I’m referring to the 3-door Suzuki Escudo. Despite its age, it still looks good. Any maintenance problem ?
There are several problems with the old Escudo/Vitara. As a former technician on these vehicles I have several years experience with them on a day to day basis.
Before listing things to look for on these vehicles I still maintain that as an off road vehicle, they perform very well with minimal modifications, but as a road going vehicle, they are poor performers in almost every aspect.
There are two basic engines for the Escudo, 16 and 8 valve, both 1.6 litre. The 16 valve is the later engine, but both engines need their tapits adjusting manually and are without lash adjusters. The 16valve requires shim adjustment, the 8 valve traditional feeler gauge adjustment. This is an additional piece of maintenance that many other more modern 4x4s do not require.
DO NOT fit oversized wheels to the Escudo as this drastically reduces its performance with a standard 1.6ltr engine and often causes rapid wear and degradation of its suspension, hubs and steering system, often resulting in a dangerous vehicle, even between normal service intervals.
Things to check or look out for on all models.
- Air control valves (Manual adjustment, and need adjusting on regular service intervals. Plug in computer necessary)
- Power steering pump drive belts slip and frequently need adjusting and replacement.
- Power steering pumps may leak oil and bearings may fail in cases where the belt has been overtightened to reduce the common squealing, especially when wet.
- Front wheel bearings often fail due to overloading with larger wheel rims and tyres.
- Front steering system often wears early when fitted with oversized wheels and tyres.
- Transfer box chain and bearings often fail. Often due to four wheel drive wind-up.
- Rear differentials often need attention, bearings, adjustment etc.
- Door handles, window mechanisms and other plastics tend to fail.
- Fuel tanks may be prone to corrosion, albeit not so much in Taiwan.
- Sender units in the fuel tank tend to fail regularly (the floating resister mechanism for the fuel gauge)
- Locking hubs can need frequent servicing.
- Spark plug leads tend to fail quite early. Suzuki leads should be upgraded.
- Heater mechanisms and controls may be prone to failure.
- Rocker cover gasket leakage. Expect to change around 15,000km.
The engines on these vehicles are generally very good, and I have little experience with drastic failures. The weak points are the valves and cams however which can wear out early if the tapits are not properly maintained. If you hear lots of clicking and tapping in the top of the engine, then that would generally be a sign of poor maintenance.
*Be aware that the Escudo is extremely easy to break into by shorting wires within the right, rear light cluster. All one needs is a phillips screwdriver and a short wire, to short and open the central locking if fitted.
Wow… 
It’s a pity that the oversize wheels are not compatible with Escudo. The Escudo looks extremely gorgeous when fitted with oversize wheels.
Are Escudos made in Taiwan ?
The maintenance problems that listed, apart from those caused by oversize wheels, are Taiwan mechanics competent enough to tackle the problems ?
I would note that it will be almost impossible to find an Escudo that hasn’t been fitted with huge mud bogger tires and wheels for most of it’s life… never mind the fact that it’s never been anywhere wilder than the parking lot at Carrefour.
AFAIK the Escudos were assembled here. There are few Geo Trackers and Suzuki Sidekicks out there which were imports.
If you are just looking for a cool-looking off-road flavored runabout I think a RAV4 or Sportage might be more appropriate. Nothing like as capable off-road, but I think more reliable and suitable for street use.
One of the plus points of the Escudo is that they are very easy to work on. Most Taiwan mechanics should find them fairly simple.
I forgot one common fault: Exhaust manifolds tend to crack easily, especially on the 8 valve versions.
Its also worth noting that 4x4s in my area of work in the U.K. were nearly always used for offroading as many were owned by landowners and farmers. The Escudo however tended to be used fifty percent of the time by show-offs with stupid big wheel kits which would destroy the vehicles. Offroad, unmodified they were much better vehicles than larger and far more expensive Isuzus, Mitsubishis and Toyotas.
