87 Suzuki Samurai
- Thread starter DETN8R
- Start date
DETN8R
Observer
I've removed the Suzuki Security System from the Sidekick since the siren relay kept clicking. Someone had cut the wire to the siren long ago. I'm assuming that it kept going off.
I've yet to really dive into troubleshooting the issue but have come up with this list of items to hit.
Fuel Pressure Regulator
Fuel Pressure - Measured 35psi at idle - 40 under throttle
Vacuum Leaks
Plugged Catalytic Converter
Secondary Ignition cables.
Spark Plug Wires
EGR Valve
PCV Valve - Replaced since it was a cheap part
Faulty ECM - I plan on removing it to check for faulty components (capacitors?)
I planned on modifying the harness myself so I was going through Warbirds Harness Modification Instructions and he mentions that modifying the wiring harness from a 4 speed automatic donor is "significantly more complicated and not included in these instructions."
I've got access to the FSM for my sidekick through alldatadiy, so I can access the wiring diagrams for the transmission control module. Been trying to figure out what modifications are going to be necessary but I'm at a loss.
I've yet to really dive into troubleshooting the issue but have come up with this list of items to hit.
Fuel Pressure Regulator
Fuel Pressure - Measured 35psi at idle - 40 under throttle
Vacuum Leaks
Plugged Catalytic Converter
Secondary Ignition cables.
Spark Plug Wires
EGR Valve
PCV Valve - Replaced since it was a cheap part
Faulty ECM - I plan on removing it to check for faulty components (capacitors?)
I planned on modifying the harness myself so I was going through Warbirds Harness Modification Instructions and he mentions that modifying the wiring harness from a 4 speed automatic donor is "significantly more complicated and not included in these instructions."
I've got access to the FSM for my sidekick through alldatadiy, so I can access the wiring diagrams for the transmission control module. Been trying to figure out what modifications are going to be necessary but I'm at a loss.
DETN8R
Observer
Half of my laziness with diagnosing the sidekick is that it hasn't acted up since I've gotten it. Haha!
I'ts been running fine.
I had discovered that someone had taken the valve cover off and never reinstalled it correctly. it was missing one bolt and only two of the remaining bolts were tightened.
Someone has clearly removed the RWAL module in the past since one of the plastic nuts was sitting on the drivers side floor.
The 60amp fuse was blown and the remaining tabs were bent in to complete the circuit. Whoever decided that bypassing a 60 AMP fuse was a good idea is brilliant!
Got off the phone with Petroworks and it looks like the oil pan and pickup modification service they offer is $125 which isn't bad. But I either have to pay $250 up front to get the pan shipped to me and then I get my $125 core refunded to me when I ship my pan and pick up back to them.
I'ts been running fine.
I had discovered that someone had taken the valve cover off and never reinstalled it correctly. it was missing one bolt and only two of the remaining bolts were tightened.
Someone has clearly removed the RWAL module in the past since one of the plastic nuts was sitting on the drivers side floor.
The 60amp fuse was blown and the remaining tabs were bent in to complete the circuit. Whoever decided that bypassing a 60 AMP fuse was a good idea is brilliant!
Got off the phone with Petroworks and it looks like the oil pan and pickup modification service they offer is $125 which isn't bad. But I either have to pay $250 up front to get the pan shipped to me and then I get my $125 core refunded to me when I ship my pan and pick up back to them.
CoolMooseMan
Samurai Investor
What is your plan for the engine mounts/body lift to make the engine clear the hood? I did the 1" body lift to make clearance for the 16v which wasnt too difficult or expensive. Then I needed new mounts so I went with the Petroworks mounting kit which had the engine mounts that lower the engine and tranny to make it fit without the body lift. The engine mounts are strong and nicely built. I would have probably just done the Petroworks kit instead of the body lift, but now I have both, oh well!
http://www.petroworks.com/1-6-engine-installation-kit-by-petroworks/
http://www.petroworks.com/1-6-engine-installation-kit-by-petroworks/
DETN8R
Observer
Trail tough said that I could modify one of the engine mounts by drilling a hole a little higher.
