Here is the sizes and dimensions along with specifications for the Suzuki Samurai.

Samurai

1986 to 1995 sold in 2-door soft and hardtop models. Available in JX, JL, and JA trim packages. Equipped with a 1.3 8-valve I-4 engine.

The Samurai was the first Suzuki truck official sold in the United States through proper dealer channels. It's design was very much a carry over from the 1985 SJ410. So much so, that the 1986 Samurai's and 1984-95 SJ410's look exactly the same, except for body tags. In Canada it was introduced in the 1985 1/2 model year, in the US in 1986.

Depending on where it was sold in the world, the vehicle goes by three different names: Samurai (North and South America), Sierra (Europe, Australia and New Zealand), and Jimny (Asia). It is also known as the Suzuki Santana and the Maruti Gypsy. Mazda sells a re-badged new body style Jimny as the Mazda AZ-Off-road. Chevy also sells the newer Jimny in other countries. It's also known as the Holden Drover.

In North America the Samurai was never totally re-modeled, but various changes have happened over the years. A long wheel base version, a SJ410 carry over never released in the US, was discontinued in other countries in 1987. JA and JX models were offered from 1986-90, JL and 2WD models were offered from 1990-94. The 1994 US models did not have back seats due to new safety regulations.

In July 1988, Consumer Reports ran an article headlined "The Suzuki rolls over too easily." Suzuki stopped selling the Samurai in the North America in 1994 after a sharp drop in sales in that the company blames on CU's test result. However, the Sierra and Jimny continue to be sold in Europe, Australia and Asia.

In 1996, Suzuki gave the Sierra and Jimny a face lift which renewed buyer interest. Many other components were upgrade and fine tuned, but the most popular Suzuki 4x4 ever still retained its

narrow track and boxy look.

The 1999 model year brought about another, and perhaps the most ambitious, face lift for the "SJ" line. The body was completely redesigned featuring a slightly more rounded and modernized look. The dual solid axles and 2spd t-case were retained unlike many other 4WDs that had already made the switch to IFS and road biased all wheel drive. The hard top model returned as well as a new style convertible. This model continues to see strong sales and popularity all over the world and is also sold under both Mazda and Chevy badges.

Suzuki has rumored a new small true 4WD vehicle is in the works, possibly the next Jimny or its replacement. Speculations abound about the new platform, but rumors are pointing to a 2007 or 2008 release.

1986 Samurai Specs

Vehicle type: Two-door, hard and soft top

Vehicle class: Sport / utility

Power train layout: Front engine, four-wheel drive

Body structure: Body with chassis frame

Body: material Steel

Seating capacity: Four

Suspension:

Front Leaf spring solid axle

Rear Leaf spring solid axle

Steering:

Steering gear box Manual ball nut

Turning radius 16.7 ft. (5.1 m)

Toe in 0.08 - 0.24 in. (2 - 6 mm)

Caster angle 3° 30'

King pin angle 9° 00'

Brakes:

Type Power-assisted hydraulic

Front Disc, floating caliper

Rear Drum leading and trailing

Parking brake Lever-hand operated

Wheels and Tires:

Wheel Type Steel

Wheel size 15 x 5" (381 x 127 mm)

Tire type All-season, steel-belted radial

Tire size P205/70R15

Spare size Full-size

Front hubs

JA Manual/Automatic

JX Manual/Automatic

Restraint System:

Safety belts Front and rear lap / shoulder belts

Fuel Economy:

EPA Estimates - Manual

City 23 MPG

Highway 25 MPG

EPA Estimates - Automatic

City 21 MPG

Highway 24 MPG

Engine:

Type 1.3-liter, four-cylinder, in-line, 8-valve OHC

Block material Aluminum

Bore x Stroke 2.91 in. x 3.03 in. (74 mm x 77 mm)

Displacement 80.8 cu. in. (1.3 liter)

Compression ratio 8.9:1

Induction system Carburetor

Horsepower (SAE net) 60 hp @ 6500 rpm (45 kw)

Torque (SAE net) lb.-ft. @ 3500 rpm

Manual Transmission:

