ZUKIWORLD Online | Suzuki 4x4 Editorial and Forum
ZUKIWORLD Model Specific Suzuki Forum => Suzuki Grand Vitara, Vitara, Chevy Tracker (Gen. 2 Platform) 1999-2005 => Topic started by: beercheck on February 28, 2006, 03:40:28 PM
-
The donor truck's in my driveway and I'm about to start twisting wrenches. Going from the 2.0 / 5-speed / 4.875:1 (I believe) axles to the entire 2.7 / auto / 5.125:1 drivetrain from the '02 XL-7.  The folding mirrors will be a nice bonus, among others.
Before this opportunity presented itself, I was just about to pull the trigger on the LSD for the rear. I'm not into the rear Lockrite option and ARB is priced out of my plan right now and, besides, I'm an LSD kinda guy at heart anyway.
Problem: No LSD available for the XL-7 rear axle (just talked to Calmini on the phone to verify). What's my least painful option to make it possible? Anything I can swap out without having to bother with R&P setups? I'm not worried about putting in crawler gears, just want a simple means get to LSD in the rear (not really sure I like the way that sounds, now that I typed it...) while wasting as few of the parts I have at hand as possible. And I want to keep the new 5:125 gears.
??
Kev
-
I don't think there are any options for LSD or lockers in the rear of an XL7.
-
will you eventually be parting out some stuff from the donor XL7?
-
will you eventually be parting out some stuff from the donor XL7?
Sure. Don't know exactly what yet, though, and the window of opportunity between part-out commencement and when I have to get the wreck to the scrappers will be pretty short. I do need to make sure it's a rolling chassis, though. Which means it'll have great condition '03 tracker fronts and rears. But the 03's 5speed and TC should be available, as well as the 2.0 with the slow coolant leak from the factory cracked block.
Got the donor XL7 dash about 90% disassembled...having a tough time getting to some screws/bolts, particlularly for the pass side airbag. It seems to be attached differently than the pictures in my 03 tracker FSM. Playing this part by ear, should have it down by the time I take apart the keeper truck's dash. I hope..
I was hoping to take the adjustable armrests, but they don't attach to the seat frames the same way. So that sucks. The passenger seat is bent, as if a rather large person was in it when the truck was rear-ended.
-
I guess I'm gathering that, but I'm clueless as to what specifically the deal breaker is. What doesn't bolt to/fit onto/fit into what? Is it the R&P, or the axles, or the housing, or what? I'm willing to undertake a junkyard search if there's just a component or two that I could swap out and make this work.
Here's a pic of a rear XL7 3rd member next to a sidekick/GV and Sammy 3rds. I believe I have heard that the XL7 has a 9" pinion gear and the sidekick/GV have 7.5" pinion's
(http://www.zukiworld.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=10616.0;id=676;image)
So you would have to find a locker application for another vehicle that would work, I don't think you could swap stuff in from a Sidekick/GV
-
If you don't mind me asking.....
How much did you pay for the donar XL-7?
Have any pics of the condition it was in?
I've been wanting to do the same thing your doing for over 3yrs now. But I really am looking for a 5spd 4x4
-
If you don't mind me asking.....
How much did you pay for the donar XL-7?
Have any pics of the condition it was in?
I've been wanting to do the same thing your doing for over 3yrs now. But I really am looking for a 5spd 4x4
I was wondering what was taking you so long to chime in. I know you have been talking about somthine like this for years ;D
-
Has anyone pulled the spider gear assembly out of the GV and compaired it to a Sidekick?
josh
-
Got the donor XL7 dash about 90% disassembled...having a tough time getting to some screws/bolts, particlularly for the pass side airbag. It seems to be attached differently than the pictures in my 03 tracker FSM. Playing this part by ear, should have it down by the time I take apart the keeper truck's dash. I hope..
I have the GV/XL7 service manuals, email me if you need the page about removing the airbag
-
If you don't mind me asking.....
How much did you pay for the donar XL-7?
Have any pics of the condition it was in?
