What are the common problems and areas to be concerned with on Sammies? Have found several that look interesting within a few hours drive and would like to know what to focus on if I go look at any.
Toyman's adventures got me thinking and a small, narrow, 4x4 to go exploring in seems like a good way to kill some free time and get out of the house...
Rust is an issue, It is Japanese and made in the late 80's/early 90's what do you expect. Axles are good up to 33's, Tcase is good, engine is anemic. The 1.3 isnt a powerful engine, mine has a 1.6 swapped in it.(it is a 1.6 block with a 1.3 head so technically a 1.6 8v and makes 80ish hp) The Zuks Off Road MySide 2 is the best thing you can do to a carbed 1.3 or 1.6. I am waiting for mine to come in to replace the weber 32/36 that is in mine now. I honestly would buy the best stock one you can. I like the tin top samurais but mine has an aftermarket hardtop which is fairly nice.
Weak Points. Clicky starter(everyone sells a new relay that fixes it), sloppy transmission and tcase shifter(It needs a new shifter bushing(shifter sheet) or shift bolt everyone sells a kit to fix and some sell brass ones to replace the plastic ones), Weak alternator(factory is like 40amp the upgrade is a gm alternator that is like 105amps).
Avoid any calmini lifts as they ride like a shopping cart. The best upgrade is swapping to Jeep YJ springs as they are wider than stock and ride/flex much better.
Specs for mine. 1987 Samurai with a hybrid 1.6 block/1.3 head with a weber 32/36, 4.19:1 Transfercase(to low for 31's just right for 30's), 3in calmini lift, 31x9.50r15 Interco TSL Super Swamper Radials on American Racing Outlaw II's, Rallytops Sport top.
Go test drive a couple and see what you think. I owned one a few years ago and I wasn't a fan. Liked the size but the 1.3 was gutless. Mine had a spring-over lift on 31's and a Weber carb but was otherwise stock.
If you're wanting a fun, off-road capable, not too large, reliable and affordable ride, check out the Jeep Cherokee (XJ model) from 91-newer to avoid the Renix fuel injection. Solid axles front and rear, bulletproof 4.0 inline 6 engine, parts are everywhere (both stock & aftermarket). I've owned close to 20 over the years and have 3 currently.
Also in the Samurai "family" check out the Tracker/Sidekick. Does have IFS and not as much aftermarket support but I've got several friends with them and I think they are much better to drive than the Samurais.
I had an EFI truck. I hear carbed trucks have trouble with highway speeds. Mine could handle 70 just fine, but had trouble with passing. You learn a lot about aerodynamics passing semis on the interstate in a Samurai. Some of the interior materials are super fragile and just sort of fall apart under normal wear. I've heard ECUs can go. Valve adjustment is on a short interval, so you probably want to do it when you get the truck. I got 28MPG regardless of how or where I drove it. Everything is small and easy to get to. There is a crazy amount of room under the hood.
I'd own another clean, stock EFI Samurai in a heartbeat.
^--- unicorn for sure, or at least around here. A stock EFI Sami that clean would command a premium price around my area.
Mike wrote: I had an EFI truck. I hear carbed trucks have trouble with highway speeds. Mine could handle 70 just fine, but had trouble with passing. You learn a lot about aerodynamics passing semis on the interstate in a Samurai. Some of the interior materials are super fragile and just sort of fall apart under normal wear. I've heard ECUs can go. Valve adjustment is on a short interval, so you probably want to do it when you get the truck. I got 28MPG regardless of how or where I drove it. Everything is small and easy to get to. There is a crazy amount of room under the hood. I'd own another clean, stock EFI Samurai in a heartbeat.
the early pre 88.5 ones have a higher 5th gear .795 vs .865 iirc. The perfect one would be a stock samurai with a efi 1.6 16v swap to get the 105hp engine. ECU's do tend to die but if you have a weber or CV carb it doesn't matter since you dont need one at that point. iirc valve adjustment is every oil change or 9k miles up to you.
untchabl wrote: ^--- unicorn for sure, or at least around here. A stock EFI Sami that clean would command a premium price around my area.
I didn't realize it at the time, but yeah, it was a real unicorn. I paid a used car lot $1600 for my 1992 in 1998. I've only seen one other 2wd EFI Samurai for sale. I sold it because money was tight, not because I was tired of it. I'd gone to the dealer and bought a bunch of new floor rubber mats (no carpet in my truck) and dashboard trim pieces. It really was quite fresh looking compared to a lot of other trucks out there.
In reply to MrChaos:
Just curious why you'd put a 1.3 head on the 1.6.
In reply to Zomby Woof:
idk I bought it that way. From my research there is no real difference between the 1.3 8v head and the 1.6 8v head. There used to be some thought that it would raise compression but that is false. I am 90% sure the block in my samurai is a 97 16v block from the casting numbers. iirc the 1.6 8v and 1.6 16v blocks are interchangeable but there might be piston to valve contact if the timing belt snaps but it isnt a 100% thing. I also assume the reason was to not have to change any fuel system parts as the 1.3 head has a mechanical fuel pump attached to it.
