Hello everyone,

I just got my first Samurai. I was told that it is a 88 model with a 1992 1.6 Tracker engine. It seems to run and drive well but it has some areas that I need to work on. The wiring is terrible with bare wires and no fuses in multiple places. It has a lift kit as well as a body lift. I am not sure how much though. I have an axle seal leaking that needs repaired on the front drivers side. I noticed the draglink is under the front leaf spring and looks like it is hitting on the passenger side.

My goal for this samurai is to have a toy that I can just ridge run with.  I would like to play in the mud a little but nothing extreme. I like to do things the right way but I don't want to spend a fortune as this is just a toy for me. I attached pictures for everyone to see.

Can anyone provide me with advise on where to buy parts and preferably cheap? I would appreciate any recommendations for repairs or improvements that I can make. Also, is there anyway to identify the engine so I can verify what it is?

Thanks in advance for all your help.

The 1.3 & 1.6 8v engines are very similar in appearance, your best bet is to find the engine number, which should be on the right rear near the bell housing, it will start with G13 or G16, that will give you the engine size.

I will check that out this evening.

Thank you

Also, my brake lines I believe are stock and with a lift they are really tight. I saw brake line extension cables on ebay and I believe they would work.  They are about $30. Is this how most people solve a brake line issue with a lift?

Longer brake hoses will be needed. You need to do something with that steering linkage, either a z-bar or preferably a high-steer kit.
The axle oil leak is likely to be cause by worn kingpin bearings, they aren't too difficult to replace.
The sway bar is at a very high angle, either lower the front mounting brackets or just remove it.

I checked the block and it does say it is a 1.6l. I saw somewhere that all 1.6 liters were fuel injected but mine is carbureted.  Did someone convert my engine to carbureted or did some of the 1.6 liters come with carb? I was told the engine came from a 1992 tracker.

I checked out the z-bar and high-steer kits. Will the z-bar cause any issues vs. a high steer kit? I have power steering and the only on road driving I will be doing is either through town or on a back road to a trail.

All US market 1.6s were fuel injected, some other countries had carbs, if your engine did come from a Tracker, it would have been converted to carb.

The drag link will foul the passenger side spring as the suspension moves because of the angle it takes between the hub and the pitman arm, a Z bar will allow more clearance between the drag link & the spring, but does not change the actual angle, a high steer kit will move the drag link up above the spring and actually reduce the angle - the big difference between the two, apart from the cost, is that the high steer kit will also reduce bump steer.

I now know that my engine is a 1.6l but not if it is 8v or 16v.  The engine code is G16L226042. Is there a decoder for this? The best that I can find shows that the L indicates it is a 1990 model. I was told the engine was from a 1992 tracker but that was passed down from a couple people. I would just like to know for future reference when I need parts.

Your engine is an 8v, the picture shows a pressed steel valve cover, the 16v engines have an aluminum valve cover and also say 16v on the cover...

Regarding the year of the engine, I've seen at least one individual that claims the L in the engine number can be decoded using a VIN year decode (which would translate that L to a 1990), but I don't accept his theory in part because I have two engines with a B in that position that would translate to 1981 and I know for a fact that one of them is from an 89 and the other a 93.

I have the Samurai in my garage now to start working on it.  I have started cleaning it up and taking care of the wiring issues. I took a couple pictures of the driveshaft's because it looks to me like the front driveshaft may be short with the lift kit. I don't know how long the slip joint is but I can see a lot of the splines.  What do you guys think?

I would unbolt one side and slide it out as far as it can go to see how much is in the yoke.

 Your front shaft is to short without a doubt.
A partial high lift ( cross over steering ) is your least expensive , correct fix for your steering woes . That and proper set up.
 A front axle rebuild kit would be my next investment.
I, almost exclusively , buy parts ( the ones I don't build myself ) from LowRainge off road.
I have never had a bad experience with them.