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Suzuki Esteem Wagon

204 messages,  Last post on Jan 21, 2013 at 6:57 AM

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What is this discussion about? Suzuki Esteem, Wagon

Messages Page 13 of 22

#112 of 204 Re: Need Mileage info on 2000 1.8, auto trans [freckled1] by suzkman

Aug 04, 2005 (4:26 pm)

Replying to: freckled1 (Feb 04, 2003 2:40 pm)
we have the '99 1.8 GTLX+ wagon. There is a problem with some of the coils onthis model. the first of the 1.8 crop has and still has 4 individual coil packs located on the cast alloy valve cover. These are fired by a no maintenance distributor. The spark plugs will tell you the story if you have a "lazy" coil in the lot.
The engine will warm up with a little faultering in cold-new start. and then, level off to a smoother running that the dealer will respond to by,"looks OK to me".
 
You can install the correct plug with proper gap settings and still get poor performance from the stop sign with a slight baulk, and, never get over 25-26 mpg with light touch driving.
The "lazy" coil will exhibit less gap wear in the center electrode measure after 20K miles--talking about .002" wear vs. a good coil with 3.5 to 4 thousandths wear.
 
Another problem with spark plugs on this 1.8L DOHC is that the early manuals '99, show two different plugs. one with a smaller gap and one with Roman
"II" on the insulator. The II is-has the larger gap and some dealers and parts people will sell you the smaller gap plug with the other part number being same as II number, but, with no II And they will gap the non II plug with the larger gap--you have a drop in MPG, slugish response . Get the II plug--says II on box, and the insulator barrel, and get the mpg and performance back up there.
 
Torque is important on the spark plugs. make sure you have enough when first seating this plug--some mechanics think they will over torque and in 5K miles you have a loose plug that can cause roughness in idle and poor hot engine performance--damn thing just lacks upper end power???
 
These new coils are expensive and you are best advised to not to buy junk yard stuff unless it's $35. ea.
 
Air filter--change it every 18K miles. You start to lose power at 25K for a filter.
 
This car has hydraulic valves and do not need adjusting. At 65K they will seem noisy, but, that is their nature.
 
I get 27mps went big foot wife is city driving--30 when I drive it, 33-35 when she does longer highway; and 34-37 when I can drive the highway without her turning on the AC--AC drops it 4mpg.
 
If you are not getting even tire wear on the fronts, you could be losing 4 mpg across the board. Couple that with lazy coil and wrong spark plug gap and you may be down to 22 city and 28-29 highway at 60 mph.. If you can keep it at
63mph in the level highway even foot driving you are going to get 34-35mpg if all is correct. Drive at 66-70 and the milage drops 3mpg.
 
There are two oxy sensors on this model--one at the engine manifold and one at the converter--further back. This would be my idea to check if you were not getting good mpg and the other things mentioned are correct. With correct setting, you will not have any residue in the tail pipe at the back--only a slight, slight dust on the end of your finger.
Wipe the tail pipe clean and check it 4 days later-80 miles.
 
Cheaper gas will lose you 3-4 mpg and cost you more in AC weather. pay the extra $.05 to .10/gallon and keep the oil cleaner and get better engine running.
 
vr

#113 of 204 Re: 1998 Esteem - piston slap [pebru] by suzkman

Aug 04, 2005 (4:34 pm)

Replying to: pebru (Mar 05, 2003 8:52 pm)
Before we bought the '99 1.8 DOHC in '99 we asked the Suz mechanic in the back about the 1.6L and he started to frown. He liked the newer 1.8 L for a number of reasons. The 1.6L has valve problems-keep on schedule with the valve adjustments. The 1.8L has hydraulic valves--no adjustments for the life the the lifter.
 
Slap is a wear problem from lack of lubrication on startup and during cold running and even during warm running. You should be using some oil to have slap now.
 
I would try some premium oil-Mobil 1 in 5W for summer and 0W for winter--below freezing. to lessen the wear on the 1.6L I have been running the 1.8L with 0-40 and 5W30 Mobil 1 since new and the motor still has little cold and hot sounds. I have taught my wife to let the temp gauge hit the bottom mark before driving away.This is the real secret to getting 250-300K out of an engine--even the GM stuff. With the Mobil 1 I go 6K between oil changes and use good grade of regular and still have 3/8 quart low on the stick at 6K miles intervals.
 
