[DangerMuppet]

Hi all, I'm new here & cheers for letting me join your site.

I've been looking at getting a vitara for a while now to downsize a bit from my navara.
They seem like great cars & alot of fun.

I'm looking at buying a 98 Vitara (series2) that has a blown head I'm told.
The price is fairly cheap but I'm dubious about this commitment.
I don't really need a car right now as don't have alot of work so need to be cheap as I can.

I've lined up an engine to swap over rather than messing with the head etc.
I'm no mechanic but I've wrecked a couple of 4wd in recent years so have a few tools etc.
I'm assuming I can take the bad 2.5 engine out & just swap straight over with the other 2.5 I'm getting?

I have a bit of time to do this as I can borrow a car if needed but am I correct in thinking it's a simple swap over?
Am I missing any other considerations that might come back to haunt me etc?

Has anyone done this before & got any ideas or suggestions? I'm happy to take advice please.

Cheers for any help in advance....

Stu...

[Gwagensteve]

Don’t buy a broken car that needs an engine swap if you’re short of money/ don’t need a car. It’s going to cost more than you think. I haven’t pulled a 2.5l GV motor myself but these are really cheap cars now. Unless the car and engine were almost free there’s no way it’s worth the effort.

I have no idea what your level of mechanical competence is so I can’t help you work out if you’ll find it simple or not, but I can assure you it will take more time and money than you imagine now.

[Joe]

Welcome to AZ Stu
While you have the engine out I'd replace rear main seal, do the timing chains and any seals that are behind the front covers and if it's a manual put in a new clutch too.

[sideways]

I'd be making sure it isn't part of the airbag buy back.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=56256

[Gwagensteve]

sideways wrote:

I'd be making sure it isn't part of the airbag buy back.

http://auszookers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=56256

That’s a very good point.

[DangerMuppet]

No it's not on that list, cheers for the tip.

sideways wrote:

I'd be making sure it isn't part of the airbag buy back.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=56256

[ZUZUKI]

Hi Danger Muppet - love the handle.

There isn't anything out of the ordinary tricky with pulling these out - just time consuming getting at wiring & bolts in hard to get to places.
Only things I would add to Joe's list, are:
Take a good look at the clutch release fork if it is a manual. They have been known to crack around the pivot ball so replace or at least lubricate well (copper grease) if not too worn.
There is an O ring between the block & upper sump - on the P/S towards the front of the engine - often get a leak from here & it is very hard to fix with the engine in the car.

Timing chains have been mentioned - that might be the cause of your 'blown head'? Known to stretch - you get 200,000 to 250,00km out of them. Don't buy the cheapest kit you can of ebay. Talk to a local Suzuki repair specialist & get them to supply or advise which pile of bits to buy. Not the easiest timing arrangement to play with, so get a copy of the workshop manual - and read it!.

Rgs, Michael

[DangerMuppet]

Cheers for the info.

Joe wrote:

Welcome to AZ Stu
While you have the engine out I'd replace rear main seal, do the timing chains and any seals that are behind the front covers and if it's a manual put in a new clutch too.

[DangerMuppet]

Cheers for the feedback

ZUZUKI wrote:

Hi Danger Muppet - love the handle.

There isn't anything out of the ordinary tricky with pulling these out - just time consuming getting at wiring & bolts in hard to get to places.
Only things I would add to Joe's list, are:
Take a good look at the clutch release fork if it is a manual. They have been known to crack around the pivot ball so replace or at least lubricate well (copper grease) if not too worn.
There is an O ring between the block & upper sump - on the P/S towards the front of the engine - often get a leak from here & it is very hard to fix with the engine in the car.

Timing chains have been mentioned - that might be the cause of your 'blown head'? Known to stretch - you get 200,000 to 250,00km out of them. Don't buy the cheapest kit you can of ebay. Talk to a local Suzuki repair specialist & get them to supply or advise which pile of bits to buy. Not the easiest timing arrangement to play with, so get a copy of the workshop manual - and read it!.

Rgs, Michael

[DangerMuppet]

Cheers for your reply.
I hope to get everything I need for about 1k. I'm still not sure about it so maybe best not to commit just yet.

Gwagensteve wrote:

Don’t buy a broken car that needs an engine swap if you’re short of money/ don’t need a car. It’s going to cost more than you think. I haven’t pulled a 2.5l GV motor myself but these are really cheap cars now. Unless the car and engine were almost free there’s no way it’s worth the effort.

I have no idea what your level of mechanical competence is so I can’t help you work out if you’ll find it simple or not, but I can assure you it will take more time and money than you imagine now.

[fujitsubo]

[quote="DangerMuppet"]Cheers for your reply.
I hope to get everything I need for about 1k. I'm still not sure about it so maybe best not to commit just yet.


i'd hold off mate. save up some dollars make a good plan as to what you think you will spend. do all the normal preventable maintenance items while its out of the car, timing belt water pump rear main seals front seals etc so you can be confident that stuffs going to last after you swap it over.