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: OldBlue on January 19, 2019, 09:04:09 PM
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Hello all,
Looks like a good authority on Trackers, Vitaras and whatnot around here.
I just got into a '02 Chevy Tracker 4dr today. Cute little one owner rig, with a documented history. ...Just happened to luck into it.
Our reason for buying this Tracker is to flat tow it behind a Sprinter RV. Then we can park the rv and wander off.
And of course I mess with most 4x4's I've owned. Which means I would like to lift it. Not to be a dedicated trail rig, but to be an adventurous vehicle while out and about.
I have read up (searched) on various lifts (there aren't many) and I like the Calmini. I have used Calmini before on another vehicle (bumper only) and they were ok.
The Calmini looks like the most complete kit, and supplying control arms which many suspension kits do on IFS front suspension.
Any drawbacks? Overly stiff?
I hope to go 215/75-15 tires and 1" spacers to stance it out. Just to beef the little Tracker slightly.
Looks like I will need locking hubs? (the wife don't care for that) I want to keep it flat towable, and not bog it with too big of tires.
I see many here lean away from the Calmini kit, basically for price alone and go the OME route. Doesn't the Calmini offer more?
Lets hear some Calmini opinions please!
Thanks
(https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/Maxxamillion/Maxxamillion086/IMG_4692_zpsvfaufxhr.jpg)
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I hope my finished result will be about like this (grabbed off the interweb). Nice little bugger.
(https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/Maxxamillion/Maxxamillion087/red-tracker-2-inch-suspension-lift_zps5xhreyw8.jpg)
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First - do yourself a favor and google Calmini, maybe check their BBB ratings - I will not repeat what I have heard or read, but I will tell you that the last time I bought anything from Calmini was in the late nineties, back then my experience was not as good as it could have been, and that coupled with what can be found on the internet today is enough to keep me from making that mistake a second time.
Moving on - I don't think you need a lift (or spacers) to run 215/75R15 tires, I don't know what the OEM size on the Tracker is, but on a GV, it's 235/60R16 or 215/65R16, which work out to a 27.1" diameter - your 215/75R15 works out to 27.7" so not a large increase and I have a buddy running my old 225/70R16 (28.4") all terrains on his GV with no lift and no issues - if the 225's clear with no lift, then you should be fine with the slightly smaller rubber.
I'm one of the people running OME (on a Grand Vitara), camber is within spec with no camber bolts, so no need for fancy new control arms, and I'd say OME's reputation for ride quality is well deserved - general cornering & handling is superb for a two ton lifted SUV, and I have no regrets going the OME route - my one "complaint" is that OME doesn't make suspension for my Mitsubishi Pajero.
I do have freewheeling front hubs, they are not essential, the vehicle can be flat towed with or without them, so whether you choose to fit them or not is up to you, either way you will need to maintain the existing pneumatic freewheel mechanism in working order or modify the front differential to eliminate it.
Good luck with your build.
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Excellent info, thank you FORDEM. The pneumatic hubs are a curious thing to me. I will look into maintenance on them. The system works as of right now, I think (going out to double check today).
ActuatorPumpRepair.Com ...I found this site which is golden for anyone who has issues.
Fo the wife & I who will drive over a snowy pass, or a snowy freeway and not have the opportunity to stop, hop out to engage hubs, the auto set-up will be best. For safety reasons.
I will check on doing the OME lift for our little Old Blue. :)
I'm learning...
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I have the flashing 4wd light so I have lined up an actuator should I need one. Hoping for maybe just bad lines.
Also, I have OME struts & spacers (on stock springs) lined up for a 2" lift. I'll still do the 215/75-15 tires (Toyo At-II) with 1" wheel spacers for stance. Not looking to bog my Tracker.
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And yes my 4x4 actuator pump is faulty. >:( I located a refurbished pump at actuator pump repair dot com. He had one. You can send your own in for refurbish also.
I will use this thread for my mini build too. Just the basics, spacers lift, upsize tires, receiver hitch, etc. Oh and the flat tow equipment also, which is amazingly expensive, as in as much as the car cost me. ...I have to think that over. Pictures are good so I'll have a few.