The 1.6L was just an earlier engine that had several short comings.
vr

#114 of 204 Re: Suzuki Esteem vs Ford Escort [joeli] by suzkman

Aug 04, 2005 (4:37 pm)

Replying to: joeli (Aug 17, 2003 12:25 am)
The 1.8L I have has been very tight and durable. The Escort will be easier to sell and easier to get used parts for, but, the Suz will out last the Ford engine and trans by 100K miles with a little care. You will tend to spend more 3X on the Suz for parts. It's what you want to drive and be seen in along with the financial.
vr

#116 of 204 Clarification by pf_flyer HOST

Aug 05, 2005 (7:43 am)

Just an FYI... these forums may NOT be used for the buying and selling of anything. That's why a group of postings have disappeared from this thread.
 
Regarding the posting of email addresses or phone numbers:
 
One important key to a successful, vibrant online community is having the conversation take place where everyone can benefit from the questions and answers. Therefore, we highly discourage "email me" requests within a post. As we like to have the discussion in the Forums, these posts will be removed. An email exchange of answers deprives the community of valuable information. Including your email address in posts also risks your security by exposing it to those who will use it maliciously. If you would like your address available to other registered members, click on 'Preferences' and mark your email address 'public'.
 
And as far as phone numbers are concerned, as we cannot verify each and every number posted in the Forums, it's best to not post phone numbers in your posts. I can verify this from personal experience. My phone number was once posted on a public message board by someone, and I was forced to change numbers due to the volume of crank calls I started getting.
 
If anyone would like to discuss these issues further, please feel free to click on my username and we can discuss it in email.
 
Let's keep this topic for discussion of the Esteem wagon. Thanks!
 
PF Flyer
Host
News & Views, Wagons, & Hybrid Vehicles

#117 of 204 Hey cats4us, by born2pdl

Aug 05, 2005 (1:18 pm)

About your esteem wagon with the first gear problem, I'll make my email available in my member profile here if you would like to contact me. I think that is within the guidelines of this forum. Thanks.

#118 of 204 Re: Hey cats4us, [born2pdl] by chrisducati

Oct 12, 2005 (11:13 am)

Replying to: born2pdl (Aug 05, 2005 1:18 pm)
Is this a manual gearbox? The manuals are known for all sorts of problems. Auto boxes are AW's and very good. I have a 96 with the 1.6 belt driven ohc. and auto box. We bought this car new in '95 and have driven it Very Hard ( yes the rev limiter works even on automatic cars) over 300'000 miles. No major problems. The engine and gear box have never been open and it uses no oil at all between changes. Problems have been few. Brake pads every 80'000 miles. Belts, hoses, and Timing belt every 60'000 miles. Trans and coolant every 30'000. At some point close to 200'000 miles I had CV boots replaced because I saw grease in the wheel. The early 1.6's had a distributor which has an O ring seal. This seal starts to leak at about 80'000 mile intervals. I just had the front suspension checked and it got a clean bill of health. The shop said the Struts could be replaced but were not totally gone. Over all it has been a wonderful car. Body panels are a bit thin and door ding easily. Our car is Oxford Gray which shifts from a grape color in the sun to gray in the shadows. It still shines great. This car is a gl so it came with the gray tweed cloth. I will say that is the one place they cheaped out. I had the seats recovered at about 210'000 miles. They had not ripped but the cloth had stretched.

#119 of 204 spark pulg gap for 1.8 engine by mehran1

Oct 24, 2005 (5:05 am)

I have a 2000 Esteem wagon with 1.8 engine. what kind of spark plugs should I use and what is the gap?
what other parts should I change for a tune up other than the plugs?
thanks so much.

#120 of 204 Esteem 1.6L - Is it interference head engine (interference engine)? by anna_b

Nov 28, 2005 (12:02 pm)

I Have a 1999 Esteem 1.6L with a manual transmission. I would like to know if the engine is of interfering type (also called "interference head" or "interference engine").
In interference designs incorrect timing (or timing belt failure) may result in the pistons and valves colliding and causing extensive engine damage. The piston will likely bend the valves. For that reason, in such an engines regular replacement of timing belts is especially important. Thanks, AB

#121 of 204 tow hitch available?? by pgseabrook

Nov 29, 2005 (3:09 pm)

Anyone know where to get a hitch for the Esteem wagon. They are easy to get in Europe where this car was sold as the Baleno so why not in the USA? thanks

Messages Page 13 of 22

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