HELP: Sidekick ECU location ( or Escudo)

[prior60]

Here is the problem I have.
My car is in the Bahamas and I am in the USA.
A friend has emailed me who is using my car and it has the same problems with missing and running sometimes and then other times it is fine.
So i am think that it may be the computer.
.
I need to know where to find this as I don't know where it is located in the car.
It is an Escudo 5 dr 1.6 and is the same as the sidekick so any help would be appricated.
I asked the other day uder Escudo question and have had no answer.
Cerntainly someone can tell me where to look for the computer so I can get the numbers off of it..
HELP PLEASE........
Thanks

[jtgh]

95 year. sidekick in sheeps clothing. Wet misfire, and hard start.

How to look:
under the hood (only newer cars have this)

look only because it is very easy to do so.
I know it not there,but, it is in a foreign country. grin

look for 6"x8" by 2 inch thick brick with a zillion wires connected. most likely to be ECU(PCM)
not there?
then under drivers left knee (behind speaker)
under drivers right knee
beside radio left or right , or some where behind passenger side.

there is a 90% chance it not the ECU that is bad.
I could be wrong. smile.
I read your posts , did you get the tune up kit with
plugs,wires, rotor and cap?

misfiring.
These parts can be ordered from thousands of places.
here, try RockAuto.

under what conditions does said vehicle mis-fire.
hot only
cold only
either and only when raining.
does it misfire while hot just parked.
in the morning, start car let idle for 15 minute until
temp. gauge says nice and warm.
does it misfire like this?

A bad cap and or rotor will fail like mad when wet.
for a fact.
and it will get worse as the high voltage carbon tracks the plastic until it is junk.
there is a gasket below the Cap , make sure it is There and in perfect condition !!!

The Suzuki Escudo (known as Sidekick in North America and Vitara in Europe. Wiki search.
rockauto.com USA.
click cliok, shows: full kit for disty.
AIRTEX Part # 3D1026
(16 Valve) (DOHC)
(8 Valve) (SOHC)

$20 bucks, cheap.

after reading all your posts, my conclusion is "TUNE UP YOUR CAR."
then tell us how it runs.

For all I know your spark wires are 12 years old.
Like mine were.

good luck to you.

PS:
some cars sold in some countries have components that were used on the same car in the USA, but much older.
for example , it may be 1995 car , but it is closer to a 1992 car in USA.
In the usa the EPA , forces newer technology.

Some countries have cars that look like they were sold in the USA in 1987 ( south america is a case in point)
go there, look under hood, Shock !

[prior60]

I had replace the wires and plugs and yes you are correct as i had an issue with the distributor cap not matching what was suppose to be in the car as per all the books in the USA.
Seems that its an esteem distributor and rotor in a sidekick... and i am taking that with me.
There has never been a gasket between the cap and the distributor so i will see if i can get a new one to go there.
Will silicone work or how about the grease that was mentioned in another post.

I wanted to try and cover all my bases and that is to just take the CPU with me just in case as the man in the parts store said they would take it back if i did not use it and getting things in the Bahamas is very difficult and expensive even if you can find the parts.
What about the ignition module could that be the problem.

The car only has issues badly when it has rained the night before or is raining and then sometimes out of the blue it will run terrible for awhile and then straighten itself out.
Sometimes it will not start at all after it was running for awhile and then when you let it sit awhile it comes alive again..
Its like its haunted..
Thanks for the imput.........Big help so far......

[jtgh]

that's a very good description of the problem.
Esteem is a 4 door sedan with front wheel drive.
seem someone swapped ignitions on your car.

you need expert help.
someone who can find and correct the problem with out replacing everything and guessing.

look for the ECU above your left foot.

Get spare coil too, as this carbon tracks too in the HV tower hole.

If some one indeed swapped parts , I wonder how well it was done ( twisted wires and black electricans tape is not going to work) close examination is in order.
good day.

[prior60]

I think this is a factory coil as there is no sign of things being buggered up by a replacement.
The car believe it or not only has 38,000 miles on it as the island we are on is small and not much driving.
Has a Denso Coil also or could I use any coil for the 1.6 engine to replace it?

Friend looked again and said if its under the dash its way up and buried under a lot of wires so he's not going to look any further so i will just have to hope it's not the computer and just the cap & rotor.
I will post results but not until mid August or later as i have to wait to get there.