I've been wanting to do the same thing your doing for over 3yrs now. But I really am looking for a 5spd 4x4
I looked like crazy for a 5 speed, but they're awfully tough to find. Probably in the neighborhood of 50:1 autos vs sticks in the wrecks I looked into. Since the 2003 XL-7's interior was next generation compared to my 2003 Tracker (so, who knew if the wiring harness would transfer over...), and since the 2001 had the lower horsepower, I limited the search to the 2002 model year. The 5speed wrecks I did find either had damage that disqualified them for my purposes, or else had high mileage. So, when I found an auto that was otherwise exactly what I wanted, I went ahead and grabbed it.
$3950 (plus, ouch, 500 more to get it shipped from WI to my driveway in MO) got me a 36,000 mile running and driveable 2002 XL-7 Plus donor. It was pretty clobbered in the rear and pushed up into another vehicle in front of it, but the airbags didn't deploy, so I figured it had that going for it..
Some photos:
-
I was wondering what was taking you so long to chime in. I know you have been talking about somthine like this for years ;D
:P :'( Yeah I just noticed the post.ÂÂ
It bugs me that everyone else has the time/money/experiance to do things I really want to do. It makes me quite sad actually. All the time I put in at work get me nothing but the bills paid. I got a check for $275 from a civil lawsuit and it went to bills, Got $65 for my B-Day... went to bills, got $40 from the Pepsi Free Ride contest... went to putting gas in the cars....You get the idea
-
One day your ship (donor X-L7) will come in.
-
Dash removed, and "before" pics
-
If possable could you write up a HOW-TO on the dash removal?
I'd like to take mine out to either paint/dye it or cover it in fabric.
Is it hard to remove (alot of hidden screws) or is it pretty straight forword?
-
Maybe I'm just a wuss, but I'd consider it to be "hard". Like, really hard. Several hidden screws that are tremendously difficult to get to. Lots of sharp edges. Removal itself takes a bunch of hours (assuming you don't know what you're doing, like me), and I have no idea yet about reinstallation.ÂÂ
I'm looking forward to the "nice, simple" engine/tranny swap, if that's any indication.
I'm seriously going to take a day or two to see about NOT taking the dash out of the Tracker. I'd rather hunt down and tap/splice or run new wires than do this again.
It appears that the way I've gone about it may not be the "right way". There's a metal framework (the metal tube structure you see in the dash-removed picture is part of it) onto which the plastic bits are fastened, mostly from the back side. I removed the plastic bits from the framework, but I think, at the factory, the plastic and components were attached to the framework and then the entire assembly was installed into the car. I'm not sure yet whether things like the heater core are separately attached to the firewall, or what, but it seems to me that going the factory route, removing the ENTIRE dash assembly and then assembling/disassembling it outside the truck, might be the way to go.
-
Removed the metal framework. That's definitely the way to go, remove everything, then disassemble the dash outside the car.
This donor had a remote starter wired into the harness. It's a serious headache. Required me to cut some wires between its control box gawd-knows-what. Without it, removal of the whole dash would have been mostly an unbolt it, pull the steering wheel, remove some column housing, drop the steering column, disconnect the heater/ac/ventilation controls and disconnect a bunch of wiring connections affair. I'll try to photodocument it better if/when I remove the Tracker's. I'm back to thinking it's a good call, if only to compare wiring harnesses.
Pics of the plastic bits (from the rear), the framework, and the interior minus the whole shebang:
-
got $40 from the Pepsi Free Ride contest
You won money?!?!?!
-
got $40 from the Pepsi Free Ride contest
You won money?!?!?!
Yep!!! :o Suprise to me too.
I got a check in the mail for $20 on I think a Thursday and then another one on the following Tues or Wed. I got in the house and had to say NANANANANA to my wife who thought putting the codes in the comp. was a waste of time. I'm just hoping to win the '07 Tahoe cause I'll be taking the cash amount option and using it as a down payment on a house or some land.
-
got $40 from the Pepsi Free Ride contest
You won money?!?!?!
Yep!!! :o Suprise to me too.
I got a check in the mail for $20 on I think a Thursday and then another one on the following Tues or Wed. I got in the house and had to say NANANANANA to my wife who thought putting the codes in the comp. was a waste of time. I'm just hoping to win the '07 Tahoe cause I'll be taking the cash amount option and using it as a down payment on a house or some land.