Type Five-speed, all synchromesh

Clutch Dry, single disc, diaphragm spring

Gear ratios

1st 3.652

2nd 1.947

3rd 1.423

4th 1.000

5th 0.795

Reverse 3.466

Transfer gear ratios

Low (4WD) 2.268

High 1.409

Differential ratio 3.73:1

Capacities / Calculated Data:

Engine oil 7.4 U.S. pt. (3.5 liters)

Fuel tank 10.6 U.S. gal. (40.3 liters)

Engine coolant 10.69 U.S. pt. (5 liters)

Transmission oil

Manual (4WD) 2.76 U.S. pt. (1.3 liters)

Differential gear oil

Front 4.2 U.S. pt. (2.0 liters)

Rear 3.2 U.S. pt. (1.5 liters)

Transfer gear box oil 1.7 U.S. pt. (0.8 liter)

Exterior Dimensions:

Wheelbase 79.9 in. (2030 mm)

Tread width

Front 51.2 in. (1300 mm)

Rear 51.6 in. (1310 mm)

Overall Length 135.0 in. (3430 mm)

Overall Width (Body) 60.2 in. (1530 mm)

Overall Height 65.6 in. (1665 mm)

Minimum ground clearance 8.1 in. (205 mm)

Curb Weight

Manual 2094 lb. (942 kg)

Gross Vehicle Wt. Rating 2923 lb. (1315 kg)

Gross Axle Wt. Rating

Front 1257 lb. (566 kg)

Rear 1675 lb. (754 kg)

Interior Dimensions

Rear cargo

Length 32.5 in (826 mm)

Width 50.0 in. (1270 mm)

Height 40.2 in (1021 mm)

Year by Year changes:

1985-1988

In the first year of sales in the US, the Samurai came equipped with a carbureted 1324cc, 4 cylinder, 4-stroke, 64HP engine with 100Nm Torque and a 5-speed transmission. The available body styles were convertible with vinyl soft top, convertible with fiberglass hardtop and a full steel bodied hard top. Each of these configurations had two bucket seats in the front and a bench seat in the rear. The Samurai would seat 4. The JA and JX models were offered from 1986-90. The JX came with a in-dash clock and a tachometer. You could buy it as a hardtop, soft top convertible, or with removable hardtop.

1988 1/2

Halfway through 1988 Suzuki made a few changes. They redesigned the dash with square holes in place of the round ones, placed a small storage area in the dash area and a different shifter knob was used. The suspension was softened for a (very) slightly better ride. A lower fifth gear was placed in the transmission and a bigger radiator was used to cool the engine better. The transfer case flanges were changed to a larger bolt pattern. I have also been told that they put weather stripping on the top bow and slightly redesigned grille , although I don't have the info on the differences yet.

1990

In 1990, Suzuki added fuel injection to the 1.3L engine, which in turn increased the horsepower to a massive 66 HP. The transmission and transfer case bearings were changed to the sealed design. They also removed two of four spider gears from front differential and the wheelbase increased an inch or two to improve the ride further. The JL and 2WD models were offered from 1990-94.

1993

Suzuki changed the grill design slightly.

1994

The back seats were removed in order to meet new US safety regulations.

1995

In 1995 the Samurai model was discontinued in US and Canada

1996

Although not sold in the US Suzuki made many design changes in 1996.

1996 Engine & Transmission

- exhaust muffler capacity increased to improve gas flow and reduce noise

- 5th gear ratio decreased (0.975 to 0.864)

- higher diff ratio (3.727 to 3.909)

- transfer gear ratio changed (High: 1.409 to 1.320; Low: 2.268 to 2.123)

- rubber mounted revised clutch cable eliminates vibration

- new transmission "Mass Damper" to reduce vibrations

- new viscous coupling engine fan reduces noise

- new high voltage transistor coil

- new larger capacity radiator

- larger 42 litre capacity fuel tank (from 40L)

- power steering added

Suspension & Brakes

- front and rear leaf springs replaced by an "Isolated Trailing Link and Coil Spring" design, providing the most remarkable improvement in ride and handling

- the brake booster diameter has been increased by 25mm (1 inch) to 200mm (8 inches), improving the stopping power dramatically

- coil springs with twin control arms for each axle

Exterior

- new hood, front fenders, windscreen panel, grill and indicator/parking lamps

- under hood insulation

- front and rear bumpers have been slightly restyled and are now polypropylene

- the traditional side stripe has been discontinued

- high level brake light is standard on the hard top and also on the soft top via a special mounting on the spare wheel bracket

- halogen head lights replace the old sealed beams

- revised vinyl material on the Soft Top hood.