PS did you see my question about the rear door coming open especially when going over uneven dirt roads..maybe there is an adjustment for the door latch? or is it shot?
Thanks again....

[jtgh]

latch?
ah, is there any body damage in this area of veh.?
is the door loose, with it is closed?

the left body (not door) has a latch plate, loosen the screws and slide plate forward and re-torque.
it it is not loose and pops upen then:
you need a new latch in side the door.

i have the factory Database now for all Sidekicks. and all part numbers.
ECU
Escudo: located above radio
Util you find out what Non Carrib car you have finding the ECU will take looking. see next post.


If you were to state you VIN code ( go ahead and put X's on the last 5 digits for security) this would greatly help identify your exact model !
No one can help you much with out that nfo.
frankly your car could be from anywhere and could be modified to any state. ( wrong parts)

the coil tower.
remove wire from HV post ( the one with the large rubber boot)
now look down hole ,
how does it look.
if dirty clean it with solvent ( fast drying solvent)
then make sure there are NO PITS in side the hole , flashlight.
if there are pits the coil tower, it is on its last days !
the pits are caused by dirt and moisture and time.
the High voltage breaks down the filty plastic in little time.

Any good auto tech is fully aware of these issues and can advise.

In the lack of that, then replace starting from cheap to expensive.
cap,rotor ,wires,and coil are all expendable , not only in miles but
in TIME and Dirt and Moisture. ( heat is also a primary factor)

good day.

You have lots of questions, but the most germane is what car you really have and what non origional parts were installed on this car.

[jtgh]

Subject your 95, Escudo (Carribean type)
More research (midnight insomnia)
My EPC shows only one car, Escudo, sold in your Carribbean island.
Locking at that:
The Carrib car:
it shows no distributor!, but has 2 coils running 4 plugs.

Since your car has a Disty (yes?) ,then:
Your car must NOT be Carribbean inport, but must come from some other source ( USA, or ?)
so not only is the VIN important ( digit 10 = "S" for 1995)
also under the hood (look up not down) see sticker white stating what export model you car was designed for.
USA, EU, ? ( or a smog sticker)
As you can see you must learn what you really have.


FYI:
cars with a distributor are different between
8valve and 16valve engine.
33100-58B10 16v change prefix to 33321 for cap.
33100-56B11 8v

i can not find distributor -5781 but it is hard to look this up. this number is too short, must be
nnLnn. n=num , L=letter.

33100 = in suzuki parlance = distributor.

[prior60]

Very Informative and i will check all you have mentioned.
The rear door does not have any damage nor does the body so its most likely the latch and i will try and adjust.
I will look for the CPU also when I get there even if i get the car running well with the new parts I want to find the darn thing as now it has me concerned and i need to find the thing if just for a future reference so i have the numbers in hand..
Final quickie........
The coil can I place a coil in the car that is out of any 1.6 engine thats 16 valve or do I have to go with the DENSO coil I have.. as that is again an issue to track down like the distributer was with the numbers not crossing over..
I may have to do a match up if i need a coil after the cap and rotor install...
Thanks

[jtgh]

mixing electronics parts is not easy.
you may cause more damage than you cure.

need to know the VIN for both vehicles.
need to know the Import sticker data on both vehicles.
this vin tells you who made it and what basic model it is.
the white sticker tells you what TARGET export country the car was configured to.
with out that information , it is just a crap shoot.

just roll the dice and tell us.

that aside:
If they look identical and the input resistance of the coil is the same , then you can try it but I would not.
YMMV:
Because I do not want to blow up my Igniter or ECU.
or ?
It is your risk. So only you can decide what to do outside the normal envelope of repairs.

Btw , your dealer would ask the same 2 quesitons.
Vin and Smog sticker data.
my EPC shows 28 versions of Sidekick world wide just for 1995 !!! No wonder they cost so much.
good day.

[prior60]

Well I am here in the Bahamas and here is the out come.
I replaced the distributor cap and rotor and thats solved the problem.
It runs like a top .
Thanks to all especially jtgh for all the input.
You guy's keep up the good work and i cant tell you how much i appreiciated all the input.
I also found the CPU right where you said it would be ..i guess my friend did not know what he was looking for or who knows maybe just lazy..