ZUKIWORLD Online | Suzuki 4x4 Editorial and Forum
ZUKIWORLD Discussion Forum => Suzuki 4x4 Forum => Topic started by: vuzuki on November 09, 2011, 10:44:34 AM
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Hi everyone, I'm austin I just registered with zukiworld because I had an important question pertaining to me.
I have a 96 subaru impreza that I've been trying to sell to replace it with a samurai, however someone just offered me a trade for a sidekick and I was wondering what you guys thought
it's a 95, 4door, manual, 4wd with 160,000 miles... any thoughts or warnings? it is in good shape and he says it has no issues, is this high mileage for a sidekick?
I figured this hasn't been asked before, but I'll try searching also.
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not high mileage, but not exactly low either.
250k miles is what I start to consider high (and many go much longer too).
BUT, it comes down to maintenance (like any vehicle). It's always hard to judge how well maintained a vehicle REALLY is, but signs of long outstanding leaks or hack job repairs should be a warning flag.
Also, ensure that the CEL functions (turn on key, CEL should light, start engine CEL should go off).
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that's kinda what I thought.
I'm hoping to go look at it this week, hope it looks okay :P
er, what is a CEL function..? D:
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CEL == "Check Engine Light"
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oh okay, I'll bring my obd plug. Thanks for reminding me :P
I've been wanting a 4x4 project, but I've never looked for mods on the sidekick.. I know it has ifs, is it very expensive to do a front axle swap? and other things like does it have a seperate diff in the front that I can put a locker in? or hook breathers to..?
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"use the search" ...
but short answer ... yes (IMO), yes, and ???
MANY here run with a "budget" ifs, and/or body, lift, and make very capable rigs.
<edit> P.S. Welcome to the site and enjoy. The more searching/reading you do on your own the more you'll get out of the multitudes of FANatics here.</edit>
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oh okay, I'll bring my obd plug.
A 95 wont have an obd plug :'(
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Hi everyone, I'm austin I just registered with zukiworld because I had an important question pertaining to me.
I have a 96 subaru impreza that I've been trying to sell to replace it with a samurai, however someone just offered me a trade for a sidekick and I was wondering what you guys thought
it's a 95, 4door, manual, 4wd with 160,000 miles... any thoughts or warnings? it is in good shape and he says it has no issues, is this high mileage for a sidekick?
I figured this hasn't been asked before, but I'll try searching also.
It will probably smoke on a cold start (valve seals usually start leaking by 160K). But should clear up and not smoke anymore after 30 seconds or so. Tell him you do not want it started for the day, before you get there. That way you can check it. It really isn't a big deal if the valve seals are leaking. But just something to check. A bigger concern would be if it continues to smoke for longer than 30 seconds or smokes if you run it hard.
The timing belt should have been changed at around 100K and will be due to be changed again at 200K. You could ask him if the timing belt has been changed and when. He might tell you the truth, he might lie...you have to make the judgement on whether he is being truthful. If in doubt, change it if you buy/get it.
Rust is ok. As long as it isn't excessive. Generally, I am more concerned with the mechanical condition than the cosmetic condition.
Not really "high mileage", but it is on the upper end of "average", IMO. Like was said, these engines will run for a long time, if properly maintained (meaning change the oil and filter and keep the oil topped off). Black oil or low oil is a good indication that he doesn't keep up on the maintenance very well. So listen closely to the engine for unusual knocks, taps, pings, etc. As those can indicate that the engine may need some expensive repairs shortly.
Also, people don't seem to keep the valves adjusted on a regular basis. So if you get it, be prepared to adjust the valves (which isn't really a big deal or hard to do...just time consuming and possibly intimidating for someone with limited or no experience). But also if the valves have not been adjusted regularly, it can burn a valve. That means headwork....which usually means $$$. You could ask him when the last time the valves were adjusted (should be done about every year or 30K or so)....again, no way to tell if he is being truthful or not...you have to go with your gut.
As far as checking anything else, just do the basic checks as you would with any vehicle....make sure everything works....lights, radio, heater, AC, etc. Look over the wiring for "hack jobs"...which could indicate there was an issue with something and maybe it was repaired or maybe it wasn't. Check the tire condition...uneven wear could mean suspension or steering parts that are worn and need replaced. Listen for any unusual noises when driving. Check for looseness in the steering and wheels...which would indicate worn parts that need replaced.
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oh okay, I'll bring my obd plug.
