Thread: Suzuki Escudo - 2l V6 petrol motor

Team,

Hopefully there is someone out there with a little knowledge on the Suzuki Escudo 2l petrol V6 motors.

Are they good in terms of reliability/longevity or are they better avoided?

I’ve been looking for a cheap 4WD and mainly been looking at older Terrano’s, however an Escudo would likely be a better option for what I want it for.

Very thirsty what i can remember
I had the 4cly 2.0 which had plenty of power to tow a trailer and quad. Had a good run out of it, worst thing i did was start to modify it

Its a mazda motor

Thanks, it would seem they run timing chain and hydraulic lifters which can be prone to failure.

I had one for a good while, I quite liked it.
Thirsty compared to other 2L motors, still better than the bigger V6s in the likes of the terranos and pajeros.

They can sound a little rattly from the timing chain, replacing it straight off the bat can be a good move, the tensioner relies on oil pressure so keep up on oil changes and use the recommended oil, I think it's a 5w?
Some people put in a thicker oil thinking it'll help but it actually makes it worse.

I bought mine cheap because of a rattle sounding timing chain, knocked him down hard thinking I'd have to replace it.
When I got home I put in a new filter and oil and within 10mins it was sounding perfectly fine and ran fibe for the 50,000km I had it for

I casnnot speak for the V6 as I have never had one, but the 1.6 litre 4 has served me well. My understanding is the V6 was thirsty but the later 2.0l 4s were better....

In the same sort of space - looking for a cheap 4x4 as a virtually 'disposable' wagon for beach and rough trips for the family. I've been in several of the older model Suzuki's (early/mid 90's). My experience of the V6 Suzuki's is when they go they go well but if they need attention they can be a bit of an issue, one needed an engine swap due to internal issues and that was a pesky job. If it was cheap enough and mechanically healthy I wouldn't turn my nose up at one but my preference would be the 4cyl engine - they go OK and are a little lighter from what I recall.

I'm after something post 2000 just to avoid the hassle and time lost on the extra WOF a year, those are I think fitted with either the 2.5L or 2.7L V6 which is a different engine family if I have it right. The grey nomad crowd rate these little cars quite highly as tow-behinds and they are going up in value because of this.

A bit more research on these suggests that it was the 2.0 V6 Escudo that suffered premature timing chain failure. So regular servicing appears to be crucial to avoid any major engine drama.

Where it’s going it will never reach 50kmph and only needs to launch a boat, so it will never rack up big km. That sort of eliminates the economy aspect from consideration.

I guess its one of those walk away if it rattles situations otherwise there may not be much to be concerned about.

I had a2004 2 l that went very well . I sold it at 245000km. And bought another one, a 2002 model, same motor but not abs brakes it seems. It goes very well as well . Both are the 4 doors version.

dont get the diesel one either thats a mazda rf motor.

I have a 98 2L DOHC manual one , had it for 22 years now and 370000km and cheap to run .in in that time I've done,ripped out the Aircon (compressor shit itself), brakes ,shocks, removed the cat , injectors, and on the third radiator and last year put a new (lower km s/h) gearbox and new clutch in it .it took me years to find a gearbox for it it made alot of noise (a piece of a bearing fell out when I changed the oil) but I was still driving it. it now uses about a litre of oil a month but wont die. the wife has a 2wd (RWD) 2015 model much cheaper to run than the full time 4wd models.
I was going to upgrade to a ute but the Scottish economics of it all stops me , It should see me out
also it was the last year before they started putting airbags in them .
its due for its second repaint
its never been wrapped in cotton wool its a workhorse , I pull heavy shit round the paddock , have used it to pull out stumps and fenceposts (concreted in ones) etc short wheelbase makes it handy .

Originally Posted by blip

dont get the diesel one either thats a mazda rf motor.

It’s a 95 4 door - for what I want it for it might be OK. Most Terrano’s I’ve looked at in the sub 5k bracket are totally stuffed or close to it and finding a good one without oil leaks, rust, pump issues etc is like trying to find rocking horse shit. If this thing is mechanically healthy then it maybe an option.
@blip, your comments seem to suggest running a mile, then another one to make sure you were far enough away from these. I can’t establish if this is a walk away from model (like the 3l ZD30 Nissan diesel for example) or proceed with the usual caution here?

Haven't seen a living one in quite some time. Last one through shop was a dereg one that the chap used to get down the beach at Matata, would have been just before covid. Torquey little things, if you can get one at the right price (almost free) then have at it

I've owned the 4 cylinder version. Unbelievably thirsty yet still underpowered.

Originally Posted by Hayden C

It’s a 95 4 door - for what I want it for it might be OK. Most Terrano’s I’ve looked at in the sub 5k bracket are totally stuffed or close to it and finding a good one without oil leaks, rust, pump issues etc is like trying to find rocking horse shit. If this thing is mechanically healthy then it maybe an option.
@blip, your comments seem to suggest running a mile, then another one to make sure you were far enough away from these. I can’t establish if this is a walk away from model (like the 3l ZD30 Nissan diesel for example) or proceed with the usual caution here?

Being a mechanic you see it all. The diesel ones are very uncommon but me personally wouldnt touch one even for free. Although pretty good wagons and theres really nothing else in their size class they have their problems. V6 is timing chains, 1600 4cyl cracks heads and blocks a bit under powered for the beach and you could end up getting it hot. Used to take mine up murawai a bit and the soft sand sucks the power out of them. Mine was a 1600 when the head and block cracked on mine I repowered it with a 1500 out of a cultus.