My moms poor old suv was well cared for, but doesnt see much use. It does have 4wd with high and low with 2wd option and manual tranny. It had mobile 1 in all cases, since the previous owner died in 2002 the engine has been switched to regular oil and regular filters and nothing else done. It has about 40 thousand miles on it.

I have been put in charged of it and we just got 4 new tires as the original were coming apart, one had a broken belt inside.

The brake petal use to go right tothe floor, that was fixed with 2 new wheel cylinders. Still problems exist and would love to get some help with it.

1  it has buttons for cruse control, but it does not work, no lights etc on the cruse control buttons. Fuse?

2 the check engine light is on and it doesnt have a odb2 port and cant be reset by a computer pluged un under dash. Is there a button somewhere?

3 the passenger side foot area is wet and the rear caro area under the rear seat. No noticed leaks when in a car wash. Any know leaks or things that leak?

4 the clutch petal is clunky in action and requires a full depress to shift, even then its possible to jam gears. Is there an adjustment? Rod, cable or hydro?

5 if its running mobile 1 in the tranny, would synchromesh be an upgrade to make it shift better? I get a little crunch noise in the ghear shift when shifting unless I rev to match rpms. To get it to engage in a gear I need to hold the stick in that position with clutch fully depressed and after a few seconds it slides right in.

6 its very tippie feeling, any sway bars, wheel spacers, etc to make it feel like its less likely to tip or roll over? It has bilstein shocks and has a very firm ride, but it rolls and leans in turns.

7 how do you remove the oem radio? It no longer works and it seems to be screwed in from all sides.

8 does the alarm really drain the battery? We use to leave it on, but found if it was not driven a month the alarm cause the battery to be too low to start it. Turning the alarm off has fixed it, but I like the alarm and rke feature.

9 anyone installed a trailler hitch and how hard or easy was it? We may need to carry a wheelchair carrier and a hitch is required. What I see available says it requires some drilling.

10 does this model have weak ac? It seems to always need to be toipped of every year and at that its weak. We are going to tint the windows soon and its black.

11 how do you access the blower box? It seems to have a collection of leaves, twiggs, etc and makes a lot of noise when the blower is on.

Thanks for any help or insight. I want to make this car look like new again.

Is this thing on?

Ok, a few broken links to the manual, but did find a post about adjusting the clutch cable under the drivers side and the check engine light.

Any thing on the leak? It does have a roof rack, but no signs of a leak, just wet carpet under hte rear seatand passenger front foot area.

Thanks for any help.

perhaps the leak is a/c condensation from a plugged drain hose.
weak a/c and heater debris may be related.  i'm sure the whole "pull the dash" to access the heater would be a big pain.
you have a later model than me.
if the gear oil is the wrong weight grinding can occur. did the clutch adjustment help that problem?

 clutch cables are known to start "compressing" which keeps the clutch from depressing all the way....fix.....new clutch cable. look for breaks in the plastic sheething on the cable.

They all "roll and lean" in turns, nothing to worry about. the suspension is designed to be a bit more flexable than a car's for off road use. Make sure your tire pressures are correct, like 23 lbs.

Might want to change out all the brake fluid as it can absorb moisture. Have this done by a good shop if you don't have a Mighty Vac, or experience. Have them bleed the system from back to front.

Sounds like a fuse for the CC, also make sure your tailights are working. They're tied together.

There is a way to check for codes from the check engine lite. Requires the use of a paper clip. Search forum for Check eng lite and you'll find the info you need.

to remove the OEM radio requires first rfemoving the heater controls panel. It just clips in so be careful not to break it. then you need to remove the two tiny screws under each upper vent. Remove ashtray, and screw holding up ashtray mount. Remove the two screws behind the heater controls panel you removed. Once the trim panel is off you should be able to see the radio mounting screws.

Use the search function , all of your questions have been answered by somebody 'at least once. Good Luck!

As for the check engine light being on you might want to look under the front drivers side speaker, there is a switch in there you can flip and see if the check engine light turns off. 

While it's great that you asked 11 questions in one post, it's confusing to try to answer them all.

Sidekicks (at least through 95) are notorious for having inadequate blowers.  At 10 below, you can hardly keep your windshield defrosted.  My wife's 99 Grand Vitara seems to be as bad, but my 97 Sidekick Sport does NOT have this problem.

The blower box is behind the glove box.  Open the glove box, and if you push in on the sides, you can pop it out of the dash.

#5 - sound like your synchros are battered and bruised.  My 95 had problems after teaching two teen-agers how to drive a manual tranny on it.  There are overhaul kits available for around $100, if I recall correctly.

Let's see...


Here's an e-mail I have archived from 2002:

Hi Bob, thanks for the inquiry. I do have a rebuild kit for your Sidekick.
Your cost is $87.86 + S/H. If you let me know your address, I can get you an exact shipping total. We accept paypal, Visa/MC/Disc/Amex (call toll free 866-847-5051 or 800-776-1191 ext. 79), money order, check (must clear bank before shipping), and cash (at your own risk).
Thanks,

Spencer Hodes
Transmission Exchange Co.
1803 NE ML King Blvd
Portland, OR 97212
800-776-1191

txchangespencer|removethispart|@earthlink.net

Thanks for the replys. I tried search, but it turned up info for other vehicles than this one.

Just havent had the right weather to work on it. This coming weekend going to clean it out, let it air dry and grease up the gaskets.

I see from the owners manual everything that contains oil than the engine needs to be changed every 15000. Its only been done once to mobile 1. Any idea the drian and fill plug wrench size I need? THink synchromesh by amsoil or penzoil is fine? THe metro pictures in the photo is mines and it has amsoil in the tranny, made it like a new car.

Thanks for the radio info, that sounds exactly like my metro radio. Think Ill take this step by step.

Cobb

I've had great results with Valvoline 75W90 in the diffs, tranny, and transfer case.

I've had great results with Valvoline 75W90 in the diffs, tranny, and transfer case.

this works for me also(except rear diff. 140W- locker)
mabe colder climate requires lighter oil- the manual shoud say.