Carib Snake Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 My '97 Suzuki Escudo/Vitara 16 Valve, 1.6L, 4Cyl, 2Dr., 4x4, ABS was imported from Japan to The Commonwealth of Dominica (NOT the Dominican Republic) in the early 2010's and I have had it for the past 10 years. It was great when it worked and there were plenty similar vehicles on the island that people knew how to work on them and there were plenty of commonly needed parts. Times have changed and so have the common vehicles. I am in need of repairs and parts for my 4wd, my ABS, and my ignition coil assembly. The problem is, if I try looking up my model/trim/year, what I find is inconsistent with how my vehicle is configured. And Trim? I have no idea. I can't find anything by trying to use my chassis number. So, I'm throwing what I know out there and hoping someone can get me started so I can ask some informed, specific questions ... Eg a good ignition coil assembly or alternatives. I believe VIN, in this case, is the chassis number ... which is TA02W-101125, Type is GF-TA02W, Engine G16A 1590CC. Often referred to as Escudo, or Vitara or Sidekick. It has ABS (my controller has been diagnosed as non-functional). I have not found a used one on the island and at about $2K US for a new one, I'm loathe to try to import one only to find it's the wrong one. (I bought the vehicle 10 yrs ago for $6K). Vehicles of this vintage have distributors. Mine does not. It has an ignition coil assembly with 2coils connected to 2 of the plug attachments and leads running to the two others. I have found these for earlier models and later models but don't know if they are compatible with my ignition system. I'm not even sure what produces my "spark" ... a magneto?? The guy who has been doing my repairs replaced mine last year with some cheap knock-offs from China that he found and says getting a year out of them is typical ... I'd like to do better. It has 4wd ... which I really need to get to my home on a dirt ridge road. The high range hasn't stayed engaged for years ... I tended to pop out when you need it. No one has been able to help me figure out how to fix this. But I had low range 4wd and that got me up the road. Now, that has failed. My mechanic didn't have the equipment to diagnose the problem and sent me to guys that used to deal with this vehicles and have the necessary diagnostic tools. They said my problem was the ABS controller (see above). Everyone that I tell this to, including my mechanic, thinks this is bogus. My mechanic suggested that it may be the differential actuator air pump located near the front of the vehicle. He suggested finding a used one or a cheap one just to verify that is the problem. All I could find is a new one that MAY be the correct one and MAY be what I need for around $350. By the time I get it and pay shipping and import duties, that's about $700 US. Kinda spendy for an experiment. Anyway ... that's my story. I expect the first thing I need to do is determine how to identify the vehicle so I can look up the necessary parts. Then on to the other issues. Can anyone help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Moses Ludel Posted February 24 Administrators Share Posted February 24 Carib Snake...Greetings. I can see your dilemma and can answer a few of your needs, others can add to that. See my comments below in red: 20 hours ago, Carib Snake said: My '97 Suzuki Escudo/Vitara 16 Valve, 1.6L, 4Cyl, 2Dr., 4x4, ABS was imported from Japan to The Commonwealth of Dominica (NOT the Dominican Republic) in the early 2010's and I have had it for the past 10 years. It was great when it worked and there were plenty similar vehicles on the island that people knew how to work on them and there were plenty of commonly needed parts. Times have changed and so have the common vehicles. I am in need of repairs and parts for my 4wd, my ABS, and my ignition coil assembly. The problem is, if I try looking up my model/trim/year, what I find is inconsistent with how my vehicle is configured. And Trim? I have no idea. I can't find anything by trying to use my chassis number. So, I'm throwing what I know out there and hoping someone can get me started so I can ask some informed, specific questions ... Eg a good ignition coil assembly or alternatives. I drove/led two mid-nineties Geo Trackers (Suzuki Sidekicks) over the Rubicon Trail with the Suzuki 1.6L 16-valve (updated) engine. I can answer some questions... I believe VIN, in this case, is the chassis number ... which is TA02W-101125, Type is GF-TA02W, Engine G16A 1590CC. Often referred