D4 engines? They are complicated and a lot of things could go wrong

Hello Baraza,

I love the humour you bring to Car Clinic.

I have a Toyota Caldina with an 1800cc D4 engine, which I have had for the past four years. Two months ago, the “check engine” warning light came on and the car started choking mildly, especially when it is cold (in the morning or after I wash it). My mechanic says that it is the oxygen sensor that is worn out. My worries are:1. What is this oxygen sensor and what does it do?2.  What is the meaning of D4? Many people have told me this type of engine is not, good especially when the “sensors” start having problems.

Apart from that, this car has never given me problems for the four years I have had it. PS: I think you need to upgrade the article on the ugliest car in Nairobi!

Dennis Ndung’u

Hi Dennis,

1. The oxygen sensor is an emission control electronic device that measures/determines the percentage of oxygen present in the exhaust gases and sends a signal to the ECU to adjust the timing and/or AFRs (air fuel ratios) accordingly.

2. D4: Direct injection (D…) 4-stroke cycle (…4) engine. These engines are very good, but like most 20th century inventions, they are getting really complicated.

The thing with them is they are so full of technology and monitoring systems that there is plenty that could go wrong, given a chance. So the trick is not to give them a chance. Fill up with the correct grade of fuel from a reputable source and use only recommended lubricants, especially the ones that go to the engine.

Maintain your car properly and you will not have to lament about D4 engines not being “good.” Take shortcuts and this will not be the last email you send here.

This upgrade you refer to: What have you spotted that can induce nausea faster than the Toyota Quartet? (Verossa, Will, Platz, and Opa)

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Hi Baraza,

I really enjoyed your response to the guy from Meru. However, you did not give him the other options of trucks in the market, i.e. the Hino 500, Tata 1116, and second-hand Mitsubishi Fuso Fighter.

Another thing with the FH is that it does not come with a six-speed gearbox like the rest and comes with tube-type tyres.

These tyres normally get spoilt if used under heavy or full load, making it necessary for the owner to replace them with an entirely new set of tubeless tyres and rims. If you want to use it for a passenger bus, you would get a 46- seater configuration as opposed to the others, where you would get a 51-seater configuration.

Eric

Hi Eric,

The reason I did not compare the FH to your selection of trucks was that my inquisitor did not express any desire to learn about them. Granted, maybe s/he did not know of their existence, but that falls under the manufacturer’s responsibility, not mine. Anyway, now that you ask…

Hino 500: Latest entry into the market and a vehicle I reviewed last year, actually. It is very similar to the FH: Both have five-speed transmissions, both have engine capacities hovering around the 6500-6600cc mark, and both are classed at 9.9 tonnes GVW.

The Hino is newer than the FH, so it has a better interior, a quieter engine and, the sellers claim, lower fuel consumption. Besides consumption, most commercial vehicle operators look at factors such as cost of acquisition, longevity, reliability, and resale value. Getting a Hino is a very attractive proposition; there is (or was) a 0 per cent deposit finance plan available to potential customers, but I am pretty sure this does not, or did not, apply to everybody.

This is in contrast to the FH, which is in such high demand that the last time I checked, there was a waiting list not only for brand new trucks, but used ones as well. This leads us to resale value: The FH holds its value very well, while it is still too soon to judge the Hino’s performance in the used car market, given that it was introduced here only last year.

This uncertainty also applies to reliability and longevity: We need a bit more time to judge the Hino. Oddities about the Hino stretch to the unusual headlamp and trafficator placements: They should be swapped, and the fact that it still uses a five-speed transmission rather than a six one.

I also believe it could do with a high-performance turbo version for those in the rapid delivery business.

TATA 1116: I know very little about this truck apart from the fact that it has a very narrow front track (potential stability issues?) and the brakes are sometimes noisy, making fellow road users nervous about the truck’s stopping abilities. It does stop, yes, but the grinding and squealing of those drum brakes sound like failure is imminent.

Fuso Fighter: An FH on steroids. Very fast; this is why they are used by horticulturalists to make vegetable deliveries to the market in the wee hours of the morning. This is also why I made the case for a turbocharged Hino.

In Tanzania, the Fighter is modified with an extra rear axle, which allows operators to overload the vehicle, but this also speaks volumes about the engine torque: It must be impressive. Do not try that here, otherwise your vehicle will be impounded. Unfortunately, the lack of tropicalisation means the truck will not last.

The tyre issue sounds like something that can be solved by a simple swap, which will be due anyway, a short time into operation. The gearbox matter… well, live with it. The FH does not have a 51-seater bus configuration available because, unlike the UD MKB210, there is no LWB version — just the standard chassis length and a SWB tipper lorry, which is the result of some enterprising salesperson at Crater Automobiles (the tipper idea is not from Mitsubishi Motors in Japan).

