If you have a sway bar on the front of your truck:
Undo one of the 17mm bolts from the end of the bar, where it
screws into the shock plate.
Pull this free end toward the other eye about an inch and tie it
with 5mm poly rope to the other eye. The 5mm poly rope will break
without bending the bar if caught on something.
This will give you lots of extra down travel on the front end. I
have made a bolt with a “T” bar handle on it so I can
install/remove it in seconds.
Don't forget to replace the bolt before
returning to highway type driving!
I did an overhaul (major) on the engine and
transmission. Don't use Felpro gasket sets. The valve
cover, oil pan and others leak. Also the valve stem seals don't. Use
genuine Suzuki gasket kit.
Installing a simple cable-operated throttle (choke
cable, locking type) from most any auto supply store, like NAPA allows
the setting of a fixed throttle position so that the driver can take
his foot off the gas pedal. This has been useful to me when crawling
over rough terrain which tends to bounce you around the cab. Also it
can be used like cruise control to rest the right foot.
[Editor's note: Be careful with this idea, there's no automatic throttle release!]
On my '89 Sidekick (90K trouble free miles) I located the
throttle knob to the left of wheel, low on dash. There is an indention
there with a “D” hole knock-out the receives the locking “T”
handle knob just like it was made for it!
I want to alert all Suzuki 4x4 owners to a real safety
problem with 1996 4x4s. It has to do with the rear seat when it is in
the “up” position for more cargo room.
There is a strap attached to the seat with a “hook” that is
inserted into a floor latch to keep the seat in the upright position,
and from slamming back down. Well, that hook is “open” with no
safety catch, and very minor road vibration causes the hook to pop out
of the floor latch, and movement forward causes the seat complex to
slam down. And I mean slam hard. My dog was
almost seriously injured when this happened. I have alerted Suzuki,
the NHTSD and the dealership about this. Everyone acknowledges that it
is unsafe? someone's dog, a child's hand or head or something
else is going to be injured because of this.
People with pets should be aware of this problem. I have had my
“hookc replaced with one that has a safety catch so it can not pop
out of the latch now, but anyone else is treading on thin ice?
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