Hi All,
I posted something previously as was searching for answers and I guess I missed the first step.
We have had our 2 Diahatsu Moves for decades now and they’re still kicking. They are the Daihatsu Move from 1997 L601.
Don’t have much complaints except for one of them who seems to be starting to give up as I have taken it to the mechanic about 5 times this year. To top it all of someone crashed into it in the front and left a massive dent. Thankfully it’s just a dent and nothing more.
I am here as I am searching for answers to see how best to figure out problems in it.
I would like to keep these cars going for as long as possible as they are very comfortable, economical and just too easy to park.
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Welcome mate! Moves are a fantastic car. I loved mine.
There is an L601 workshop manual (english) in the manuals section once that opens to you.
What are the main car issues and what engine did you get with them over there? In Australia we only got them with the ed20 engine and we only got the same L601 1997/98 models here.
Welcome. In world of throw away and the big green push to go EV, I’d say you’ve trounced then all. Basic super economical transport getting on to thirty years old. Reuse recycle. I bought my first Dai because I loved how basic, small and economical they seemed. Now I love the character and find them fun to drive and improve.
I found the manual in English, so much easier than typing everything out from German into Google Translate 
so thank you so much for it.
The engine is an ED20 with the L601 as well.
This year, one of the exhaust rocker arms broke and took me about 3 months to find a replacement. I also found a program on this forum that seems to denote the part numbers of the car which is perfect. Would’ve cut my searching time in half for the exhaust rocker arm. I’ve also had to fix the horn as there was some kind of corrosion on the contacts. Also had to reset the buttons as they got pushed in and every time I press the horn they get too far pushed in but that’s not too big of a deal to fix as long as I remember to unplug the battery due to the airbag. One speaker went due to a broken contact so soldered on a piece of wire and it seems to be holding.
Recently I am having an issue with the oil though. It seems to be disappearing…I am not a mechanic and don’t understand much about cars but the mechanic had filled up the oil maybe 2 or 3 months ago. Went to check it today and it was below low…just filled it up. Now we’ll see.
Another issue that is boggling me at the moment is that the car does not start up every few months. The starter motor is turning and the usual sound to start up gets going but it just does not start up the engine. Then I give it a push and start it on gear. It works fine for a few months then it does it again. I’ve taken it to the mechanic and he said he fixed some thing but it randomly did it again. Next time it happens he told me not push it and just get it towed to him so he’ll see the issue first hand.
Another issue is the smell of exhaust inside the cabin when driving. This might be related to the oil issue but not too sure. The mechanic also found a lot of carbon on the spark plugs and changed them which is weird as they had been changed recently as well.
PS: One question that I do need; the diagnostic sensor name or plug that plugs into it. My mechanic told me that I need to get it and he’ll be able to diagnose the car better. I’m still searching for that answer. Not sure if it’s part of the repair manual or whether it is in the program. I’ll be searching when I have the time.
Hear hear. They are so nice to drive and I would just love to keep them going as long as possible. I’m just scared that I am going to be needing a part and I’ll come up short without being able to find it.
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with your oil it dissapearing it sounds like the rings maybe warn due to age etc. It can be very common with ed engines. Also the smell may be an oil leak that drips directly onto the exhaust. Again very common and can contribute to the oil loss. As for the starting issue I have no idea.
For future reference also the ed10 engine is also the same engine but it is carby powered and not efi. so most things will fit with the exception of intake manual.
The spark plugs make it sound like there is some oil getting past the rings.
I guess the main thing to keep an eye on is your oil level. It may start to blow a bit more smoke also. and your air filter will start to get a bit of oil build up in there also.
I don’t know of a scanner that works on them. Might need new rings. Fairly easy job. The bores are soft and only need one up and down with a coarse hone #280 and three or four strokes with a #600.
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