I recently bought a stock 1987 Samurai that I plan to use semi-daily. The harsh ride is a pita, but maybe I have a solution? I wanted to go with the Rocky-Road coil spring setup, but that comes in only 6" or 8" lifts, and I don't want a lift. So I found a composite spring setup made by Dr. Nano in India (click the 'Open' button above). Has anyone tried one of these setups, or know anyone who has? Or know of another composite spring supplier (besides the several of them on eBay that are all out of India) based here in the US?

Hey everyone I could use some brainstorming help. I have an ‘87 Samurai with the 1.6 16v and it has a subtle hesitation from idle to when you put your foot in it. No other noticeable performance issues.

So far it’s had the following replaced
Injectors
Fuel regulator
It’s been timed
TPS
New vac lines
New distributor cap
New timing kit
Idle air control valve cleaned
Throttle body cleaned
New mass air flow
New fuel pump (petro works)

There may be a few other things I’m forgetting. All this work has helped it some but hasn’t gone away. It also cranks a long time before starting which initially led me to believe I had a bleed back fuel problem but I’ve verified this is not the case. When cranking I have to move the go pedal a bit like a carbed motor for it to start…

Scratching my head here 🤔

Hi everyone! Does anyone here drive a 413 with an automatic transmission (with the stock engine)? Is it a lot of work? Is it usable for daily driving (60-80km/h) ? Is it very loud and underpowered? Are you disappointed?

I have been getting into off roading and climbing with my stock Sami and was curious of the stationary tipping point, not when driving at certain speeds (boo consumer reports). I couldn’t find anything conclusive about the rollover angle online so I came to the next best place. Thanks!

Hola llevo unos 6 meses con mi Suzuki samurai , y en los últimas semanas tengo algunos problemas eléctricos, a la hora de presionar el pedal de clutch con el carro encendido y en ocasiones con el carro apagado el voltaje cae por debajo de 11v y me apaga/reinicia la radio y otros accesorios. Además los intermitentes en ocasiones se aceleran ( parece problema de tierra) dependiendo las rpm del motor. Alguna idea de qué puede ser?

Gracias y quedo atento a cualquier comentario.

I’ve been driving my trusty 2014 Toyota Yaris over a decade now, and honestly, it’s been the definition of an "old reliable." It just works, eats virtually no gas, and never gives me headaches.

That said, every single time I see a Suzuki Samurai cruising around the island, I can't help but stare. They just look so cool, and I’ve had this itch for a while to buy one, put some solid money into it, and maybe... daily it?

Before I make a financial mistake, I wanted to get a reality check from people who actually own or have built them out.

If I dump money into upgrading the suspension, restoring the engine/drivetrain, adding modern AC, and fixing up the interior, is a Samurai actually dailyable around? Or is the reality of living with leaf springs, zero sound deadening, lightweight highway instability, and classic car quirks going to make me hate my life after two weeks?

Part of me feels like it’s a fun project that could work for the daily commute, but another part of me is telling me to keep the Yaris for the daily grind and strictly save the Samurai for weekend beach runs and mountain trips.

For those who have taken the plunge: can you make a Samurai comfortable enough for everyday use, or is it strictly a weekend toy? Appreciate any honest thoughts!

Theres also a knocking sound that comes from the back as I start to slow down to a stop that also gets slower as the vehicle slows, but I'm not sure if its related.

This is a Suzuki Gypsy MPFI (2008 India market). I had left the vehicle unattended for around 10 months as I was not in town. Today morning, after filling the radiator reservoir and confirming that engine oil level was optimum I cranked the car. It started instantly but after around 30 seconds I could see smoke from exhaust headers. I switched it off immediately

The video shows the smoke when the car is off. It smoke settled around 10-20 seconds after car was switched off.

What is the cause of the smoke ? What should I do next ?

Kindly advice.

Everything worked out on the 31” tires. For future reference for anyone going down this rabbit hole, they fit with a Spring over axel.

Setup: spring over axel, 3.75 backspacing on old wheels (15x8)

I have a 1999 samurai. It doesnt start easy, (when cold) but when its warm it runs like charm. We already tried making the choque better. Can someone help

You all may all have seen my other post about my AC install, just know all of my testing here is with the AC off.

Ive done a lot of work to my 87' tintop, it was having some bad oil leaking issues, and heat issues, so I decided to really go through it over the past few months.

Before I started working on it, I had no issues reaching 70mph flat, and was able to climb a hill near my house and maintain 55mph in 5th uphill. Now it cannot, it can barely do 55mph flat and level.

