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Suzuki Every van progress

Discussion in 'Microvans' started by t_g_farrell, Sep 14, 2021.

  1. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    I guess I never looked, $81 per springs for the front. They don't have the rears. Hmmm, the rear springs are 3 in ID.
     
  2. Chad Cataldo

    Chad Cataldo New Member

    Yea 81 each. I got both springs, seats, and top bearings and a air filter for just under 300 shipped.
     
  3. Chad Cataldo

    Chad Cataldo New Member

    Mines the turbo efi. I wonder how much differences they have


    Edited for horrendous grammar.
     
    Last edited: Apr 5, 2022
  4. Mini mouse

    Mini mouse New Member

    Thank you for your posts. They’re very helpful. I have a 1990 Suzuki every 660 and just about zero knowledge about replacing parts and mechanical work. Love my little van and happy I found this forum.
     
    I_AM_ZUKI and t_g_farrell like this.
  5. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    Thats why I do this.
     
  6. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    So looking at Rockauto it appears that the brakes for the Every and the 1999 Suzuki Esteem are identical on the rear drums and very similar on the front disc. I already got the brakes hoses from the 96 Swift front and back. They look like they will work. Once I order the rear brake stuff (complete including drum, hardware and shoes). I'll report back on all the part numbers. May get the fronts as well, have to take a closer look at the calipers to make sure tho.
     
  7. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    So I replaced all the hoses for the coolant this past week. On a van there are about 2x the hoses because rear engine/front radiator&heater. I bought some of the hoses from japan but not all were available. I had to source hoses from bulk stock to fill out the remainder. I'll post up more details and pics soon. I will say this, it's not a task for the faint of heart. I've been wrenching on various vehicles for 50 years and it still took me a week (working nights a couple of hours each day) to get this done. I'll also share some tips on buying hoses and bleeding van coolant systems.
     
    Glowplug likes this.
  8. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    Ok, lets talk about the coolant hoses. I went to the megazip site and ordered every hose they had in stock. This is basically my order (note a lot of sold out on items):

    HOSE,RADIATOR INLET, Suzuki 17846-50F10-000 US $18.06 1 pc. US $18.06

    HOSE,RADIATOR, Suzuki 17856-50F10-000 US $10.26 1 pc. US $10.26

    HOSE,RADIATOR OUTLET ENG, Suzuki 17857-50F00-000 US $14.92 1 pc. US $14.92 sold out

    HOSE,HEATER INLET, Suzuki 17873-50F10-000 US $16.30 1 pc. US $16.30 sold out

    HOSE,HEATER INLET ENG, Suzuki 17874-50F01-000 US $16.30 1 pc. US $16.30 sold out

    HOSE,HEATER OUTLET, Suzuki 17875-50F10-000 US $15.90 1 pc. US $15.90

    THERMOSTAT,WATER 82 DEG, Suzuki 17670-50G00-000 US $20.25 1 pc. US $20.25

    HOSE,RR BRAKE FLEXIBLE, Suzuki 51560-83031-000 US $25.65 1 pc. US $25.65
    HOSE,FR BRAKE FLEXIBLE, Suzuki 51530-50F00-000 US $47.93 2 pcs. US $95.86 sold out

    It only include 3 coolant hoses, a thermostat and a rear brake hose. I got the thermostat because it came with the rubber seal that goes around the edge and it had the jingle pin in it. The one I got from the dealer had neither. The rear brake hose is a topic for another day.

    So got the 2 main radiator hoses for the radiator to the front end of the pipes that go back to the engine and one of the heater hoses for the heater to the front end of the pipes that go back to the engine. Turns out I should have order 2 of the heater hoses of part # 17875-50F10-000 as they are basically identical. For the rest of the hoses I sourced bulk coolant hose as needed for the rear pipes to the engine.

    One hose I got a while back (based on a recommendation in some post here) was a formed hose that was supposed to be a close fit with some trimming. It was used for the radiator return hose which required a 90 degree bend and some other bends to get attached to the right pipe for the return to the radiator. It was this hose from amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C2SB98/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    [​IMG]

    One thing to note here is this hose is not a nice tight fit for the pipes involved and must be clamped well to prevent issues.