So if that modification turns out easy enough I'll post pictures and a small write up. Worst case I end up raising the front of the samurai with body mounts.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
So if that modification turns out easy enough I'll post pictures and a small write up. Worst case I end up raising the front of the samurai with body mounts.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
DETN8R
Observer
So apparently I can get the Engine to fit by tilting the air intake down by drilling some new holes in the H-Brace that supports it to the exhaust manifold 1-1/4" down and by tapping a vacuum line down a little lower and raising my hood latch to it's maximum height. Sounds like a pretty good plan. We'll see how far I get tomorrow....
Still not entirely sure on the wiring but I'll give it a go and when I'm in the thick of it I think the answers will come to me.
Still not entirely sure on the wiring but I'll give it a go and when I'm in the thick of it I think the answers will come to me.
DETN8R
Observer
I suppose I'll give a brief pictureless update. I've got the 1.6L engine in the samurai. I've yet to get all the radiator lines plumbed in and I plan on tackling the wiring this weekend. I've pulled the harness from the Sidekick and I've stripped it of all the electrical tape. I got the VSS from the sidekick installed into the Samurai's cluster. Suzuki made a spot in the Samurai for a VSS, almost like the Samurai was supposed to have fuel injection.
Ran into an issue with the Exhaust. Looks like I'll have to get one made or fab one myself.
Ran into an issue with the Exhaust. Looks like I'll have to get one made or fab one myself.
DETN8R
Observer
Going to try and make a decent effort at posting an update here.
I started this project about a month ago. It's honestly probably the biggest project I've ever committed to tackling too!
I pulled the front clip from the Samurai as I knew it'd make things easier. I recommend that anyone attempting an engine swap in a Samurai do this as well. It's incredibly easy!
This made pulling the engine that much easier! Everything unbolts easy enough. I found it was easier to remove the heater core hose from the engine rather than the heater core. FYI.
I honestly used this 1/4" Socket Wrench and socket set for most of the removal. I also found myself using my 12mm and 14mm wrenches quite a lot as well.
My 3 Year old daughter helped me out as much as she could!
Pulling the engine out of the Samurai was the easy part!
Getting the engine out of the Sidekick was a major pain! I never got around to picking up my friends engine hoist and I decided to use two ladders, a 2x4, a ratchet strap and some steel tubing. I didn't get the engine out of the sidekick this night it got too dark and there were some extra brackets bolting the engine to the transmission as well as the flywheel inspection plate.
The next day I got the engine out and began work on swapping the oil pan and pick-up out. The 1.6L's oil pans sump was a little too wide and would have come in contact with my front axle had I left it. To solve this I discovered I could use a 1.3L oil pan and modify a pick up. I purchased a new oil pan and modified pick up from Trail Tough so I could keep my 1.3L in usable/sellable condition.
I got the new oil pan installed as well as the transmission adapter plate and the 1.3L's motor mounts with the passenger side relocation bracket.
Ran into a slight issue with the exhaust. I was hoping to get away with using the Samurai's exhaust with the catalytic converter and everything but it did not want o fit.
I got the Sidekicks downpipe and catalytic converter installed and coupled to my muffler. It's rubbing on the frame everywhere and I think I can fix it if I move some of the exhaust hangers but I'll look into it more when I get the thing running.
I've been tackling the wiring these last two weeks. I've been using Warbirds Samurai Engine Swap Wiring Harness instructions as a guide. Unfortunately my donor sidekick is the 94' 4-Door 4-Speed Automatic Transmission version which his instructions reference as "...significantly more complicated and is not included in these instructions."
According to some people who have had Myron (of Zuks Off Road) modify their harness he gets rid of the Transmission Control Module altogether. One person from a facebook group, who works closely with petroworks, said that I need to keep the TCM to make everything work.
According to fixkick I can disconnect the TCM which puts it in Manual Test Mode (limp home mode). Which is what I suspect ZOR is doing by deleting the TCM. Right now I plan to keep the TCM connectors on the harness in case I need to try some stuff out.
http://www.fixkick.com/tranny/slush/OD-flashes now what.html#manual_mode
Also, my Sidekick donor had Cruise Control. So I'm keeping the cruise control wiring as well in hopes of adding cruise control. The Cruise Control actuator is just a cable that pulls the gas pedal! Should be easy to swap into the Samurai!
Saturday I hope to get the fuel pump mounted and complete the wiring and hopefully add oil and get this thing running!!