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Hi Baraza,

I drive a 1994 (yes, 1994!) Toyota Hilux Surf, although I replaced the turbo-charged two-litre engine with an ex-Japan 3L.

The mystery is where the engine coolant is going. I have to top-up two litres every two days, I have checked for leaks and found none and the engine does not overheat. The temperature gauge hardly reaches mid-point, and I change the oil every 1,000 km, with no traces of coolant. What is happening?

Samuel

Hi Samuel,

Topping up with two litres of coolant every two days can only mean one of two things:

1. There is a ghost in your engine that is drinking it when you are not looking, or 2. There is a leak somewhere; it is just that you have not found it yet. I go with the second surmise. Two litres is a lot even if we theorised that the liquid is finding its way into the cylinders. You have not reported white smoke anyway, so there goes that presumption…

Find the leak because that coolant is going somewhere that is not the sump…

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Hi Baraza,

I am very grateful for the valuable information I get from you every Wednesday.

This is the second time I am picking your rich brain regarding something on wheels. I have two questions: 1. Are there any car manufactures who sell tuned engines in their showrooms? 2. What options do I have for a Toyota Land Cruiser HZJ 75 pick-up in terms of engine replacement with a turbo-charged one or turbo-charging its 1HZ engine?

What other engines can fit here? I also read that a 1HZ engine is good for turbo installation. Do you have suggestions regarding where the conversion of the 1HZ engine can be done, the cost, and the engine’s reliability after it has been turbo-charged?

Itonga

Hello Itonga,

1. Yes, in fact quite a number of manufacturers offer tuned versions of existing road cars. While some (mostly European) manufacturers make high-performance-flagship model engines from scratch (AMG Mercedes, M Power BMW, RennSport Audi, Abarth Fiat), others (mostly Japanese) take an existing car/engine off the assembly line — or even off the showroom floor — and modify engine and suspension gubbins (MazdaSpeed, NISMO, Type R Hondas, Subaru STi) to make a hot edition of an otherwise humdrum vehicle.

2. The best option, I would say, is to instal the 4.5 litre 1VD-FTV turbodiesel V8 that currently does duty in the 200 Series. This configuration (1VD V8 in a 70 Series) is available from Toyota directly but in limited markets, and the Australians, who do some dedicated off-roading and are very picky when it comes SUVs, say it is the best thing to happen to them since winning the Rugby World Cup.

Aftermarket turbochargers require a lot of extra tuning: You might need bigger injectors, and then an intercooler also (or else the car will smoke like it is running on a mix of wet charcoal and unrefined tar), then remap the ECU or get a new one, among other things.

It might be easier to just shoe-horn the 1VD into the 75’s engine bay. As to where the swap can be done, no suggestions for now.

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Hi Baraza,

I am a self-employed mother-of-three. I love taking my children out for pizza or to shags on weekends. I am also very keen on how, where, when, and on what I spend my hard-earned money.

I need a car that is: Reliable, economical with regard to fuel consumption, stable at ranges of (100-130)km/hr for my moments on the highways, roomy, with a great cruise, and a bit raised so the bottom does not get scratched too often.

I love feminine hatchbacks. Kindly help me choose between the new Subaru Imprezza, Honda Fit, Toyota Rush, VW Golf, and Toyota iST.

Roselyn

Greetings, Mother-of-three,
Reliability: These cars are all fine, but the Golf is a bit of a gamble, especially if it is automatic. That gearbox might pose problems later, if Car Clinic reader input is anything to go by.

Economy: I strongly support the Honda Fit and the Toyota iST. I am suspicious of the Subaru. I do not trust the Rush as far as I can throw it… I am not saying it is thirsty, but it will burn more fuel than the others, but then again, you could always opt for one with a 1300cc engine…

Stable at 100-130 km/h: The Golf is very good at this. The Rush is not good at this. The Impreza can hold its own. The iST may be a bit twitchy, but it is fine, while the Fit is neither here nor there (ranks below the iST)

Roomy: The iST is surprisingly roomy. The first-generation Rush is surprisingly cramped, though its successor is a lot improved in this regard. The Impreza and the Golf shine in this class too, while the Fit is not all that.

Great cruise: see “Stable at 100-130 km/h”

A bit raised: Finally, the Rush can stand up and take a bow, but only if it has no body kit. The rest will not do so great in shags, if your shags looks like mine.

Pizza: Do it in a Golf. It is the classiest of the pack, and you want to look good when eating out, don’t you? The iST is quickly becoming a campus student/post-pubescent young adult’s car, the Fit looks desperate (“I have no money but I really need a car”), the Impreza is yet to shed its boy-racer connotations/guilt-by-association, and the Rush is a joke with its subtly cartoonish looks.

**These last (pizza) views are highly subjective and the sane thing to do here is to go with YOUR sense of taste, not mine.

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