[hoverbucks]

This is my first post to the group too. But my job is complete thanks to the previous posts on this thread. My timing chain guide broke and took the chain and sprockets with it when I was 280 miles from home (and at highway speeds). Ordered new chain/ sprocket/ tensioner kit from partsdinosaur.com as mentioned earlier in this thread. (Good service- I recommend)

Had 0 psi compression on 3 of 4 cylinders. Pulled the head and found 14 of 16 valves bent. Local machine shop repaired the head, then I reassembled everything. Car runs good now. Total cost was around $700 and a LOT of labor. But it was still cheaper than buying a new car and the feeling of satisfaction when it first fired up is beyond words!
Prior to tackling this job I looked (unsuccessfully) for a replacement engine.

For L. Turner in Georgia, I can say with 100% certainty that the main crankshaft bolt is right handed. I too struggled with getting mine loosened. 1/2" Impact with an angle drive was ineffective (I did not remove my A/C condenser either). I ended up wrapping a ratcheting tie-down strap around the outside diameter of the pulley very tight to prevent turning. When it still turned, I put a BIG C-clamp over the OD of the strap and pulley, and put the car in gear. Only then was I able to manually break it free. Had that not worked, I'm not sure what I would've done. The best part came immediately after that when I was able to remove the pulley from the shaft with hand pressure; no puller required!

Helpful note: be sure to put a rag over the small opening of the oil pan once you've removed the timing chain cover because the woodruff key that indexes the bottom sprocket will fall out and go right down in the pan (happened to me twice until I wised up!) I had to fish around for it for some time with a magnetic probe before finally getting it.

My thanks to all who helped contribute on this thread! I'm sure I could do the same job in 1/2 the time now, but I'd much rather work on my hovercraft!
T. Chapman in SW Michigan

 

[L.Turner]

Thanks again for the replies. They are very helpful.

Knowing for sure that the bolt in question is a regular right hand threaded bolt should help.

Max: As far as making more clearance, I've looked into that option and haven't been able to come up with anything yet. I've also tried locating some shorter profile impact wrenches. So far, nothing in that department, either.

As it stands, it'll likely be the weekend before I can get back to work on this in earnest.

hoverbucks: Appreciate the heads up on the rag to keep the key from disappearing into the oil pan.

 

[hoverbucks]

Here's one for you guys:
Before I performed the big repair job on the timing chain, the A/C worked fine. Afterward it does not work. The freon charge is maintained, but the 25 amp fuse under the hood for the A/C is blown and new ones also blow. Obvious short somewhere. Any suggestions?
Thanks-
TC

 

[Max]

Perform a hand over hand A/C wiring inspection looking for a bare or frayed wire proly pinched during the engine work. You'll get it. Look closely at those terminal connectors too, like compressor clutch, fan, sensors, etc.

 

[L.Turner]

OK. Mission accomplished on the Crankshaft Bolt. What I ended up doing is taking an old leather belt I no longer use, cutting it to fit around the pulley and keeping it in place with a large rubberband like they use on the Sunday paper here. Then, I placed the chain wrench over that. Using the 1/2 inch drive breaker bar, I then placed a 30" galvanized pipe over that and...success!



Now for the next question:

I've removed all the bolts from the timing chain cover and have actually been able to loosen the cover about half-way down each side. But, at that point, something is really sticking hard. According to the manual, there are some guide pins and I'm wondering just how much resistance those are creating to getting the rest of the cover loose? I've also removed the bolts from beneath at the oil pan. So, I'm confident that all the bolts are removed.

I'm ready to proceed with this if I can get this cover off without cracking it. I've placed some 'spacers' at the top to help keep a little tension on the cover while I work my way down. Any ideas on this?

It's beginning to look like I'll have to put off further work until tomorrow. We've got some thundershowers making their way here and I'm having to work on this in the great outdoors under a shade tree. So, literally, I'm a shade tree mechanic on this one. LOL!

 

[Suzuki Thrall]

Hi, a glance at the workshop manual shows only two dowels: on the left, a third of the way up between the second and third bolts up, and on the right, about a third of the way down, between the fifth and sixth bolts up. No other obvious clues ie. quote" Remove timimg chain cover"!
Good luck,

Thrall

 

[L.Turner]

Thanks! I really do appreciate the replies and encouragement from this forum.

On another note, I'm going to go ahead and replace the oil seal in the cover...if I can ever get it off! But, it looks like it's going to be at least 3 days before I can get one! Several of the parts store show that it is out of stock and only O'Reilly's can get one at this point. But, it won't come in for 3 days from the time of ordering it.

Why, oh, why is it so hard to get parts? I've run into this quite often when going to get parts for the Tracker.

 

[hoverbucks]

When I removed my cover for the first time, (or tried) I forgot the hidden nut in the middle of the cover that is recessed and directly under the idler. Once that was removed, the cover popped right off.

 

[L.Turner]

When I removed my cover for the first time, (or tried) I forgot the hidden nut in the middle of the cover that is recessed and directly under the idler. Once that was removed, the cover popped right off.

All right! That is the last piece of the puzzle on this situation. Thanks a bunch for your reply!