Some Great sources I'm using! Huge thanks to HardLuk on ZukiKrawlers for his thread!
http://www.azrockcrawler.com/_images/tech/2003/2-0216vmotor/2-0316vmotor.html
http://www.billjohn.com/articles/engine/16valve/16valve.htm
http://www.zukikrawlers.com/showthread.php?t=48353&referrerid=38154
I started this project about a month ago. It's honestly probably the biggest project I've ever committed to tackling too!
I pulled the front clip from the Samurai as I knew it'd make things easier. I recommend that anyone attempting an engine swap in a Samurai do this as well. It's incredibly easy!
This made pulling the engine that much easier! Everything unbolts easy enough. I found it was easier to remove the heater core hose from the engine rather than the heater core. FYI.
I honestly used this 1/4" Socket Wrench and socket set for most of the removal. I also found myself using my 12mm and 14mm wrenches quite a lot as well.
My 3 Year old daughter helped me out as much as she could!
Pulling the engine out of the Samurai was the easy part!
Getting the engine out of the Sidekick was a major pain! I never got around to picking up my friends engine hoist and I decided to use two ladders, a 2x4, a ratchet strap and some steel tubing. I didn't get the engine out of the sidekick this night it got too dark and there were some extra brackets bolting the engine to the transmission as well as the flywheel inspection plate.
The next day I got the engine out and began work on swapping the oil pan and pick-up out. The 1.6L's oil pans sump was a little too wide and would have come in contact with my front axle had I left it. To solve this I discovered I could use a 1.3L oil pan and modify a pick up. I purchased a new oil pan and modified pick up from Trail Tough so I could keep my 1.3L in usable/sellable condition.
I got the new oil pan installed as well as the transmission adapter plate and the 1.3L's motor mounts with the passenger side relocation bracket.
Ran into a slight issue with the exhaust. I was hoping to get away with using the Samurai's exhaust with the catalytic converter and everything but it did not want o fit.
I got the Sidekicks downpipe and catalytic converter installed and coupled to my muffler. It's rubbing on the frame everywhere and I think I can fix it if I move some of the exhaust hangers but I'll look into it more when I get the thing running.
I've been tackling the wiring these last two weeks. I've been using Warbirds Samurai Engine Swap Wiring Harness instructions as a guide. Unfortunately my donor sidekick is the 94' 4-Door 4-Speed Automatic Transmission version which his instructions reference as "...significantly more complicated and is not included in these instructions."
According to some people who have had Myron (of Zuks Off Road) modify their harness he gets rid of the Transmission Control Module altogether. One person from a facebook group, who works closely with petroworks, said that I need to keep the TCM to make everything work.
According to fixkick I can disconnect the TCM which puts it in Manual Test Mode (limp home mode). Which is what I suspect ZOR is doing by deleting the TCM. Right now I plan to keep the TCM connectors on the harness in case I need to try some stuff out.
http://www.fixkick.com/tranny/slush/OD-flashes now what.html#manual_mode
Also, my Sidekick donor had Cruise Control. So I'm keeping the cruise control wiring as well in hopes of adding cruise control. The Cruise Control actuator is just a cable that pulls the gas pedal! Should be easy to swap into the Samurai!
Saturday I hope to get the fuel pump mounted and complete the wiring and hopefully add oil and get this thing running!!
Some Great sources I'm using! Huge thanks to HardLuk on ZukiKrawlers for his thread!
http://www.azrockcrawler.com/_images/tech/2003/2-0216vmotor/2-0316vmotor.html
http://www.billjohn.com/articles/engine/16valve/16valve.htm
http://www.zukikrawlers.com/showthread.php?t=48353&referrerid=38154
DETN8R
Observer
So before I say how stupid I was when I did this let me preface this by saying that I have MANY years of experience soldering. I've manufactured and repaired hundreds of PCBs. Professionally. But accidents do happen. When I was swapping out the capacitors on the ECM I may have peeled up a trace. Now I thought I repaired it but I fear I severed a trace on an internal layer on the PCB.
I thought I had gotten it repaired... I thought I had finished the wiring yesterday too. But I turned the key on and no CEL. I got the starter to crank but no start. No power to the fuel pump.
But I made a wiring mistake! Power to the fuel pump!! Still no CEL, still no start (but it sure sounded like it wanted to!)
A new ECM is on the way. Ordered it off ebay....
I thought I had gotten it repaired... I thought I had finished the wiring yesterday too. But I turned the key on and no CEL. I got the starter to crank but no start. No power to the fuel pump.
