I thought I would do an overview for those who choose to take it on. This car has really no resale value, so it's up to you as to whether it's worth it or not. For me, this car had been almost flawless up to 165k miles and I had just dropped quite a bit on tires, brakes and shocks/struts. I decided to do it since my daughter is turning 16 soon and I could eventually give it to her. Once the first CVT let go, I completely lost trust in the car and decided to sell it and get a new one. I will give you the update at the end....
This is a big job. I have the advantage of having a vehicle hoist, so I was able to lift the entire car up leaving the front drivetrain cradle sitting on a lift table. If you don't have the same then you will have to be pretty ingenious to make this work. It can be done - see the post about the guy doing head gaskets. I will just say that it takes more thought and brawn than I'm willing to expend at my age.
To start, the unit you get from a salvage yard is going to look like this:
Check it closely and make sure you don't see anything broken and that the torque converter is included. Cut connectors on the car side are ok, but broken connectors aren't. Also make sure there aren't any signs of obvious water getting into the unit.
You will need to have access to the Suzuki dealer diagnostic tool. I ordered the SDT from the factory site for about $600. I also ordered a new torque converter seal at the same time. You should also plan on ordering some expendables to do while you're in there. I did the rear main seal, timing chain tensioner and guides, water pump and whatever else you feel is necessary. Everything but the water pump were OEM (Rockauto for the pump). DO NOT get anything but the factory rear main seal. The listed ones on eBay and other sites DON'T FIT. I also ordered axle seals for the CVT from my local O'Reillys but BE AWARE the listed Kizashi ones don't fit. I cross-referenced the ones for the Jeep Liberty CVT which uses the Jatco JF011E as well and they did fit. You will drain the radiator so get the good blue stuff. Also get a CVT cooler filter and trans filter as well as your CVT fluid of choice. It takes about 10 qts.
I followed the factory manual for removal of the engine in the steps listed. It's not bad with the car in the air but I can't imagine doing it on my back. The driveshaft (if you're AWD like me) and exhaust must be removed. As with every other car I've worked on, the exhaust nuts and bolts were invariably rusted in place and took a lot of time to get off. Drive axles weren't bad but the left one got ripped up when the nut chewed the thread up during removal. I took the peen out but it still happened - maybe a chunk of rust or something. I got a replacement from a yard within a day. The A/C takes some doing as well. Let's say I went a different route than doing what the manual said.
You will also unhook the steering shaft (mark it!) and power steering wiring in the cabin. Once everything is unhooked in the engine bay and you're disconnected underneath, four bolts are left to hold everything in. Have something underneath and run them back. Once it's down and the car is up, things look like this:
To remove the CVT, have a buddy handy. You will need to remove the transfer case as well which really isn't too bad. Back the fasteners off and then gently pry between. You will have this:
Now is the time to do your rear main seal, timing chain stuff and water pump. Note my timing chain pic that I used zip ties to hold tension on the chain and avoid skipped teeth. I took the header off for the water pump but was able to re-use the exhaust gasket. It wouldn't be a bad time to check your valve adjustment either. I didn't do it as it hadn't been too long since I checked it. If you haven't done the belt, throw one on now as well. New plugs would also be a good idea if you've been putting that off.
Now the fun part. Once your replacement of expendables is done, install the new torque converter seal and put the torque converter on the shaft. Spin it a couple of times to make sure it's good and square. Next, herk up the CVT and get it on the shaft. Ensure everything is lined up and tighten it down to spec. DON'T get greedy and try to do the CVT and transfer case as a unit - it won't work even though it looks like it will. Once the CVT is on, install the transfer case and get ready to drop the car back down. If you just went straight up and down you're good to go. If not, you'll need to get it close to alignment before dropping it. Bring it back down and install your cradle bolts. Run them up about halfway and then let the cradle hang. Install them the rest of the way slowly and evenly. If you do, you can hopefully avoid an alignment after. Once everything is in place, hook the systems and equipment hanging free back up. Replace your CVT seals and put the axles in - check that circlips have some oomph left in them. It is now that you should install your new CVT cooler filter and trans filter. Your CVT will most likely come drained but it may not be. Check the fluid for signs of water. Honestly, the second one I got had a little tiny bit in the pan but I thought it might have just been condensation from sitting. It's been running fine. If there is a ton of water then stop and call the yard.
Now that everything is in and hooked up, drop the car down and replace your fluids. Plan on doing the CVT, transfer case and antifreeze. You don't have to do the engine oil but I did anyway. For the CVT, I followed the factory steps which I can't remember now - they're in the manual. If you did the A/C my way, get some new freon and compressor oil too. Once everything is in, check your CVT fluid level again. Now get out your handy SDT tool and follow the transmission "learning" steps. It was painless for me and hopefully it will be for you too. After that, it's time to warm up the CVT and make sure your level is good. Drive it around with the SDT plugged in and monitor your fluid temp. Once it reaches spec, come back and check your level. Add as necessary. That's it - you should be good to go!
So what happened to me the first time? Not sure. I contacted the yard to ask about the warranty but the guy there was such a flake that I finally got my money back by disputing the charge. The second unit has worked great so far.
Last, I did lose faith in the car. It's going to my daughter when she turns 16 next week, but my wife has been driving it around town for the last 3 months instead of our Excursion to save gas. No issues whatsoever. Regardless, I was done depending on it for my 200-mile commute so I bought this:
And the best part? A LIFETIME BUMPER-TO-BUMPER WARRANTY!!! No, I won't be doing anymore transmissions in my daily driver for quite awhile.
