I can't say that for my 91 Camry either.

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  My sambar has ~150K on it and hasn't given me any reason to doubt it's reliability. Any hiccups have been user preventable (use synthetic oil!).

I can't say that I've seen that trend here, the Subaru's I saw were typically the most expensive and the Suzuki's were the cheapest.

The metals have to be touching each other for this to really be an issue...unless your water is really dirty! Pure water is actually an insulator, it's when you have other minerals and salts in the water that it starts to conduct.

 

Is the gearing taller on the SC version? because in 5th gear at 80kmh I'm at 5600RPM. The guys at Japanoid have said specifically that these trucks should not go over 90kmh for extended periods which was again confirmed by the guy that worked on my truck.

 

Yea, I think so.

http://www.minitrucktalk.com/showthread.php?t=3710

Looks about 6% faster for a given RPM with the SC (or 6% lower RPM at the same speed). So your 5600 RPM would be like 5270 RPM in a SC.

I generally don't use it if I have a lot of highway driving to do, but it's nice to know that it can handle it if I have to. Mostly because it's just screaming, not because it's necessarily bad for the engine though.

However, with your new engine you might want to get 2000 km or so on it to wear it in before you try and push that envelope.

 

Amazing grasp of the obvious Sir! I would imagine so. I'm going thru a Sambar with an engine with 61,000 miles (Not KM) I put a timing belt and water pump and replaced associated components. My engine had 130 -135 PSI which is still within spec but I have no dreams about driving it to the next state and back. I will rebuild it and it will be done right. But right now is purrs like a kitten