But I made a wiring mistake! Power to the fuel pump!! Still no CEL, still no start (but it sure sounded like it wanted to!)
A new ECM is on the way. Ordered it off ebay....
DETN8R
Observer
Among the other big tasks I had to tackle was the wiring and installing the VSS (Variable Speed Sensor) in the dash.
I began the electrical mods by removing the cluster, wiring harness and computers from the Sidekick.
I removed the VSS from the sidekick cluster and installed it into the Samurai cluster. Interestingly enough, the Samurai cluster had a spot with screw holes for it!
I soldered a yellow wire to a tab on the right and the remaining metal tab with the screw threads was the ground.
The wiring harness seemed like a daunting task though I don't think it's the $300 job all the Samurai vendors want to charge. Though I hear Zuks Off Road only charges $150 which seems far more reasonable.
I removed all the electrical tape from the harness and used zip ties to secure the wires in key locations to keep the wire branches and configuration mostly the same.
I removed all the stuff that I absolutely knew I would not be needing. Things like the headlights and blinkers, the brake fluid level sensor and a few other miscellaneous things. I identified and labeled everything I could. I'm beginning to think that the issue the woman I got this Sidekick was having was due to the lack of a Torque Converter Clutch Relay. I never located it.
I was extremely concerned about the transmission control module being an issue. I had heard from someone on a suzuki samurai facebook group that I would need to keep the TCM for it to work correctly or so that it the ECM wouldn't throw up a code and the check engine light.
I had wanted to keep the cruise control module and the cruise control actuator as it would have been pretty nice to have. The Honda Civic I've been daily driving has spoiled me with Cruise Control and Air Conditioning. In the end I removed most of the wiring and left the plugs for the TCM and Cruise Control Module thought I will probably remove them and the associated wiring sometime soon.
I'm pretty sure that my exhaust was not the original and that the exhaust I had on the samurai was custom. There was some weird stuff going on with it. I had heard that when some shops do the engine swap that they use the original muffler with the sidekicks catalytic converter. Mine kind of fit.... The downpipe going to the catalytic converter was really close to the frame. I couldn't use one of the spring bolt's on the frame side of the flange from the header to the downpipe and a tab on the downpipes heat shield was also rubbing the frame. My muffler sits maybe an inch or two too far towards the rear to really reach the flange on the end of the catalytic converter but I made it work temporarily. I think I can have an exhaust shop redo the flange from the header and the hangers for the rest of the exhaust system.
So I guess that the air intake pipe on the top of the engine as well as the throttle cable bracket will hit the samurai hood when you close it. You can solve this with a body lift or a hood scoop I hear. I chose to do the mods Brent from trail tough gave me over the phone.
For the throttle cable bracket I had to cut off the top of it and grind in the notch that's just below where the original throttle cable was secured.
(I'll try to get some better pics soon)
The air intake pipe bracketry needs to be modified as well. If you measure from the center of the original holes 1-1/4 up and drill two new holes (5/16" drill bit worked great) then cut off the bottom of the bracket as well as the bracket that goes over the valve cover.
My hood clears pretty well. I think its barely touching that boxy thing that's sitting under my throttle cable.
Getting back to the wiring harness I opted to keep my ECM on the drivers side, the harness modification instructions I was following from Warbird intended for me to deconstruct the wiring harness wire by wire and would have had me end up with my ECM on the passenger side where the original 1.3L ECM was but I really didn't want to take the harness apart that much. I drilled two extra holes in
the firewall for the Engine harness to enter the cab and for the Igniter, MAF, IAC and grounds to exit the cab and commenced to deconstructing the original harness and integrating the new harness.
I don't do anything in order so I took a break from the wiring to get the air box to fit. I removed most of the original mounting tabs from the air box as well as shortened the flexible hose about a half inch.
Eventually I got fuel pump mounted with some heavy duty zip tie mounts and heavy duty zip ties. I removed a check valve on the return line and added new hoses.
I thought I got everything wired in and proceeded to try to start the thing after pressurizing the fuel tank with air to prime the pump. I ran into some issues with the wiring on the fuse block as well as what I thought was the ECM being dead before I got the thing to start for some reason the following morning. The first thing I noticed was that the temperature gauge shot all the way up. After asking around I learned that I needed the temperature sensor from the 1.3L for the gauge to function correctly.
