[nealf]

Hi Guys,
New to the forum and spent the last few days poring through the archives, I am seriously considering acquiring a GV, ideally a 2010 and up.
I like the idea of having a 4-mode 4WD system.

I came across an old thread regarding Valve Inspections, which has concerned me, after reading all 19 pages of that thread I was a bit confused.

Can someone definitively confirm if the newer GV engines from 2009 and up (2.4L 4cyl and the 3.2L V6) have Hydraulic valves?
Or are they using the Mechanical valves which the older engines (2008 model year and lower - 2.7L & 2.5L V6) had requiring periodic inspection to the tune of $1000?

Secondly, do the newer engines from 2009 and up have a timing chain or has that gone back to a timing belt?

The older thread I reference is this one:
http://www.suzuki-forums.com/2g-2006-grand-vitara/15591-valve-inspection-redesigned-06-2-7l-3.html

 

[geevee]

The only question in your post I can answer is about the cost of the valve inspections on the 2.7L V6. Reported costs have ranged from almost nothing to $1200. All who have had it done and reported about it, have said shims were installed. The highest cost jobs were done at Suzuki dealerships. No one has reported any residual issues from any of the jobs.

Speculation and reports about the difficulty of the job have ranged from a big deal, to no big deal. Some engines in other makes, such as Hondas, also require this job.

 

[KevL]

I did just recently make enquiries at the 5 nearest Suzuki dealers in SE Qld.
NONE knew anything about the valve adjustment, NONE could offer a quote of any sort, 2 spoke of head gaskets for f$#K sake and none had ever done an adjustment. There was talk of removing cams but I believe there is a tool for the job to enable the shim to be removed with cam in situ, just like countless other shimmed valve engines.
The whole affair has left me confused but not surprised.

 

[*Kiwi]

To complete the answer though they both use cam chains.

Yeah, don't let the solid valve actuators put you off a GV, many cars have these now. It's easy to check the clearances but the changing of shims requires special tools that hold the valve open while you swap the shim out.

 

[marcosfish]

If you do a search on Rockauto.com for parts you will see that they show hydraulic lifters for the 3.2l v6 for 2009 and 2010.

Just an FYI

Marcos

 

[geevee]

The owner manual's maintenance schedule for the 2.7 includes this job. Beware that for the first year or two, the interval for the job was later revised and increased far beyond what's specified in the maintenance schedule. I think it originally was at 50,000km, and was increased to something like 100,000km.

 

[nealf]

Thanks for the replies guys!

I emailed Suzuki Canada about this but never heard back from them.

I have heard for several sources (all unconfirmed) that V4 & V6 engines on 2009 and up models are hydraulic valves.
Marco posted a link that confirms this, at least for the V6.

So now I begin the search for a reasonably priced GV!

And then after that the real fun begins ....

 

[KevL]

There is no V4. It an inline 4

 

[nealf]

KevL - if you own a 2009 2.4L "inline 4" then can you check the service manual and confirm for all of us if they are hydraulic or mechanical valves??

That would be very helpful.

 

[*Kiwi]

The 2009 owner's manual states that the
"Valve lash (clearance) (for 2.4 L engine)" is at 50,000 km intervals.

 

[orangeute338]

i have the 2ltr from 07 and i has 90kks atm, i checked the valves at about 50kks and they were all fine, its not a big job really so shouldnt cost a lot even if did need some shims changed. ill be checking it again next service to see if any are needed.

the checks shouldnt cost much and its only needed every 30kks or so according to the service manual

reading back throught the post a few people have had cracked blocks on the 2.4ltr so i would be doing more researching about that then worring about the shims.

 

[msandhar]

I spoke to the mechanic at Suzuki yesterday. He confirmed to me that my car, a 2010 GV 2.4L has hydraulic lifters. No inspection necessary, regardless of what the owners manual said. The funny thing is that I asked him when he came out to the service counter. I had just asked the service manager, and he has said that the 100k service was $750, and most of that was because of the 'time consuming' valve lash clearance inspection.
After the mechanic answered my question, the guy didn't have much to say.

 

[*Kiwi]

However, I would imagine the service manager would have something to say to the mechanic after you left!

I've researched this for a half hour this Sat morning because I want to be certain. We know the Kizashi has the same engine with different tuning. My 2.4 even has the front-wheel drive motor mount point on the block.