- improved door seals.

Chassis

- chassis strength increased through two side-frames and five cross-members

- rubber mountings between body and chassis to absorb road vibration and reduce cabin noise

- side-protection beams

Interior

- totally revised dashboard with silver reflective gauges, including tachometer

- new wide, three spoke, urethane soft-grip steering wheel with collapsible steering column

- new front bucket seats with more lateral support and new upholstery (vinyl trim in S/Top, cloth trim in H/Top)

- comprehensive sound deadening material between the dashboard and firewall

- the front seat belt buckle position has been relocated to the side of the seat rather than floor mounted

- new molded door trims

- new improved brake and clutch pedal layout

- new plush cut pile carpet on hard top models

- console box between the front seats

- rear split folding bench

- tinted glass on rear side and back windows

Colors

Superior White, Antares Red, Reddish Blue (Metallic), Aqua Green (Metallic)

Jim Duquette

Oklahoma city, OK

Gusthedog2.net

remove rubber plug from transmission bell housing located on drivers side .start the engine and warm engine to normal operating temperature (failure to warm up engine to proper temp will result in incorrect timing) after warming engine make sure that idle is set to spec 800 +or-50 rpm (failure to set idle to spec will cause incorrect timing) connect timing light to spark plug wire number 1 .now looking at the bell housing opening where you removed the rubber plug in the middle towards the back of the opening there is a notch this is your timing match mark.on the flywheel is your timing marks for 86,87 samurai timing should be set at 10 deg b.t.d.c

-_

So the 2800 was really overloaded...it had 31 inch tires & spare, which are all heavy...a winch, body lift, spare lots-of-stuff.

All in all I really miss it as it was the best little off roader I ever came across. Would go places nothing else could touch. But the darn engines had trouble passing smog as the carbs were junk, would tend to run rich and ruin catalytic converters. Hope this helps.

A stock Suzuki Samurai weighs 2,100 Lbs, empty, and has a maximum vehicle weight of 2,932 lbs when fully loaded.

The first thing is to put the crankshaft (the bottom pulley) and the camshaft (the top pulley) in ABOUT the right position. What you are striving for is to get the engine so it is at TDC (Top Dead Center) on the #1 (front of the engine) piston.

1. Crankshaft #1 cylinder TDC: Pull the spark plug closest to the front of the engine. (Turning the engine manually will be easier if you also back off the other spark plugs, but it isn't absolutely necessary...and if you DO want to remove all 4 be sure to mark the wires so you know which to put back where afterwards.) Put a socket on the nut of the crankshaft pulley, and rotate it clockwise as viewed from the front of the engine, while shining a strong flashlight into the spark plug hole. You should be able to see the top of the piston as it moves up in the cylinder. The goal is to position the piston so it is at the absolute highest point. The piston will rise quickly then slow down as it reaches the top, and then will slowly start to descend again. Move your crankcase wrench back and forth so the piston is in the middle of what seems to be the highest point. ALTERNATE to flashlight if you can't see it: Put a thin bladed screwdriver in the spark plug hole while you GENTLY move the crankcase. The piston will push the screwdriver up as it rises in the bore so again you can find the highest point. BE CAREFUL, you don't want to gouge the top of the piston or wedge the screwdriver...but this really isn't difficult...and I would generally use the screwdriver method myself. OK one way or another the piston should now at the top of its travel, and the crankcase pulley will be within a few degrees of where you want...more to follow on this later.