After I got that installed I started it up again and was letting it run for awhile. I noticed that the needle still shot all the way up before I noticed smoke coming from the cluster. I shut off the engine and disconnected the battery and removed the dash.
The trace led to the plug which in turn led to the black/white wire which I never properly spliced to the new harness. My best guess is that the current from the temperature gauge or the other gauges needed somewhere to go and the black/white wire trace wasn't up to handling the load. I repaired the trace with some wire and soldered between the spots that had completely burned up.
After I got that repaired I took it out for a test drive! I managed to get the Samurai up to 80mph! I'm sure it could have gone a little faster but I honestly don't like speeding too much.
I began the electrical mods by removing the cluster, wiring harness and computers from the Sidekick.
I removed the VSS from the sidekick cluster and installed it into the Samurai cluster. Interestingly enough, the Samurai cluster had a spot with screw holes for it!
I soldered a yellow wire to a tab on the right and the remaining metal tab with the screw threads was the ground.
The wiring harness seemed like a daunting task though I don't think it's the $300 job all the Samurai vendors want to charge. Though I hear Zuks Off Road only charges $150 which seems far more reasonable.
I removed all the electrical tape from the harness and used zip ties to secure the wires in key locations to keep the wire branches and configuration mostly the same.
I removed all the stuff that I absolutely knew I would not be needing. Things like the headlights and blinkers, the brake fluid level sensor and a few other miscellaneous things. I identified and labeled everything I could. I'm beginning to think that the issue the woman I got this Sidekick was having was due to the lack of a Torque Converter Clutch Relay. I never located it.
I was extremely concerned about the transmission control module being an issue. I had heard from someone on a suzuki samurai facebook group that I would need to keep the TCM for it to work correctly or so that it the ECM wouldn't throw up a code and the check engine light.
I had wanted to keep the cruise control module and the cruise control actuator as it would have been pretty nice to have. The Honda Civic I've been daily driving has spoiled me with Cruise Control and Air Conditioning. In the end I removed most of the wiring and left the plugs for the TCM and Cruise Control Module thought I will probably remove them and the associated wiring sometime soon.
I'm pretty sure that my exhaust was not the original and that the exhaust I had on the samurai was custom. There was some weird stuff going on with it. I had heard that when some shops do the engine swap that they use the original muffler with the sidekicks catalytic converter. Mine kind of fit.... The downpipe going to the catalytic converter was really close to the frame. I couldn't use one of the spring bolt's on the frame side of the flange from the header to the downpipe and a tab on the downpipes heat shield was also rubbing the frame. My muffler sits maybe an inch or two too far towards the rear to really reach the flange on the end of the catalytic converter but I made it work temporarily. I think I can have an exhaust shop redo the flange from the header and the hangers for the rest of the exhaust system.
So I guess that the air intake pipe on the top of the engine as well as the throttle cable bracket will hit the samurai hood when you close it. You can solve this with a body lift or a hood scoop I hear. I chose to do the mods Brent from trail tough gave me over the phone.
For the throttle cable bracket I had to cut off the top of it and grind in the notch that's just below where the original throttle cable was secured.
(I'll try to get some better pics soon)
The air intake pipe bracketry needs to be modified as well. If you measure from the center of the original holes 1-1/4 up and drill two new holes (5/16" drill bit worked great) then cut off the bottom of the bracket as well as the bracket that goes over the valve cover.
My hood clears pretty well. I think its barely touching that boxy thing that's sitting under my throttle cable.
Getting back to the wiring harness I opted to keep my ECM on the drivers side, the harness modification instructions I was following from Warbird intended for me to deconstruct the wiring harness wire by wire and would have had me end up with my ECM on the passenger side where the original 1.3L ECM was but I really didn't want to take the harness apart that much. I drilled two extra holes in
the firewall for the Engine harness to enter the cab and for the Igniter, MAF, IAC and grounds to exit the cab and commenced to deconstructing the original harness and integrating the new harness.
I don't do anything in order so I took a break from the wiring to get the air box to fit. I removed most of the original mounting tabs from the air box as well as shortened the flexible hose about a half inch.
Eventually I got fuel pump mounted with some heavy duty zip tie mounts and heavy duty zip ties. I removed a check valve on the return line and added new hoses.
