Worked at a lube oil change shop for about four years back in the '90s. Tip: always remove the fill plug first on diffs and transfer cases. If you can't get the fill plug out (stripped or seized) then you'll be in a world of hurt if you drain the fluid and can't get new fluid back in...
hah, just wanted to ask, why drain plugs first? it can get you in a pickle, especially when vehicle like this suzuki is new to owner and fill plugs will be busted
That thing is SUPER clean underneath for 172k miles! Maintenance isn't glamorous, but vehicles always feel like they drive better afterward, whether they actually do or not, and the peace of mind is great.
I had a late 90's sidekick that I adored. My daughter borrowed it and rolled it..... I have been very impressed with Suzuki cars and SUVs. Well built machines.
Back in 2007 i baught my wife a 2002 XL7, it was silver, the dealership had ordered some chrome rims for it , we baught it right before it snowed, noticed the 4 wheel drive wouldn't lock in , the roads were iced over , we lived way out in the country, and i guess i had left the selecter in 4x4 , the back wheels spun i went through someone's front yard and side swiped a tree , totaled it , if i had a little bit more room i rhink i could have missed it but nope . I was taking it in to get the unit looked at . I did a 360 and a 180 , still have the factory rims though .lol it was a cool little rig though, till it wasn't
Watching someone do maintenance on a vehicle is a great way to learn the basics. I’ve brought my kids into the garage to help me out many times. It’s good to have a basic understanding of how things work.
Yeah silver, especially light silver like that makes you invisible. Had an ol ram that was about that color, and folks pulled out in front of me all the time, I finally realized it was the same color as most roads.
Seeing your suzuki brings back found memories ,my grandfather had a 96 grand vitara his neighbor made fun of it till he pulled him out of the ditch in the blizzard of 97.
I've always loved these chassis. Basically the same as the 2000s Chevy tracker/Suzuki Vitara but a touch longer. 5 link rear, boxed frame rails, and everything tucked up above the frame/crossmembers is so rad for this era. I don't think there are many small SUVs that will put up with the abuse these can take.
I see you check for balance on your lift with every vehicle you bring in, which is very smart…. Just a tip for someone that works on their back to Nader jack stands lol. Mark your lift points with a paint pen so you can lift from the same proven spot everytime.
Glad to see a video that didn't require $3k in parts. Though we love the "builds" sometimes its nice to see everyday stuff that i have to do to my vehicles. It helps keep me motivated to do the little stuff.
I'm one of "those" people. I actually pour a half quart into the engine when the drainplug is still out, just to push out that much more spent oil. Yep, one of those guys LOL. Love your channel Dave!!
Looks in really good shape, nice fluids, etc. Imagine what kind of Jeep you would have gotten for the same money, zero frame, zero fluids, no brakes, blown u joints, the works!
Dave I swear by these suzukis man! And maintenance is the key to em. I had a 94 sidekick jlx 4 dr 1.6 16 valve i got it in 2000 with 58000 miles on it it died in 2013 with 572000 miles on it and all i ever did was basic maintenance and timing belts when they were due the only other thing i ever had to replace was the ecu cuz well they were a problem on em back then lol the only reason that beast game up the smoke was because i missed a belt change and it broke i was religious about it for years and the one time i was lax in upkeep boom it got me.......................
You know all I have is high mileage jeeps and trucks. I honestly prefer it. Once you have it and been thru it then you know what to expect. Keep the cheap maintenance up and keep rolling
I want to see more of this thing, if it wasnt for the timing chains these things would be way more popular. I drive my xl7 the most out of my 4 vehicles, gotta love them with lift and tires. Try making a hiden winch plate so you can give me some ideas .
I did a super sick uhmw lined skid plate on mine. Made it slide over boulders (small boulders) with ease, and no worries of hitting those tender bits underneath.
WOOHOO 'ZUKI CONTENT!!!!!! I'm telling ya dave, bake those head lights open and paint the chrome black. It'll make the front end look more mean and less....."mom".
After seeing yours I've been looking for one for my family, I've loved my other suzukis and didn't realize the xl7 was pretty legit for a newer vehicle, thanks!
Great video, brother. This is important stuff ro keeping your ride up to date with new fluids to get a long life out of our rides. Have a great and safe adventure, brother.
There is a huge gap between our jalopies lol, I didn't get under mine till there was a problem and that was caused by a tacase motor dying and a front diff that was about to catch fire!..
@@thedirtheadshed same,you seen one of mine when you and Fred raced in Broadview,my explorer that I have dubbed the rickshaw is daily beater that I broke doing some "light" off-roadin
Worked at a lube oil change shop for about four years back in the '90s. Tip: always remove the fill plug first on diffs and transfer cases. If you can't get the fill plug out (stripped or seized) then you'll be in a world of hurt if you drain the fluid and can't get new fluid back in...