SWEET!!!! I never entered on the computer cause it did seem like a waste, but heck, $40 bucks'll buy me alot of metal!
Nice job! Also on the swap, it's gnarly seeing things ripped apart like that, and it should work great for you.
-
Hey Beercheck are the bolts that hold the metalframe on accessable with the dash plastic on? And how many bolts are there holding the metal on? Where?
-
Point of no return....
The Tracker's dash is out. Removing the entire assembly is definitely the way to go. Went slow and got it all out in 3 hours, taking loads of pictures.
It's intriguing that the XL-7 has a u-joint in the steering column (in addition to the tilt function), while the Tracker's does not. Haven't looked in detail yet for other differences.
Two pics of the removed dash assembly, one of the Tracker interior without it.
-
Hey Beercheck are the bolts that hold the metalframe on accessable with the dash plastic on? And how many bolts are there holding the metal on? Where?
Yes, they're accessible with the dash plastic on.
Technically, 13 bolts hold it on (if I recall correctly) but, naturally, there's a bit more to it.
In a nutshell, this is how I remember it. Your results may vary..
DISCONNECT THE BATTERY. Airbags scare me. They should scare you, too.
Remove the rear center console (cup holders), then remove the front center console to get to the airbag controller. Disconnect it.
I removed the radio, but I'm not positive I needed to. Made things lighter later, though.
Remove the lower plastic panel below the steering column (3 screws).
Remove the two metal knee bolsters that were behind the lower panel.
Remove the a-pillar trim pieces.
Remove the footwell kick panels.
Disconnect the ground wires exposed behind the removed kick panel(s). The XL-7 only had one on the driver's side, the Tracker had one on each.ÂÂ
Pop out the two oval plugs at the base of the windshield (the passenger side has the low-light sensor for the headlights).
Remove the steering wheel horn/airbag (one #30 torx screw on each side of the center of the steering wheel; they might have little covers to pop out first, and the screws are TIGHT. Use a wrench.).
Remove the glove compartment; open it, squeeze the sides together, swing it down, then remove the right side screw at the hinge.
Pull the steering wheel. You'll need a puller. Make sure you mark things so you can line it up exactly the same when you put it back on.
Remove the plastic surround on the steering column (3 screws from beneath, I think; the bottom and top halves then come apart).
Detach the turn signal/wiper stalk assembly (3 screws, but looks like 4; one hole's a dummy), then let it hang.
Detach the cable from the a/c controls to the fresh air/recirc box behind the glovebox.
Pull the carpet away from the hump at the inboard side of the passenger footwell to detach another cable. You may have a third cable on the driver's side for the mode selector, depending how deluxe your a/c controls are. This also exposes two of the bolts that attach the dash framework to the body.
Disconnect pretty much everything from the junction/fusebox above the driver's left foot.
Along the horizontal frame on the driver's side, basically where your shins are, disconnect the yellow airbag cable and one or two others, and pop a couple wire anchors out. Some of those wires stay in the car. You'll have to just go slowly when removing the dash and knock 'em off one by one.
Drop the steering column (three bolts) from the framework.
Remove the 2 bolts on both sides of the hump in the driver and passenger footwells (4 total).
Remove the two bolts in the near the hinges of both doors (4 total).
Remove the two bolts at the base of the windshield (one on each side).
Pull out the dash. You'll have to tuck the turn signal assembly through the big hole as you remove it, and you may have some random wires holding things up. But, if you go slowly, that's pretty much the deal.
I probably missed something.
-
How much you wanna bet, the next time I do this I'm gonna remember to drain the transfer case oil before removing the front drive shaft....
-
How much you wanna bet, the next time I do this I'm gonna remember to drain the transfer case oil before removing the front drive shaft....
:P
-
Man that sucks
Good luck with the project.
-
Man that sucks
Good luck with the project.
A little kitty litter, a dust pan, some Dawn dishwashing soap ("cuts through grease" or something like that), a pushbroom and a towel later, all was fine. No serious derailment, it just made for a very convenient "stopping point" that evening.
-
Didn't have the hoist arm extended out far enough and ran out of lift extension. Saved by the comealong.....again.
