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Samber KV4 4WD question

Discussion in 'Subaru Sambar' started by gnarly, Dec 18, 2008.

  1. gnarly

    gnarly New Member

    Hi there, first post for me.

    I've got a '90 KV4 supercharged with 4WD.

    We got a fair amount of snow last couple days here in Vancouver, so I found a empty lot and was doing doughnuts just to get a feel for the Sambar.

    I noticed that I could easily get the rear wheels to spin, but the front wheels where no going at the same rate as the rear ones. It almost seemed as if the front ones where not driving at all. Hmm. As far as I know all the vans where 4WD correct.

    So is this a part-time 4WD system, where power is distributed to the front only in some situations?

    Pretty disappointed with the around town 4WD performance so far. I thought it would do a lot better. Any tips or info would be much much appreciated.

    Thanks.
     
  2. Mighty Milt

    Mighty Milt Active Member

    are you sure it has 4wd?? there would be a button to engage it. subaru is not full time AWD. i can't do donuts in 4wd, i have to put it in 2wd for that, otherwise it just drives off and won't spin out. easiest way is to look under the van and see if you have a differential up front :confused:
     
  3. swampfox

    swampfox Member

    Is your van automatic or manual?
     
  4. jtpc

    jtpc Member

    My subaru is in 4x4 or all wheel drive all the time and I have to floor it to get it to break traction on ice/slush. (of course, with such low torque, it is hard to break traction anyway!) :)
    Anyways, I've been amazed at how stable this truck is in the snow/wet. Of course, I have winter snow tires on so that probably helps, but the all wheel drive seems very good. I would have thought a light weight truck like this would be scarier in these conditions, but you feel very much in control.

    Just my experience.
     
  5. gnarly

    gnarly New Member

    Thanks guys.

    The van is an automatic, and there isn't a push button for AWD (not that I'm aware of anyways). I will take a look underneath and look for a differential. i'd love to get it on a hoist to confirm that everything is working alright. I should have got the 5speed, I think the 3speed automatic ECVT is a little strange

    I don't have snow tires. I thought, it would be pretty decent with the AWD and all seasons on. But I sure do feel the short wheel base, it get's a little squirrely sometimes.

    I did talk the mechanic that last worked on it, and he said that it was driving with all 4 wheels while on the hoist, but he said that it's a "smart" 4WD system. I'm not sure what that means, something to the effect of "power when you need it." Can anyone confirm this???? Or know where I can get more info?

    Thanks a bundle.

    Cheers
     
  6. jtpc

    jtpc Member

    Hmm... What year is your van? If it is a newer model it will be the 3speed, but the older ones are the CVT. It can't be both. :)
    Yes, the autos are all wheel drive, so you won't have a push button.

    As for the nature of the all wheel drive: I really wish I knew.
    I know that the Honda Acty's all wheel drive is a smart system that will not activate the front wheels till it loses traction, but I cannot find anything on subaru's official japanese website that illustrates a similar feature.
    So I do not know. ??? But I do know that the driveshaft going to the front wheels is always turning when I drive forward.
    Just an observation though: when I drive in slippery/wet conditions, it seems to have a little less power getting up to 100+kmh, so it may be sending more power to the front wheels, which would be a little harder on it torque-wise.
    And when the road starts drying up some, it zooms to 100 kmh on the same hill without the hint of lack of power.

    So its a mystery. ?
    It may be a smart system, might not be.

    Unfortunately, not many have the auto transmission, so its a rare situation.
     
  7. jtpc

    jtpc Member

    Oh hey, just saw you had a 90 model. Yours may be the ECVT then.
     
  8. Timetripper

    Timetripper Moderator

    It is ECVT for sure for that year.
    I am thinking it is a "normal" AWD system that Subaru uses on the Sambar, I recall see ing a cutaway of the Justy unit
    [same unit just installed at opposite end of vehicle] and did not see anything exotic in it - just what Subaru calls the
    auxillairy tranny that they use to send power to the front wheels and it includes the needed center diff so you don't shear off a drive shaft while driving on dry pavement.
    The 6spd manual tranny's [4wd] don't have a center diff they just have a dog clutch
    that locks in the front end when the button is pushed on the shifter
     
  9. swampfox

    swampfox Member

    Ecvt

    My 1991 Sambar truck came with an owner's manual. Of course, it's in Japanese, but it also covers the ECVT van. I believe the '90 model is the same, but I'm not positive. It has four pages covering the basic use of the ECVT plus a diagram on how it works. There is a fifth page under the title of ECVT 4WD. It shows the instrument cluster with a clutch temp indicator (second indicator down from the top) to the left of your speedometer. On the capacities page, it shows the ECVT with 3.1 liters of fluid. I know this doesn't help much, but I would call the people at Japanoid in B.C. (604-759-2571) japanoid.com . They sell parts and have a service department and may be able to point you in the right direction.
     
  10. Hightower

    Hightower New Member

    Hi gnarly,

    I've got the KV4 with ECVT. During the recent snow in Victoria, I was very impressed by the handling of the van on all-seasons. It was the only vehicle on the block moving. I wish it had the jam to pull out the SUVs that were stuck...

    I'd certainly have it checked, because mine was great even without snow tires.
     
  11. cadair7

    cadair7 New Member

    I've got a CVT KS4. Amazing in the snow... even when it is deeper than the bumper! It was my first winter, so the first snowfall i took it to a parkinglot to "test" the AWD. I found it easy to open the door and look at the front wheel. It does take a fair bit of movement in the rear wheels to engage the front, but it never gets stuck. I like the donought idea. It will only do it if the front wheels won't drive. Trust me I have tried.

    Anyone know if there is a way on the sambar to deactivate the AWD system and keep rear wheel drive? I used to drive a big rear wheel drive car, and miss the fish-tailing!
     
  12. peppermink

    peppermink New Member

    at the severe risk of necropost, I was curious, are the part time 4wd/switchable manual sambars using a similar system, or are they rigged up with some sort of transfer case?

    are they safe to drive on intermittent wet/slushy roads in 4wd mode, or will this cause damage to the differentials or transfercase?
     
  13. Maximal

    Maximal Active Member

    ive driven on the highway for a good 100km in 4x4 at 90kmh on slush in a blizzard no issue, you get more problems turning on dry pavement in 4WD. Sambar are a 50/50 split for 4WD as well
     
  14. peppermink

    peppermink New Member

    That's good to know. We had a resurgence of snow, and the main roads were just wet, while the back roads were covered in snow or slush.
     

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