The valves in the 1.6 head are larger, .5 mm int, and 2.5 mm exh. and the cam is much better (+10 degrees and .5 mm lift). It's a big improvement over the 1.3 head
In reply to secretariata:
I'll throw out another option: 1999 through 2003 Vitara 2-door. The 2.0L actually has enough power to allow you to drive on the freeway, they have EFI and more modern amenities, it still has a true 2-speed transfer case, and you can find very nice/clean examples for about 1/2 the price of a Sammy. It does have a strut IFS suspension, but the solid axle swap is well documented.
A Sammy would be a better off-road toy as-is, but I wouldn't want it to be my daily driver, or have to drive it very far to get to the trails.
I can't add much except I too want one.
Mine came from the Southwest so rust wasn't an issue, the underside was waxed! Inside the doors, air vents and everything else was filled with very fine baby powder red dust.
I got it cheap when the owner ran the 1.3 out of oil so I replaced it with a 1.6 and a Weber. SOA swap and the wheels are so flat in the center, they were reversed giving more offset. I ran a clear plastic tube from the axle vent up to the body t keep the inside dry while under water.
Problems? Stay out of the left lane. At speed it gets a little twitchy, made worse if you're aired down at all. Any part I ever needed was available at NAPA. Check out Pirate 4X4 dot com where the forum is spit up into each manufacturer, good info there.
Or just buy a TJ Wrangler. For and off-road toy they do everything the Samurai does.......better.
I do seem to remember when the Dannie's came out there was a big deal made about them being the least stable vehicle on the road and a quick lane change could induce a rollover.
I want something basic with a fixed roof and a decent 4wd system with two speed transfer case if possible. Don't plan to use it as a DD and don't really plan to put much if any lift on it. There will probably be some highway driving to get to places like national forests or river access points, but I don't anticipate that being more than 2-3 hours at a time. I expect most of the time I will be in it by myself or with one other person, so a ton of room isn't necessary. Availability of a roof rack for kayaks is also a consideration. Of course, air conditioning would be nice and that's probably not very common on Sammies...
Based on size I have also been looking for early Montero, Trooper II, Raiders, and second gen (I think they're 2nd gen) Sidekick and Tracker (4 door hardtop model). As the vehicles get newer they become far more loaded and no manual transmissions. I'll have to start looking at the XJ Cherokee and Vitara. Any other suggestions?
Hummer H3 is available with a stick. It gets you legit 4wd and fixed roof in a later vehicle.
Early Discovery comes with a stick.
X3 stays pretty small, has fixed roof and manual. Not particularly renowned for off road ability.
X5 and Cayenne do also come with a stick, but complexity goes up pretty rapidly here.
I bought a rusty one for $120.00 two years ago. It is the coolest $120 vehicle I ever bought. I need to replace the head gasket because it is blown. This thread made me realize I need to get on that so I can drive around this summer with no doors. That is all...
With the Hummer being brought into this discussion I realize that I forgot to mention that I'm looking to stay fairly low cost. I'd like to be able to buy in, cover any required maintenance, and add any needed upgrades for $5k total (or less of course).
What about an Xterra or a 3rd Gen 4runner. Both are available with a stick and are a nice size. 5k should get you a decent example of either.
Had an Xterra not looking to go back to that. Not excited by the Toyota Tax. Also, would prefer smaller than those options.
In reply to secretariata:
$5k seems to be increasingly tricky with the Samurai tax these days. Since you don't want to mod it, I'd think about a Tracker/Sidekick or even a Vitara.
Mike wrote: In reply to secretariata: $5k seems to be increasingly tricky with the Samurai tax these days. Since you don't want to mod it, I'd think about a Tracker/Sidekick or even a Vitara.
$5k budget puts Samurai and YJ/TJ out of the running. The Sidekick/Tracker/Vitara is very doable as you can get a really nice one for less than $2500
Shy of rock crawling or something that needs a lot of articulation a Sidekick/ Tracker or Isuzu Amigo would be my choice over the Samurai or even a Jeep. Real doors and roof makes it so much more comfortable for dd use and taking off or folding down the rear gets you 80% of the way to the jeep topless effect. I loved driving the Tracker I inherited from my dad, but my Amigo is a better vehicle in every way.
First gen Kia Sportage is another option; ladder frame, T-case with a low range, IFS up front (dual a-arm, not strut), live axle out back. Basically Mazda mechanicals, with Kia bodywork.
Front vacuum hubs do crap out, but can be replaced with manual hubs or there are some other automatic hubs that can be used.
Really, it's very comparable to a Vitara of the same time frame, and if you get tired of it, or happen to wreck it? FE-DOHC donor!
Talk to Toyman01, dad has one.
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