buying a Samuri for a project
 

I am looking at buying a 1988 suzuki samuri with about 130,000 miles. I want a project plus have a little fun. They said its in excellent condition but i am worried a bit about the motor.

Should i do a compression check before i purchase it? Do yall have any other suggestions on things to check out when i take a look at it.

I am not a mechanic but i can turn a wrench.

Cute litlle car/truck.
Always do a compression & oilpressure test, when buying a vehicle with that kind of mileage.
If memory serves me right, they have a little 3 cylinder engine that runs like a sewing machine.
Have you checked parts availability for them?
Beware the ride is very bouncy, due to the very short wheelbase.
Fuel economy is phenomonal. ;)

thanks manny,

how do you determine what the compression should be? Or do you research it as to what the motor is? Any website that might have it?

For an engine of that vintage, I would imagine the compression should be @ 150 p.s.i.
Most importantly, the variance between highest & lowest cylinder should not be more than 20%.
If you do a google search on " Suzuki/Samurai ", you might come up with some enthusiast/collector site.
Also, try this site & see if they have a manual for it.
www.books4cars.com

Here you go.
http://www.books4cars.com/result1~imageField.x~110~imageField.y~61~findmake~Suzuki~offset~50.htm

4 cylinder engine, not 3.

I'd try and go newer and get fuel injection instead of the carb.

Other than that, they're fun little trucks, and easy to work on since everything's so small and light.

so what kindof project you planning
 

for the samari? a v12 swap, maybe?

kidding

tom w

Funny you mention it.
I have owned 3-4 tracker/sidekicks just for the fun of driving and working on them.
As a matter of fact, I just bought a 1994 tracker with 129k miles to have fun in the summer. They are great with the 5 speed and the top down. Not to mention the 30 miles per gallon (my new commuter to work)

Tomorrow I'm going to look at a 1996 Sidekick 4dr Sport, automatic 136k miles $2k. I'm looking for something to pull behind my motorhome and they can be towed 4 wheels down. Any advice?

SR20DTE the perfect engine for this...:D :D ::eek:

I know a guy who has four of these things at his 'hunting' preserve and they are unbelievable in the swamp with some very minor modifications. They cost less than a freaking quad and you actually have a seat and heat!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/JDM-SR20DET-S13-Red-Top-91-94-SILVIA-240SX-205-hp_W0QQitemZ8052324581QQcategoryZ33615QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://i2.ebayimg.com/02/i/06/be/19/85_1.JPG

this is a better engine.....too much is just enough...:D

My 86 Sammy is of the carb variety. Runs like a champ. Great on the beach and snow.
I've been rear ended twice, each by folks not paying attention, not that I stopped short in front of them. In each case, the real metal bumpers and steel belted spare tire did significant damage to the the fronts of their cars in the $1000+ range, while the sammy was just bounced a couple of inches forward during the impact and received no damage at all.

Perhaps if I had a third brake light, it wouldn't have happened.

Very well built simple cars. Very slow off the line. Great convertibles that seat 4,though.
Good luck! Post pics, or just PM me.

My '88 is also of the carbed variety. They started putting EFI in them in '90 IIRC. The 1.3 L engine is by far the worst part of the vehicle. Mine has bad valve seals and fouls plugs every 13,000 miles in addition to going through a quart of oil at every other fuel-up. Top speed with 2" lift and 29" tall tires is 62 mph on flat land with no wind. I'm told that stock examples with fresh, stock engines will go 75.

Engine swaps such as the 1.6 L 16V engine out of a Tracker or Sidekick is said to be pretty easy and yield about a 50% power increase. Another option is the 1.6 VW diesel. I was actually planning the latter upon the impending failure of the current motor, until I decided to move and sell the Sammy later this year. People have done the 4.3 V6, but this is really overkill for a truck that weighs a little over 2,000 lbs.

With the tired original engine and 193,000 miles, I get between 22 and 25 mpg depending on how I drive and whether I leave the hubs locked. I use it for my daily driver on a commute of 30 miles paved and 20 miles "not paved" (varies from relatively smooth gravel with some washboard in the summer to mud, potholes, ruts, standing water, etc in winter. After a year I have had ZERO suspension problems, which is much more than I can say for the Lincoln Town Car I used to use for that duty. I keep the tires at 21 psi, and the ride quality is not great but certainly acceptable.

http://www.pirate4x4.com has a discussion area with some rabid Sammy lovers.

Do a leakdown test, not a compression test. You may have to find an aircraft mechanic buddy for the tools to do this.


And for chits-n-giggles:
Junk the 4 banger - a blown big block is the way to go. Any size will do.