    Another thing to note is that the vans have a lot more hoses (like 2x as many) because the engine is in the rear and the radiator is up front.

    For the front heater hose I didn't get I was able to use a 1/2 in ID coolant hose and route it with no issues, so that completed the front hose changes.

    I then proceeded to drain the coolant. I jacked up the rear of the van so that the tires were a few inches off the ground. Then I opened both bleed screws. I then went to the front and opened the drain at the bottom of the radiator. Pretty standard stuff. I pulled out about 1.25 gallons of coolant from the system. I also drained the overflow by detaching the overflow tube at the top radiator and holding it down so its below the overflow. It just syphon all the coolant out of the overflow container. I had changed the coolant when I got the van back in Sept 2021 but when it was drained it still looked green. There was a bit more but this is one of the gallons I filled.

    recovered_coolant.jpg

    Heres a pic from after I removed the radiator and it's hoses to expose the heater hoses.

    old_heater_hoses.jpg

    Oh another thing to note, get a good selection of spring clips as the old ones are pretty crusty where they are exposed to the elements. For instance these upper clips on the hoses where good but the lower ones were pretty rusty. I grab one of these from amazon and just wished I was able to find another assortment of larger sizes as well: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077Z68ZDL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    [​IMG]

    So I then proceeded to replace all the hoses to the engine and the thermostat as well. The large hose from the tstat to the radiator input pipe was large in size ( a 1 in ID hose - need to verify that for you all ). Also these large hoses had clamps that fit the OEM hoses just fine but were not big enough for the bulk hose I replaced them with. So I ended up using some old school spiral screw on clamps for some of these.

    Next up I'll describe how I bled the system successfully and maybe help you all keep your sanity.

    Almost forgot this pic of all the hoses I removed:

    old_hoses.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jun 2, 2022
    CVP33 likes this.
  9. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    The old hoses left to right are 2 front radiator hoses, 2 front heater hoses, 1 engine heater outlet hose, 1 (90 degree bend) engine radiator inlet hose, 1 engine radiator outlet hose (off the tstat), the 3 small hoses are the ones for the choke on the carb, There is on missing which was a *&^&* to get to, its the engine heater inlet hose which attaches on the top of one of the radiator pipes in the middle of the chassis from a heater pipe in the pipe rack that spans from the front to back. It was not very long but I had to undo the mount for the pipe rack to get at it.
     
  10. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    Scored these at the local Dollar Tree store. The flashlight I popped into my flare holder under the glovebox.

    dollar_tree_scores.jpg
     
  11. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    This is the instruction for bleeding the cooling system for the vans engine.
    bleeding_instructions.jpg

    Yeah, it didn't help much either.

    So to bleed the van (and the trucks too I think) it helps to elevate the rear to drain the system and then drop the rear back down and elevate the front wheels a few inches off the ground. Of course the work I did almost completelt drained all the coolant out of the hoses, pipes, radiator and most of the block. On the van if you don't do the engine hoses, it will only drain about half the system. When done I had a little over a gallon of coolant collected. I also took the overflow hose off the top of the radiator and pointed it down into the pan as well. This used gravity to drain the coolant overflow bottle as well. Heres pic of t he coolant I removed. Note it looks green. 8 months ago I put in yellow standard coolant but obviously the old stuff was still in there as well.

    old_coolant.jpg

    After getting it all drained and then jacking up the front of the van, I proceeded to fill with new coolant mixed 50/50. I massaged the radiator hoses a bit to help move the coolant out of the radiator and into the system. Once it stopped taking fluid, I added some to the overflow as well. I then started up the motor. When it finally got hot and the fan kicked on coolant started burping out of the radiator when the tstat opened and closed. I added some coolant as well. Meanwhile the engine was getting hotter and hotter. I opened the 2 bleed screws (one on the he tstat cover) and the other nearby on the hard pipe next to it. Well that just blew steam at me. So I knew it was getting too hot. Obviously there was air trapped and it didn't come out as expected. So I topped off the overflow and put on the radiator cap and then shut it down.