A 95 wont have an obd plug :'(
No disrespect but I was told my 95 2 door Tracker has OBD 1, a small 4 prong plug next to the battery and an on-line search confirms, could his Zuk swing both ways and be OBD confused?
http://www.obdii.com/connector.html (http://www.obdii.com/connector.html)
I found water in my front diff, the cruise control was not hooked up and the door hinge retainers were missing. I was so excited to get my Zuk and it was cheap I overlooked things as I never owned a first gen Tracker so I did not know what to look for. I fixed everything for under $200 so I still fill I got a good deal. Plus know I am comfortable working on my Tracker.
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oh okay, I'll bring my obd plug.
A 95 wont have an obd plug :'(
No disrespect but I was told my 95 2 door Tracker has OBD 1, a small 4 prong plug next to the battery and an on-line search confirms, could his Zuk swing both ways and be OBD confused?
[url]http://www.obdii.com/connector.html[/url] ([url]http://www.obdii.com/connector.html[/url])
I found water in my front diff, the cruise control was not hooked up and the door hinge retainers were missing. I was so excited to get my Zuk and it was cheap I overlooked things as I never owned a first gen Tracker so I did not know what to look for. I fixed everything for under $200 so I still fill I got a good deal. Plus know I am comfortable working on my Tracker.
A 95 trackick is OBD1. So it will not have a plug to plug in a scanner. Yes, it will have the plug by the battery, that you can short pins in, to read error codes.
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I misread he said no OBD olug not which version, so OBD os the large D style plug. I was told you jump two pins and the turn key on and read the sequence of flashes to know the code error. Is that correct?
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I misread he said no OBD olug not which version, so OBD os the large D style plug. I was told you jump two pins and the turn key on and read the sequence of flashes to know the code error. Is that correct?
An OBD1 (89-95) will have the 4 pin or 6 pin plug by the battery that you short 2 pins together in and turn the key to run and watch the CEL flashes to see what code it is flashing.
An OBD2 (96+) will have the "D" shaped plug under the dash that you hook a scanner to (you don't short pins in it). Then you look on the scanner to see the error codes.
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you're right snofalls, I should've used the search... I will for other general questions, I just figured wondering if the front diff was separate was an unasked question.
Mikerpm4x4, thank you for the details, I am very experienced.. I tore apart my subaru and did nearly a complete overhaul. Of course it has self adjusting valves so I didn't have to do that :P
I know you can jump obd1 or 2 but I hate reading codes and he lives far away, if the engine light is on for an unknown reason he'll have to check himself.
You Guys are the most Helpful forum I've Been on, Thank you for all the help. I'll start some searching for other stupid stuff :)
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Sorry, just wondering what the gearing differences are between samurai and 95 sidekick.. trying to search it, figured it'd be okay to ask...
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Sorry, just wondering what the gearing differences are between samurai and 95 sidekick.. trying to search it, figured it'd be okay to ask...
Samurai has 3.73 gears.
A 95 4 door sidekick will have 5.12 gears.
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Wait.. The stock gearing in that sidekick is lower than a samurai?? or does it have different gearing in between that and the wheels...
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Wait.. The stock gearing in that sidekick is lower than a samurai?? or does it have different gearing in between that and the wheels...
A samurai has 1.409:1 high range gearing in the tcase.
A trackick has 1:1 high range gearing in the tcase.
So if you want to compare overall reduction, then take 3.73 (actually 3.727) and multiply it by 1.409 and that will give you the effective "gear ratio" of a samurai. So a samurai has the equivalant of 5.25 gears, when you multiply the tcase ratio by the axle ratio.
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So they have essentially the same gearing before it hits the diffs at least? no high or low shift? does this become a major drawback for the sidekick?
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So they have essentially the same gearing before it hits the diffs at least? no high or low shift? does this become a major drawback for the sidekick?
Umm, no. They have essentially the same gearing at the wheels.
Both have a low range in the transfer case (assuming they are both 4wd). 2.268 for a samurai and 1.82 for a trackick.
Just look at it this way....both are geared pretty much the same, with the samurai being just a little lower overall. But the samurai also has a smaller, less powerful engine, so it needs to be geared lower.
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oh I figured the diffs would be higher in the sidekick cause of ifs, okay so I don't need to think about the gearing :) Thank you, again.. Most help I've ever gotten on a forum. okay I think I'm done with easy questions, thanks guys!