I have received my Curt receiver and my rear shocks so far. :)
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And yes my 4x4 actuator pump is faulty. >:( I located a refurbished pump at actuator pump repair dot com. He had one. You can send your own in for refurbish also.
I will use this thread for my mini build too. Just the basics, spacers lift, upsize tires, receiver hitch, etc. Oh and the flat tow equipment also, which is amazingly expensive, as in as much as the car cost me. ...I have to think that over. Pictures are good so I'll have a few.
I have received my Curt receiver and my rear shocks so far. :)
A few notes, I put a Calmini in, took 7 months to get the kit, so look at alter ego/ Zuki nation for lifts, I have my pump that I can sell reasonably as I re geared my tracker and deleted the air actuator.
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A few notes, I put a Calmini in, took 7 months to get the kit, so look at alter ego/ Zuki nation for lifts, I have my pump that I can sell reasonably as I re geared my tracker and deleted the air actuator.
I have ruled Calmini out. Stiff unyielding springs from what I have read/heard, plus poor customer service - I have experienced them personally. I just discovered Alter Ego which looks totally cool. But my Low Range 2" kit has already been purchased, and with 215/75-15 tires a simple, smart set up for my light duty use. Think rally car! >:D
I am using my stock steel 5.5" wide wheels. I am also using 1" spacers all around for a wider stance. Not sure how good or bad that will be, and I don't need to run 'em if they make for problems. I hope my tires with spacers don't stick out more than a 1/2", as stock my tires are close to 1" under the fenders now.
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Once you get your lift kit in place you will want to check your width. You want the front end to be slightly wider then the rear, I found the handling was much improved by only running wheel spacers on the front end after a 2" lift on my 96.
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Once you get your lift kit in place you will want to check your width. You want the front end to be slightly wider then the rear, I found the handling was much improved by only running wheel spacers on the front end after a 2" lift on my 96.
Interesting E C.
Would that be road handling, or dirt road handling, or crawling handling? I've never changed the track width front to rear. Either space it equally or no spacers at all.
I will look at my options. ...My kit came in today.
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Ok, my next question is, and I have heard it both ways... Should I pull my front swaybar when my 2" lift is in? I like articulation and maybe a smoother ride without a swaybar.
I have pulled my front swaybar on another vehicle without issue although it leaned more when pushing through corners. Does the little Tracker get unruly on pavement without the swaybar? I will have fresh struts/shocks...
Whats the consensus?
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Here's my take on it ...
IF the vehicle is going to do duty as a daily driver - the sway bar stays.
IF the vehicle is going to see highway usage - the sway bar stays.
With the sway bar removed, the vehicle is noticeably more inclined to lift & spin the "inside rear" tire in any situation where you're accelerating through a turn, for example, pulling a way from a stop light and turning through the intersection - on wet asphalt, you can break traction and swap ends with little provocation.
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I catch your drift (no pun intended) FORDEM. More negatives than positives unhooking the sway bar. I will keep it hooked up and see how our little Tracker works.
Its just city/country usage car when it gets pulled around anyhow.
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I have a boat load of parts in the garage for our Tracker. Struts, shocks, spring spacers & wheel spacers, alignment bolts, plus I have a refurbished actuator pump in hand also.
Also I have a receiver hitch for carrying our bicycles when the Tracker is being pulled.
And of course my tire size selection is still being mulled over (as in my other thread)... a 'big' 215/75-15 or a 'smaller' 225/75-15. LOL anal I know. :-\
Gonna be an interesting end of February!
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Pics of said parts... 8)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/Maxxamillion/Maxxamillion090/IMG_4888_zpsc1xrv6cc.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/Maxxamillion/Maxxamillion090/IMG_4890_zpsvcy3emgm.jpg)
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And the actuator pump.
Even a clean Tracker needs parts... ;D
(https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/Maxxamillion/Maxxamillion091/IMG_4894_zpsorjeblyd.jpg)
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Well I might get chastised for this but I believe I have my tire decision. My little Tracker will just be a slightly beefed up vehicle. Slightly taller tire and a slightly taller suspension.
