1988 Escudo

Mudsurfn · Post by **Mudsurfn** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 10:10 am

Hi All
Im looking at downsizing from my surf to a suzuki and am currently looking at a 1988 escudo soft top on trade me.
I will be using it as a daily comute and hopefully serious shiney runs as well.
Any tips on what to look out for, good / bad points etc. what they are like offroad, and also if I'd need to put roll bars in for off road trip, being a soft top?

Cheers

lilpigzuk · Post by **lilpigzuk** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 11:15 am

The Vitara came out here in '88 as a swb carburettored G16A 1.6 8v putting out 55kW @ 5400rpm and 123Nm @ 3000rpm with either a 5 speed manual or 3 speed auto (Trimatic) and was available as either a hardtop or softop. There were two main trim levels, JX being the base level and JLX the luxury version with power steering, power windows & power mirrors central locking and tilt steering wheel. Air conditioning was also available. The swb has a wheelbase of 2200mm. In late '94 the swb recieved an upgrade which gave it the G16B SOHC 1.6 16v EFI engine and the 4 speed auto (Aisin Warner) from the lwb. This engine produces 71kW @ 5600rpmand 133Nm @ 4000rpm. The lwb was released in '91 and was also offered in JX and JLX but all models got power steering. It has vented front discs and larger calipers compared to the swb and larger rear drums. This provides a brake upgrade option for swb Vits. It has a wheelbase of 2480mm. In '95 a widetrack lwb was releasd with a quad cam H20A 2.0 V6 engine developed jointly with Mazda. It put out 100kW @ 6500rpm and 172Nm @ 4000rpm. The chassis was widened 60mm and larger brakes and calipers were fitted along with 16" rims to clear them. In '97 a widetrack swb was released with a J20A DOHC 2.0 4cyl engine developing 97kW @ 5900rpm and 166Nm @ 4300rpm. The power and torque figures given for the engines may vary slightly over the years as smal changes were made by Suzuki.

Things to look for:

Check for damage underneath to things like crossmembers, sills and fuel tanks for signs of use offroad. Fuel tank depressions can be caused either by impact or the charcoal canister behind the headlight getting saturated through deep water crossings and not allowing the tank to breathe so it sucks itself in.

Check that the front manual hubs work. Vehicles that have not been used in 4wd can have the hubs corrode and will need replacing. This lack of use can also mean the front R & P may also be corroded as the top part will not have been immersed in oil regularly. It pays to lock the hubs once a month and go for a short drive. The other problem lack of use causes is the bearing surfaces get corrugated from the bearings impacting the same spot over time. When 4wd is finally used the bearings can't run smoothly and noise and carnage will follow.

Check the front wheel bearings as they can become loose over time.

Check that the strut top bolts are aligned evenly within the housing and haven't moved inboard. If they are not centred then it may have been doing some dune jumping or similar. The 2.0 models got strut braces to prevent this.

If the front A-arms have had decent impacts then the radiator could be tilted back towards the engine and the top hose may be kinked.

Look for signs of overheating. This could be due to clogged radiator passages. This can cause cylinder head failure. Look at the alloy as it will have changed colour or be powdery. Check inside the oil filler cap for signs of coolant mixing with the oil. Regular coolant changes are a positive and do not mix coolants.

The alloy front diff/axle housing should be checked for any signs of cracking. The best solution is to replace it with a steel housing from a manual V6 Grand Vitara or XL-7.

There have been some cases of engine blocks cracking. Check the welsh plugs for signs of coolant weeping, particularly under the starter motor.

The exhaust manifolds are prone to cracking but headers are available and give some more power.

Have a look inside the air filter box for signs of water as it may indicate water has got in the engine. Bad.

The power window switches and regulators can fail over time but are relatively easy to replace.

The handle on the rear door/tailgate can fail but is easy to fix.

Check for oil leaks. If it is coming from the distributor then it is likely to be a small o-ring that is a cheap and easy repair but other leaks may involve more expensive repairs.

Deformed bumpstops can be a sign of overloading or hard offroad use. This may mean that the axles, suspension etc have seen better days.

Some of the early G16B 16v heads had porous castings but these should all be fixed by now.

Make sure the cam belts have been replaced every 100,000km's. If you're not sure make it the first thing you do.

Do not be put of by the above as the Vitara is actually a pretty reliable little 4wd and with regular servicing the engines are good for at least 200-250,000km's before major work should need to be considered. Most of the things listed won't be found but on the offchance you now know what to look for and stay away from or adjust the price accordingly.

