New to Zuks

[RJT]

Hey guys and girls! Got sick of the bighorn breaking down so flicked that in favour of a car... Now I'm bored S**tless! Have decided to start a Zuk project starting with a bog standard vitara/escudo (when I find one worthy). What are peoples preferances on gearbox choice? I prefer manual but wonder whether the auto's are good. Also, a lot of them on trade me have high k's, anything to look for when buying?

Cheers, Rhys

[icekayak]

Hey,
What are the long term plans for the vehicle?

Road legal?

Cheers

[RJT]

Yeah I'm planning to go road legal. Not making a competition truck or anything, just something to get out and about in. Usual suspension/tyre/barwork mods.

[icekayak]

Sweet.. I would have said go manual but that's what i've got... I think the auto gear ratios are higher, and the vitara's are already too highly geared and once you put bigger tyres on them it makes it even worse for engine brakeing.. also you run into complications towing the auto's if youever have too.. and in my thinking cheaper to fix/replace a manual..

Heads in them are prone to cracking without extractors...
There is 3 main engine models if you didn't know
1.6L 8v carb
1.6L 8v injected
1.6L 16v injected
There is a noticeable difference between the power outputs of them
Also def try and get power steering (some also had ac)

Read the forums here there has been a bit about them in the past here (pretty sure) Also look here: http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/PHP_Modules/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=48779 just remember its an aussi site so few minor differences...

Under the buying a vitara links like this one:
http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/PHP_Modules/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=55981

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.

He doesn't mention rust in there either.. from memory common spot is at the front of the inside of the doors under the rubber sorta by the hinges.. and just all the normal obvious type places...

Also power windows pack in but i see there is a fix someone has posted here to counter that

That should keep you busy for a while

[meece4x4]

dont discount the auto's though, my wife drives a 5 door 1600cc Auto Escudo and she is more that capable with keeping up with the club trucks, the auto reigns supreme in mud and sand.

the only disadvantage is the lack of gear breaking on the down hills, oh and for some reason the auto's reverse sensor packs a sad quite often and watch for bad earths on the stearing column that affect the horn (common fault that quick to fix)

Fit extractors to your as soon as you can ... she broke the manafold on hers after bellying the zook in mud ... when we had it replaced with extractors and sports exhuast we discovered that the double layered factory manafold was colapsed and wasnt far off blocking completely and cooking the head.

[Rotazuk]

The good thing about auto's is you can put manual trany diffs in to get a slight reduction in gearing . They vary alot but generally the 1.6 autos are 4.62 and the manuals are 5.13 so its only a 11% change but thats like going from a 29" tyre to a 32" .

Chris

[RJT]

Hey cheers for that all!! Definately got something to mull over when choosing. I guess there are pro's and con's for both gearboxes, as with anything. Will see what's out there and decide from there. Extractors was one of the first things on the list anyway so no prob there.

Cheers, Rhys