Not mud terrain, not all terrain, but an all season tire. I will have the tires siped also.
Cooper Trendsetter SE in the 225/75-15. This tires spec height is 28.05". A small 225/75-15. Thats it!
(https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/Maxxamillion/Maxxamillion092/coopertrendsetter_zpsu9io0kcs.jpg)
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More progress on my Tracker. Refurbished actuator pump in and no more flashing 4wd light. Yay
Swaybar links & bushings have been replaced so and no more clunking in the front. 225/75-15 tires have been ordered.
Working with LoRange to get my correct parts...
Guess I'm just documenting for future Trackers searches... :-\
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225/75-15's are on! To the untrained eye not much difference. To me they fill in the wheelwell more. And when the 2" lift goes on, I feel the car will look very close to stock still.
Fine with me - kind of a sleeper and not a second notice.
I hope to not destroy this car with too huge of tires and over lifting it. Sort of like a level on a pickup truck...
Before... (215/70-15, 26.9")
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/Maxxamillion/Maxxamillion086/IMG_4692_zpsvfaufxhr.jpg)
And after (28.05")
(https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/Maxxamillion/Maxxamillion093/22575-3_zpsgxrogwkj.jpg)
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/Maxxamillion/Maxxamillion095/akwardsile%20copy_zpsq4kvxfsh.png~original)
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For anyone deliberating tire size, the 225/75-15 tires work good! Don't need to hold yourself to 215/75-15. I chose light tires which couldn't hurt.
My speedo is even more accurate than before. FYI YMMV WTF >:D
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21 mpg so far, not bad for slightly larger tires & 160k miles. And thats in hilly and city driving. My lift goes on this Wednesday - seems like I have been waiting forever...
So, whats left... Lift, roof rack (maybe) and a towbar/braking setup for being a tow vehicle. I got it cheap and I would like to keep it on the cheap.
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My lift is installed!
For some reason I can't attached pictures on this thread, and, photobucket is down... again.
Pictures soon.
For the record Low Range sourced 2" spacer lift, Doestch struts, Pro Comp shocks, 1" wheel spacers and tame 225/75-15 Cooper tires. The ride is smooth.
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Another...
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Width with spacers...
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One more, at the alignment shop & before I washed it. A fair amount of clearance. 8)
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Looks good!
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Well, still around with our Tracker. But the 4x4 didn't last long, even with a new actuation pump. Not even a light (or flashing light) on the dash. Fuses seem to be ok, so I have to look further. Any ideas??
Also, our 2.0 motor rattles excessively when hot. Got to be the cam chain tensioners?
Is PCI still the go to for a tensioners & chain kit?
Thought I would escape big maintenance but not to be.
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Regarding the 4WD, start by determining if the pump has power & ground - there are three wires in the harness to the pump - pink, red & black - should be 12v between red & black but it'll only be there for 10 seconds or so, if the controller doesn't see the system engaging. If you do have 12v, short the red & pink together and see if the 4WD light turns on, could be a bad bulb.
Re-the rattle - fit an oil pressure gauge and see what the pressure is like when the engine is hot.
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Thank you FORDEM. Valuable information.
It will be local small shop work, but giving them a head start will help. They have been good techs on a couple of vehicles for us ('78 Camaro especially).
Cheers - I'll tell you how it works out.
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Got the rundown. The 4x4 actuator pump hoses were reversed lol. I would guess my RV shop somehow reversed them when installing a tow setup. Hmmm...
4x4 now works.
No light on the dash though. They are telling me its most likely a sensor that sits on top of the transfer case?? Sound right FORDEM?
They can't locate a sensor... Got a source for one?
On my rattling motor issue.... Drum roll... Its not the cam chain or tensioner! It is my throw out bearing in my clutch. Push in the clutch and the sound goes away (I could not diagnose that myself).
How long can a noisy throw out bearing last???
We are making headway on the issues...
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If the 4WD works but the light doesn't, the problem is most likely the bulb - the transfer case "sensor" is a switch that tells the 4WD controller that 4WD has been selected and it needs to engage the front freewheel mechanism, when the mechanism engages it sends another signal to the controller which then turns the light on.
