Why the nozzle of your diesel vehicle keeps ‘burning’

Dear Baraza,

I won’t shower you with praises or admonish you but I’ll go straight to the point after being a fun of your articles for many years. I believe my question and your response will sort a problem many owners of new model vehicles (especially matatu investors of Toyota Box, Nissan Caravan known as Nguruwe and Nissan Vanette) have been grappling with for many years without a solution.

Just move to garages and you will see evidence of the mess I am talking about which translates to millions of wasted investments.

1. It’s the nozzle issue in diesel-powered vehicles which "burn", "blow" and malfunction at any available opportunity and they are expensive to replace. Now you know what I am talking about. What causes it and what is the solution? Currently, most owners have chosen to avoid diesel vehicles altogether, replace the new engine with old series or opted for the Toyota 5L or QD or ZD engines.

I would expect the newer the series, the more advanced it is, the less fuel consumption and the less troublesome.

2. I have a Nissan Caravan newer series but it has a serious braking system problem (lacks emergency braking; keeps moving for some distance when brakes are applied).

I have replaced the master cylinder and booster twice and brake pump once. The vehicle brakes fail after idling overnight and bleeding is done daily to remove any air inside the brake pipes (I don't know from where and don't tell me it’s from the atmosphere). Anyway, what could be the problem and remedy? The mechanics don't seem to understand the problem.

Stranded Dickson

Hello Stranded Dickson,

Go forth and be stranded no more for I come to show you the way.

1. The injector nozzles of diesel engines fail mostly either due to contaminated fuel which contains small particles that wear out the injector assembly through abrasion, or they fail due to age. An expert on LinkedIn insists that fuelling from reliable sources is the best way to prolong injector life, an obvious recommendation if there ever was one; but he also adds that tuning a diesel engine by adjusting fuel rail pressures and/or using aftermarket injection kits could lead to premature failure as well.

2. In keeping with the theme of stating the obvious, you have a braking system problem. There is a leak somewhere, which is what necessitates the daily bleeding, and much as you don't want to hear it, the air does come from the atmosphere. It goes in where the brake fluid went out and we all know nature does not allow vacuums.

So if your brake fluid is leaking, it is replaced by air which is compressible (the opposite if hydraulic) and is the enemy of non-pneumatic braking systems. Check your entire braking system for leaks, because that is what you have: a leak. It makes your Caravan very unsafe if you continue operating as you do; one day the leak may get worse in the middle of a journey and … yeah, perish the thought.

Toyota Fielder 2WD and 4WD: Which is better?

Dear sir, I want to buy a 2013 Toyota Fielder, and I have two options; a two-wheel drive (2WD) and a four-wheel drive (4WD). Which is the better buy?

Joseph Maina

Hello Maina,

Buy the cheaper one.

Sure, the 4WD version is more superior on paper, but do you really need it? These small estate cars come with 4WD to cater for markets with harsh winters and greasy roads, but we don’t have that here.

The worst we see are prolonged rainy squalls that cannot faze the regular front-wheel drive (FWD) cars that abound unless the driver is particularly inept, and that ineptitude is not cured by powering an extra axle. You don’t really need the 4WD. The 2WD is cheaper.

Nissan X-Trail not too thirsty, but depends on your right foot

Hi sir,

Thanks for great articles. I must read your column weekly. It has taken forever for my article to be published but I will not give up.

With a budget of Sh800,000 I am torn between old locally used Nissan X-Trail and imported second-hand Airwave/Partiner. My questions are:

1. In terms of consumption and maintenance, is there a great difference?

2. Honda phased out Airwave in 2010. Is it advisable to buy a car which is no longer in production?

3. X-Trail is an SUV, is it too thirsty?

This will be my first car, please give me your opinion.

Patrick

Hello Patrick,

They say patience pays, and here we are. Your article has finally seen the light of day.

1. In terms of maintenance, there really isn’t that big a difference between a lot of these cars. It usually boils down to two things: a) how the previous owner maintained them, and b) how YOU maintain them. If the answer is “well” on both counts (verifiable by service records for the former and JEVIC/QISJ/whatever for the latter), then you are mostly safe.

