Suzuki/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| suzuki samurai problem | 1/10/2012 | David Scott |
| Q: hallo. i have got suzuki samurai with this problem.: first it was running good..suddenly it ... A: A cylinder leak test will determine if it is a piston ring sealing issue. If it is not piston rings, ... | ||
| stuck transfer case | 12/26/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: 1987 suzuki samari - transfer case stuck in neutral and shifter will not move. Don't want to break ... A: If you take the carpet and the metal section that covers the top of the trans and transfer case ... | ||
| 1986 suzuki samurai | 11/29/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: i put carb kit and i cant get the idle A: There are about a dozen things it could be. You need to make all the adjustments and check that all ... | ||
| 1998 Suzuki Esteem GL 1.6 ltr. engine | 11/16/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: About ten minutes into driving, shaking/vibration begins in steering column around 35 mph and is ... A: Does the vehicle buck and jerk as if you were turning the key on and off rapidly? If not, it's ... | ||
| geo tracker | 11/10/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: i have a geo tracker. when i turn the lights to bright, one of them goes even dimmer.i have changed ... A: Two possibilities come to mind right away. There are others, but check the easy stuff first. First, ... | ||
| Suzuki UZ50 Problem | 10/10/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: I have a 2008 Suzuki UZ50 which I have never had problems with before but for some reason, lately it ... A: There are a couple of possibilities. It's fuel injected, so it's possible that the spray nozzle ... | ||
| Suzuki samurai missing link | 10/4/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: I am thinking about replacing my front and rear shackles with Missing link shackles I currently have ... A: I have never had a missing link system, so I can only relay what others have said. Some of those who ... | ||
| 87 suz. sam. carb./sensor | 9/9/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: when i crank it it runs rough but after five min. it smooths out but seems to idle a lil high plus ... A: It may well be that the choke is responsible for the rough running, if you are talking about cold ... | ||
| Clutch cable adjustment | 8/29/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: I have a 1986 Suzuki Samurai. The clutch pedal has to much play and so the clutch only engages at ... A: One of the most consistent issues with sidekick/samurai vehicles is that the area where the cable ... | ||
| 2000 Suzuki Vitara | 8/25/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: I have a 2000 Suzuki Vitara. While running, and in neutral... when you let the clutch out, it makes ... A: Usually, the throwout bearing makes noise when the clutch pedal is depressed. I would have a local ... | ||
| ac grand vitara2003 | 7/10/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: The ac on my GV 2003 starts working ok but,if i change the settings it start blowing hot air even if ... A: I have never even ridden in, much less worked on a Vitara - I only do Samurais, but I suspect the ... | ||
| 1986 suzuki cavalcade | 7/8/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: Looking for the reason my 1400 cavalcade won't charge. It was fine last year when we parked it ,took ... A: I've never seen a cavalcade, but a car is a car. First inspect the wires at the battery for ... | ||
| 2008 Suzuki grand Vitara 2000 petrol | 7/4/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: Today the oil dipstick dislodged itself and spattered oil in the engine compartment. On putting it ... A: There's usually a vent hose from the air cleaner to a valve cover. There's also a PCV valve that ... | ||
| TRANNY COOLER | 7/1/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: Just wanted to know if its ok to install a tranny cooler to a 95 16v 1600 Vitara, will it affect the ... A: On some radiators, the cooler lines attach to fittings on the bottom of the radiator, on others, on ... | ||
| TRANNY COOLER | 6/30/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: Just wanted to know if its ok to install a tranny cooler to a 95 16v 1600 Vitara, will it affect the ... A: Most automatic transmission cars have a trans cooler built in to the bottom of the radiator. If you ... | ||
| Suzuki Vitara 1990 G16A | 6/25/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: Leeking oil around sump pan, could it be PCV valve or gasket. Seems to have crank case pressure. ... A: I have never worked on a vitara. They came out after I left the car market to do heavy duty fleet ... | ||
| WHIRRING SOUND IN THROTTLE BODY | 6/24/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: a few months back I had heard a whirring sound coming from the engine bay, everytime the A/C would ... A: There's frequency controlled air valve in the throttle body that allows for extra air when the a/c, ... | ||
| ford 302 | 6/19/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: my engine light is flashing 4 x successively - what does this mean - is it possible it is an error ... A: Does this happen when the vehicle is not moving, but the brake pedal is pressed? The brake power ... | ||
| codes | 6/19/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: my engine light is flashing 4 x successively - what does this mean - is it possible it is an error ... A: Disconnecting the battery usually does not clear or modify codes or their display. Re-adjust the ... | ||
| ticking noise inside EFI | 6/17/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: I have a 89 sidekick that has a ticking noise that I cant figure out. The noise is intermittent at ... A: What you hear is a pulse frequency controlled air bypass valve that allows more air in to increase ... | ||
| PUTTING TRANNY IN NEUTRAL WHILE VEHICLE IS MOVING | 6/16/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: I just wanted to know if it is ok/safe to put the tranny in neutral while the car is running(free ... A: Back in the dinosaur days, Automatic transmissions had a pump both on the input and output shafts. ... | ||
| idle | 6/15/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: ..i just bought a 92 4 dr. Sidekick and the engine light is flashing a code 12 [ one and then two ... A: If your problem is an unmetered air leak from the outside, carefully spray around the engine hoses, ... | ||
