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Comments
It cost me $1150.00
- the leather seat cushion covers don't return to their original size after someone sits on them, so they bulge with loose material and look like crap with only 2000km on the GV.
- the cheap lug nuts are already corroding.
Did any one ever have this problem on 2001?
The way you can check that is to take one ignition coil out at a time. Then put it close to a ground( metal surface)turn the car on and if you see sparks jumping to ground the rubber boot is not good anymore because the spark never reaches the spark plug instead it short-circuts with the metal of engine block walls.
Found traces of coolant in the engine oil cover and finally the head gasket blew because, as the mechanic said, the coolant was mixing with the engine oil.
Maybe you didn't intend to write this in this order. Coolant mixing with the engine oil is generally a symptom of a problem, not a cause. Normally, an engine overheat causes an aluminum head to warp and coolant leaks into the engine oil or the cylinders. If it leaks into the cylinders it shows up as white smoke coming out of the exhaust. If water goes into the oil the filler cap can have a milky film inside and the oil can be milky on the dipstick. The only cure for this is to resurface the head and install a new head gasket. You still need to find the cause of the overheat. However, in rare cases the head gasket can fail through corrosion and leak water causing the overheat which warps the head, etc, etc, as you describe. Simply replacing a head gasket will not seal a warped aluminum head - assuming you have an aluminum head. A warped aluminum head must be resurfaced.
I think there was evidence of an overheat since coolant was pushed from the radiator into the reservoir.
A crack in the thermostat housing sounds like a defective part, an over tightened part, or an overheat. Running without a thermostat will not cure any cooling problem that I know of other than a bad thermostat. In that case it should be replaced with a good one.
I have a 2002 4cyl Vitara. It has an engine driven fan and an electric fan. The electric fan only runs when the air conditioning is on or in very hot weather. I suppose it could be a bad electric fan switch that caused the initial overheat if there was one. My temperature gauge runs a little below half way no matter how hot it gets outside.
I suppose it is possible to have a crack in the block somewhere but that is extremely rare and perhaps related to inadequate antifreeze in cold weather. Did you have some really cold weather before all this started?
Found some info. AERA and other sources. Seems like the hyd. tensioner had real tight clearanes and very small orfaces that can plug or gum up. We tried the old Berrymans addive in the oil (engine additive as per instructions on the can) followed by a oil/ filter change with 5w-30. The noise went away and the customer never had to tear into the engine. I think it was caught early enough that no damge was done to the chain or Tensioner. Also found out: Use 5W-30 oil only. Use a good OEM filter or Wix,NAPA,Carquest Filter. Not the discount store junk Champ, Hastings,Fram etc. Change the oil at 3,000mile max!!
The SUV now has aprox. 92K on it with no more noise and the owner followed the above on oil changes. BTW, the dealers service manager did not have a clue of- 1. what causes the failure. 2. How to prevent it from happenig again. IMHO I feel if you catch the noise eary enough or take the above precautions before any noise the 2.7 will last like it should.
tech at a tri dealer one of there car lines was suzuki. I can personaly
do the job correctly in 1 hour 45 minutes flat. The average b tech
should be able to do it in 3 hours. If it's his frist one I would say 4
to 4 hours 30 minutes. I would do them for 8 labor hours customer pay
at the dealer just to give the customer a break the 13.7 book time is
way to much. The total bill with parts was $946.76 inc tax / 6% here in ct
$79 dollers an hour labor rate.
Thanks.
Since I don't actually have $1,000 on hand at the moment, I'm wondering whether that means that I absolutely shouldn't be driving the car until this is fixed, or whether it's not a total crisis yet. And what does "fall apart" mean, exactly? (I.e. what would happen if it went tomorrow--would I do additional damage to the car?) In short, panic or don't panic? Thanks very much.
While you're waiting for a reply here you may also want to try Transmission Traumas? as well. It's not Vitara specific but you can get some really good pointers there!
tidester, host
Am living in Thailand and we recently purchased a second hand 1995 vitara 5 door as a run-about vehicle (new cars are really expensive here due to the import tax).
Anyway, the model we have runs on 95-unleaded. However, the thai government has seen fit to introduct a new 95-unleaded with a 10% ethanol mixture in it and phase out the 'pure' stuff.
My question is, am I able to use this new mixture with our model of car, or should I switch to 91-unleaded and then top it up with a bottle of 'octane booster' with every fill.
Thanks foryour time.
Octane ratings are different here, 91 and 95. So I guess the engine compression is different.
What I really want to know is ... do you have your dash and body decked out like a real Thai vehicle? :shades:
We test-drove this vehicle and were very impressed. All the power features, cruise, & remote worked, but we didn't engage the 4WD. We heard no unusual engine noises, no vibrations, etc. All in all, seemed to be a pretty solid ride.
This vehicle is on an independent lot, but the owner was manager of local new car dealership for 30+ years (retired), and has a good reputation. He said he had just received the vehicle (it was still in the back of the lot) and had not had time to check it out fully, but knows it needs new tires (obvious) and an A/C recharge because the air is not as cool as it should be.
After reading this entire thread, I am wondering...could the A/C problem be something more involved than low refrigerant...such as bent condenser fins, or has this "flaw" been corrected in the '01 models?
Before I purchase, I will definitely take it to my trusted mechanic for a complete inspection. But is there anything else that should warrant special attention on this vehicle? I have owned many imports, but never a Suzuki, so I am naive about this brand and need some guidance.
Thanks for any advice from anyone.
Thx, i'm not a happy GV owner right now!
On your problem, check the running gear closely, including the wheel and drive shaft bearings. One good place for a rattle is the exhaust system: not just how the pipe runs or may be loose, but the guts of the muffler and/or resonator can get loose and rattle. Also check the exhaust heat shields on the pipe and over the manifold. These are the most likely places that come to mind, and I have had a problem with just those same things over the 45 years of driving. Good luck with it.
RPM's just sounded high to me. Thanks again