2. A majority of car buyers in Kenya buy or operate vehicles that are out of production. If the vehicle in question was mass-produced, then have no worry about it, there will be support networks for them for a long time to come. It takes quite some time for parts for a specific model to end production, even after the model itself bows out of the new vehicle listings.

3. The answer is no, but this depends on how far you flex your right foot. If you are rough with it, you will pay.

What this sign on your Subaru dashboard means …

Hi Baraza,

First of all, thank you for the good job you are doing.

Second, I own a Subaru Legacy BL5 2007 that I have driven since 2014 with lots of joy and happiness.

It’s an amazing car, at least so far for me, and I plan to continue driving it in the coming years unless something akin to “NYS cash” lands into my account unknowingly.

Recently, I have had this flashing AWD sign on the car dashboard, especially when I do speeds above 60km/hr. What could be the cause for this and how can it be sorted out?

Edwin

Hi Edwin,

In a Subaru, a flashing AWD light means one of two things: your tyres may be of different sizes or tyre pressure is running critically low. Check on both and fix whichever of the two is causing the illumination.

Warning: if you insist on driving with this light flashing, you may damage the powertrain. It is not cheap.

If none of the two is the problem, then you now need to go down the electronic path. Attach a scanner (a higher tier unit, as this may be beyond the abilities of the regular hand-held affairs) and pull codes from the computers. You may have a transmission issue, either mechanical such as low fluid or electronic such as arcs, sensor failures, switches or harnesses.

You can’t go wrong with a Subaru Forester

Hi Barasa,

I am considering a vehicle that will allow for the occasional road trips — which will include off-roading — and normal day to day home-work commute. My girl and I are planning a drive around East Africa (Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania).

What I am looking for in vehicles is handling — nimbleness — and acceleration, which is useful when weaving in and out in traffic or on a long drive. However, I do not red-line and fastest I have ever done is 140km/h. I am also not the type to ‘hit’ potholes or speed on bad roads. I am generally a careful driver.

I am conflicted between the 2.0 Forester XT, Honda CRV, Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan X-Trail. A friend thinks that a 2.5L Outback would fit the bill. How do they compare in fuel economy and general maintenance given the nature of use?

I have also read in many of your articles that Subaru maintenance is not necessarily pocket-friendly. However, considering part failure via the normal wear and tear mechanisms, my general observation is that the availability of second-hand parts has been used as the basis for determining the cost of maintenance. Otherwise, genuine parts will always burn a hole in one’s pocket irrespective of the model. What is your take?

James

Hi James,

I am not sure I am enamoured of your intentions to weave in and out of traffic, especially given that your shopping list comprises exclusively of crossovers, but it is good if you consider yourself a careful driver. Now back those claims up with actions, the first one being not doing 140km/h. Speeding is illegal and dangerous.

We established a long time ago that you cannot go wrong with a Forester. The CRV has delicate suspension gubbins (more so at the back), the Outlander may not be as reliable and the Nissan is … well, it is a Nissan. Longevity may not be its forte.

That leaves the Forester as the last car standing, apart from the time when its Outback stablemate shows up, then it stops being king of the hill.

General maintenance and fuel economy are not easily split between the two cars. These are both big Subarus running on naturally aspirated boxer engines with symmetrical AWD (all-wheel drive) which means that they are more or less the same under the skin, with the Outback being bigger, roomier and more practical overall.

What you read is true, but I have to correct you here: I said comparatively, because Subarus are not necessarily that expensive to maintain, it’s just that people cross-shop them with Nissans and Toyotas whose parts are cheaper. But as a standalone vehicle, unless you break some parts, a (naturally aspirated) Subaru is not that much more expensive to maintain.

You can’t compare it to a German, for instance. You are right as well by stating that the proliferation of the second-hand parts market is a boon for maintenance.

That is how I found a windscreen for the Legacy out here in the backwoods within half an hour without having to visit the city at all.