2. Camshaft #1 cylinder positioning: When the crankshaft is at TDC on it's firing cycle, the two valves on the #1 cylinder will both be closed, and the distributer rotor will be pointing (about) to the #1 spark plug wire. To check all this, remove the valve cover (4 bolts) if you haven't already done so. The hose from the air filter will just pull off. Loosen the 4 bolts that stick up through the sheetmetal valve cover, and pull off the cover. It may stick a bit..tap gently with a mallet to loosen it. You may have a little trouble working the cover past the protrusions and off the engine, but wiggle it around a bit and you can do so. (Note for reassembly: Make sure the gasket is in place and not wrinkled or torn when reassembling.) Take a look at your distributor...one of the posts has the wire on it that goes to the front (#1 cylinder) sparkplug. There may be a #1 embossed in the cap, maybe not. In any case loosen the two spring clips that hold the distributor cap in place and pull the cap off. You will see the rotor, and one end of it has a brass or copper piece that you want to be pointing right to where the #1 spark plug wire gets attached. To get to this point, rotate the camshaft (top pulley) clockwise (as viewed from the front of the engine) while watching the rotor go around. Also watch the two front valves (one on the driver side, (the exhaust), and one on the passenger side (the intake). You want NEITHER of them to be pressed down by the camshaft lobes. Go ahead and rotate the camshaft a few times while watching the motions of the rocker arms over the valves and the distributor rotor. You will get a sense of how things go up and down and around...and when BOTH valve rockers are in the up position for the front cylinder, and the rotor is pointing to the #1 spark plug wire connector, you are within a few degrees of where you want the camshaft. (To check valves, try to push down on the rocker arms with your fingers...if in the right place both the front rockers will feel "loose" and you will be able to move them slightly. If one or the other is tight, then you probably aren't lined up right. Alternatively try to put a thin feeler gauge in between the rocker arm and the valve stem (the post coming up through the cylinder head). You should be able to insert a thin feeler gauge on both the intake and exhaust sides.

3. "Fine-tuning" adjustment of the camshaft (top pulley): There is a notch or groove on the camshaft gear. Here is where memory fails me...I don't remember if the groove will be right at the top and will line up with a groove at the top of the metal plate behind the gear, or if the groove should be right at the bottom lining up with a mark. I THINK the groove should be at the top...but if you followed the directions in step #2 it will be right where it lines up, or maybe just a little bit to the right or left. Align it exactly! Don't worry if it moves the distributor rotor a little bit away from the #1 spark plug connection...the whole point of step #2 was to get you "close" to where you needed to be, the notches are the real alignment.

4. "Fine-tuning" the crankshaft: Again I don't remember offhand the exact alignment. I THINK it will be a groove or notch on the crankshaft pulley (the bottom pulley) with a mark or post on the metal plate behind the gears. I am sure the mark or groove will in this point be 'up'. This should be simple to see what is what, but if it doesn't seem to be like I said then go out and buy the Haynes manual for exact instructions. Again, don't worry if you need to shift the crankcase pulley a few degrees one way or another, the important thing is to get it lined up with the notch or mark...step #1 was just to get you 'close'.

5. Installing the timing belt: 1st off, are you putting on a NEW timing belt? If not, go jail without passing Home, as a new timing belt should cost less than $20, and the labor to change it is so extensive that every time you take it off you should put a new one on. Going to use an old one anyway? Make sure you put it on so it goes in the same direction as it originally did. But whoever took it off didn't even mark or line things up, so you don't know which way this old belt turned anyway. So use a new one. And if you are a hard core 4wheeler like I used to be, use a white-out pen and draw an arrow on the new one once it's installed, pointing in the direction it turns. That way if you ever have an emergency field repair and have to reuse an old belt, there will be arrows on it showing the right way to put it back on.

6. Loosen and backoff the adjustment pulley. This is a small idler pulley located between the camshaft and crankshaft. There are a couple of nuts or bolts involved. One is on the pulley itself that locks it into position. Loosen that one. Then there is another nearby, that holds the adjustment slide and spring. Loosen that one two...move the idler pulley as far to the left (as viewing from the front) and temporarily lock it into place by tightening the adjustment bolt. Again memory fails so I may not be describing this exactly right, but the goal is to move the idler pulley as far to the left as possible, so it won't be in the way when putting on the new belt.

7. OK time to put on the belt. It's toothed, and the important thing is to have NO slack on the right side (as viewed from the front). The crankshaft will PULL down on the right side of the belt and make the camshaft move. If you have any slack on the right side your timing will not be right. I would start putting the belt on the camshaft gear, and then push it onto the crankshaft. Once you get it started it shouldn't be too tough to slide it all the way onto the pulleys. If it's right your alignments on both camshaft and crankshaft will be good, and there will be no slack on the right side. If the notches don't line up right take the belt off, reposition the pulleys where they should be, and try again.

