One option he suggested is that it might be more economical (rather than spend all that money on diagnosing) to get a new engine. The current car is 1.3 liter. My son had mentioned replacing it with a rebuilt 1.6 liter -- but the mechanic was told by his engine guy that you can't just swap one for one on this particular year. My son (with all the wisdom of being almost 17) KNOWS that he can swap it out, but mechanic said there would be issues with transmission, wiring everything.
My son is quite attached to this car, though it has never been running "stable" -- meaning it seems like it is always something. He has made some investments in purchasing and lift kit (not installed) and new wheels and tires (now sitting in the garage waiting to be installed). We told him not to buy before it was running consistently, but oh well, it was his own money and a good lesson, but since he has spent as much in "after market" stuff as the car, I think he'd like to be able to use that stuff.
A few questions for the wise folks of Yahoo:
1. My son loves the car and he spent his own $$$ on it ($1400) do you think it makes sense to replace engine or fix?
2. If replace, can we swap a 1.6 liter?
3. Should we just cut our losses?
4. Other options to consider
1986 Suzuki Samurai question?
Okay, here we go! Your son, in his infinite wisdom, has actually picked a pretty decent little vehicle to play with. In stock form it will get almost 30 MPG and run at highway speeds easily.
It seems by your description that the engine is toast. If you or him or someone you know and trust can do the rebuild without taking it to a professional it will save a ton of money. The parts to do a rebuild if you stay in stock form will run about $550 or so. There may be some machine work that will have to be done and the prices are very regional so I'm not even going to try.
The parts you need to do the job are not hard to find at all. Check your local car parts place and if no luck try TrailTough.com or roadless gear.com.
Hope this helped and good luck!
I would cut my losses and get a more modern/popular vehicle that is not so hard to get parts for.
1986 Suzuki Samurai question?
Your son "in his infinite wisdom" is right. A 1.6 can be dropped in!!! The platform on the Samurai has been used countless times for this swap and even a Buick V6 will fit with minimal modification from what I've been told!!!Tell him to make sure that he knows how it can be done before he attempts it. The 1.3 in it is a great engine but the 1.6 is just as good (if not better). There are other things that will be needed for this swap other than the engine. the 1.6 is fuel injected whereas his is carbureted. He should look for a used 1.6 engine and transmission (if you even need to swap the transmission. Here's the link to give you a better idea of what he's talking about.
http://www.rocky-road.com/1600swap.html
Tell him to keep it going. He knows what he wants and it makes sense. He'll be a better person for that.
It depends on how mechanical your son is. Getting another engine is a fine idea, if the replacement engine is any good. Obviously, the easiest swap would be another 1.3 liter. Using another engine is always possible, but it will cost more money. If the bolt pattern on the transmission is not compatible, he will also have to replace the transmission with a used one. The wiring shouldn't be a significant issue unless the vehicle is fuel-injected, in which case it would have a computer. If it is fuel-injected, the cost to swap would be much higher. In this case, it would actually be easier to swap in a non-Suzuki engine with a carburetor.
The most "educational" thing for your son to do would be to get him to convert it to electric. I have done this to a Geo Tracker, very similar to the Samurai.1986 Suzuki Samurai question?
There is a huge aftermarket for the old Sammys, so, it shouldn't be too hard to find parts for it. I have a 19 year old and a 14 year old. The 19 year old has no intrest or inclination for cars at all, he just puts gas in it and goes. My 14 year old has already bought HER first truck (with a little help from daddy of course) and we work on it together every chance we get.
That Suzzi could be a great learning experience for your son. You might even suprise him by buying him a Haynes manual (Not a Chilton's-they are just about worthless) for it as a show of support. It might even lead him into a career that he truely enjoys. Haynes manuals are available at many auto parts stores for around $15-$20. They explain how to repair your vehicle using easy to understand terms and lots of illustrations by actually taking apart and rebuilding the specific vehicle that the book is written for. They are invaluable for a project like the one your son has gotten himself involved in.
I wish all of you the best of luck. It won't be easy, but it can be done.
Keep the Samurai. Acme.com has an adapter kit that allows a swap to the 1.6 or even a 1.9. The volkswagen diesel or turbo diesel would are a perfect fit with the adapter kits they make. The adapter kit is about $600 and you should be able to find a motor for pretty cheap too.(e-bay usually has some and if not the guy's at Acme.com might be able to locate one) The diesel motor has great torque for off-road and is known to get 32-40 mpg. If this doesn't sound like a good option, Rocky-road.com has a rebuild kit and if i'm not mistaking new 1.3's.
Hi sounds like the engine has had it your options are sorry to say but i dont think you will be able to repair that motor ( cannot really say without seeing it but it sounds like a cracked piston or broken ring ) and that makes a mess of the cylinder bore the engine in the samurai are fairly cheap to buy if it were me i would just buy another motor from a wrecker and put it in .
as for going with the 1.6 liter motor yea it fit into the engine bay but the gearboxes are different the wiring looms are different it is a pretty in depth exercise to replace it with the 1.6 plus it will cost at least double to do .
as for cutting your loses the samurai is a fairly robust little car if it is maintained properly so i would just put another 1.3 in it and enjoy having it back on the road
I own a samurai-1986 and i can tell u it can be more fun driving this one than many of the new SUVs. The 4wd is just great and gets you out of deep muds easily. Your son definitely has a taste. Looks wise it's still a very sporty looking vehicle.
Over heating can be fixed by replacing a six winged fan ( probably of toyota corolla) in place of the four winged fan that is there in the samurai.it worked for me. Regarding the engine- here are few things which you can do:
1. Replace the hose of the radiator- get the radiator cleaned up after you replace the fan.
2. if the exhaust is not throwing a lot of smoke- then replace new spark plugs along with the cable set.
3. get the carburetor cleaned up-adjusted if necessary for smooth fuel flow.
4.if there's a lot of smoke coming out form the exhaust- then the engine needs a fix for sure and there are piston issues-and will cost a bit high to fix it.
replacing the engine would be the last option as the mechanic is right about the transmission and wiring. it can be an everlasting problem if not done perfectly.
The vehicle should have no problem starting up if the flow of fuel form the carburetor is smooth and the sparks are coming out right from the spark plugs.
All the best - hope your son gets to enjoy his samurai the way I have..
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