Hello,

I am new to this group but not to owning a Suzuki. This is my third Suzuki vehicle. My first was a 95 Sidekick 4x4, my second was a standard 98 Esteem and now I am the proud owner of an 08 Grand Vitara. This is my problem.

The vehicle has almost 35K miles on it and it has been giving me problem when starting. The engine gives a lot of trouble turning over, and there seems to be a power drain from somewhere. When it does catch, the ESP light stays flashing longer than it should be (anywhere from 3 seconds to over a minute). For a few seconds after the engine catches, it acts like it wants to cut out but then drives with not too much problem. When I take off the AC, it drives even better, as though the AC is draining power. At night when this happens, I notice a definite power drain when the headlamps are turned on.

I had this problem with my first Sidekick and it turned out to be my starter, which is what I am thinking is the problem this time around as well. But the dashboard lights coming on is a new twist as well as the drain in power. Had to reset the ESP light by disconnecting the battery in order to keep that light from staying on which is what it did initially a week ago. Could it be my battery needs to be changed? Do I need to check my starter?

Thanks for the help....

yoki

Hello,

I am new to this group but not to owning a Suzuki. This is my third Suzuki vehicle. My first was a 95 Sidekick 4x4, my second was a standard 98 Esteem and now I am the proud owner of an 08 Grand Vitara. This is my problem.

The vehicle has almost 35K miles on it and it has been giving me problem when starting. The engine gives a lot of trouble turning over, and there seems to be a power drain from somewhere. When it does catch, the ESP light stays flashing longer than it should be (anywhere from 3 seconds to over a minute). For a few seconds after the engine catches, it acts like it wants to cut out but then drives with not too much problem. When I take off the AC, it drives even better, as though the AC is draining power. At night when this happens, I notice a definite power drain when the headlamps are turned on.

I had this problem with my first Sidekick and it turned out to be my starter, which is what I am thinking is the problem this time around as well. But the dashboard lights coming on is a new twist as well as the drain in power. Had to reset the ESP light by disconnecting the battery in order to keep that light from staying on which is what it did initially a week ago. Could it be my battery needs to be changed? Do I need to check my starter?

Thanks for the help....

yoki

Battery or altenator come to mind. Once you get it started put a volt meter across the battery terminals. You should have 14v +/- 0.5v Have someone turn on the headlights while you have the meter on there and see if it goes down significantly (more than 0.5 - 1 vdc). If it does, speed the engine up and see if the voltage recovers to the 14v mark. If the voltage does not recover, suspect the alternator... if it does, look for a draw on the system when it is off (turn key off, place amp meter between battery post and the positive lead of battery, check for current flow in excess of 50mA or so) OR a bad battery (have parts store test it).

Good luck, Let us know what happens, ok?

-Eric

is it not stillunder warranty??