Those that suffered steering, hub suspension problems were onroaders with big wheels, generally. Those with smashed transfer boxes were those used offroad where the road wasn’t slippery enough for the four wheels to lose traction.
As Redwagon suggests a RAV4 would make a much better road vehicle than the Escudo. The first generations are difficult to come across in Taiwan though. The alternative to the RAV4 is the first gen Honda CRV. Not quite as quick to drive, but just as practical, if not more so. Both would offer more interior room and a superior road drive over the Suzuki.
[quote=“redwagon”]
If you are just looking for a cool-looking off-road flavored runabout I think a RAV4 or Sportage might be more appropriate. Nothing like as capable off-road, but I think more reliable and suitable for street use.[/quote]
I prefer a 3-door SUV. If you’re suggesting the 5-door models, why wasn’t Hyundai Tucson among the contenders ? Of course, not forgetting CRV, Escape, X-Trail etc.
[quote=“mezziahmac”]
I prefer a 3-door SUV. If you’re suggesting the 5-door models, why wasn’t Hyundai Tucson among the contenders ?[/quote]
Because Tucsons are typically driven by asshats and you don’t fit the profile. KIA Sportage is a 3-door btw. Though Korean cars usually have issues of their own, they won’t have been compounded by being blinged out to look like they’re a Ewan McGregor round-the-world support vehicle by Ah Huang and friends.
I like the Escudo. It’s a good little runabout and it is actually useful off-road. Problem is that:
- As mentioned, virtually all of them have been fitted with big tire/rim combos for much if not all of their lives.
- Due to recent vendetta, most of them have been retrofitted with OEM rims so you can’t immediately tell if it was blinged out when buying.
- As Sulavaca mentions, a lot of expensive things fail when they are modded with big tires/wheels.
That is going to make it hard to find one that has good suspension / steering / transmission systems. OTOH, very few of them have ever been off-road beyond that one time the owner decided to show off their ‘super-duper trubo 4WD conqueror’ on a crowded beach and had to suffer the shame of being towed off in front of a hundred giggling teenagers.
I would probably buy a cheaper one and budget for a bunch of new steering and suspension parts.
The Hyundai isn’t one that too many people considering reliability would recommend. It also doesn’t offer the residuals of the CRV or the performance of a RAV4. The Escape is rather crap all round, the X-Trail the better of the cheap alternatives, but not in residuals and rather newer than the older RAV4 and CRV, so might be in a different bracket for your consideration.
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a post on here alleging cracked cylinder blocks as generic Escudo fault, so I was surprised not to see it mentioned above.
I had a quick look for the post but couldn’t find it and don’t have time for an exhaustive search right now.
IIRC the fault applied to later aluminium blocks, not earlier cast iron ones (progress). The poster described exactly where on the block the fracture occured, and how to spot it.
I can’t remember if its supposed to be realistically repairable by welding, but in Taiwan I’d bet not unless one knows EXACTLY where to go, and maybe not even then.
Separate point: I’ve seen an Escudo which appeared to have had the body mounted on a complete, separate chassis, presumably to lift it and perhaps make it more robust (I’m assuming the stock Escudo is monocoque). I don’t know anything about this but wonder if such an upgrade might mitigate the problems usually encountered when upsizing the wheels/suspension, as mentioned above.
[quote=“Ducked”]I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a post on here alleging cracked cylinder blocks as generic Escudo fault, so I was surprised not to see it mentioned above.
I had a quick look for the post but couldn’t find it and don’t have time for an exhaustive search right now.
IIRC the fault applied to later aluminium blocks, not earlier cast iron ones (progress). The poster described exactly where on the block the fracture occured, and how to spot it.
I can’t remember if its supposed to be realistically repairable by welding, but in Taiwan I’d bet not unless one knows EXACTLY where to go, and maybe not even then.