I thought I got everything wired in and proceeded to try to start the thing after pressurizing the fuel tank with air to prime the pump. I ran into some issues with the wiring on the fuse block as well as what I thought was the ECM being dead before I got the thing to start for some reason the following morning. The first thing I noticed was that the temperature gauge shot all the way up. After asking around I learned that I needed the temperature sensor from the 1.3L for the gauge to function correctly.
After I got that installed I started it up again and was letting it run for awhile. I noticed that the needle still shot all the way up before I noticed smoke coming from the cluster. I shut off the engine and disconnected the battery and removed the dash.
The trace led to the plug which in turn led to the black/white wire which I never properly spliced to the new harness. My best guess is that the current from the temperature gauge or the other gauges needed somewhere to go and the black/white wire trace wasn't up to handling the load. I repaired the trace with some wire and soldered between the spots that had completely burned up.
After I got that repaired I took it out for a test drive! I managed to get the Samurai up to 80mph! I'm sure it could have gone a little faster but I honestly don't like speeding too much.
DETN8R
Observer
Among the other big tasks I had to tackle was the wiring and installing the VSS (Variable Speed Sensor) in the dash.
I began the electrical mods by removing the cluster, wiring harness and computers from the Sidekick.
I removed the VSS from the sidekick cluster and installed it into the Samurai cluster. Interestingly enough, the Samurai cluster had a spot with screw holes for it!
I soldered a yellow wire to a tab on the right and the remaining metal tab with the screw threads was the ground.
The wiring harness seemed like a daunting task though I don't think it's the $300 job all the Samurai vendors want to charge. Though I hear Zuks Off Road only charges $150 which seems far more reasonable.
I removed all the electrical tape from the harness and used zip ties to secure the wires in key locations to keep the wire branches and configuration mostly the same.
I removed all the stuff that I absolutely knew I would not be needing. Things like the headlights and blinkers, the brake fluid level sensor and a few other miscellaneous things. I identified and labeled everything I could. I'm beginning to think that the issue the woman I got this Sidekick was having was due to the lack of a Torque Converter Clutch Relay. I never located it.
I was extremely concerned about the transmission control module being an issue. I had heard from someone on a suzuki samurai facebook group that I would need to keep the TCM for it to work correctly or so that it the ECM wouldn't throw up a code and the check engine light.
I had wanted to keep the cruise control module and the cruise control actuator as it would have been pretty nice to have. The Honda Civic I've been daily driving has spoiled me with Cruise Control and Air Conditioning. In the end I removed most of the wiring and left the plugs for the TCM and Cruise Control Module thought I will probably remove them and the associated wiring sometime soon.
I'm pretty sure that my exhaust was not the original and that the exhaust I had on the samurai was custom. There was some weird stuff going on with it. I had heard that when some shops do the engine swap that they use the original muffler with the sidekicks catalytic converter. Mine kind of fit.... The downpipe going to the catalytic converter was really close to the frame. I couldn't use one of the spring bolt's on the frame side of the flange from the header to the downpipe and a tab on the downpipes heat shield was also rubbing the frame. My muffler sits maybe an inch or two too far towards the rear to really reach the flange on the end of the catalytic converter but I made it work temporarily. I think I can have an exhaust shop redo the flange from the header and the hangers for the rest of the exhaust system.
So I guess that the air intake pipe on the top of the engine as well as the throttle cable bracket will hit the samurai hood when you close it. You can solve this with a body lift or a hood scoop I hear. I chose to do the mods Brent from trail tough gave me over the phone.
For the throttle cable bracket I had to cut off the top of it and grind in the notch that's just below where the original throttle cable was secured.
(I'll try to get some better pics soon)
The air intake pipe bracketry needs to be modified as well. If you measure from the center of the original holes 1-1/4 up and drill two new holes (5/16" drill bit worked great) then cut off the bottom of the bracket as well as the bracket that goes over the valve cover.
My hood clears pretty well. I think its barely touching that boxy thing that's sitting under my throttle cable.
Getting back to the wiring harness I opted to keep my ECM on the drivers side, the harness modification instructions I was following from Warbird intended for me to deconstruct the wiring harness wire by wire and would have had me end up with my ECM on the passenger side where the original 1.3L ECM was but I really didn't want to take the harness apart that much. I drilled two extra holes in
the firewall for the Engine harness to enter the cab and for the Igniter, MAF, IAC and grounds to exit the cab and commenced to deconstructing the original harness and integrating the new harness.
