96 Escudo 1600 - help and advice please

[BMC]

Hi all

Finally purchased a new truck.

Suzuki Escudo 1600 16v
LWB model

I have a couple of questions.

* When in 4wd no dash light comes on, is this normal and or how do I repair?

* I am putting 30's on and a suspension lift.

I have been quoted as follows.

30 x9.5 Federal Coragia Mud Tyres $239 each
15x8 Rims $104 each
OME Spring $293 per pair
OME Ncharger shocks front $300each rear $278 each

This is a 40mm Lift.

Is this a fair priced setup?

Is there a cheaper alternative to this or cheaper brand to consider.

I'm really only doing very basic off roading.

And yes i read the cheap lift post which appears to be for Swb Suzuki Trucks?

Do some Suzukis also come with steel diffs?

I noticed one was for sale on here, are these worth purchasing or not really if your are doing very basic offroad work.

Thank you

[BMC]

Ok - further update.

I have a feeling 4wd is not engaging.

Purchase Suzuki off an older owner who had it for 10 years and only used 4wd once when someone got stuck in snow and he helped tow out

It also has manual hubs on front wheels.

So I tried locking the manual hubs put into 4L and was still able to spin rear wheels with ease in loose gravel.

The ratios are all working ie 4L 4H but not engagement of all 4 wheels.

The manual hubs could need replacing or cleaning,

But it's a coinsidence the dash 4wd light is not working.

I was under the impression this has auto hubs but you can also switch on manually for safety when offroad if need be?

Any feedback on what could be wrong here

Hopelfully not a potential expensive fix?

[churchill]

The vacuum disconnect in the front diff might be faulty (if it has one) or the 4wd switch on the transfer box might not be working.

What year is the vehicle?

I'm not to sure on lift kit prices at the moment. I purchased my 4 springs for $400, rear shocks for $100 each and front strut spacers for $140 a pair. This was 6 years ago.

[BMC]

Thanks for the reply.

It's a 1996 model.

[BMC]

Found a set of 2nd hand Cooper Discover STT M/T's in same size as quoted Fedderals above, so pressume they will do the job......

[churchill]

That will be the vacuum disconnect model. Check the items mentioned above.

The vacuum generator is mounted on the rhs of the strut brace, ensure this turns on when 4wd is engaged. The switch for this is on the side of the transfer box up by the gear lever.

Also confirm that you have engaged the free wheel hubs and 4wd properly. Also check if the front drive shaft is turning when 4wd is engaged. Do you have a facility to jack all 4 wheels off the ground as this would make diagnosis easier?

[BMC]

Thanks for your help re above.

Update:

Manual Hubs were stuffed, pulled apart and gave good clean.

4WD now works when you manually engage hubs.

Next question.

Is there a 4wd light on dash which should appear once manual hubs are on?

At present there is no light.

Did the Escudos come with manual hubs only, auto and manual combined or one or the other?

I'm trying to work out if I should still be able to engage 4wd by not having to switch on manual hubs.

My mechanic was not sure.

Thank you

[churchill]

The hubs are not connected to the 4wd light, only the transfer case is.
Models with the vacuum disconnect front diff don't use manual or auto hubs, they have drive plates and these one you can engage 4wd buy just using the gear lever.
The vacuum disconnect front diffs do have a habit of crapping out so they are generally replaced with a normal diff and manual hubs.
The standard auto hubs also die when abused offroad and are also generally replaced with manual hubs.
Hope this helps.

[89surf]

good ride has a special on 30s 157 a tyre in 30s on tyres online i just got rims and tyres for 1098 fitted at kats in kaiapoi

[derk]

prob depends on how you are using the thing but 29's are more forgiving on cv's than 30's

[spanky]

dont waste yor money on 8inch rims, way tto wide and youll be popping them off the beads all the time when you run lower pressures, i ran 30s on 5.5 inch jimny rims and they were good, i wouldnt go wider than 6 or 7 inch, in all the years of owning and thrashing mine i broke 1 cv and that was with both diffs locked, i got sick of blowing frontdiffs after the 7th one and just welded it and unlocked the short side axle until i needed proper 4 wheel drive,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcB8wnWY2L0.mine put up with this sort of abuse for years and it loved it,every mod was tested on my ramp to see if it actually worked.