8. OK, now you think you have it right. Loosent the idler gear so the spring pushes it against the left side of the belt. Put your wrench on the crankshaft and gently slowly rotate the crankshaft clockwise at least two full rotations. Stop after two rotations of the crankshaft and see if all the marks are lined up again. (Note that the two pulleys rotate at different speeds, so sometimes both marks line up, sometimes they are 180 degrees out of phase.) Look good? OK, time to tighten the bolt in the center of the idler gear to hold it in place. Gently tighten the other idler gear bolt too, the one that held it away when you were putting on the belt. Note these are small bolts: Do not use very much force on them or you will snap one or the other off!

9. Well, it should now be right. But to check things out, turn the crankshaft around another 2 or 4 times. Watch the piston, watch the distributor rotor. When you stop your piston should be ABOUT at top dead center. Your distributor rotor should be ABOUT spark plug wire #1. And the crankshaft and camshaft markings should be dead on lined up as detailed in earlier steps. Still good? OK to do the rest of the reassembly.

I'd like to hear if these instructions helped or not. You can drop me an email at prhkgh@comcast.net Good luck. I used to hardcore run Samurai's, and at one point owned 4 of them. I had trouble keeping them smog legal and then changed jobs so no longer get enough vacation to off-road, so I sold them. But I had over 250,000 on mine, and my kid had over 180,000 on his, by the time we got rid of them.

Paul

Here's a slightly different way to do it

That answer was pretty much the same way the haynes manual says to do it. But I've recently found another way which i feel is easier and more precise.

Now, I'm assuming that the fan shroud, clutch and pulley, and the timing belt cover have already been removed. If you can't get that far, you might want to consider going to a mechanic.

Since this question about a timing belt being removed without alignment, we'll skip to the next step after belt removal. To start, make sure the tensioner bolt and tensioner stud are no more than hand tight. In order to get proper belt tension, the cam pulley must be able to move freely. To do this you need to remove the valve cover and back out (not remove) the valve adjustment screws enough so they don't touch the cam lobes. Turn the cam pulley clockwise and align the timing mark with the "V" mark on the belt inside cover.

Turn the crankshaft timing belt pulley clockwise until the punch mark aligns with the arrow on the oil pump. With the cam and crank TB pulleys aligned with their respective marks, the crankshaft is in TDC on the #4 piston. Install the timing belt so there's no slack on the drive side (side opposite the tensioner). To remove any remaining slack, turn the crankshaft all the way around twice. Once slack is removed, tighten the tensioner stud first (7-8.5 lbs-ft) and then the tensioner bolt (17.5-21.5 lbs-ft), then confirm that the pulley marks are still aligned. Reinstall timing belt outside cover, crankshaft pulley, fan pulley, clutch, shroud and alternator belt.

Now it's time to adjust the valves and ignition timing. On the drivers side of the transmission bellhousing is a rubber plug. This is the timing check window. Visible through this hole you'll be able to see a "T" with a line underneath it on the flywheel. Turn the crankshaft clockwise until the line is even with the bottom of the notch in the check window. The engine is now TDC on #1 piston.

If distributor was not removed from housing, make a mark on the housing just below the #1 plug in the cap. Remove the cap and check that the rotor is in the #1 position. If the rotor is 180 degrees out, then rotate the crankshaft clockwise one full turn and align the mark in the check window again.

Now you can adjust the valves to the cold setting. In this position you can get piston 1 & 2 intake and 1 and 3 exhaust. Intake setting is .005-.007 in. and exhaust is .006-.008 in. Rotate crankshaft one full turn and do piston 3 & 4 intake and 2 & 4 exhaust.

Replace the valve cover and bring the engine up to normal operating temp. Turn the car off and remove the valve cover (again) and check the valve lash (use the check window to find TDC again). Hot intake setting is .009-.011in and exhaust is .010-.012in. Reinstall the valve cover for the last time and don't forget to put the timing check window plug back in. Throw a timing light on that puppy and go have some fun.

Hope this helped someone,

Chilly