New Tracker owner - Hiii :-)

[nerys]

I FINALLY got one. been trying for so many years to get one but always too expensive.

I sold my 74 VW Thing and use that to buy an 89 US Geo Tracker 5 Speed with 4x4 and Air conditioning. My Dream tracker.

Double bonus NO top. it was the "solid top" version which I really wanted.



First thing I did was ditch the spare tire on the outside (put it inside for now will roof mount later)



so I could install my bike rack.




From my very first 30 mile bike ride!

I managed 28.6mpg on my first tank and on my second tank I scored 31.72mpg and I need to repair the exhaust and its winter temps on winter blend gas.

once I fix the exhaust and warmer temps and summer blend gasoline comes back I expect I could possibly see 35mpg possibly better.

I found sizable rust on the wheels but nothing structural their. easily repaired once warmer weather arrives.

I also found one of the body mount points are rotted i will be fixing that as well.

its otherwise in surprisingly nice condition.

I don't know how many miles it has. probably a lot though it conditions belies that. odo says 54k (154k ?) but title says 157K ??

I am thinking it said 54k when father sold it to sun and he misread it as 57k or 157k (5 digits)

either that or it has 257k or a different cluster than what it came with. No idea.

one other issue is some tapping. I am guessing valve guides? beyond that runs VERY well.

the drivers door needs work. I can't lock via the key only unlock (the other 2 work fine) and it shard to lock from the inside (very squishy like its resisting)

the window also has issues goes down easy but is resistant to rolling up (I am guessing this is similar to my metro ie weak regulators ??

suggestions??

paint in good shape just some fading/flaking of clear coat on the hood. no dents so far and only one teeny tiny bit of sub paint rust.

I REALLY love this truck. I am going to have fun with it and its going to get a LOT of miles (around 30k a year when I use it)

anyway some questions.

whats the best MPG's you guys have gotten from this truck?

Whats the largest skinniest tires I can use without serious rubbing?

From what I understand 89-98 is the same body ??

what parts are fully interchangeable between my 89 and anything up to and including 98?

I understand anything related to the hard/soft top on the convertible model won't work obviously. but what about other things? are the SEATS compatible for any model from 89-98 ? my seats are torn up pretty nasty so I am going to want to replace them.

any other mods upgrades cool things I can do to these ?

another question. I am going to be mounting things to the roof (rack spare tire etc..) it APPEARS as if the headliner is not actually glued to the roof that I can remove the screws and plastic clips I see and it will simply "come out" is this correct?

any help would be greatly appreciated. expect many more pictures as I have fun with it :-)

[loosenut]

89 that would be an 8v, my preference. The tapping would be the motor asking for a valve set. Not a big deal if you know a little about wrenching or a fairly cheap fix for a trusted mechanic to make for you. As for mods, it would depend on the application. Do a search or keep reading, lots of mods done by some of the posters here

[nerys]

thats what I figured. are their any vendors for stainless valves for this engine? 3tech does G10 and G13 sets for the metro not sure if he goes G16 sets or not.

this is a non interference engine correct? how tough is a timing belt job (is there a good thread for this?) I am going to assume little proper maintenance was done to it by the PO though I have to say its in VERY good shape would might indicate it was taken care of.

not sure so assume the worst. I plan to put several hundred thousand miles on this truck unless EV's get much cheaper much quicker so i want it to last.

I do almost ALL my own work. had to add an alternator day 2 as it stranded me on the way home after buying it as the alt put our fewer and few volts till the battery puked :-) had to have pop charge me up so I could make the final run home :-)

I also got my FSM in the mail which is nice to have. looking to nab the update and electrics FSM's too.

[loosenut]

Adjusting the valves is a freeby. Takes about an hour, maybe replace rocker gasket, no other parts. Not sure what stainless valves you speak of, or to what advantage emptying your bank account would be. I am both cheap and a smarta$$

[nerys]

well stainless valves for the metro are not that expensive and the G10 tends to "eat" exhaust valves. stainless valves solves this problem permanently.

so you think adjustment is all I need?

ALSO the tracker has only low and hi wipers this is extremely annoying. I want to add delay. was this an "option" I can add? in the metro I just had to find a metro with delay wipers yank the steering column combo unit and "plug it in" and I had delay.

Can I do something similar with the tracker?

also are the trackers "fully loaded" in wiring? ie prewired for everything even things not included (ie options) Metro's are this way. same wiring harness across all models.

I notice there is a hole for a rear wiper I would most definitely like to add this option. is that part of the wiring harness "their" already so I can just install it and add the dash switch and simply plug it in?