-
Relieved of Duty: 2.0, 5sp and transfer case. Motor has cracked block near power steering pump mount (leaks 1/2 gallon of coolant every two weeks or so) and intermittant top-end knock. 5-speed and t-case in perfect condition, 50xxx miles. Available in St. Louis area.
-
:o So weird to see the engine/trans/transfercase come out of such a little hole. LOL
The pics made it look like it was never gonna end(kinda like magic)(pulling a lamp out of a suitcase)
Anymore progress?ÂÂ
If I ever get the chance, I would really want to port/polish, and do all that stuff before I put it in.
-
:o So weird to see the engine/trans/transfercase come out of such a little hole. LOL
Thats along the lines of what I was thinking when my son was born ;D
-
Anymore progress?ÂÂ
If I ever get the chance, I would really want to port/polish, and do all that stuff before I put it in.
Slow going, but mainly due to the annoying "buying a house" and "holding down a job" distractions.
All that's left before hoisting the v6 out of the xl7 is to drop the front diff. At least, that's my working theory. Who knows what connections I may have missed. I'll post a few pics of that, probably in a couple days. There'll likely be a great big image dump when I get done with this project.
Had an interesting little adventure the other day. Pulled the wreck into the garage, then jacked up the driver's side to put it on jack stands. Went over and did the same on the passenger side next. When placing the front right stand, I noticed water had dripped out of the frame when the other side had been elevated. We'd had some rain and whatnot, so I wiped it up. No biggie. An hour or so later, I decided to go ahead and pull the battery out (it'd just been sitting disconnected). When I did, I noticed some water had accumulated in the tray, too. Which got me thinking....
Two boxes of Arm & Hammer later, I was left scratching my head as to how I didn't get some kicka$$ burns when wiping up the garage floor earlier. Lowered the truck again and cleaned the daylights out of the jackstand before putting it back in place. Narrowly avoided some major suckage on that one.
Unsure whether the battery was cracked in the accident, or by freezing in the intervening months in Wisconsin. As much as I hate to add to government beaurocracy, I'm thinking of starting a movement to require battery acid to be dyed fluorescent pink or something..
-
You're lucky you didn't get burned from the batt acid, that would have sucked. Good luck with the rest of your engine swap. Looking forward to seeing more pics during the swap and when you finish the job. 8)
-
Had a bear of a time getting the 2.7 out of the XL7. Really could've used about 3/4" more room front to back. The lip overhanging the engine compartment at the top of the firewall (the hood seal attaches to it) encroached by just a hair, so the crankshaft pulley came into contact with the a/c radiator. I'll have to come up with a better plan when installing into the Tracker. Might be able to move the a/c component without disconnecting it.
-
Atleast your on the right path. This is the exact way Calmini did thiers. They even had pics and info about the whole proccess......... did you use any ;)? I don't know if it's still available though hopefully it still is.
-
Atleast your on the right path. This is the exact way Calmini did thiers. They even had pics and info about the whole proccess......... did you use any ;)? I don't know if it's still available though hopefully it still is.
There are a few pics out there and a little overview, but I didn't see anything detailing their process.
-
Here it is:
(http://www.zukiworld.com/month_100103/images/calmini_vitaraextreme/COVER_LARGE.jpg)
(http://www.zukiworld.com/month_100103/images/calmini_vitaraextreme/dscn0015.jpg)
(http://www.zukiworld.com/month_100103/images/calmini_vitaraextreme/DSCN0007_smoke.JPG)
Notice how easily they light those big tires up!
Here are the write ups on it.
http://www.zukiworld.com/month_010101/feature_v6vitara_calmini.htm
http://www.zukiworld.com/month_100103/feature_calminivitaraextreme.htm
-
I should be up10% or so on theirs in terms of horsepower. But, they do have better gearing, etc. Sure would be nice to have some deeper pockets!
-
THey got $18,500 for that truck! :o Talk about having deep pockets.
-
Yes, Virginia, while the front diff housings are nearly identical on the Tracker and automatic XL7 (only the cross member mount design is overtly different), the XL7 axles are indeed significantly more stout than the Tracker's.
