1991 Suzuki Sidekick - Answered Questions & Fixed issues

Check the combination switch to see if current is passing through.

Do not worry, you can adapt, go to a good exhaust system workshop

cranks but wont start. only a shorted starter can do that. or alternator gone nuts but that blows the 60amp fuse seen here you can do lots. first and always first. check all fuse, (TEST THEM) I had a car back in 1972 that (mech, really alternator reg) that went nuts and blew up every lamp in car, at midnight far from home, in a bad neighborhood too.. scary, but engine ran. your car is EFI, and is only safe up to 15VDC< over that you blow up ECU or if lucky (only the 3 ECU fuses blow) is the CEL lamp working in the cluster,? if no the fuses blew. the 3 fuses are IG coil FI and dome. there are 50 reasons for no start but based off one fact i say fuses. testing fuses. matters if they look bad the are, if they look good, they can be in fact bad,(called hairline cracks) we test them did you? really test them,i do it live using a voltmeter the meter NEVER EVER lies. see? using a meter avoids going down the wrong path to H3LL. (dog chasing tail) now what if you measured the 3 power pins on the ECU behind left speaker (sold my 91,4wd/2door, restored by me) the ECU has power, (i have the schematic) if it has power, the CEL must glow, or the ECU was burned up. 1991 are all 8valve cars, then simple schm. http://www.fixkick.com/ECU/8v-tbi-schematic91to95.jpg full set. http://www.fixkick.com/look/91-complete.pdf starter. /charge. http://www.fixkick.com/Charging/charge89.jpg

hello lisa the a/t and m/t are different (auto and stick shifted) but its here, posted vast time.s see 91 full set, (sold my 91 back in 2010)' http://www.fixkick.com/schematics-run.html the starter failure page is here, fully covered all tests http://www.fixkick.com/nocrank.html see diagram at bottom of page. link2

why tear down twice?

there are only 2 ways. both are stated here. 4wd, 1: pull the engnine 2: or http://www.fixkick.com/axles/Pan-drop/pandrop.html google 1s hit.

do not use 4wd on dry pavement, ever. it's only for show or ice, or off road. never day pavement. if you persist i this action you will wind up the drive line and damage parts. see the damage here. stretching that chain drive or worse. click ICEFREE here http://www.fixkick.com/part-time-test.html your car does not have AWD , all wheel drive. not even close. the correct car is a 2004+ Grand vitara with THAT OPTION. the same RULE applies if the GV if you drive like this with the GV nob turned to LOCK> (DONT) http://www.fixkick.com/tranny/xfr-case/4wd%20windup/suzuki-grand-vitara-4mode-4wd-selector-switch.jpg

What is the problem?

91 , (is the charge lamp glowing key on, (shoe drops)????? there are many ways to make it stop doing 13.3v to 15vdc running, lots. ill list them all.. the 2 stated. in blue above. and. 1: bad dash lamp this lamp boot staps the field current or the alternator is born dead. so is it dead key on, , yes, BINGO. 2: bad alt ground, or starter top bolt , ground to battery bad or loose. 3: bad wires to the rear of alt. all 3. 4: bad battery cables. (or just corroded ends or conn. wrong)!!! 5: alt belt loose or missing. 6: engine hot RPM not 750 to 850 Rpm if 500 BINGO. and more. http://www.fixkick.com/Charging/charging.html here is the drawing. IS the sense wire is dead, not 12vdc.??? http://www.fixkick.com/Charging/charge89.jpg the reg inside can shut the ALT down for. over voltage over current. or if it THINKS(sic) that the batter internal resistances is too high. for ANY REASON what so ever. it will shut down these protections prevents the ALt. from blowing expensive electronics (all of it) to kingdom come. $$$$$ its a feature.

both? all sidekicks gen 2 all have 2 fues, one for left and one for right. there is no CB , there is no relay. its just 2 fuse. 2 lamps and 1 combo switch (+wires) in fact here it is. in full (sold my 91 after a total restore) a custom unified schematic for 91 HL http://www.fixkick.com/power-elect/HL1A.jpg see "91 full set" here. http://www.fixkick.com/schematics-run.html

Look for the headlight relay and make sure it's operating properly. have someone turn the headlights on and off with the engine off. Listen for a clicking sound. Find it and check with a multimeter. If you don't have a meter, look for a same relay for something else and plug it into the headlight slot. If that fixes it go buy a new relay! good luck!

There may be a separate fuse for the low beam, check that. Otherwise it's most likely the Dip Switch faulty. If this is a combination switch on the column, they're not repairable and will have to be replaced.

http://www.fixkick.com/1.6L 16v SOHC engine. common, EFI (spark and fuel)other than finally doing the 60k tune up.... this issues can be diagnosed, easy.1: compresson above 170PSI, tested at WOT, wide open throttle.times 4if all 4 are low (90 is horrid) the timing belt slipped.the 60k's were skipped, for sure. and that is what you get .or the crank key (front pulley) has sheared. the last guy that did the 60k, forget to read the TSB and failedto set that crank bolt 17mm head, to 94 ft/lbs as suzuki demands.2: if compresion is good. and you tuned it up, then you can.A: makes sure you did the 50k, mile EGR clean.If the EGR sticks open , the engine stalls. or looses power.at low RPM..B: back fire is not normal for a tuned motor. usually backfire is a clear sigh of gross timing issues.(timing belt slipping wrecks cam timing and spark TOGETHER)C: if fueling is and issue . we work that last.my guess/ car never gets 60k tuneups. ever.you lost this page?http://www.fixkick.com/specs/scheduleBw.jpgand is covered in total here.http://www.fixkick.com/IGN_timing/tune-ups.html

vast ideas i have on any 91i restored one ground up......first off , what transmission?and does it have a tachometer,if the tachometer goes dead , even cranking the ECU will thinkno spark and cut fuel in 3 seconds,nostarts are covered herefixkick dot comthere is no need to guess. ask for help, not throw expensive parts..

aint no such thing as a water manifold i belive they are talking about the intake manifold and it is located on the top of your motor the throttle body is bolted to it

Are you talking about the starter motor solenoid clicking? Have you checked the starter motor operation? If it isn't turning over at all, then first check the battery voltage is sufficient with ignition off. It should be around 12.5 volts, but not much lower.Also with the headlights on try cranking. If they become very dim, then replace the vehicle battery as it's likely on it's last legs. Just before replacing however, try jump starting the vehicle and test the alternator output. When running, this should be around 14 volts to the battery.

you can add a push button on any vehical but not a good idea it could get stolen

try a full flush and filter.
hot ATF fluild flows more easy thru clogged filter.
or bad vac modulator or governor or its tiny filters.

you need a AT expert , if the flush dont work.
there are many on car tests.

If you can hear the washer bottle motor then you know its not an electrical problem, if you can see the fluid in the lines then the best thing to do would at each connection in the hose disconnect the line and operate the washes and see if the fluid comes out (also pay attention to pressure) do this until you reach the washer nozzles. The nozzles could be blocked. now you might say that you put new lines on so the nozzles shouldn't be blocked well if you think of it the previous hose could have been partly bocked thereby stopping any **** that is at the filter on the washer motor going anywhere(most modern cars have filters on the washer motors) So by putting new lines on you have allowed the **** at the motor travel all the way to the nozzles letting them get blocked. Hope this helps.

Don't know about the 1991 because we just bought ours today, but we asked our fantastic mechanic to install one on our 1993 Sidekick and it has worked like a hot **** for two years now. Just find a good mechanic who doesn't need to operate inside the box.