I don't do anything in order so I took a break from the wiring to get the air box to fit. I removed most of the original mounting tabs from the air box as well as shortened the flexible hose about a half inch.
Eventually I got fuel pump mounted with some heavy duty zip tie mounts and heavy duty zip ties. I removed a check valve on the return line and added new hoses.
I thought I got everything wired in and proceeded to try to start the thing after pressurizing the fuel tank with air to prime the pump. I ran into some issues with the wiring on the fuse block as well as what I thought was the ECM being dead before I got the thing to start for some reason the following morning. The first thing I noticed was that the temperature gauge shot all the way up. After asking around I learned that I needed the temperature sensor from the 1.3L for the gauge to function correctly.
After I got that installed I started it up again and was letting it run for awhile. I noticed that the needle still shot all the way up before I noticed smoke coming from the cluster. I shut off the engine and disconnected the battery and removed the dash.
The trace led to the plug which in turn led to the black/white wire which I never properly spliced to the new harness. My best guess is that the current from the temperature gauge or the other gauges needed somewhere to go and the black/white wire trace wasn't up to handling the load. I repaired the trace with some wire and soldered between the spots that had completely burned up.
After I got that repaired I took it out for a test drive! I managed to get the Samurai up to 80mph! I'm sure it could have gone a little faster but I honestly don't like speeding too much.
I began the electrical mods by removing the cluster, wiring harness and computers from the Sidekick.
I removed the VSS from the sidekick cluster and installed it into the Samurai cluster. Interestingly enough, the Samurai cluster had a spot with screw holes for it!
I soldered a yellow wire to a tab on the right and the remaining metal tab with the screw threads was the ground.
The wiring harness seemed like a daunting task though I don't think it's the $300 job all the Samurai vendors want to charge. Though I hear Zuks Off Road only charges $150 which seems far more reasonable.
I removed all the electrical tape from the harness and used zip ties to secure the wires in key locations to keep the wire branches and configuration mostly the same.
I removed all the stuff that I absolutely knew I would not be needing. Things like the headlights and blinkers, the brake fluid level sensor and a few other miscellaneous things. I identified and labeled everything I could. I'm beginning to think that the issue the woman I got this Sidekick was having was due to the lack of a Torque Converter Clutch Relay. I never located it.
I was extremely concerned about the transmission control module being an issue. I had heard from someone on a suzuki samurai facebook group that I would need to keep the TCM for it to work correctly or so that it the ECM wouldn't throw up a code and the check engine light.
I had wanted to keep the cruise control module and the cruise control actuator as it would have been pretty nice to have. The Honda Civic I've been daily driving has spoiled me with Cruise Control and Air Conditioning. In the end I removed most of the wiring and left the plugs for the TCM and Cruise Control Module thought I will probably remove them and the associated wiring sometime soon.
I'm pretty sure that my exhaust was not the original and that the exhaust I had on the samurai was custom. There was some weird stuff going on with it. I had heard that when some shops do the engine swap that they use the original muffler with the sidekicks catalytic converter. Mine kind of fit.... The downpipe going to the catalytic converter was really close to the frame. I couldn't use one of the spring bolt's on the frame side of the flange from the header to the downpipe and a tab on the downpipes heat shield was also rubbing the frame. My muffler sits maybe an inch or two too far towards the rear to really reach the flange on the end of the catalytic converter but I made it work temporarily. I think I can have an exhaust shop redo the flange from the header and the hangers for the rest of the exhaust system.
So I guess that the air intake pipe on the top of the engine as well as the throttle cable bracket will hit the samurai hood when you close it. You can solve this with a body lift or a hood scoop I hear. I chose to do the mods Brent from trail tough gave me over the phone.
For the throttle cable bracket I had to cut off the top of it and grind in the notch that's just below where the original throttle cable was secured.
(I'll try to get some better pics soon)
The air intake pipe bracketry needs to be modified as well. If you measure from the center of the original holes 1-1/4 up and drill two new holes (5/16" drill bit worked great) then cut off the bottom of the bracket as well as the bracket that goes over the valve cover.
My hood clears pretty well. I think its barely touching that boxy thing that's sitting under my throttle cable.