XL-7 first (.99 inch), Tracker 2nd (.94 inch).
-
More random pics. The brother-in-law (garage owner) seems to find this boring.
-
Posted this request for info (regarding the parking brake cable attachment at the rear drum) in the general forum:
http://www.zukiworld.com/forum/index.php?topic=11539.0
-
the XL7 axles are indeed significantly more stout than the Tracker's.
XL-7 first (.99 inch), Tracker 2nd (.94 inch).
So I went to check this in the parts catalog and... it looks like the XL7 uses the same axles shafts as the manual transmission Vitara/GV. Can you see any other differences in the CV axles other than the size of the center shaft?
http://www.motorplace.com/toms-truck/parts_catalog_components.cgi?1144634734947#
Select "Axle Shaft Assembly" then "Standard Trans"
-
You got that thing running yet? :P
-
End of last week, when I finally got the engine in, there we were: Me holding my breath, my dad holding a couple fire extinguishers...
FrankenTracker LIVES! Unbelievably, it fired right up, first try, after maybe 2 seconds of cranking. No "check engine" lights, no problems. Crazy.
My new rear driveshaft won't be ready until Friday, but I capped the rear output from the tranny and actually DROVE IT 40 miles from my old house to my new house yesterday in 4WD (er...fwd). So far, so good! Should pretty much be done with it by the end of this weekend. Still have the driveshaft, seats and numerous interior panels to install, and it's blowing through the 4-cylinder's skinny exhaust right now, but the end is sooooo close.
-
Sounds sweet, I'll be interested to see the final results. I PM'ed about some parts I'ld be interested in off of the XL7 before it's scrapped.
-
I'm tempted by the wheels and tires if they're still good... :P
-
I'm tempted by the wheels and tires if they're still good... :P
Gone long gone. I miss 'em.
-
Eh, the wife woulda killed me if any more large packages showed up anyways. ;D
-
I know it's done by now!!!! How does it run/smell/feel/taste? ;D ::)
God I wish I could win the lotto!!! Though it probably end up going to bills somehow.
I want to see PICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-
SHOW YOUR PIX!--SHOW YOUR PIX!--SHOW YOUR PIX! ;D
-
I know it's done by now!!!! How does it run/smell/feel/taste? ;D ::)
God I wish I could win the lotto!!! Though it probably end up going to bills somehow.
I want to see PICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Huh. Not sure how I missed this post. Sorry for the delay.
Well, I was doing the swap in my sister's garage, and they sold their house, so I had to rush completing the job. Toward the end, I didn't spend much time taking pictures. Since then, money's been unbelievably short (my advice, don't have parents, they get expensive..), so I haven't actually completed the job. Still needs:
1. Shortened Panhard bar (or relocated mount on the axle). The rear end is offset about 3/4" toward the driver side right now. Surprisingly, there's no binding or anything, but it's bugging me.
2. Parking brake cables installed. Still planning to do the split brakes (two levers), but haven't been able to afford the new cables yet. Luckily, it's now an automatic, so I'm not really missing the parking brakes yet.
3. Exhaust. Right now, it's running through the 4-cyl's stock exhaust (which bolted right up to the downtube). I'm not sure what it's costing me in terms of power and mileage, but I'll bet it's substantial. Nice and quiet, though, for whatever that's worth..
4. Tires. Still running the XL-7's stock crap. They're nearly bald now, though, so it won't be long.
All that said, I've got 7k miles on it now and LOVE it. As is, it'll do 0-60 in just over 8.1 seconds and will hit 100 at part throttle (although the convertible top get's kinda loud over 90). Not sure what the top end is, but it was still pulling like crazy at 105. Mileage runs between 19.5 and 21 mpg. All those numbers should improve quite a bit when the exhaust situation gets straightened out, of course. The heated mirrors kick ass and look nicer than the stock ones. I've even got the rear window squirter rigged to explain to tailgaters just exactly what it is I think of them and what they ought to do about it. I like having the ABS now, and the V6 is soooooo much smoother and gutsier than the 2.0 l4 was.
I'm pleased.
-
nice idea with the rear window squirter!
-
Okay, starting to dump photos onto cardomain this evening:
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2550492
And I mean "dump". May not be an captions, widgets or fancy colors.