Good advice. I have fought with them before
hah, just wanted to ask, why drain plugs first? it can get you in a pickle, especially when vehicle like this suzuki is new to owner and fill plugs will be busted
That thing is SUPER clean underneath for 172k miles! Maintenance isn't glamorous, but vehicles always feel like they drive better afterward, whether they actually do or not, and the peace of mind is great.
It was good and quiet for a few days
I had a late 90's sidekick that I adored. My daughter borrowed it and rolled it..... I have been very impressed with Suzuki cars and SUVs. Well built machines.
Little tanks
Back in 2007 i baught my wife a 2002 XL7, it was silver, the dealership had ordered some chrome rims for it , we baught it right before it snowed, noticed the 4 wheel drive wouldn't lock in , the roads were iced over , we lived way out in the country, and i guess i had left the selecter in 4x4 , the back wheels spun i went through someone's front yard and side swiped a tree , totaled it , if i had a little bit more room i rhink i could have missed it but nope . I was taking it in to get the unit looked at . I did a 360 and a 180 , still have the factory rims though .lol it was a cool little rig though, till it wasn't
Time to get another one and keep it outta the ditch
Watching someone do maintenance on a vehicle is a great way to learn the basics. I’ve brought my kids into the garage to help me out many times. It’s good to have a basic understanding of how things work.
Nice! I wish my kids showed more interest
Yeah silver, especially light silver like that makes you invisible. Had an ol ram that was about that color, and folks pulled out in front of me all the time, I finally realized it was the same color as most roads.
Yeah: I dont like standing out.. but this is ridiculous
Seeing your suzuki brings back found memories ,my grandfather had a 96 grand vitara his neighbor made fun of it till he pulled him out of the ditch in the blizzard of 97.
Everyone loves an underdog
My OCD watching you drain the front and rear diff, and transfer case without removing the fill plug had Me clawing my eyes out
Awesome! Had to create some sort of drama. And make an oil change interesting enough to watch
I've always loved these chassis. Basically the same as the 2000s Chevy tracker/Suzuki Vitara but a touch longer. 5 link rear, boxed frame rails, and everything tucked up above the frame/crossmembers is so rad for this era. I don't think there are many small SUVs that will put up with the abuse these can take.
All 💯 true
I see you check for balance on your lift with every vehicle you bring in, which is very smart…. Just a tip for someone that works on their back to Nader jack stands lol. Mark your lift points with a paint pen so you can lift from the same proven spot everytime.
Good idea. Thanks
Motoring!! An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Love dirt Thx
True words
Glad to see a video that didn't require $3k in parts. Though we love the "builds" sometimes its nice to see everyday stuff that i have to do to my vehicles. It helps keep me motivated to do the little stuff.
Got to do all the things!
Thought for sure this was gonna be sponsored by manscaped when I saw the thumbnail 😂
Waiting for that manscape money
I'm one of "those" people. I actually pour a half quart into the engine when the drainplug is still out, just to push out that much more spent oil. Yep, one of those guys LOL.
Love your channel Dave!!
You’re doing the lords work
Dave you always place your tools in the most weird spot ever, that's the first thing they teach you at tech school 😅😅
That’s part of mechanic life.. finding tools
Fun little rig. Its always a good evening when we get a new vid from the Dirthead Shed..
Awww shucks. Thanks
Looks in really good shape, nice fluids, etc. Imagine what kind of Jeep you would have gotten for the same money, zero frame, zero fluids, no brakes, blown u joints, the works!
It is hard to get a good deal on a jeep
Dave I swear by these suzukis man! And maintenance is the key to em. I had a 94 sidekick jlx 4 dr 1.6 16 valve i got it in 2000 with 58000 miles on it it died in 2013 with 572000 miles on it and all i ever did was basic maintenance and timing belts when they were due the only other thing i ever had to replace was the ecu cuz well they were a problem on em back then lol the only reason that beast game up the smoke was because i missed a belt change and it broke i was religious about it for years and the one time i was lax in upkeep boom it got me.......................
It had a good long life. Thanks for sharing
Tip for the newbs, open fill location before drain location. Also recommend synthetic gear oil. Better especially in colder climates. Ymmv.
Thanks
Such a cool daily rig. As soon as you brought that home I started diving into finding one. This thing is rad
Thank you. I’m having a hard time, not chopping into it.
I did the same thing!
You know all I have is high mileage jeeps and trucks. I honestly prefer it. Once you have it and been thru it then you know what to expect. Keep the cheap maintenance up and keep rolling
Agreed
I want to see more of this thing, if it wasnt for the timing chains these things would be way more popular. I drive my xl7 the most out of my 4 vehicles, gotta love them with lift and tires. Try making a hiden winch plate so you can give me some ideas .