Getting back to the wiring harness I opted to keep my ECM on the drivers side, the harness modification instructions I was following from Warbird intended for me to deconstruct the wiring harness wire by wire and would have had me end up with my ECM on the passenger side where the original 1.3L ECM was but I really didn't want to take the harness apart that much. I drilled two extra holes in
the firewall for the Engine harness to enter the cab and for the Igniter, MAF, IAC and grounds to exit the cab and commenced to deconstructing the original harness and integrating the new harness.
I don't do anything in order so I took a break from the wiring to get the air box to fit. I removed most of the original mounting tabs from the air box as well as shortened the flexible hose about a half inch.
Eventually I got fuel pump mounted with some heavy duty zip tie mounts and heavy duty zip ties. I removed a check valve on the return line and added new hoses.
I thought I got everything wired in and proceeded to try to start the thing after pressurizing the fuel tank with air to prime the pump. I ran into some issues with the wiring on the fuse block as well as what I thought was the ECM being dead before I got the thing to start for some reason the following morning. The first thing I noticed was that the temperature gauge shot all the way up. After asking around I learned that I needed the temperature sensor from the 1.3L for the gauge to function correctly.
After I got that installed I started it up again and was letting it run for awhile. I noticed that the needle still shot all the way up before I noticed smoke coming from the cluster. I shut off the engine and disconnected the battery and removed the dash.
The trace led to the plug which in turn led to the black/white wire which I never properly spliced to the new harness. My best guess is that the current from the temperature gauge or the other gauges needed somewhere to go and the black/white wire trace wasn't up to handling the load. I repaired the trace with some wire and soldered between the spots that had completely burned up.
After I got that repaired I took it out for a test drive! I managed to get the Samurai up to 80mph! I'm sure it could have gone a little faster but I honestly don't like speeding too much.
DETN8R
Observer
I'm back to daily driving my Samurai! Been working out some kinks here and there.
I made a bracket for the igniter.
In addition that I cleaned up the wiring under the hood pretty well. I wrapped everything with electrical tape and split loom tubing. I also took the opportunity to remove all of the automatic transmission wiring from the engine harness.
With all that done I noticed I fresh oil on the exterior of the engine.
The oil was the oil pump so I figured the gasket on it was going bad. I was advised to do the water pump and timing belt at the same time.
I put in an order from Petroworks for all the stuff I'd need, including a new timing cover.
In order to get the oil pump off I needed to remove the lower timing pulley/cog and the oil pan. There's a nut in the center that holds it on but in order to get it off I need to hold the cog in place. I stupidly tried to pry against one of the pulley screws with a screwdriver while trying to break the bolt free and ended up cracking the cog.
I got on the ColoradoZuks Facebook group and asked for one and someone happened to have one about 30 minutes from my house on an engine block they were willing to give me for free!
Huge thanks to fixkick.com for the measurements for making the tool needed to remove this bolt properly. You can see it in the bottom portion of the picture.
With the new cog I installed oil pump and water pump.
And after all that I still have an oil leak.
I believe it may be from the front of the head gasket but the oil leak is slow and I'm not noticing and smoking or oil in the coolant.
In other news I purchased an OBD1 to USB cable and I plan on using the rhinoman software to read data from the ECM.
I made a bracket for the igniter.
In addition that I cleaned up the wiring under the hood pretty well. I wrapped everything with electrical tape and split loom tubing. I also took the opportunity to remove all of the automatic transmission wiring from the engine harness.
With all that done I noticed I fresh oil on the exterior of the engine.
The oil was the oil pump so I figured the gasket on it was going bad. I was advised to do the water pump and timing belt at the same time.
I put in an order from Petroworks for all the stuff I'd need, including a new timing cover.
In order to get the oil pump off I needed to remove the lower timing pulley/cog and the oil pan. There's a nut in the center that holds it on but in order to get it off I need to hold the cog in place. I stupidly tried to pry against one of the pulley screws with a screwdriver while trying to break the bolt free and ended up cracking the cog.
I got on the ColoradoZuks Facebook group and asked for one and someone happened to have one about 30 minutes from my house on an engine block they were willing to give me for free!
Huge thanks to fixkick.com for the measurements for making the tool needed to remove this bolt properly. You can see it in the bottom portion of the picture.
With the new cog I installed oil pump and water pump.
And after all that I still have an oil leak.
I believe it may be from the front of the head gasket but the oil leak is slow and I'm not noticing and smoking or oil in the coolant.
In other news I purchased an OBD1 to USB cable and I plan on using the rhinoman software to read data from the ECM.