It's highly unlikely that the rattle is the clutch release bearing, more likely to be something in the transmission - clutch release bearings sit still on the clutch release fork until the pedal is depressed, when they are forced into contact with the diaphragm fingers and start to rotate - what also happens at this time is the transmission input shaft & associated gears, bearings, etc., stop rotating.
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Thank you FORDEM. Trying to keep our Tracker 100% functional - not as easy as pie!
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Hello all, been away for quite some time. ...We still have our Tracker!
But problems emerge over time.
I have the quick multi flash on the dash 4x4 light. It seems to slip out of 4x4. I shift back & forth the transfer case lever to 4x4 to keep it engaged when I use it (in the snow usually).
Not safe when it comes out of 4x... uphill in the snow.
I hear I can do locking hubs & bypass the vacuum actuation system? Not really my first choice - trying to keep engagement inside the vehicle.
Is there a push/pull cable actuated engagement of the system (after I push the transfer case into 4x)? Thereby getting rid of the darned failure prone vacuum activation.
I'll save my next issue till after we get through this. TIA for some common knowledge!
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First - it's not a vacuum actuator, it's low pressure pneumatic.
There are a couple of different ways to "bypass" the actuator, they involve "locking" it engaged, either by forcing it into the engaged position and then welding it engaged, forcing it into engaged position and then putting nylon tywraps to hold it engaged, or replacing the actuator itself with a metal spacer.
All three of these will require manual hubs if you want to be able to disengage the front axle, but the decision as to how & when the hubs should be engaged or disengaged is a personal one, you can get out and engage them everytime you select 4WD, you can leave engage them in anticipation of needing 4WD, or you can leave them engaged all the time, there is no requirement to disengage them.
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Thank you fordem, glad you are still around.
I think our thoughts would be to leave the locking hubs engaged in the winter when 4x4 is used most. Probably 2wd the rest of the year, w/occasional 4x4 use only.
I also have a hum of bearings or gears going out up front. Sounds much like the engine. But when you push the clutch in at 50mph and the engine idles down the hum/engine sound continues and will reduce down as mph decrease. Hard to figure for me.
So two things going on at once. My normal service shop told me the front diff is going out... hmmm. I though diff gears whined when going out?
My local 4x4 shop feels it is bearings going out not ring & pinion whine. I'll find out soon.
Parts are getting rare for my 2000 Chevy Tracker. It works 100% save for the pneumatic pump giving me continued grief (and I did replace a clutch too).
I hate to give it the boot, but if parts aren't available I may let it go before long. It gets a constant 22 mpg so the motor seems solid (about 170k miles).
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In 2H the front differential is (or should be) disengaged, the chances of that being the source of the hum is minimal, I'm guessing either tyres or wheel bearings. The diffs generally don't give trouble,
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Thanks fordem. Wheel bearings sounds like a possible place. When this vehicle is being flat towed behind our RV, going around corners the outside front wheel lays over (outward at the top) at an extreme angle, ie side loading. Can't be good.
If I had it to do over again, I would not lift this vehicle. The front end wont align to negative specs when aligning. Just slightly positive, which amazingly is still within spec, but the top of the outward tire does angle out on turns. Not ideal.
I am out of town for a week plus, but I will report back when we have made progress on my issues.
Cheers!
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The positive camber on lock is normal they all do it, even without a lift.
My vehicle has Old Man Emu suspension which gives a mild lift, and I have exactly the same situation regarding the camber, very slightly positive but within spec - because it is within spec, I've never bothered to do anything about it, even though I have the required camber bolts sitting on a shelf. Suspension wise, ride wise, I'm very happy with what I have, and would recommend it to anyone with a second gen.
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Thanks FORDEM. I will not worry further on camber.
We will probably go manual locking hubs on our tracker. Not my preferred route but the darned flashing light & keeping it in 4x4 is getting old. The wife loves our old blue Tracker (its a cute little bugger :-) ) but not when its holding in 4x4 properly.
I could just sell it off and be done with it, but it is around to be our RV tow vehicle (trying to be on the cheap).
To be continued...