i have an '89 kick w/a 3.1L(carb) and 31" tires.
i'm thinking of power steering.
i've heard of doing this modification using a toyota corolla setup(box, pump, etc.), or nissan pickup.
don't think i've seen anything about using suzuki gear.
i'm a bit of a luddite- i've tried some searches for info, but had little success.
know any good links or got some tips about this?

i have yet to start my wrecking yard crawling........

3.1L?  did you do an engine swap or do you mean 1.3L carbureted?

1.3 with the carburetor.
i know they also came with the bigger motor and some sort of injection system, but.....
for some reason it came with a/c, but i removed it.
i keep thinking i could use that extra belt land on the crank pulley to run a power steering pump.
not sure i can spare the horses, but it gets hard to maneuver in the rocks sometimes.

i did a quick stop at a wrecker and found the remains of a 'kick. unsure of year, but i suspect mabe '96.
had another vehicle on top of it, so i was unable to open hood for real inspection, but the steering box looks like it might just bolt up(at least appears dimensionally similar).
the pump has a different pulley. for a ribbed type belt.
did earlier models use a v-belt?
i'll bet sammy guys have messed w/this stuff- mabe a pulley swap is no big deal?

All Kicks came with flat multi rib belts, unless the 1.3L 88 model
used the Samurai setup, I can't remember, I've only seen 1 of those

Wild

All Kicks came with flat multi rib belts, unless the 1.3L 88 model
used the Samurai setup, I can't remember, I've only seen 1 of those

Wild

if they all used the ribbed belt, then i might as well get the gear i was looking at(although $250 seemed high, so i need to look around a little more).
i have no experience working with power steering pumps.
perhaps i can find a v pulley to replace the ribbed one?
must be a way.

i have no experience working with power steering pumps.
perhaps i can find a v pulley to replace the ribbed one?
must be a way.

if the belts on your 1.3-L are the same as the samurai 1.3-L, then you should be able to use this kit.  You could call them to see if you can buy just the pulley and the pump bracket

http://www.roadlessgear.com/page/RGL/PROD/ST/SUZ-PSC-001

joesteak
thanks for the link. that pulley looks interesting!
i have the double v crank pulley on her now(used to have a/c).
investigating roadless...............
richard

The 89 sidekicks that had the 1.3 used the samurai 1.3.....so they have vbelts on them.  All other trackicks had ribbed belts.
Any power steering box from any 89-98 tracker or sidekick will bolt up to your sidekick (they all use the same box mounting on the frame).

The 89 sidekicks that had the 1.3 used the samurai 1.3.....so they have vbelts on them.  All other trackicks had ribbed belts.
Any power steering box from any 89-98 tracker or sidekick will bolt up to your sidekick (they all use the same box mounting on the frame).

this was my impression also.
any idea if there is a v-belt pulley that may replace that ribbed pulley on the pump?

any idea if there is a v-belt pulley that may replace that ribbed pulley on the pump?

I don't know.  I haven't ever looked into it.
It would probably be easier to swap the others over to ribbed pulleys.  The water pump pulleys will interchange fine (make sure you use a 1.6 8V pulley, since the 1.6 16V has a different offset and the belt won't line up right).  The whole alternator will interchange and the plug will plug right in.  You will have to drill new holes in the crank pulley (1.6 trackick uses 5 bolts, 1.3 uses 4 bolts)...use the 1.3 pulley as a template (be sure to orientate it correctly, before drilling...DON'T put the pulleys back to back to drill them).  If you swap to ribbed pulleys, note that the timing mark on the crank pulley will be slightly off...see the following link...
http://bbs.zuwharrie.com/content/topic,109092.0.html

VERY good info. thanks much.
excellent link.
i will post what happens.
richard

so far:

the box mounting bolts lined up just fine.
the new steering box is a bit larger than my old one.

the pump pulley is some sorta press-on and i don't want to mess with that more than once........
still working that out.

couple of things:
the high pressure hose needs to be bent around to clear the coolant overflow bottle- there must have been some changes in that arrangement on the later models.
i'll need to find a place to mount the fluid reservoir, and the ports on it seem to be pointing in odd directions. did this mount on the engine somewhere? this one will be "custom"!

scrounged thru the carcass at the wrecker some more looking for useful bits. still unsure where the reservoir was mounted and confirmed the different coolant bottle location.
no new insights. something will come to me......



i now have a crankshaft pulley that seems like it'll work.
i have dummied things in place, and it looks like the stock(donor) pump bracket will line up ok. 2 out of 3 holes line up.
the belt i picked up is probably too long, but things are starting to come together.


so- i have put the new pulley on the crankshaft.
the pump bracket needed a hole drilled to allow the bolts to line up.

i will wait until tomorrow to fire things up and see if i have function.

ahha!
this seems to work!
i cleaned things up a bit, put in a little more than a pint of steering fluid, and started her up.
belt stayed on, nothing broke, no fluid spraying, and wheels turned just fine.
i thought i was gonna have to bleed the system?

it's raining here, and i don't want to put the back window up, so i'm gonna wait to test drive.
i will report conclusions.
i'm real pleased.

the rain let up and i found an excuse to go to the store(more beer) and i'm real pleased.
suzi steers real nice and soooo easy!
i had guessed when connecting the steering wheel, so i need to straighten that up, but ,oh, what a pleasure!
a couple of comments:
trail tough and roadless were both very pleasant to deal with.
i need to square up a couple of things with them, however.
i did receive what was supposed to be a bracket to be used for mounting the pump bracket, but i can't figure how it works.
trail tough's crankshaft pulley is very nicely made and finished- one of the nicest looking things on suzi, but in a place that few see.
the belt i used to drive the pump was 31 5/8" long.
fun and rewarding project.
naturally, it cost more than i planned, but sometimes i can't help it.
must be a sickness........

Most people usually move the reservoir bottle over to the other radiator bracket.  Drill out the spot welds that hold it to the bracket and drill a hole, or two, in the other bracket and get a longer hose and put it on the passenger side bracket.
Some PS reservoirs have the hose connections that aren't in very samurai swap friendly locations.  Some mount close to the drivers side radiator bracket, others mount in the drivers side front corner of the engine compartment, on the trackicks.
Most people do have to bleed the system, to get all the air out.  Maybe you were lucky.

the coolant recovery bottle still fits in it's original location.
i did have to massage the hard pipe section of the pressure hose(at the steering box) to get it to fit. no biggie.
i am still considering a final location/mount for the steering fluid reservoir(the first attempt is a joke), and may use that as an excuse to spend more money putting a cooler in line at the same time.
i suspect i don't need the cooler, but it would increase the fluid capacity, and it shoudn't hurt.
the more i thought about that bleeding thing, the less i worried about it. it seemed that physics would prime the pump and the rest would follow.
mabe i was just lucky.
i often find i approach things differently than most people.
it's good to be lucky.