| smoke under the hood | 6/14/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: 2004 vitara, 240,000 miles. after being driven with little oil, started to smell burnt oil and have ... A: It takes quite a while for oil in the engine compartment to stop contributing to making a stink, and ... | ||
| 1991 1600cc vaitra | 6/12/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: hay im just wanting to now how to tell if my head is blown. ive looked under oil cap and nothing ... A: The coolant usage could also be a minor radiator, water pump, coolant hose or heater core leak. Get ... | ||
| 1995 Suzuki Escudu 1600 | 6/11/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: I am the proud owner of a nifty Escudu with 120000 km on the clock. When I turn the ignition key on, ... A: Lots of that sort of problems end up being a result of poor connections between the battery and ... | ||
| cylinder head replacement in szuki swift | 5/19/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: I own a 2006 Szuki Swift that already had the cylinder head replaced in 2007. The engine light has ... A: In theory, the head should be good. I suggest you go to iatn.org, and use the shop finder on the ... | ||
| 1997 sidekick clutch cable | 5/18/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: I just replaced my clutch cable on my 1997 suzuki sidekick jx and now it wont start it acts like ... A: If you mean that the starter doesn't do anything, consider that the starter is on the same side as ... | ||
| 96 sidekick sport jlx rear bearing | 4/26/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: I pulled the drivers side rear axle out of the sidekick after the seal gave and the bearing was ... A: The retaining ring should be replaced because it is usually damaged in removal. It appear that you ... | ||
| Locked myself out | 4/24/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: I owned a Sidekick JX 4WD 4D and I locked my keys inside. Please help!! I tried calling for auto ... A: Ok, here's a way to get into your car. You will need to have a rag to protect the finish, and a ... | ||
| Relacing threaded wheel studs | 4/19/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: Can you give me a step-by-step walk through on how to replace the front wheel studs on a 1999 Suzuki ... A: I would have to see the vehicle to be absolutely accurate, but this is the general method: 1) Drive ... | ||
| suzuki grand vitara 1999 | 4/2/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: when driving uphill it starts smelling like ammonia then goes away then comes back for about a ... A: There are 2 threaded holes, directly opposite each other that will allow you to thread a bolt in. ... | ||
| suzuki grand vitara | 4/2/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: when driving uphill it starts smelling like ammonia then goes away then comes back for about a ... A: It would be better to use another spring bolt, so as not to put too much bending and twisting stress ... | ||
| power | 3/31/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: I have a suzuki escudo model 1996, the engine starts well or ignites but it does not raise or build ... A: The throttle position sensor sends a signal back to the computer that shows the throttle has been ... | ||
| ECM | 3/30/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: If the ECM is faulty and is causing acceleration hesitancy and hard starting- would the engine light ... A: Not necessarily - a defective ecm might fail to display codes or illuminate the malfuncr tion ... | ||
| airconditioning | 3/26/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: When the air is engaged their is squealing that can be heard. It almost sounds like what the power ... A: A loose belt is the most common cause. If the belt is not loose, while the vehicle is running, and ... | ||
| power | 3/23/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: I have a suzuki escudo model 1996, the engine starts well or ignites but it does not raise or build ... A: It will be necessary to verify that the fuel pressure, cam and ignition timing, and all the basic ... | ||
| 1993 Sidekick - Intermittent Bogging Down When Accelerating (When cold outside) | 3/15/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: My wife and I have a 1993 Suzuki Sidekick JX 4 Door… When it's cold out, and it gets that way up ... A: Try inspecting EVERY ground you can find, on the battery, engine, body, etc, and try tightening any ... | ||
| 2008 toyota tundra crewmax 4x4 | 3/11/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: I want to replace the oem wheels... the front axle is 4000 lbs. + the rear is 4150 lbs... I can't ... A: Sounds reasonable. Each wheel supports half the axle load. Unless you are doing heavy duty ... | ||
| 95 geo tracker 16valve vin 6 5spd manual | 3/9/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: when i was given this vehicle i had a former coworker attempt to install a new gm water pump new ... A: I had a sidekick, (same thing as a tracker) for a while, and I found that even as an experienced ... | ||
| Rear vibration | 3/5/2011 | David Scott |
| Q: I have a 1995 Suzuki Sidekick JX, 4wd, 4dr. When accelerating to 55mph and over, a loud vibration ... A: one of the most common problems causing a vibration is the U-joint at the rear axle. It's possible ... | ||
David Scott
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Questions regarding the advisability of different kinds of modifications to Samurai/Sidekick/Tracker for various kinds of off-road usage. IF IT'S NOT A SAMURAI/SIDEKICK/TRACKER, I MAY ENTIRELY AT MY OPTION, MAKE A GENERALIZED STAB AT THE ANSWER, BUT WHEN YOU ASK NON-SAMURAI SORT OF STUFF, YOU'LL PROBABLY BE TOLD TO GET A SERVICE MANUAL AND LEARN ABOUT YOUR VEHICLE. The last Suzuki motorcycle I've had any experience with is a 1966 X-6.
Experience
I've been a professional mechanic for over thirty five years, live in the center of the Rocky Mountains, and have been active in exploring the old mining/4wd roads for decades. I've specific experience with Samurai modification, because that's my personal vehicle.
Education/Credentials
Thirty five years of advanced, intensive classes for experienced professionals only. Manufacturer seminars and training classes averaging four to six weeks per year. I'm now a professional heavy duty fleet mechanic, and no longer deal with issues such as MIL (check engine) lights, and electronics issues on late Suzukis such as Vitara.
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