First: thanks to all who contribute to this forum! Your shared knowledge is invaluable Second: I'm new to this forum and have had my Sambar for just over 3 years. I'm a Land Cruiser guy and am fairly handy with a wrench but still learning these machines. Vehicle: 1997 Sambar KV4 Fire Van, 4wd, EFI(not SC), 8,430 total km on the odo Issue: started to notice a rough idle situation which then turned into a smoking issue. Exhaust smelled heavy of fuel. The smoke has blueish color to it but does not smell like burnt oil. Cylinder #1 plug is wet with fuel; however, the other 3 look good and are dry. Runs good at RPM but smokes like crazy. It has had a CEL light flashing the entire time I've owned it but it did not seem to effect performance and I have no idea how to pull the code. The exhaust temp sensor was cut and grounded when I bought it and it appears to have been done in Japan at some point before being exported Troubleshooting thus far: I checked spark on cyl #1 and I have strong spark. Plugs, wires, cap, rotor are all pretty new. Oddly, the wet spark plug smells like old fuel; however, I drive this regularly and have run 3 tanks of fuel through it in the past 6 months. Wondering if the injector on #1 is possibly gummed up?? Oil looks good and engine temps are always normal, no overheating. I do not suspect a HG. I'm hoping the smoke is old/aged valve seals but I haven't done a compression test yet. Fuel filter is original. Anyone run into this issue before?
The CEL is flashing? Is it doing it in a pattern of long and short flashes? If so, it sounds like the vehicle is in test mode and it is not supposed to be driven in that mode. They are only for reading the code(s) and to set the timing correctly as it disables the timing advance. Count out the long and short flashes and report back with what they are. Afterwards look under the dash for a pair of 2 pin connectors each with only one wire, attached to themselves under/behind the fusebox, one pair is black and the other pair is green. These are common on most Subarus of the era, and will look something like this (this picture is from a Legacy, but they will look somewhat similar): Disconnect them and leave them dangling and see if it runs any better.
Thanks for the quick response. Yes, the CEL was flashing; however, I am not sure on the flashing sequence. I unhooked the battery while I was working on it so that reset it but I imagine if I run it for a little bit, it will trigger again. If it is not supposed to be run in that mode, wonder why it wouldn't go into limp mode. It has run beautifully for 3ish years until recently. I will report back on my findings.
The light should not flash unless those test mode connectors are connected. While on later Subaru models, a flashing CEL indicates a high priority fault (like a misfire), the ECU on the sambar is quite simple and does not do that. If there is any code, the light should be on steady. There is no real Limp mode on these vehicles either.. again, a very simple ECU. The vehicle will probably work okay(ish) with those connectors connected, but it will not advance/retard the timing as it should, the fan(s) will run all of the time instead of normally cycling as needed, and a few other non-critical things. It is probably not causing your issue here, but the flashing light sequence will probably shed some light on the root issue here.
I had a quick look under the dash I found 2 green connectors with single wires, but no black. They are currently both connected. They are next to and in the same loom as a larger yellow/orange connector....I assume the yellow/orange is a diagnostic port. I'll disconnect them after the CEL starts flashing again. Interesting comment about the fans. I live in TX and can confirm the fan will only turn on when needed...I assume with a temp switch. When the key is in ACC position, the fan will cycle on/off
Let me look up the 1997 manual and see if perhaps the black connectors are in a different spot. They are next to the green ones on my 92 Supercharged model, but they may have moved them, or heck even omitted them on the non-SC EFI models. Yes, the Orange/Yellow connector is the Select Monitor connector for the Subaru diagnostic tool.
Yes, looks like the 97 models have them in the same place. The wiring diagram for the NA-EFI engine still calls for them, and the harness diagram shows them in the same area as well. R7 are the green Test Mode connectors shaped like a T , and R8 are the black "Memory Read" connectors which may be single contact and shaped like square on that year. R5 is the Yellow Select Monitor connector.
Thanks. Before you posted, I went back out the shop and disconnected the two green plugs I have. Started it up and the CEL was not flashing. Plugged them back in while it was running and the CEL began to flash. It is flashing in a steady on/off sequence. There is no discernable cadence as there would be when diagnosing an OBDI car. Its just a simple on/off on repeat. I also did a compression test and my results are as follows: 1 - 200 2 - 200 3 - 205 4 - 200
If the light was off while the connectors were disconnected, then there are no codes to read. I have never tried to read mine with the test mode connectors when I didnt have a light, so that may be normal. That said, I usually use the Select Monitor on mine instead since I happen to have one. Those compression results look good, so you likely do not have any valve or ring issues. My next guess would be that you could have a stuck injector if it is still drenching cylinder 1.
So perhaps I have two issues going on. Valve seals and stuck injector?? I pulled it out of the shop and the smoke definitely has a blueish tint to it. Here is a pic of the connectors you reference. Both are green and I don't see any other similar black connectors with single wires to it. Why would my CEL still flash? Is there any way to determine the "why" if someone doesn't have the select monitor?
