[misko]

Hey guys im currently looking into buying a manual vitara around the 1995 year for a daily and use my sierra as a weekend warrior.
just want to know what kind of fuel usage you are getting from them and if there is anything i should look out for when inspecting one before i buy it?

cheers

[krat]

Hi misko,

I purchased a 95/96 SWB Auto about 18mths ago and asked the same sort of questions with some great advice received through this forum.

From memory, you will need to do the usual mechanical inspections, i.e. coolant and oil (gearbox,transfer and diffs if you get a chance), do a cold start up and look for smoke out the exhaust, listen for abnormal engine noise, check when the timing belt was replaced.

Have a look underneath for front cross member damage which should be a good indication of how much off road use it has done.

Mine checked out pretty good on inspection, but when I got it home and dropped all the fluids out, the rear diff oil was very creamy which indicated water. All good so far.

In respect to economy out of the 1.6, I don't flog mine on the open road and sit on around the 3000 rev mark which gives me close to the 10k per litre.

Happy hunting.

[Scrawny]

I get 10L/100, all city driving. Make sure you get the JLX model with all the electrics, just that bit nicer

[luke3411]

JLX are good but when shit starts to break down it can get annoying and expensive. I've had both and I'd prefer the JX over the JLX just for that reason.

[jono165]

there not really much to break on a JLX over a JX. aren't the only differences power windows, central locking, air-con and power steer

windows and door locks can be fixed quite cheap. what went wrong with yours luke?

[atari4x4]

check for off road abuse... chassis rails, fuel tank, front diff will all show signs...

This has come from outers, written by CJ

Quote:

OK, this topic comes up from time to time so I thought I might put something together that covers some model details and things to look for when buying a Vitara. This information has come from various sources including magazines, the internet and personal experience over time. Please feel free to add to this or provide corrections.

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.

[DAB]

kk. ill keep this simple. $60 to fill tank from dead empty to full (98octaine) = 400km in my
1994 EFI 1.6 SWB vitara. and I do that every week....

[atari4x4]

and how many litres are you putting in? $60 worth of fuel changes with price, is that $60 worth cheap as shit E10, 91, 95 or 98?

[DAB]

im sure I did say 98??? its about $1.40 a ltr at a guess here. or something like that. cant say I pay to much attention as I dont have
much of a choice here. only one servo I trust for fuel up here.....

[atari4x4]

whoops sorry boss, i missed that

usually no one mentions what they're filling up with & the usual oh it only cost me $40 for 400kms fuel economy statements.

[DAB]

well if someone gets 400km's for $40 of 98octaine then I fell sorry for the poor bloody car and the horse pulling it!!!!

$40 for 400km.... they shouldnt be alowed the bloody keys. poor thing would be so clogged up to hell! anyone doing that
should sell the car and keep the horse! better yet get a donkey or a camel and if thats still to fast for you then frecking walk.

lol . sorry felt the need to have a rage :0) all good now

[atari4x4]

so how many lires per kms your getting? eg 12l/100kms? as $60/400kms doesn't mean much.

[DAB]

at a guess id say 9.52km per ltr

[DAB]

I could get alot more me thinks as I do have a heavy foot and get bored easy

[misko]

Hey guys sorry for the late reply was on holiday. Thanks all for the advice and information, I'm considering getting one for a daily and for bit of touring, seems like a good little fourby that's good on fuel which is what I need

[Reubs]

My manual '94 1.6L Vit averaged about 14.5L/100km on my trip across the country - the biggest contributor was 100-110km/h travel with a 900mm wide x 450mm high space case on the roof taking the total vehicle height to just under 2.3m! Highest consumption was about 16.5L/100km!

Around town with the roof rack unloaded it averages a consistent 10.5L/100km.

[Jerryx4]

My manual G16A vit SWB on good road tyres & just putting along I would get 400-450kms with 98
now with 29 MT's barely 320km

[misko]

Just another thing, how would the 1.6efi vitara go towing a 6x4 modified into a camper trailer? Or is that asking too much from the lil engine?

[atari4x4]

they're only rated to tow 450kg

[misko]

Ah ok then no worries, so 2 people spare wheel 2 Jerry's camping gear and light barwork will be ok? Or will she struggle?

[tassie jeeper]

perhaps u should look into a LWB 2.0V6 they can be found cheap and have plenty of power and i was amazed ho much power was to be gained by adding a pod air filter and a 2" pretty open exhaust.

1 thing to watch out for is the dreaded timing chain rattle the parts are not dear a complete kit can be found on ebay for $250 gears and all however the labor costs of fitting said kit will be well over $1,000

i was lucky and done some research and learned that the ryco filter does not work as well as the genuine suzuki filter by allowing back flow and therefore not getting the desired pressure on the hydrolic tentioner.
however by running an engine oil flush through it fitting it with a genuine oil filter and correct weight oil the noise has been 90% resolved

it will need doing at some point but its quiet enough i could sell it now without anyone questioning it

[atari4x4]

that pod filter is going to love the first mud puddle.

[tassie jeeper]

misko wrote:

Ah ok then no worries, so 2 people spare wheel 2 Jerry's camping gear and light barwork will be ok? Or will she struggle?

don't know about the SWB but i had a suzuki DS80 in the back of mine an OZtent RV5, toolbox, esky and enough camping gear to completely fill it from behind the drivers seat floor to the roof at the back window (rear seats folded up to drivers seat) and it was fine however i would recommend heavier spring if u are goin to do this on a regular basis it drove like a boat, however i had plenty of power still and drove 200km's on a quarter tank estimated 600km's from 50 liters

[tassie jeeper]

atari4x4 wrote:

that pod filter is going to love the first mud puddle.

not into mud bogging would rather play on the rocks or on the dunes but if i were id get a K&N flat panel replacement filter or a K&N apolo however my zook is mainly daily driving with camping duties and light wheeling i have a jeep for real offroading (not that zooks arn't good for that)

[atari4x4]

Jerryx4 wrote:

My manual G16A vit SWB on good road tyres & just putting along I would get 400-450kms with 98
now with 29 MT's barely 320km

are you accounting for the difference in rolling diameter or are you just going off the kms on the odometer?

tassie jeeper wrote:

atari4x4 wrote:

that pod filter is going to love the first mud puddle.

not into mud bogging would rather play on the rocks or on the dunes but if i were id get a K&N flat panel replacement filter or a K&N apolo however my zook is mainly daily driving with camping duties and light wheeling i have a jeep for real offroading (not that zooks arn't good for that)

ahh cool, you sound like someone i know... got any pics of your zook or jeep?

[tassie jeeper]

atari4x4 wrote:

ahh cool, you sound like someone i know... got any pics of your zook or jeep?

My zook



and a few of the jeep

[DarkHorse]

1.6 EFI should be fine with that load. 2.0L V6 will be better, but thirstier.

What size/type tyres are you intending to run? Fuel consumption and performance are very sensitive to final gearing...

[misko]

I was planning to run 30" all terrains but unsure. Any suggestions? Just want to travel and be able to get in the beach and a few light tracks for camping. Like I said I have my sierra for all the hardcore stuff but would like the comfort and "luxury" of a vitara to travel

[Reubs]

misko wrote:

I was planning to run 30" all terrains but unsure. Any suggestions? Just want to travel and be able to get in the beach and a few light tracks for camping. Like I said I have my sierra for all the hardcore stuff but would like the comfort and "luxury" of a vitara to travel

Sounds like smaller tyres such as 215/75R15 would suit you fine.