Is there a limit as to quantity of pics or pages?
-
I think there is but it's litterally huge. I've had over 100 pictures on my account before and have seen sites where guys have hundreds of pictures over multiple pages and no one ever seems to have an issue with it.
-
Gonna put it to the test..
-
I limited the search to the 2002 model year. The 5speed wrecks I did find either had damage that disqualified them for my purposes, or else had high mileage. So, when I found an auto that was otherwise exactly what I wanted, I went ahead and grabbed it.
$3950 (plus, ouch, 500 more to get it shipped from WI to my driveway in MO) got me a 36,000 mile running and driveable 2002 XL-7 Plus donor. It was pretty clobbered in the rear and pushed up into another vehicle in front of it, but the airbags didn't deploy, so I figured it had that going for it..
How exactly did you search for your XL-7? I've been looking online for "Rebuildable XL-7" and come up with a couple but nothing that cheap! Most of the ones I find are front end collisions and they still want $5000 or more.
I found tis one for $4250 says it runs and drives. Sould I check it out better or leave it alone?
Other than the front being smashed it doesn't look bad. LOL
(http://www.dealsonwheels.com/database/cars/001087-200610-000001_6big.jpg)
(http://www.dealsonwheels.com/database/cars/001087-200610-000001_3big.jpg)
-
You're on the right track. Try using "salvage".
http://www.43autosales.com/
-
I found tis one for $4250 says it runs and drives. Sould I check it out better or leave it alone?
do I smell a part-out? I want those seats
-
do I smell a part-out? I want those seats
If I get it those seats are MINE >:D Sorry buddy HEHEHE
For real they would be mine if the 3rd row seats will fit in the rear of my conv. Anyone know if they will work? ???
I wish I had the $$$ to buy it cause I'd be there in a minute, you can count on it. :'(
Oh yeah, BEERCHECK, thats where I found that one at... 43Auto
-
43auto...they're reasonably close to me (within hours) and I nearly bought one there when I lucked into the one I ended up with, with low, low miles. When I talked to them they seemed willing to negotiate. That's not a recommendation, just an observation.
-
If I get it those seats are MINE >:D Sorry buddy HEHEHE
For real they would be mine if the 3rd row seats will fit in the rear of my conv. Anyone know if they will work? ???
Anything will fit if you want it to badly enough. But no, it's definitely not a bolt-in.
-
Well how do you know? ::) did you try already? For real have you checked it out or are you guessing?
-
Well how do you know? ::) did you try already? For real have you checked it out or are you guessing?
No, I didn't try to install the 3rd row seat into the Tracker but, in the course of the project, I did unbolt and remove all of the Tracker's seats and all of the XL-7's seats.
-
Whats the differance in the mounts? The bottom, top or both?
Just by looking at pics it looked like it would fit. ;D
I figure that the bottom is defanatly diff but wasn't sure if the mounts were the same.
-
I can't help you there. I wasn't looking to swap at the time and no longer have the wreck to compare. Guess a visit to a salvage yard is in order for you.
-
hahaha NOT. There isn't even one around here that has anything newer than like 1995
Just trying to gather info for my ongoing research. LOL
Got repair/remodel the house first... I think I might have about $400 left over for my Tracker... Thats getting me tint, springs and and maybe some new door trims
-
do you see a difference between tracker and xl7 front axels shaft???
-
do you see a difference between tracker and xl7 front axels shaft???
Yep, the Tracker's were nicely painted!
And...
Tracker:
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t31/poky-dot/Frankentracker/PICT0317.jpg)
XL-7:
(http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t31/poky-dot/Frankentracker/PICT0315.jpg)
I can't vouch for any length or spline differences; didn't compare that since I was swapping the whole assembly.
-
and for the weight?? its similar or the xl7 is more heavy? for the sline is the same thing because i have a front xl7 diff with my stock tracker axle shaft!
-
and for the weight?? its similar or the xl7 is more heavy? for the sline is the same thing because i have a front xl7 diff with my stock tracker axle shaft!
Dunno. Never removed the front axle shafts. But if they're the same length and thicker, I'd guess they're heavier. ?