I thought my XL-7 would have the steel diff housing. is this the case for all of them?

They only had steel '03 and after I think.  Even then it may not be for both stick and auto.  My '02 is aluminum also.

They only had steel '03 and after I think.  Even then it may not be for both stick and auto.  My '02 is aluminum also.

thanks.

I haven't found or seen a first gen XL7 with a steel front housing. When I broke mine 8 yrs ago, I found a Vitara steel front complete (housing, mounts, drop center). Went to transfer the drop center section (aluminum), but my ring was chipped. Couldn't find a good set of 5.13's, so had to order a new set through local Suzuki dealership (yah, tried Hawk, Rocky, Spidertrax). Put them in the Vitara center section, installed it in, and haven't had any trouble in 8 yrs. Hitting 120k. Did have manual lockouts on for several years till last year when my kid was using the XL7 as a school commuter.

Biggest issue I've had with the XL7 is the front brakes. I'm on my 4th set of pads and second rotors. Still have original rears. Lots of weight transfer when braking.

Recently, the rear ac has been leaking at their firewall connection.

Quote from: Invincible on July 02, 2011, 11:45:27 PM

They only had steel '03 and after I think.  Even then it may not be for both stick and auto.  My '02 is aluminum also.

thanks.

Also 20003 is a crossover year meaning they used up all the old aluminum diffs before they started with the steel ones.  I know this because i ordered a 2003 xl7 diff for my vitara from out of town and was dissapointed to discover it was aluminun. Still beefier than my stock one at least.