My 16 year old son just bought one of these. Its in great shape and the timing belt and v belts were just replaced. He's driven it over 100 miles this week and no fluid leaks...so far so good.
The vehicle is slow and as his dad I like that so performance upgrades aren't high on my list...
However if you can help with the following questions I would appreciate it.
1) When you lift a little off the accelerator the vehicle bucks, if you lift completely then everything is smooth....any ideas? Happens at any speed.
2) I read a post about wheel spacers that give the vehicle a wider stance and more stability. Are these a good investment? This is going to be a street vehicle not a serious off roader. Looking to make the vehicle as safe as possible...will these work with stock wheels? Are there any downsides?
3) Is changing out the passenger window regulator a difficult project and where is a good place for parts?
4) What other things do we need to be on the lookout for...we will be doing most of the maintenance ourselves...
Post some pics so we can admire your new set of wheels!
The wheel spacers can add 2 to 3 inches of width to the vehicles track. If you want every possible advantage in avoiding a rollover, then add the spacers for a wider stance, swap out the springs for a set of lowering springs ($250 for 1.4 inch lower spring set), and switch the tires to a low profile series 60 or even 50. That should bring the vehicle height down about 3 inches lower than stock. The down side is that these changes might convince your young driver that the thing is a street rod that can't be rolled and cause them to drive with excess confidence - taking too many chances.
I may be assuming too much here - but if you're concerned about rollover potential, I'm not sure these mods will have a dramatic effect. IMHO, you'd be better off to focus on training the driver to understand the vehicle dynamics and their awesome responsibility to protect the lives of everyone that rides in the little truck. They will need to learn this lesson sooner or later anyway. That's just my opinion, as one who rolled his first car within 3 weeks of having bought and paid for it.
In general, the tracker/kick models are wider and lower than the samurai, and so have less rollover potential. So the excess hype created by Consumers Reports is unwarranted, IMHO.
Swapping out the window regulator is pretty easy. I went with the dealer item, and it cost about $85. Be careful as you might end up snapping some of the little plastic mounting clips for the door panel - I did when I replaced my regulators.
Front wheel bearings will probably need to be serviced and repacked. I service mine annually, mostly because I do use the 4x4 feature on a regular basis.
I had to lube the windshield wiper mechanism -reaching in behind the access panel in the engine compartment - mostly because the 1991 machine is about 19 years old (mfr date September 1990).
Brake pads in front and shoes in the rear - these are easy to service/replace and provide confidence in braking action. Plus you can double check the condition of the rotors and drums while you're in there.
Catch up on all routine maintenance:
Regular tuneups: cap & rotor, new plugs, maybe new wires.
Regular oil & filter changes, and air filter.
Conventional wisdom recommends avoiding Fram filters at all costs. Purolater, Napa, WIX, or Mobil-1 are better products. Synthetic oil typically lasts longer and provides better lubrication. There is no best oil, despite a million threads on the topic.
Also, you should drain and replace the differential fluid (both axles), the transfer case fluid, and the transmission fluid. This way you know that the maintenance is done and done correctly.
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MarkB.NV
1991 Tracker, 8valve 1.6L, 5 spd, 4x4, 2 door, soft-top, 106 K miles, w/ 2 in suspension & 2 in body lift, 30x9.5/15 MT tires.
hot or cold.engine in any gear?
in or , out of 4wd?
with the locking hubes unlocked.
if not sure if locking hubs are not stuck?, unbolt them and drive.
tune up ever?
bad spark is number 1 engine make buck.
but lifting foot should help spark?
if it truely is the engine
the TPS could be bad, sending cuts fuels, , falsely.
how does engine run , in Neutral. that would prove engine or not.
or in 1st gear, in drive, parked brakes locked.
then try foot trick.
not a thing, most only stay there for 3k miles. huh?
but i buy Pureone, tighter mesh, but not a good choice for the 10kmiles run times on high mileage cars.
Just dont put in filters without a drain back valve. some ultra cheapo ones are missing it.
I saw a walmart filter (house ) brand missing that.
the older the engine, the more changes, is my rule.
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90 Geo Tracker questions - thanks for looking
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