[Bex]

The largest tire that can be safely put on these cars, and with the stock rim, is 225/75/15 - some have had luck with the 235's, but there can be a rubbing issue with full extension on them. The 1989/1990 is a bit of a different beast from the rest of the Trackers, as the ECU does not govern spark in them - it is the distributor only that governs this in these cars. And yes, the 8v is known for valve ticking - doing the valve lash on it might quiet it a bit.
Recommended on any new purchase is the 60K check - changing/checking all fluids, plugs (gapped to .028"), tune up, belts, etc.

Regarding the window regulator, it may just be that the glass is not balanced properly on the regulator itself - easy enough to check by removing the door panel, weathershield, and fiddling with the glass and bracket to make sure that it is balanced - you will have to do this on any new regulator that you get, as well. And while you are in the door panel, you can spray WD40 or similar on the lock mechanism rods to free them up better.
Body parts from 1989-1995 are fairly interchangeable - some engine parts will differ, like the idle speed control solenoid which will be different in your car.

You are getting great mileage, as well....but are these imperial or US gallons that you are using for your mpg?? Normally these cars will get 25-29mpg, US gallons.
If you have a bit of rust, you may also want to get under the car and check by the rear suspension, gas tank, etc. The cross member back there is a known rust point, due to muck accumulating in that area over the years.

[nerys]

I am using US gallons :-) live in pennsylvania and I confirmed the accuracy of the odometer (only off by a fraction maybe .1 to .2 mpg)

it also helps that I drive like I drive my metro. 45mph EVERYWHERE :-) I don't need the 4 extra minutes it takes to get to work but that extra 5mpg sure saves me a lot of cash.

[Bex]

Cool - I have been trying to do that as well, and 45 mph seems to be the magic speed for these cars, as long as you don't get frustrated that everyone is passing you on the highway. Once you get over 2500 rpm, gas consumption starts dropping. It is also good to try to get into 4th or 5th as soon as you can, and I find that the car doesn't mind or chug when you shift and the rpms drop to 1500 rpm in the next gear.

[nerys]

oh I know about that. unless someone is behind me I am in 5th at 25mph if someone is behind me I wait till 35-40 mph. :-)

I can squeeze 60mpg summer average 65mpg pretty regularly and sometimes 70mpg out of my xfi :-) I am hoping I can maybe modify/tweak the tracker to do 40mpg.

I found some pictures of 225/75/15 and they seem awfully wide. is there a tire size that tall but skinnier ? wide really hurts MPG's probably more than the taller size will help the mpg's

Also what other common rims will fit the tracker properly (offset etc..) ? I think I already discovered Jeep rims won't fit. Pity I have 2 sets of those nice aluminum rims. :-(

is there a "rim thread" anywhere hear (nothing yet in search) we have one in the metro forums wondering if there was one for the trackers.

as for 45mph being the magic speed. the reason is aerodynamics. below 45 mph mass and mechanical drag are your largest culprit but once you get past 45-50 mph more and more of your power is diverted to "pushing air" especially on something as brick shaped as the tracker.

by staying at 45mph you keep aero drag as a "small issue" on the scale of things.

next time your on the highway surf some semi's 50-60feet back when you feel the suck zone behind the truck it will buffet you left and right) your "in the zone"

you can cruise all day at 75mph and still get 35mpg because that semi just reduce your aero drag by 50-80% do it all the time in the metro :-)

[razor02097]

Originally Posted by nerys

oh I know about that. unless someone is behind me I am in 5th at 25mph if someone is behind me I wait till 35-40 mph. :-)

I can squeeze 60mpg summer average 65mpg pretty regularly and sometimes 70mpg out of my xfi :-) I am hoping I can maybe modify/tweak the tracker to do 40mpg.

I found some pictures of 225/75/15 and they seem awfully wide. is there a tire size that tall but skinnier ? wide really hurts MPG's probably more than the taller size will help the mpg's

Also what other common rims will fit the tracker properly (offset etc..) ? I think I already discovered Jeep rims won't fit. Pity I have 2 sets of those nice aluminum rims. :-(

is there a "rim thread" anywhere hear (nothing yet in search) we have one in the metro forums wondering if there was one for the trackers.

as for 45mph being the magic speed. the reason is aerodynamics. below 45 mph mass and mechanical drag are your largest culprit but once you get past 45-50 mph more and more of your power is diverted to "pushing air" especially on something as brick shaped as the tracker.

by staying at 45mph you keep aero drag as a "small issue" on the scale of things.

next time your on the highway surf some semi's 50-60feet back when you feel the suck zone behind the truck it will buffet you left and right) your "in the zone"

you can cruise all day at 75mph and still get 35mpg because that semi just reduce your aero drag by 50-80% do it all the time in the metro :-)

I see you found your way over here from ecomodder welcome!

If you want... check out project Tetanus in my signature... 4 of the 8 body mounts were toast. You can get some ideas where to look as well as how to repair it. The last tank netted me 29MPG and I'm really pushing for good fuel economy so congrats on breaking the 30mpg mark I know how difficult that is