    This was an ah-ah moment for me. As it cooled down I could hear gurgling (which means air moving around in the pipes). I also saw, when it had sat for about 20 minutes, that most of the overflow got sucked up as well. So I topped up the overflow and then started it back up. It didn't overheat and appeared to be cooling ok. I then opened the bleed screws from before and heard air come out and then coolant. The temp gauge was staying in the middle and the fan would cycle every few minutes for a short time. I also pulled out my trusty HF infrared temp gun and verified that the temps into and out of the tstat where staying within about 10 degrees of each other. All was good. I turned it off and it still sucked down some more coolant from the overflow. This was good, as it showed the system was sealed and pulled vacuum as it cooled. I topped up the overflow again.

    So the lesson here is to fill the system as much as possible, start the engine, run until hot, top off the overflow and put on the radiator cap, let it cool and then crank it up again to bleed using the screws on the tstat and pipe at the engine. Also keep that overflow topped up so it doesn't suck any air up.

    I hope t his helps the next poor soul that has problems bleeding their kei trucks. Its worse with the Every van because the engine is at the back and the radiator is in the front. Theres long pipes going between with hoses at each end. So lots of places for air to get trapped.

    The next few days as I ran the van I checked the overflow. After the first drive I had to top up the overflow once more. From then on it has stayed at steady full.
     
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2022
    installater likes this.
  12. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    So I added roof racks, some cup holders and an LED road flare:

    racks_mounted.jpg cupholder.jpg
    flare_mounted.jpg flare_standing.jpg

    Amazon links for the racks and cupholders:
    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079K8PGS5?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M5S157T?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

    I had to drill new mount holes for the racks to get them to clear the roof of the van. The specs said 7in clearance but it was only 6.5in, so drilled holes up 2 more inches which got me plenty of space to clear the roof and allow for any mountings.
    The cupholder is held on by 3M molding tape to the top of the console. If it ever comes off I could just run some screws through the bottom into the console but want to try not to do that if possible.
     
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2022
  13. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    The road flare is just a dollar store led flashlight I found the other day.
     
    DotCentral likes this.
  14. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    Dropped the fuel tank and replaced the fuel lines. The only hose I didn't replace was the large one for the filler neck to the tank as it was in great shape and appeared to have been replaced not too long ago. All the rest were very crusty and falling apart, failures waiting to happen.

    New filter/old filter. This filter I got on rockauto and it wasn't an exact fit but the hose barbs had the right orientation at least.

    https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=360038

    It was not a perfect fit but it was useable. It is slightly smaller in diameter where the mounting bracket wraps around and the space between the input/output barbs barely allows the mounting bracket to fit, its tight vertically. I fixed the smaller diameter by wrapping with some thick tape until it was snug when I mounted it. The other caveat is that on the stock model the top output fuel line barb is smaller that connects the hose to the pump but I was able to stretch the new hose I was using onto it no problem.

    At only $3, you can't beat the price. I'll also keep looking to see if I can find a better fit too.

    fuel_filters.jpg

    Old hoses I removed:


    fuel_hoses_old.jpg


    Close up of the tag on the old filter:

    fuel_filter_old_tag.jpg
     
  15. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    While out driving in the heat and using the AC I noticed that if I'm doing ~30 mph the AC blows real cold and works great, also at idle. If I'm cruising in 4th or 5th gear at almost WOT it's not as cold. This is either due to the way the system is arranged with the condenser under the driver side rear seat, flat with its own fan pulling air or there is some sort of cutout when at full throttle that maybe disables the AC. Someday will have to look into it some more.
     
  16. Chad Cataldo

    Chad Cataldo New Member

    I was just noticing this the other day on my every. On the highway it kinda blows cold and then you can feel the compressor shit off for a short while then start back up. I wonder if the higher rpm’s just are too much for the compressor
     
    t_g_farrell likes this.
  17. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    Could be that as well, self protection in the clutch for the compressor. I noticed it going 55 in 4th but if I up shift to 5th and stay the same speed it seems better, so it may just be the rpms.
     