Separate point: I’ve seen an Escudo which appeared to have had the body mounted on a complete, separate chassis, presumably to lift it and perhaps make it more robust (I’m assuming the stock Escudo is monocoque). I don’t know anything about this but wonder if such an upgrade might mitigate the problems usually encountered when upsizing the wheels/suspension, as mentioned above.[/quote]
I’ve known cracked cylinders on the Grand Vitara, but I can honestly say I have never had one on an Escudo. Is it possible that there is some modification necessary before this happens? Perhaps they are run much hotter here than back in the U.K. I still haven’t come across one here on my travels with this problem however. Not to say its impossible, or that you are wrong.
I’ve not seen a Kia 3-door Sportage anywhere, let alone in Taiwan. 
No, neither have I. I just pulled that out of my ass to confuse you. 
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images.carsforsale.com/242071/a9 … 2538_1.jpg
ocar.com.tw/index/cardetail/id/61106
There’s also the Hyundai Galloper to consider, also a 3-door. Count them yourself if you don’t believe me.
All my friends have Escudos…very easy to drive and we live up on a mountain…they don’t have too many problems, but yes, the door handles and little things aren’t so great. My friends bought theirs for NT50 000 and after 4 years are still very happy with it.
I owned one for 3 years. A JLX. Took it for regular service every 7k or so, had moderately oversized tires. Cheap as chips. Consistently overloaded it with a roof-rack and bike racks, windsurfers, camping gear and scuba gear as well as car seats and baby stuff for 2 kids, (sometimes all at once). Had an massively upgraded stereo by the former owner that was a bit of a waste since the ambient noise was high. Went everywhere in Taiwan, sometimes off-road.
Could hit 100 clicks on the highway - barely.
Never failed us.
We still miss it.
I’ve seen Escudos bouncing around at Bali - probably the closest thing you can get to a dune buggy without actually buying a dune buggy. They look like Tonka toys from a distance. I’d love to have one for a day. 
[quote=“sulavaca”][quote=“Ducked”]I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a post on here alleging cracked cylinder blocks as generic Escudo fault, so I was surprised not to see it mentioned above.
I had a quick look for the post but couldn’t find it and don’t have time for an exhaustive search right now.
IIRC the fault applied to later aluminium blocks, not earlier cast iron ones (progress). The poster described exactly where on the block the fracture occured, and how to spot it.
I can’t remember if its supposed to be realistically repairable by welding, but in Taiwan I’d bet not unless one knows EXACTLY where to go, and maybe not even then.
Separate point: I’ve seen an Escudo which appeared to have had the body mounted on a complete, separate chassis, presumably to lift it and perhaps make it more robust (I’m assuming the stock Escudo is monocoque). I don’t know anything about this but wonder if such an upgrade might mitigate the problems usually encountered when upsizing the wheels/suspension, as mentioned above.[/quote]
I’ve known cracked cylinders on the Grand Vitara, but I can honestly say I have never had one on an Escudo. Is it possible that there is some modification necessary before this happens? Perhaps they are run much hotter here than back in the U.K. I still haven’t come across one here on my travels with this problem however. Not to say its impossible, or that you are wrong.[/quote]
Discussed fairly extensively here.
http://www.forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?f=75&t=44233&start=0&hilit=crack
The thread is on the Vitara, but Escudo’s get discussed too, and they seem to be saying that the later Escodo with the 1.6 aluminium block has the same engine, which one might expect.
Get a Jimny. They have that too in Taiwan. My neighbor in Mucha got 2 since he had a 2 car garage and could fit 2 Jimnys in one full-car spot.
In my opinion the Jimny should never had come with that waste of materials in the back that they refer to as seats. They only weigh it down.
According to farmers in our region back in the U.K. they were quite upset when the old SJs were discontinued as they believe they are better offroad than all the newer vehicles. I can’t comment really as I hadn’t had much experience with SJs back then as they were being rusted, I mean fazed out. They were light as hell and would literally float over mud which was great. I had never taken one properly into the depths though. You certainly couldn’t hope to have a conversation in one.