Mudsurfn · Post by **Mudsurfn** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 11:50 am

Thanks for all the info! that will give me somethings to think about.

lilpigzuk · Post by **lilpigzuk** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 12:23 pm

Copied from an aussie 4by site so some of the info at the start may differ slightly due to the different vehicle markets. But the rest should give you some food for thought :wink:

mroffroader · Post by **mroffroader** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:13 pm

dont buy it...iit will be the carbed motor....buy one with a fuel inj. motor a jap import (they have power steer aircon etc) check for rust especially under the carpet under the back seats....vitara's start to go downhill after about 250,00k's so beware ofthe k's if it hasn't been serviced....also basically all the soft tops leak so check that too make sure you want one because it'l b bloody cold it the winter....they go pretty well offroad...mine has a small lift and 30" muddies and it goes pretty well.....my .002c worth :lol:

mroffroader · Post by **mroffroader** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:30 pm

I think your looking at this one?
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... key=262399

he wants like $3000 too much....i got a mint vitara for $3500 of trademe...keep looking for a newer one and for a better price

DaveM · Post by **DaveM** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:42 pm

Keep looking. There a heap on TM at the moment for around the $3k price range.....

Mudsurfn · Post by **Mudsurfn** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:52 pm

mroffroader wrote:I think your looking at this one?
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... key=262399

he wants like $3000 too much....i got a mint vitara for $3500 of trademe...keep looking for a newer one and for a better price

No this one!
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motor ... 440671.htm

I agree $3k too much. Even this ones a bit much, although we are talking swap with my surf - http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motor ... 822004.htm

Also concerned about the carb'd motor rather that EFI. If its only 55kw as per lilpigzuk's comments, i'll notice the difference from my surf at 110kw,
BUT its only half the weight.

Keep the comments coming

Thanks

mroffroader · Post by **mroffroader** » Tue Sep 26, 2006 4:57 pm

my friend has a carbd one and a injected one and he said easy it would be 30% better if not more...defintly mate get a inj. one...you'l thank me for it :lol:

redzuki · Post by **redzuki** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 7:25 pm

I ve seen the power figures for the carbed 8 valve 1.6 and the EFI 16v 1.6 and theres a huge diffrence the EFI has heaps more power

and heaps more torque and at a lower rev range than the carbed one.

spanky · Post by **spanky** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 10:06 pm

the inj one is the way to go . i have a import escudo not sure what year as was astolen recovered one, but is 1.6 inj have put good filter and home made snorkel, headers and big noisey exhaust on it .mine is off road only with 30.9.5 tyres stripped interior and is super suprising were it will go, it will piss allover mates 413 when we are up bush (42 traverse) point at mud hole 2nd low hold on rev limiter and dump clutch and away you go! i put 100mm longer rear shocks on from wreckers not sure what off but now have 370mm gap from guard to tyre when cross axled,i know not much compared to other stuff but good for one of these with all standard springs,900 ks over 3 yrs up bush and still not broken yet, my 200cents worth cheers vaughan

Jerry · Post by **Jerry** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 10:15 pm

vitara's start to go downhill after about 250,00k's

Huh...My mechanic said the peugot diesel moter in my Grand Vitara is good for 1,000,000k on the right diesel....and it should only need a waterpump every 200,000k.

There is a known overheating problem with the early vitara's, specifically the manifolds and they rust and block, causing the engine to overheat. most people seem to recommend putting headers on....

mroffroader · Post by **mroffroader** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 7:40 am

Jerry wrote:
vitara's start to go downhill after about 250,00k's

Huh...My mechanic said the peugot diesel moter in my Grand Vitara is good for 1,000,000k on the right diesel....and it should only need a waterpump every 200,000k.

There is a known overheating problem with the early vitara's, specifically the manifolds and they rust and block, causing the engine to overheat. most people seem to recommend putting headers on....

basically what i was saying is you dont want to buy a vitara with more than 250,000k's on it if you dont know the service history and especially if its been set up for offroad....jerry thats a deisel though not a petrol. because they start to wear out like any other car...i was just saying be weary thats all

damian · Post by **damian** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 3:53 pm

Hi guys, new to forum and getting heaps of good info.