to as Escudo, or Vitara or Sidekick. It has ABS (my controller has been diagnosed as non-functional). I have not found a used one on the island and at about $2K US for a new one, I'm loathe to try to import one only to find it's the wrong one. (I bought the vehicle 10 yrs ago for $6K). Years ago, my son had a GMC Sonoma ZR-2 4x4 pickup, out of factory warranty but very low mileage. The Kelsey-Hayes ABS module failed. Chevy/GMC wanted $900 for a new module. I found an outfit at Idaho (Module Master) that reconditions automotive modules. They "rebuilt" the original module for $120 (a decade ago, maybe more now?). It worked flawlessly. I would contact this company about your ABS module. They do rebuild Japanese import modules and may be familiar with your ABS controller: https://modulemaster.com/ Vehicles of this vintage have distributors. Mine does not. It has an ignition coil assembly with 2coils connected to 2 of the plug attachments and leads running to the two others. I have found these for earlier models and later models but don't know if they are compatible with my ignition system. I'm not even sure what produces my "spark" ... a magneto?? The guy who has been doing my repairs replaced mine last year with some cheap knock-offs from China that he found and says getting a year out of them is typical ... I'd like to do better. You do have a "distributorless ignition". It's not a magneto but rather multiple coils (somewhat conventional) that fire the spark plugs. You have two "wasted spark" coils, which means each coil fires two of the four cylinders (at the top of the compression stroke and also the "wasted" exhaust stroke as well, an emissions solution). Typically, the timing base is at the crankshaft and/or camshaft position sensor and controlled entirely by electronics and the ECM software. For your parts interchange and getting oriented to what you have under the hood, I found this rundown at Wikipedia about your engine/vehicle. There are some vehicle clues with live links to various models, including the G16A 16-valve, distributorless engine. Catch the phrase, "Japan and some selected markets..." That is the key here. You likely have a Japanese market vehicle as you note. Other models that use your 16-valve engine are listed. Try to find the 16-valve model closest to your vehicle with similar parts. You can then see whether ordering parts by that "model" is easier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_G_engine G16A[edit] Either 8-valve SOHC carb or EPI before 1990 or 16-valve SOHC EPI after 1990.[23] The 16-valve G16A mainly used in Japan and some selected markets. Applications: 1989–1992 Suzuki Sidekick (8-valve) 1988–1990 Suzuki Escudo (8-valve) 1990–2000 Suzuki Escudo (16-valve) 1990–2001 Suzuki Cultus sedan 1996–1998 Suzuki X-90 1997–2000 Suzuki Carry Futura (ST160, Indonesia) 2005–present Suzuki APV (except for Indonesia and Pakistan) It has 4wd ... which I really need to get to my home on a dirt ridge road. The high range hasn't stayed engaged for years ... I tended to pop out when you need it. No one has been able to help me figure out how to fix this. But I had low range 4wd and that got me up the road. Now, that has failed. My mechanic didn't have the equipment to diagnose the problem and sent me to guys that used to deal with this vehicles and have the necessary diagnostic tools. They said my problem was the ABS controller (see above). Everyone that I tell this to, including my mechanic, thinks this is bogus. My mechanic suggested that it may be the differential actuator air pump located near the front of the vehicle. He suggested finding a used one or a cheap one just to verify that is the problem. All I could find is a new one that MAY be the correct one and MAY be what I need for around $350. By the time I get it and pay shipping and import duties, that's about $700 US. Kinda spendy for an experiment. I'm doubting that the jumping out of gear has anything to do with the ABS system. Sounds like an issue with the transfer case. Rarely, but sometimes, the shifter is not moving fully into gear. This can be interference from misalignment or the carpet/accessories blocking the full engagement of the transfer case. Beyond this, the issue is usually mechanical and within the transfer case. Anyway ... that's my story. I expect the first thing I need to do is determine how to identify the vehicle so I can look up the necessary parts. Then on to the other issues. Can anyone help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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