Engine power

[froof1]

Hi again, I have another question.

I have a SJ51 with the standard 1.3 Ltr motor. It seems fine for the offroad work I take it on, but on the road in 2WD it has troubles getting near 60KPH going up a hill from a stop start. Is this normal for these?

Once rolling along a highway and it's had time to get its momentum going, it is fine.

Thanks

Chris

[Billjohn]

Originally Posted by froof1

Is this normal for these?

Yup. Stock.
Welcome to the addiction.

[Roody]

be sure to chesk that your running on all four cylinders. i have the same problem, seemed like my samurai had less power than my friends. so i started checking things and found that i had a bad distributor cap. seems like on the contact pad on it for cylinder 1 has arc'd down the plastic back to the distributor.

[whincup]

hmmm... much effort to replace those? i suspect one of my cylinders (second from the back) is intermittent in my sierra. i noticed the tip that sits in the engine of that one was a different colour to the other spark plugs last time i changed them... three black, one brown, or other way around, cant remember. and yes, they were all the same brand

[ack]

Originally Posted by whincup

hmmm... much effort to replace those? i suspect one of my cylinders (second from the back) is intermittent in my sierra. i noticed the tip that sits in the engine of that one was a different colour to the other spark plugs last time i changed them... three black, one brown, or other way around, cant remember. and yes, they were all the same brand

The distributor cap, mentioned by Roody, is the thing that all the sparkplug wired go to on the back of the engine.

A new cap and the rotor underneath it costs abour $15.00 US or approximately three McDonalds' Happy Meals

The toughest part is keeping track of which spark plug wire goes where, so carefully remove a wire then place it on the same connector on the new distributor cap.

Also, use the following web page to thoroughly check that all your vacuum hoses are hooked up correctly:

Ack's FAQ: Your 4X4 Portal To All Things Suzuki/Geo

If any lines are loose or crumbly use the above page to replace those lines. The best way to replace them is to take one to your local auto parts store and buy about 3 feet (1 meter) of the same-sized stuff then cut and replace them all!

That should, at least, eliminate vacuum leaks as a cause of bad accelleration.

Unfortunately, The 1.3 isn't the most powerful engine around. A 10-20 year-old engine that hasn't been rebuilt - doubly so.

I hope that this helps!

[froof1]

Thanks Ack

That is a great link! I will check over that lot today.

Cheers

[whincup]

yea, cheers!... btw sorry for hijacking the thread...

[Bulvii]

G'day froof1

I know exactly how you feel mate, i'm driving around in a 94 Sammy with the standard 1.3 right now. Offroad in L4 it runs like a dream, but in H2 or H4 the car struggles to move, let alone move fast.

After taking the advice of many other Zuk owners on these forums i've taken the leap to upgrade to a 1.6.

I spoke with a local Suzuki mechanic and he's taken a 1.6 ltr off the shelf and sent it away to get rebuilt, it will be going in my car in about a week so i'll be sure to reply with the difference

So yeah, unfortunately it's a pain we've all experienced!