They are easy to get a winch tucked into
I did a super sick uhmw lined skid plate on mine. Made it slide over boulders (small boulders) with ease, and no worries of hitting those tender bits underneath.
Those are fun projects
WOOHOO 'ZUKI CONTENT!!!!!!
I'm telling ya dave, bake those head lights open and paint the chrome black. It'll make the front end look more mean and less....."mom".
I’m thinking it just needs a tracker front clip
@@thedirtheadshed that works?!?!? COOL!
I can’t believe how clean that is underneath. Here in coastal Maine it would be rotted out.
I got lucky on this one
god dave your shop is so sick. another tour soon please.
Thanks! Will do
After seeing yours I've been looking for one for my family, I've loved my other suzukis and didn't realize the xl7 was pretty legit for a newer vehicle, thanks!
They are good. Happy hunting
Nate and you are going to be such an awesome team
Couldn’t really ask for a better couple of guys to make something I’d be interested in!
Thank you. It should be fun
That rig is clean for the mileage on it…wow!!!!
It’s a good one
Raddest maintenance manly man on the RUclips!
I appreciate that
Great video, brother. This is important stuff ro keeping your ride up to date with new fluids to get a long life out of our rides. Have a great and safe adventure, brother.
Thanks! So far so good
@thedirtheadshed perfect, have fun, and if you can, bring us along for the adventure.
Cool suki!! I wish my isuzu had coils up front!!!
Those torsion setups work well too
Thanks for sharing. I enjoy watching your videos
Thanks for watching
That thing is crazy clean! They don’t exist in my part of the world anymore.
Time to fly and drive one back
I can't wait to see this thing get cool bumpers and winch
I gotta make some time for it
Good video.
Thank you
Good job
Thanks
Hope you had a great trip. Looking forward to seeing more on it later!
Thanks! Coming soon
Pretty clean underneath, way better than mine. My rockers are almost none existent 😅
I hate rust
There is a huge gap between our jalopies lol, I didn't get under mine till there was a problem and that was caused by a tacase motor dying and a front diff that was about to catch fire!..
Oh I’ve got plenty of junk around here
@@thedirtheadshed same,you seen one of mine when you and Fred raced in Broadview,my explorer that I have dubbed the rickshaw is daily beater that I broke doing some "light" off-roadin
Dude..shoip looks pretty organized..for now. Keep up the good work.
The mess comes and goes
Put over 415,000 miles on a Chevy Tracker which is the same as a Suzuki with different badges
That’s awesome! They are solid little rigs
Nice
Thanks
Ah.. the Ol 172k, I’ve started many new to me journeys at about 172K.
Nothing wrong with enjoying an old rig
Its funny the rear end looks like a Toyota rear end...... and you said something about it being like a toyota you read my mind
Very similar
Looks great under there.
It’s clean!
My 97 just got a new small block larger pistons and the engine totally rebuilt. Im definitely maintaining my junk its only got 250,000 miles 😅
Nice! Keep ‘em on the road
How do you like your all terrain tires?
Will you be doing an engine rebuild video on the yellow yj?
I love the tires so far. Yeah. The engine parts are starting to roll in
Safe travels
Thank you
I'm trying to get the motivation to do timing belt, water pump, and stupid valve stem seals on my old Montero Sport.
Those are a lot of work. Just gotta roll up your sleeves and do it
@@thedirtheadshed Right after I replace the left rear caliper on the wife's little sports car!
Man our Toyota is sitting at 267,107 right now. Got some basic stuff to do by end of the month then hitting the road for another 5k mile road trip
Nice!
How do you like the ironman lift? Bought a couple of their camping things and found quality and customer support lacking.
The springs and shocks seem good. I agree with you on the shovels and stuff quality
I saw you struggling with a poor quality measure tape while fabricating rock sliders. Can I send a new Milwaukee 16 ft?
I appreciate it. But you don’t need to go out of your way to get me a tape measure
If this was a 5 speed it would be perfect
Agreed
🦅🇺🇸💪🤠👍
You again! Hope you dug the video
Which Falken tires are those? I'm looking something a little more aggressive for my old Ford Ranger.
These are Rubitrek, i like the AT3w too. And I’m about to test their new RT
@@thedirtheadshed thanks Dave!
Why not the front diff fluid?
I did it. Thought I showed it
What about the front diff?
I did it. Last thing before I hit the road
Puddin collaboration?
Hopefully. We live about a million miles apart though
I think Nate on the DL
For everyone that isn't aware, you can vote in the onX challenge every 12 hours!
Sweet! Thanks for the heads up !
I thought that was your wife’s car.
No. She drives a Mitsubishi Outlander
If you would be interested in an f350 4x4 door in Spokane. Give me your email
Shoot me a message on Instagram
Wow that thing is pretty well set up! Now I got another thing to scour facebook marketplace for 🫠
They are kinda sneaky good