First stop, the Kizashi owner's forum doesn't seem to acknowledge the valve tappet design either way. The Kizashi check interval is documented as 100k km in the owners manual. I have scraps of a Kizashi factory service manual but not the part about checking the clearance. However the sections covering the valvetrain strongly suggest the tappets are solid. Images attached. There is nothing pertaining to the removal and replacing, or handling of any sort of hydraulic lash adjuster. You can see the tappet is hollow as it fits around the valve spring.

There is a question on Yahoo answers where someone posts the clearances for the Kizsahi.

We know the older J20 has solid lifters, it's clear in the manual and orangeute338 has confirmed it. The engine is of the same family as the J24B.

Incorporating hydraulic lash adjusters on an overhead cam engine is not simple as they are relatively large and heavy and cannot sensibly be put directly inline with the valve stem. The J24B cams push the tappets and valve stems directly in-line, there is no other hardware to control clearance other than a shim. If it had hydraulic lash control they would be off to the side operating a tapered slider or lever.

That mechanic may have an opinion on the matter but mechanics don't design engines.

 

[orangeute338]

i don't think they are the same family of engines, with the j18/20 tho. nothing is interchangeable i have read. they just used the j letter but totally different engine. but i would imagine the j24 would have the same close specs between models, maybe different comp and cams between models but not something like different head design.

shims arnt that much of a hassle anyways and the shim design allows the engine to rev a lot harder and less valve train components and weight

 

[Philipk5]

Hi All,
Just checked the service manual for the GRAND VITARA (JB416/JB420) vehicles - J24 4 cylinder engine with VVT valves as found in recent model GVs

Valve Lash (Clearance) Inspection
S5JB0A1414003
1) Remove negative cable at battery.
2) Remove cylinder head cover referring to “Cylinder
Head Cover Removal and Installation: For M16A
Engine with VVT”.
3) Using 17 mm wrench, turn crankshaft pulley (1)
clockwise until cam lobes (2) become perpendicular
to shim faces (3) at valves “1” and “7” as shown in
the figure.
4) Check valve lashes with thickness gauge (4)
according to the following procedure.
a) Check valve lashes at valves “1” and “7”.
b) Turn camshafts by 90° (by turning crankshaft
with wrench).
c) Make sure that cam lobes are perpendicular to
shim faces at valves to be checked (in this case,
“3” and “8”), if not, adjust it by turning crankshaft.
Check valve lashes.
d) In the same manner as b) – c), check valve
lashes at valves “4” and “6”.
e) In the same manner as b) – c) again, check
valve lashes at valves “2” and “5”.
If valve lash is out of specification, record valve lash and
adjust it to specification by replacing shim.
Manual then goes on to explain how to use special tool to remove and refit shims and measure size to replace with correct size. So it looks like they use shims.

 

[KevL]

My service manual concurs regarding the presence of shims in the 2.4L J24B engine.
Where my manual differs is it instructs that the cams must be removed to replace shims. No mention is made of the special tool.
I checked the version of manual, its last update was 06-2009. Hopefully they developed a tool after that date.

 

[tursky4]

I have just purchased an 06 with the 2.7 it has about 76k on it and is getting on average over 21 mpg country driving.. no hw and no city.. my question is should i see about getting a valve inspection or should i leave well enough alone until i start to notice a difference in mpg?

 

[geevee]

I have just purchased an 06 with the 2.7 it has about 76k on it and is getting on average over 21 mpg country driving.. no hw and no city.. my question is should i see about getting a valve inspection or should i leave well enough alone until i start to notice a difference in mpg?

I'd get it done if I were you. It's safe to assume it hasn't been done. You are well over the mileage for the first check, and if you're planning to keep the vehicle for a while, now is the time to have it done.

If you are quoted a large amount of money to have it done, get a second or third estimate. You probably won't notice a mileage difference until it's considerably out of spec.

 

[tursky4]

i will be looking into getting it done in the next few weeks.. i just hope that my local go to guy will have experience in checking valve spacing.. and hopefully the shims arent only available at the dealership because there isnt one close

 

[geevee]

i will be looking into getting it done in the next few weeks.. i just hope that my local go to guy will have experience in checking valve spacing.. and hopefully the shims arent only available at the dealership because there isnt one close

It seems to me there is a "kit" from Suzuki to do this. Because you need other parts such as gaskets. I don't know if the right parts are available on the aftermarket. Sounds like you have some time to determine this before the job. This might be the sort of job a tuner garage could easily do.