We have a 1991 Escudo 16v injected which is pretty much stock standard (bought a week ago).
First mod is wheels & tyres. Whats the best size combo for rims & tyres? Not looking to do too much modding to fit tyres but willing to get out angle grinder if necessary.
This is what i was thinking:
15x8 white spoke steel wheels (offset -10)
30x9.5-R15 MT tyres
What do you suzuki boys run on your trucks???
Is an 8 inch rim too wide for 9.5 inch tyres???

This will be used as much on-road as off-road, so not looking at going too extreme.
Any advise is appreciated.

Cheers, Damian

mroffroader · Post by **mroffroader** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 4:16 pm

hi not sure about offset etc. i used the standard rims and i run 30x9.5 muddies with a 1 1/2" spring lift

icekayak · Post by **icekayak** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 7:00 pm

damian wrote:Hi guys, new to forum and getting heaps of good info.

We have a 1991 Escudo 16v injected which is pretty much stock standard (bought a week ago).
First mod is wheels & tyres. Whats the best size combo for rims & tyres? Not looking to do too much modding to fit tyres but willing to get out angle grinder if necessary.
This is what i was thinking:
15x8 white spoke steel wheels (offset -10)
30x9.5-R15 MT tyres
What do you suzuki boys run on your trucks???
Is an 8 inch rim too wide for 9.5 inch tyres???

This will be used as much on-road as off-road, so not looking at going too extreme.
Any advise is appreciated.

Cheers, Damian

Hahah the age old question....
I have used to run 235/75/15 Hankooks on 7" Rims (I think) on a stock truck. They were ok, some rubbing on top of guard when offroad and had one issue once where the tyre actually got stuck in the guard (took me a little whole to work that one out)

I have been running Kumho 30x9.5x15's on vit with a OME lift (should be 30mm but has sagged a bit) on 7" rims (not sure of offset) with ARB bumper, there is no rubbing either.

I think it may be easier to do a lift if you want 30's. But that is a relatively good tyre choice

From memory the 30's are only around .4" bigger than a 235 though.

Another Mod you NEED to do soonish is putting rated tow hooks on the chassis

spanky · Post by **spanky** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 5:48 pm

15 x 8 mite be a bit much on the bearings .i just use std suzuki rims with 30 9.5 bridgestone mud duelers 673 on thr front and firestone atx 23 on back have fun.ps mine is not lifted at all and just rubs on the front some times cheers vaughan

zuky · Post by **zuky** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 9:28 pm

damian wrote:
Is an 8 inch rim too wide for 9.5 inch tyres???

You may find you damage the rims with them beeing so wide. I run 31 x 10.5's on 5.5 alloys. They have been around for a while and have never been damaged. Plus you get the bonus of being able to run low preasure without them poping a bead as they are jamed on so tight. They tend to be a bit lower in height on a narrower rims (don't ask me why it makes no sense to me :shock:

)

dawwen · Post by **dawwen** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 6:57 pm

we run 31" on our A class escudo. in order to fit them with standard springs we had to cut the inner guard move it back aswell as bash all sharp bits out of the way, allow more clearence and a bit kinder on the new rubber. Also had to trim the outter guard as the tires caught. Alot of work if you require the truck to stay road legal. On the downside we managed to snap a front axle and blow a diff nugget into many pieces at the south waikato rally, combination of big tires with big grip and dry and rough ground. Caused a dnf after 6 or 7 hazards of 31.
For more reliabilty we have run 30" tires which rub at lock and occasionally on trips but so far havent had to much damage to diffs.
The alloy front diffs just arent strong enough.

warlord225 · Post by **warlord225** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 7:52 pm

I run the standard rims and 235/75r15 hankook rt01, slightly smaller and they don't rub with standard suspention, but they are considerably bigger than standard.
the first thing to do is extractors and tyres.

15x8 wheels on a standard zuk is retarded, your much more likely to roll the tyres off the rims

mroffroader · Post by **mroffroader** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 8:06 pm

warlord225 wrote:I run the standard rims and 235/75r15 hankook rt01, slightly smaller and they don't rub with standard suspention, but they are considerably bigger than standard.
the first thing to do is extractors and tyres.

15x8 wheels on a standard zuk is retarded, your much more likely to roll the tyres off the rims

i run 30's with a 2" lift a bit of rud but you get used to it :roll:

yep tyres maybe a lift and tow hooks and extractors oh and a......yea the list goes on http://www.offroadexpress.co.nz/modules ... pic&t=3992 check out my thread if you want some idea etc