So I treated my kick to a bath today and while spraying it down I decided to get some of the gunk off the oil pan and suspension and while spraying around the oil pan area (engine running) all of a sudden it started making a loud pumping sound like air was being pumped.  Vehicle still ran fine and I drove it slowly home.  After inspection the bottom of the plastic timing gear cover had bowed out and was rubbing on the crankshaft pulley.  Not sure why it decided to do this while being washed or how bad it may have been before hand.  So my questions are:

When replacing the timing shaft cover do just the belts need to come off and then pull the bolts on the cover or is it more elaborate.  Does the cover have a gasket?  The bottom of the cover also goes against the oil pan and I am wondering if the cover is at all integral to the oil pan seal?  I ask this because I am worried that with the cover bowed out like that for who knows how long if crap could have gotten into the oil pan.  Likewise does this engine have a timing belt or chain and what should i be aware of when I pull this cover off (ie what parts are going to fall out and roll under something where I will never find them).

Finnally who has a timing cover they could part with?!  :^)

I found a cover for a 1.3L samurai on ebay.  Will this fit a 1.6L 8V sidekick engine.  It looks very similiar?

This is a common problem for those covers. They get old, harden up and then crack around the bolts. A timing cover is not expensive. If I remember correctly it was cheaper from the gm dealership then suzuki. There is a gasket and a front crank seal. you have to pull of the pulleys and belts to change the cover. Also if you haven't done a timing belt, now might be the time to do it. and the water pump. They are not hard to do if yopu are mechanically inclined. Just get a manual with the instructions and follow them. It is not hard. I did it in my driveway in a couple of hours.

I found a cover for a 1.3L samurai on ebay.  Will this fit a 1.6L 8V sidekick engine.  It looks very similiar?

No 1.6 engine is taller

There is a gasket and a front crank seal. you have to pull of the pulleys and belts to change the cover.

If you replace the front crank seal the big bolt in the center of the crank pulley has to come off too, so you can remove the lower timing belt pulley....otherwise, you can just remove the 5 smaller bolts to remove just the pulley, then remove the timing cover.

The cover gasket is a foam like gasket (IDK if the new covers come with them, or if you reuse the old one)....it just seals the timing belt area to keep dirt and water out.  The gasket has nothing at all to do with sealing the oil pan.  Nothing should fall out, when you remove the timing cover.

i bought one from the dealership and it didn't come with the gasket. the cover is like 30 bucks at the dealershiip;

Yep.  I picked up the 1.3L cover off ebay and took a chance and its smaller.  I got everything off today and am picking up a timing belt.  I am gonna mark things up and replace it.  I'll have to check with the dealership and see if they have one (probably be the local gm dealership and ask for the tracker part).  Of course getting to this point wasn't problem free as the two bottom bolts holding the radiator shroud snapped as they were really rusty and same goes for the bottom right corner bolt to hold on the timing cover.  So I am going to have to get creative putting things back on.  I'll put the vice grips on was left of the bolt in the block and see if I can get it out.  I really am not looking forward to cutting/drilling and trying a easyout as I never have good luck with those (half the time they snap in there too and really buger things up).  Probably before I do that I'll drill and tap. 

And in good spirit as I fix one thing something else always fails on the zuk and yesterday I put on my new brake rotors and pads and pulled the swaybar and now my window crank system has problems.  I had to replace the whole regulator assembly on a previous metro so I know this is probably a suzuki weak point.  Even with seals greased window slides up and down fine but when rolling down the crank seems to go but the window doesnt drop.  I haven't pulled the door panel yet.  I could teach a automotive class with my zuk.   :^)