i got 1 in the shop. makes alot of noise. anyone done one? what am i going to be looking at?

Oh, man! Yes, my GV is in my garage right now, and going back together. They wanted $1200 for the LABOR.

Note - your GV 2.5L V6 will trash its chain tensioners every 40,000 miles. There are three of them. Live with it. To replace them, you have to remove the intake manifold, valve covers, PS pump, Rack & Pinion, Front Diff, upper and lower oil pan, radiator, and finally the timing chain cover. To replace the tensioner on the passenger side camshaft chain, you have to remove the camshafts. This ain't no shit, and I'm documenting the piss out of it, complete with step-by-step photos, tools, torque values, etc.

I should be able to publish this this year, if I get my shit together.

are u really removing all that stuff, or is that what the book says?PICS!
MINE HAS 48,000 MILES

hey bobzooki.. did u go in and just replace the tensioners, or all 3 chains also? what other parts should i need?

Here's the deal. I replaced EVERYTHING - chains, sprockets, guides, tensioners, etc. Did I need to? No, but I know that there isn't something else about to fail, in the loop. Yeah, you really have to remove all that shit. Oh and while you've got it apart, the water pump is right there - you have to remove all that to change out the water pump, too...

Fer fawks sake...

Edit: I can give you a complete list of the Suzuki part numbers I have purchased. PM or E-Mail me...

thanx bob. how much time did u spend on it?

Originally posted by 2stroke
thanx bob. how much time did u spend on it?

Umm, I started in June, I think. OK, I'm slow, and I've been documenting every step, and I haven't spent much time on it because we have extra vehicles, but my wife is ready to get her GV back - I've probably got 40 hours in it...

Do both the 2.5 and 2.7 have this problem?

r@m

your GV 2.5L V6 will trash its chain tensioners every 40,000 miles

I've probably got 40 hours in it

Does the GV give you a BJ while you're driving it? Otherwise that seems like a lot of expensive work for owning a Japanese car.

Originally posted by DemoMike

Does the GV give you a BJ while you're driving it? Otherwise that seems like a lot of expensive work for owning a Japanese car.

Yeah, I was thinking that the V6 would be a sweet swap into a Sam chassis but with that kind of maintenance it ain't worth it. ~150k mi would be more tolerable (barely).

r@m

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Bobzooki
[B]"Note - your GV 2.5L V6 will trash its chain tensioners every 40,000 miles. There are three of them. Live with it."



I take it you are talking about the guides? is there any way you can substitute them/line them with metal or delrin or something like the Toyota trick?:(



"upper and lower oil pan"


:confused: ------------------>:eek: :eek:<-------------------

good grief.

its the tensioners, not the guides

blech. sucks to be you guys.:(
:D sorry.

What model does this engine(s) come in so I can AVOID!! IT!!!

I dont know Japanese engine model numbers, sorry :confused:

When I was looking for a 2.5 V6 to stuff in my Sami, I put a message on the Topica list and received the following response from a guy in New Zealand. It speaks of the chain tensioner......

==================

I see on the topica forum you are looking for a Suzuki V6 engine.
I own Te Puke PartsWorld in New Zealand. We specialise in dismantling
Suzuki 4 wheel drives from the early LJ50's to the latest XL7's.
We have several V6's from Vitara's in stock here.
The 2.0 V6 (H20A) was fitted to the older shape Vitara from 1994 to mid
1998, It is an all alloy 4 cam (chain drive). These 2.0 V6's suffer from
premature cam chain wear and need a complete chain replacement every
80,000Km. They are otherwise a reasonable motor but are down in HP &
Torque compared to the J20A motor (in line 4 Cyl 2.0 litre) also in the
'94 to '98 models. The 2.5 V6 (H25A)comes out in Grand Vitaras (mid'98
and still making them) and is similar looking but a completely different
unit internally. They perform a lot better, the cam chains were
redesigned (there are some vehicles with over 300,000Km on them and
still going well). The 2.7 V6 (H27A) is essentially a 2.5 bored out, was
released in NZ in Dec 2001 and has not been around long enough to
evaluate its expected life, however they go like a rocket.
We can supply motors as follows:
2.0 V6 H20A from 1995 Vitara done 65,000Km,complete with auto, wiring
loom, computor etc $ NZ 5750.00
2.0 J20A from 1996 Vitara done 45.000Km complete with auto, wiring loom,
computor etc $ NZ 6350.00
2.5 H25A from 1999 Grand Vitara done 54,000Km with auto, wiring loom,
computor etc $ NZ 7250.00
2.5 H25A from 2001 Grand Vitara done 7000Km with 5 Speed, wiring loom,
computor etc $ NZ 8450.00
2.7 H27A from 2002 XL7 done 17,000 Km no gearbox (broken in accident),
with loom & computor $ NZ 8250.00

All the above motors are complete with alternators, starters, airflow
meters, all engine bay sensors still attached to the looms.
The auto's or gearboxes are all complete with transfer cases, mounts and
shift cable (auto) and gear lever (manual).

Motors can be crated for shipping and indicitive shipping cost to Brazil
(Rio) by surface freight is $ US 510.00 with a 65 day delivery as is via
Hong Kong.

I hope the above assists you with your inquiry.

Regards

Shane McCluskey
tepukepartsworld@xtra.co.nz
www.partsworld.co.nz

==========================

TIFWIW.......:)

Originally posted by billj
The 2.5 V6 (H25A)comes out in Grand Vitaras (mid'98 and still making them) and is similar looking but a completely different unit internally. They perform a lot better, the cam chains were
redesigned (there are some vehicles with over 300,000Km on them and
still going well).

So he's saying there is nothing wrong with the chain tensioners on the H2[5,7]A engine?

At least, not high maintenance like we are hearing over here? I've heard about the chain tensioners being an issue from more than one source so I am befuddled.

r@m

Originally posted by Root Moose
So he's saying there is nothing wrong with the chain tensioners on the H2[5,7]A engine?

Well, it looks like they fixed it on the H25A engine in New Zealand, but I'm hearing that most people are going through tensioners every 40,000 miles. I know my wife's GV had 'em done under warranty at 40,000, and I just finished it at 80,000. YankeeTim on Off-Road.COM has not had the problem on his GV. I know I'm not the ONLY person to see this.

I finished the job this weekend, and the GV now purrs like a kitten again. The power of this engine will blow your socks off! I'm used to driving my 2-door and 4-door Sidekicks, with the 1.6/16 valve engines, and they're DOGS. My wifes GV will outjump my Dodge Dakota with the V-8.

Oddly, I can't really say which of the three tensioners was not working properly. They all appeared to still "spring and ratchet" correctly, but one or more of them were definitely not up to snuff. The motor sounded like a mis-adjusted deraileur on a bicycle, and it clicked and knocked like a can of rocks. Now, it's as quiet as when it was new. It was a bit "iffy" making sure all three timing chains were properly set - and all TWELVE timing marks were properly aligned, but I got it right the first time!

One More Thing...

DO NOT RUN ANYTHING BUT 5W30 OIL IN THE 2.5L V6.

I got this tip from YankeeTim on ORC - says anything else will bring "death of the timing chain tensioners"...

thanx for the info boys...
im gunna tear into this week. if any 1 needs pics or info. just ask.

Hey Bob... you get that article done? Just bought mom a 2001 Vitara and it's got 36k on it. :( Is this "tensioner thing" a freak thing, or is this a real track record? Does synthetic oil help at all?