Oh, I see what you mean by "both".. I thought you were referring to the two halfs of one set. The T-shaped connectors are green, and the square shaped are usually black on the earlier years. Disconnect both sets and it should not be blinking anymore. In the Electrical Diagnostic manual, it says that it has a regular blink when there are no codes. It is 0.5 seconds on, then 0.5 seconds off, repeating. If there were a code, it would blink the first digit in 1.2 second long blinks, and the second digit in 0.2 second long blinks. Valve seals do fail over time, so those likely need to be replaced. They are part number 13207KA020, and you can order them from any Subaru dealer as it was also used on the 2001-2004 Outback H6 engine in North America. You need 8 in total. If you do not care about OEM parts, then you can get a set of FEL-PRO SS72934 from your vendor of choice and just use 8 out of the set of 24.
Thanks! Very helpful @rkrenicki So this entire time I've owned it, those plugs should have been disconnected. Given the low km, I can only assume these seals are still original, 26 years old seals. Any thoughts on the injector? Easy Sea-Foam or more invasive like pulling the intake, rail, injectors etc
I suppose you could try seafoam, but I would see if you can verify if it is a stuck injector. The injectors are no longer available if you do need to replace it. The injector is bespoke to the first phase EN07F engine which was only found in most (but not all) Sambar vans from 1996-1998. It was not used in any Sambar Truck or any other model. The second phase EN07F found in 2001-2012 models uses a completely different fuel rail and injector assembly, so they are not backwards compatible.
Oh man, I didn't know I had a snowflake! OEM and aftermarket are not available? Hopefully they could be rebuilt. I guess while I'm at this exercise, I should do a fuel filter too.
I have no idea why they commented that here. If the coolant sensor for the ECU was bad, it would give you a check engine light, and therefore a series of flashes when those test mode connectors were connected. The other temp sensor only drives the gauge on the cluster, so if that is working, then it is fine too..
I was curious about the comment as well. I thought there were two sensors: one for the ECU and one for the gauge cluster. In my experience working on old EFI Land Cruisers, the one sending a signal to the ECU will trigger the cold start injector for cold start ups. I have no idea if that logic applies to these Sambar engines.
Update: Finally found the time to finish the valve stem seals and happy to report it cured the smoking issue. Unfortunately spark plug #1 is soaked in fuel still. I was hoping it would clear itself up after some Seafoam and driving but really don't want to drive it too much given the excessive fuel in the cylinder. How invasive is the process to pull the injectors and what are the recommended seals to replace in the process?
If you pull the injectors send them off to have them cleaned and flow tested. They will supply new injector seals. I would also replace the coolant temp sensor. It reports to the ECU coolant temp readings and based on them will supply more or less fuel.
I'll probably do the coolant temp sensor since it is cheap to replace but I wonder why it would only affect one injector and not all of them??
If the injector is excessively dirty it will drip excessively as opposed to spraying a fine mist. This will skew the ECU it believing it is either running rich or lean. I would start with having the injectors cleaned and flow tested. A scan tool that shows coolant temp will let you confirm if the coolant sensor is functioning correctly.
In my quest to remove the intake plenum to access the injectors, I noticed something that could be root cause of my issue. It appears the fuel pressure regulator return line/relief hose dumps directly cylinder #1. Its almost directly across from injector #1. Does anyone know how this system works? If fuel PSI is too high in the rail....or if the regulator is not regulating properly, does fuel simply overflow into cylinder #1??? Can the regulator be serviced? Wondering if my regulator has an issue. I find it somewhat suspect that my injector would be that clogged up to where it is soaking my sparkplug. It is regularly driven and fuel is cycled through the system.
That hose is the vacuum line to control the regulator. The feed and return line are the horizontal metal pipes. I suppose you could have some hole in the diaphragm inside the regulator, and fuel is getting sucked into the cylinder via that hose. I guess try starting the van up, and disconnecting that hose.. if any liquid comes out then you will need to find a replacement regulator. If nothing comes out, then it should be operating normally. Unfortunately the regulator is discontinued, but G&R might be able to find one in their junkyard.
That makes sense. Thanks for the quick response. I'll test it as you outlined but now knowing that is only a vacuum line, I'm back to suspecting the injector itself.
Update: I pulled the injectors and sent them to the Fuel Injector Clinic(great service BTW) thinking the injector might be stuck open with debris or have an irregular spray pattern. FIC did their thing and these are the results. All of them improved and held pressure. New seals, caps and o-rings too. I installed the injectors and now it is dumping so much fuel, it is hydro locking cylinder #1. Pull the spark plug and fuel pours out. All other cylinders are fine/dry. Engine won't even turn after a few cranks. Clearly the cleaning worked since previously it would only wet the plug as opposed to filling the cylinder up. I disconnected the #1 injector plug from the injector and it will still hydro lock when trying to crank it. Cylinder #1 is at the end of the fuel rail, next to the regulator. Anyone have any ideas or thoughts on a root cause?
Did you ever check that vaccum line to see if it has fuel coming out of it? I've seen a few people in the Vivio community who had rusted fuel regulators that needed replacement, I could see that happening to ours as well. I would just pull that hose, and put the van in key-on, engine-off position to get the fuel pump to activate and see if anything comes out.
@rkrenicki I just tested it and fuel shot up to the ceiling of the van when I turned the key to on! So, does that mean my regulator is bad?? If so, where do I go about finding a replacement given they're NLA? Are they serviceable?
