Aerio - Sidekick swap

[JJJoseph]

Twice locally I've seen Sidekick JLXs with 155hp 2.3 litre Areo engine installed. It looks like a straight-forward conversion since the engine is similar to the 1.8, and the transmissions are the same. But I don't have any more information such as if the ECU needs to be swapped, or will this swap work in a Tracker or Sidekick 1.6-16v. Anybody else know about this swap?

[fordem]

There are a number of write-ups on a J20 swap and possibly a kit available - the 2.3 Aerio engine is the J23 so the information should be similar.

You WILL need the ECU from the J series engine as the ignition systems are very different.

[fordem]

2.0 swap in first gen side kick? Who has done one? - Pirate4x4.Com

You can also check with TrailTough & AfterMarket 4x4 - aftermarket had a write up but the page seems to be down.

[JJJoseph]

Originally Posted by fordem

You can also check with TrailTough & AfterMarket 4x4 - aftermarket had a write up but the page seems to be down.

Those are pretty much dead-ends for anything useful.

[fordem]

Well, in that case, I guess the kits, like so many things in the aftermarket Suzuki world, don't stay as production items for long due to a lack of demand.

Going from memory - the G16 & the J20 have an identical bolt pattern, so the 1.6 transmission can be mated to the 2.0 (and probably the 2.3) with a custom flywheel (or a modified 1.6 flywheel), you'll have to do custom engine mounts, and since you're swapping in the transverse engine, you'll probably have to do intake, exhaust & cooling system plumbing, and splice the harnesses together.

A J20 from a Tracker or Vitara might be an easier swap, since you'll already have the intake & exhaust facing in the right direction.

[JJJoseph]

Here's a photo of a sideways 2.3 Areo in a 97 Sidekick automatic (spotted on craigslist). It seems from random discussions that no custom kit or machining is required, it's done just by selecting from the Suzuki part bins. Only stock Suzuki parts used. But that's a lot of rummaging around in the wrecking yard! And a lot of mistakes along the way. I'm hoping that someone knows which parts make this conversion work.

[littlebigman]

Will the stock drivetrain take this added power? Isn't it double what we are making?(well kinda)
I would think you would need to swap the diff's out as well...But this seems easy enough. We have two dozen 2/4dr 99+ trackers in my local junkyard. If I didn't want a V6 I would be all over this!

[JJJoseph]

The stock drive train can easily handle the power no problem. It handles V6 and V8 conversions like the Chevy 4.3 & small block Ford 5.0. And the 4-spd Aisin automatic is the same as in Toyota/Isuzu trucks, Volvo 940, etc, and the 3-spd Hydramatic is the same as used in Grumman postal vans. The Sidekick/Tracker drive train is sturdy stuff.

[fordem]

I think I've figured out why you & I don't seem to be on the same page - we're actually discussing two different vehicles.

Your original post asked about swapping a J23A from an Aerio into a 1.6 Sidekick/Tracker.



This is not a 1.6 Sidekick/Tracker - and no it is not a 1.6 Sidekick/Tracker with a J23A engine swapped in - it is an SV series chassis, probably a Sidekick Sport - I can't tell you what engine is it, other than it's a Suzuki J series engine - if it is in fact an Aerio engine, it has several parts from either a Sidekick Sport or a Vitara fitted to it, to allow it to function in the North~South orientation.

The Sidekick Sport is not a Sidekick with a 1.8 engine, it is a completely different vehicle, it has a different, wider frame, and it has different suspension, some of the body panels do interchange, but it's a different vehicle.

If you want to swap a J series engine, any of them, J18, J20 or J23 into the narrower Sidekick chassis (the SE series chassis), there will be some degree of custom fabrication - the engine mounts are going to be different, cooling systems are different intake & exhaust are different - there's no way you're doing this by selecting the appropriate Suzuki parts and bolting them together.

On the flip side, if what you're trying to do is swap a J23 in place of a J18, then yes, you may be able to do that without having a welder at your disposal.

Either swap will require a custom wiring harness, and I would not attempt it with an automatic transmission.

[JJJoseph]

That would explain some of the confusion! I just assumed that since my Tracker is now about 50% Suzuki replacement parts, that more part swapping might eventually give me a machine like this. BTW, this particular 2.3 Suzuki is an automatic, and it's the same automatic that's in my Tracker according to the local transmission shop. Meanwhile, I think I'll get out my tape measure and see if I can figure out some more answers to this puzzle.