  18. fmartin_gila

    fmartin_gila Well-Known Member

    Lower powered jap vehicles had a circuit that would cut-off the AC clutch at close to WOT. Had a 1980 Toyota Corolla, found a small circuit board nestled in the ducting which could be adjusted to different parameters. My new 2022 Spresso does it, but I would imagine all is controlled by the computer these days so probably no adjustment.

    Fred
     
  19. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

  20. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

  21. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    So the quest continues for a gas pedal cover.
     
  22. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    Was driving the van the other night and noticed the parking brake light intermittently blinking on/off randomly. I did hit some jarring bumps so it may be a connection issue. Have to check the fluid to make sure it is not low. Never taken the console cover off the covers the prarking brake lever and shifter, so that could be a gold mine in weird stuff hidden down in there. I'll report back once I do an investigation.
     
  23. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    So the brake fluid was at the min mark. I topped it up. We shall see how that goes. I suspect the rear wheel cylinders leak. Won't know until I pull the drums.
     
  24. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

  25. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    Got some Raptor liner and will redo the plastidipped bumpers with it. The plastidip just doesn't hold up well on these bumpers. I'll post pics when I get it done.

    Got 4 cans of this.
    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DGVMWS9?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

    [​IMG]

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00397POFC?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

    [​IMG]

    Also picked up a 4 door remote locking kit and some contacts for the sliding doors. A remote lock will be so much easier.

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MDLUTPC?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

    [​IMG]

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JLLL3K1?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

    [​IMG]
     
    Bookworm likes this.
  26. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    While installing the remote locks I found this envelope behind the glovebox. Sent pics to my nephew in Japan and got this response:

    "What a random thing to find! What you have there is information about a scheduled medical checkup, including a colon cancer screening, that a medical clinic sent to a male patient two years ago. The piece of paper provides information like the date and time of the screening, what not to eat beforehand, etc. The blue bag contains two vials for submitting feces samples (seriously!) and instructions on how to use them. The white paper says to prepare two samples from separate days. They seem to be unused, so no need to freak out.
    So I guess he didn't go to the checkup!

    P.S. The paper also mentions a urine sample, but you don't seem to have that kit. Guess it got misplaced somewhere!"

    glovebox_envelope.jpg glovebox_env_contents.jpg glovebox_test_kit_front.jpg
     
  27. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    Changed the oil after one year and 4K km on the odometer. Man that was some black oil, no water and not too thin but it needed changing. BTW the oil capacity for the van is 2.9 liters which is ~3 quarts. I got 4 quarts just in case. Ended up putting 3.5 quarts in. I suspect the manual is not accounting for the oil in the filter (changed the filter too).

    I put in new 9003/h4 headlights as well. See if it helps at night driving.

    Tighten up the accessory ribbed belt which finally got rid of the cold startup squeal I have had.

    The van has progressive lowering Downus blue springs on it and while doing the oil I was looking at the springs and noticed the bump stops have zero clearance, so the rear is riding on bump stops. Someone installed these springs and didn't trim down the bumpstops, DOH! I'll deal with that next I guess.
     
  28. Liberty4Ever

    Liberty4Ever Active Member

    Thank you for this ongoing repair, maintenance and upgrade thread. I have a Daihatsu truck instead of a Suzuki van, but still got a lot of useful information and inspiration from this thread. Based on the progress over more than a year, it looks like you're on old man time. I can sympathize. Me too. I'm doing a lot of the same upgrades you did - LED bulb swap, stereo, etc.

    I'd love to have a 4WD kei van, but absolutely cannot justify it, and believe me, I tried! I even thought of selling my 4Runner to make room for it but I should keep a more comfortable highway capable passenger vehicle. It came in very handy last month for towing a one ton trailer with my 1500 pound mini truck, 560 miles back from the Newport News Marine Terminal.
     
  29. t_g_farrell

    t_g_farrell Active Member

    Liberty4Ever likes this.
  30. 5Speed

    5Speed Member

    I have purchased a 1997 DE51V but it will not ship until end of June. I have made notes on all the items that you have replaced and I expect I will replace many if not all the same items. Thanks for posting your journey.
     

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