Since this is my first post I’ll go ahead and tell everybody that I am an absolute noob with Suzukis and off road accessories. I have always had and used 4x4 vehicles, just never did any modifications. So go easy on me if I ask a stupid question…

Last weekend I purchased a 1997 Sidekick sport with automatic transmission. I have a few questions involving different areas on this vehicle. Any help is greatly appreciated…

1.   This truck has 102K miles on it. Any general maintenance type things I should have done or checked for? The check engine light is on(was told it needs an O2 sensor), but it runs fine.
2.   I gotta have some bigger tires! It currently has 215-55’s on it and looks like a lowrider! What is the largest tire that can fit this sidekick without any modifications? I have searched these forums and other sites and cant seem to find a consistent answer to this question
3.   I am considering a slight lift, but nothing too crazy. I cant afford a whole lot right now. I have looked at coil spacers and body lifts so far(suspension seems too expensive). Which of the two will be cheaper and easiest to install. I don’t have a very good place to perform automotive alterations, and have never done much beyond changing plugs and a water pump on my old Cherokee, so ease of installation is very important. And how much tire size can I expect to gain with typical body lifts or coil spacers?
4.   finally, I need a rack for this truck. Nothing heavy duty, since my old flimsy factory rack on my Cherokee worked fine for years. All I ever use it for is to carry a lightweight canoe. Do they make a factory roof rack? If not, do you recommend any aftermarket ones that are reasonably priced?

Welcome to the board, The CEL might be mileage related, I'm not that familiar with the Sport model so I'll leave the recommendations to those who are.

I purchased a '96 Sidekick Sport last weekend too. I'm happy with it as I was upgrading from a '91 Tracker that my wife rolled on us 3 years ago. It was still my daily driver so I know it's a tough line of vehicles.

As for general maintenance, I'd look at the timing belt. I'm going to replace mine as soon as possible ($25 investment for some big peace of mind). Don't want a break on me. D'ya know if yours has been replaced recently?

I dont know if the timing belt has been changed, but probably not since it wasn't mentioned by the seller. What does labor usually cost for that?

And about the CEL, I installed a new battery and it went off, but after about a day it came back on...

Yeah, something is wrong if it kicked the CEL again.

I got a quote on a timing belt repair for $300. That's when I decided it was worth learning how to do myself. I did it on a '91 tracker with no experience, and it went fine. Drove it for years & 40k miles after that. My Sidekick looks a bit more complicated so I'm going to get some help from my father - he's an airplane mechanic so shouldn't have any problem with it.

I "fixed" my CEL on the Tracker. It was running fine, so I just took the bulb out from behind the panel!

I may try that "fix" as well! lol. Will it hurt my gas mileage(or anything else) if the O2 sensor is bad and I dont replace it?

Fuel mileage will suffer, and the Cat will get trashed

Well... that's not good. I checked my gas mileage and am getting 24 MPG with the tiny tires I currently have. Is there anything else that might cause the CEL?

Any help on the other things I listed?

Thanks

the 02 sensor is not as expensive as you may think. i thought it would be horrendis so i didnt replace it. i am now driving with a hallowed out cat because mine was destroyed by the falty 02 sensor 

also you shuld be getting more then 24mpg so you might be pleasently suprised at the gain you will get =-)

If there are more than one sensor, is it recommended to change both at once, or should you try one and then the other?

any help on the tires, lift, or rack?

check out calmini for the lift and rack.
http://www.puresuzuki.com

Yeah, the calmini stuff looks nice, but are a little expensive for me... I'm already broke from the initial purchase of the kick! I am thinking about just starting out with coil spacers...

And the calmini rack is WAY more than what I need. Like I said above, a very light duty rack will be plenty for my 60 pound canoe, which is all I will ever need the rack for.

No more help guys?? :'(

well, you should be able to run 235/75x15 all terrain or all season radials without much of a lift at all. 

as for the rack, i liked the look of the big Nissan bars on their tops, but without the big cost.

so, i just got the bolt on handicap bars they use in public restrooms and such.  they are about 1.5 inches in diameter and common lengths of 18, 24, 36, and 48 inches.  i threw away the screws they came with and through-bolted them using stainless bolts and stainless eye-bolts at each end to help with tieing down whatever.  the local Menards or Home Depot type store should have them for about $20-30 each depending on the length.  then add the stainless bolts if you want those.

cheap, very solid/heavy duty, and not bad looks really.  very adaptable for adding a basket later.

good luck and have fun with your new trackick !!