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I'm sorry skihiranger, I should've read your answer more clearly.. that makes sense now
I have a new question D: I've just gone crazy looking at mods for the sidekick and I came across this additional transfer setup called the "undertaker" which adds a 1.5:1 ratio behind the transmission and in front of the stock transfer. I'd like someone to tell me if I'm looking at this right (http://www.trailtough.com/index.phppage=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=233&category_id=46&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53&vmcchk=1&Itemid=53 (http://www.trailtough.com/index.phppage=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=233&category_id=46&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53&vmcchk=1&Itemid=53) is the link to said product)
Is this essentially the same setup as a marlin crawler? As in when applied it compounds the transmission output and when released then highway gears remain the same.
If so this looks like a great dual transfer for the sidekick to avoid all the transfer or diff gears (or killing the clutch)
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link didn't post right
http://www.trailtough.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=233&category_id=46&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53&vmcchk=1&Itemid=53 (http://www.trailtough.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=233&category_id=46&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53&vmcchk=1&Itemid=53)
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Hi everyone, I'm austin I just registered with zukiworld because I had an important question pertaining to me.
I have a 96 subaru impreza that I've been trying to sell to replace it with a samurai, however someone just offered me a trade for a sidekick and I was wondering what you guys thought
it's a 95, 4door, manual, 4wd with 160,000 miles... any thoughts or warnings? it is in good shape and he says it has no issues, is this high mileage for a sidekick?
I figured this hasn't been asked before, but I'll try searching also.
The Sidekick will go more places than the Subaru, more after market stuff as well and a lot cooler looking rig. You see lots of Samurai's and Sidekick's, I have yet to see a Subaru on the trail.
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I'm sorry skihiranger, I should've read your answer more clearly.. that makes sense now
I have a new question D: I've just gone crazy looking at mods for the sidekick and I came across this additional transfer setup called the "undertaker" which adds a 1.5:1 ratio behind the transmission and in front of the stock transfer. I'd like someone to tell me if I'm looking at this right ([url]http://www.trailtough.com/index.phppage=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=233&category_id=46&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53&vmcchk=1&Itemid=53[/url] ([url]http://www.trailtough.com/index.phppage=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=233&category_id=46&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53&vmcchk=1&Itemid=53[/url]) is the link to said product)
Is this essentially the same setup as a marlin crawler? As in when applied it compounds the transmission output and when released then highway gears remain the same.
If so this looks like a great dual transfer for the sidekick to avoid all the transfer or diff gears (or killing the clutch)
It is not a dual range, it is a constant 1.5:1 underdrive, this will allow the use of 33"+ tire/wheels while running the smaller and stronger stock differential gear ratios of 4.3 and 4.8:1
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I realize the sidekick will go more places hence the urge to get one, I live in fresno and I Constantly visit the mountains and I have wheeled before but I've only had a stock rav4 and subaru in the past 5 years to do so in.
So I'd be best off doing a 4.24 gear swap then? I'm just scared of the top speed in low range then, according to my figuring fifth gears top speed would be like 26 miles an hour comfortably.. but then on the trail why would you want to go much faster I suppose. These have been the thoughts rolling in my head the past couple days then I think WAIT I need to Get the stupid Sidekick first. xD
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When you eventually go with larger tires and wheels(you will if you continue to offroad drive) the 4.24 txfer case gears are really needed. I have 31's and 5.13diffs and the stock low range is NOT deep enough by any stretch of the imagination, LOL
I just looked at another pair of track/kicks, one sorta drivable and one parts car for 600$(enough parts to make one solid dedicated hunting truck) The sidekicks and trackers will become addictive.....
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I have yet to see a Subaru on the trail.
We have a local Subaru wheeling club. They actually look pretty cool bobbed with 30" tires. :D
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I realize the sidekick will go more places hence the urge to get one, I live in fresno and I Constantly visit the mountains and I have wheeled before but I've only had a stock rav4 and subaru in the past 5 years to do so in.
So I'd be best off doing a 4.24 gear swap then? I'm just scared of the top speed in low range then, according to my figuring fifth gears top speed would be like 26 miles an hour comfortably.. but then on the trail why would you want to go much faster I suppose. These have been the thoughts rolling in my head the past couple days then I think WAIT I need to Get the stupid Sidekick first. xD
I would get the Sidekick and put a full set of 235/75 R15's on it, try it on the trails before doing any spending on it. I think you will be surprised at the places you will go with just a bit bigger tires than stock.