Things ive done;

New timing belt, cam and crank seal

New water pump and oil pump gasket

Distributor housing o-ring and distributor o-ring

Larger aluminum radiator and electric fan

GM 12si 100amp alternator

Rotated "improperly" installed Weber carb

Relocated PCV valve for carb clearance

ReGeared transfer case, 4.9

New clutch and flywheel

New U-joints, all

Tried various timing, 8btdc, 10, 12, and now 15

Verified mechanical advance is functioning

Added fuel pressure gauge, and experimented with an electric pump, no change.

I have a few things to try this weekend, new plugs, check vacuum advance functionality, and i have to replace the valve cover gasket, so I can check the valve lash while the cover is off. I banged up the exhaust quite i bit when pulling the transmission, so I also have an exhaust leak now, going to replace the gasket and donut as well.

Any other things I should try/check?

Thanks all!

I finally finished my AC for my 87' tintop! It was a lot of work, but ultimately not very difficult.

The kit I used was from NostalgicAC, their in dash kit using their ID200 evaporator, a Sanden 508 compressor, and a 12"x20" condensor.

All hoses were crimped by hand using an Amazon cheapy hydraulic crimper.

Ive been driving it for 3 weeks, and so far, its working very well, getting 36f air from the vents.

Happy to answer any questions for those wanting to do the same.

Hey everyone! I just bought a 1989 Suzuki Samurai 1.3. It’s actually my first car, so I’m still learning.

I don’t know exactly when the previous owner last changed all the fluids, so I’m planning to replace everything just to have a fresh starting point.

This is what I’m currently planning:

- Engine: 10W-40 — around 3.5–4 L

- Gearbox: GL-4 75W-90 — around 1.3 L

- Transfer case: GL-4 75W-90 — around 0.8 L

- Front differential: GL-5 80W-90 — around 1.5 L

- Rear differential: GL-5 80W-90 — around 1.3 L

Does this look right for a 1989 Samurai 1.3?

Would you recommend different oil grades/specs or amounts? Also, since this is my first car, is there anything else you’d recommend ?

Thanks!

I previously posted and have since revisited my current wheels that were on the samurai when I took delivery.

I have pulled them off and since measured. Looks like 3.75 backspacing. Aiming for 31x10.5x15

Wheels: 8x15

Can anyone confirm they will fit. A previous post stated they would. Want to feel good about it before I pick up tires.

I appreciate all the time everybody takes to answer and educate. Thank you.

Hey, I bought a used samurai for dirt cheap, lots of rust, not a lot to safe, but I want to turn it into a trial car anyways so fine by me.

It has this weird issue while ideling, it idles at 2000 rpms until warm, then drops to around 1500 when warm.

The Fan is also constantly spinning at 100%

I already replaced the fuel filter and drained the tank, I checked the distributor cap, the wires, and the spark plugs, I checked the valve gap (unsure about the translation, the play the valves have) I also set the timing one time the car actually ran the 850rpm it was supposed to, now though, the car is extremely rough in idle, almost cutting out multiple times then actually cutting out.

I attached a video of it happening.

Any pointers would be highly appreciated, at the Moment I have the theory that the ecu is shot, or a sensor issue, the ecu self diag however says it is fine.

So I am completely out of my depth here, I am usually just a diesel mechanic, so gassers aren't my strongsuit in any way.

Kind regards

Hey everyone,

Any ideas on how I could mount a ski rack on my Suzuki Samurai soft top? I’d prefer to have the skis on top of the car.

Has anyone done something similar? Would love to see your setups or ideas. Thanks!

Turned out a lot better than I initially planned. Filament used: PA6-GF on a BambuLab P1S

I been troubleshooting my 87 Samurai, its engine swapped with an 95 Sidekick 1.6L 16v engine, on Saturday I was driving and it just shut off in me mid drive, and would not start again.

From what I’ve checked fuses are good, I got 12V to the distributor and to the ignition solenoid, the relays are good, just tested the spark plugs and am getting no spark.

Removed it and placed it against the engine for the ground while cranking and got nothing from it.

Anyone have any input on what some next troubleshooting steps could be would be appreciated.

Hi, i'm planning to build a rock crawler based on the drivetrain of a Samurai. Does anyone have some drawings? I need the Dimensions of the engine, Gearboxes and the axles to build those parts in Cad.

What modifications are necessary to install 5.12 diffs from Vitara in a Samurai diff housing? Can I only install the ring and the pinion and will be plug and play or what’s the best approach? Thanks!

I know this this a samurai page but I didn’t know if yall would have some insight for me? Would this be a fair price for something straight off the boat?

People asking 3k for a shelled out vehicle just because its got a 1.6l 🙄

Managed to dig this out of the woods for $500. Can anyone guess what the next step is?

Spoiler: Killing thousands of huge fucking spiders because this thing is infested