EDIT and UPDATE:

Since this forum has been so very helpful, now that the cover is off, I'm posting some images for you to review. Does anything stand out as needing attention? I have NOT replaced the timing chains yet. These are taken immediately after removing the cover and no further work has been done. I won't be able to get the job completed until at least when the oil seal arrives later this week.

 

[L.Turner]

Can anyone verify whether the timing cover seal is the same between the Tracker and the Vitari? This would be for the same year model and same size engine between the two vehicles. I've got a supplier who can provide the seal under the Suzuki brand, but not the Tracker. The part numbers come up different and he said he cannot get the part for the Tracker but can have the Suzuki part later this a.m.

I'll take the existing seal up to him to see if they match. We're hoping they do.

EDIT/UPDATE: I can now verify that the seal is one and the same.

 

[Max]

Yep! I tried to confirm that they were the same this A.M. from work (dial-up) but it was just too hard.
1999 SUZUKI VITARA Timing Cover Seal

1999 CHEVROLET TRACKER Timing Cover Seal

 

[L.Turner]

Good news!

Got the car back together with a lot less problem that what it took to take things apart. LOL! I even had to make a trip up to my son's place (30 miles away) to pick up my impact wrench as he was using it. I needed it to get the camshaft bolts loose.

Just got back from taking the Tracker out for a spin and to the carwash. Seems to be running just fine with a little caveat. It seems to be a little 'sluggish' taking off from a stop. This was something I read in Consumer Reports about this car that was one of the "cons" they listed.

Previously, I was able to adjust the cam sensor to make it do better. So, would one of you experienced users have a suggestion as to the best way to get this right? So far, I've adjusted it from where there's about a 1/8inch clearance of the adjustment slot to the anchor mount, to where there's now about a 5/16inch clearance. Other than this little annoyance, things seem to be fine.

Thanks for all the help and support here. Excellent place to share experiences and help!

L. Turner

 

[Nol156]

Hey guys, another new-b here. I am new to forums; took me a while to figure out how to post.
I have a 2000, 2.0L 4x4 Tracker with 122K miles, I "acquired" from my wife when it started acting up on her. Pretty much the same thing as L. Turner's situation.
It would not start after being shut off maybe three times in 6 months when she had it; after I got it, more frequently. Then, it started acting up and even dying while running/driving. I figured it was the cam position sensor, even did the water trick a few times to get me home. Got a new cam position sensor from Autozone; it helped a little.
One day driving to the shooting range it started to hesitate at 45-55 mph. If I gave it more throttle, it would hesitate but then recover. After 10-15 minutes of this, when I gave it more throttle it would make a loud kind of sneezing "PFFFT" sound from the engine that increased with RPM. I thought head gasket, but have gotten the car to do it sitting still and the engine shakes or shutters when this happens, w/ no head gasket leaks. Now I think it may be a 2.0L version of a backfire through the intake...Timing?
I have tried adjusting the new cam sensor; no luck. Even put the old one in since it only acted up when hot; no luck either. Tried adjust it, still nothing. Now, the Tracker it has little to no power on takeoff. If i give moderate throttle, it makes the "PFFFT" sound and it has acquired a metalic sound that kind of sounds like dieseling from under the hood. This weekend, I went through all the electrical components that feed info. to the computer, all check fine. I don't have a code reader and am afraid that if I take it to one of the part stores, it may end up costing me a head and some valves. The Timing chain has never been replaced (122K miles), so I know its due. I think I'm pointed in the right direction, but need that final bit of encouragement. I'm a good mechanic, just not a lot of experience with autos.

Guys any help would be appreciated, this thread has already helped me tremendously. Thank you for taking the time to document all of this.

L. Turner, did changing out your timing chain etc. fix your issue?

Thanks. N

 

[cj!]

With the J20A there can be an issue with the coil packs failing or insulation breaking down on the part around the spark plug. You could try wrapping some insulating tape around there and see if that helps. The coil packs are the same as used on the J18A, J23A in the Aerio and the 2.5 and 2.7 V6 in the GV & Xl-7. Also check the MAF/MAP sensor as they can get dirty and cause problems. The O2 sensors should be replaced if you have done 60-70,000 miles as they deteriorate over time but won't throw a code until they really fail.

Just some thoughts, hope they help.

 

[Nol156]

Thanks, I'll be checking those a lil closer this weekend. I did replace the pre Cat. O2 sensor, as it had my check eng. light on. The post Cat sensor checked good w/ a multi meter per the Haynes manual.
I forgot to add in my first post that this thing idles fine; no missing, spitting, etc, but when I hit the gas it sounds terrible.

 

[IndyIan]

Check your air intake flex hose? Maybe when the engine torques over it opens up a crack making the whistling. Had this happen in a car before, ran fine in reverse but would die going forward, idled badly all the time.
Ian

 

[Nol156]

I checked the plug boots, MAF and MDP; all good. Flex hose is solid.
I was wondering about the Catatytic converter; maybe that if it got hot and melted internally, would handle airflow at idle, but can't not under acceleration. I tried to get it loose to take a look, but knew better than try with dry bolts/nuts. I put some PB Blaster on the nuts; they didn't budge on first attempt, so I soaked them good and will try again in the morning.

 

[Nol156]

I found the problem yesterday. I was frustrated and took it to Advance Auto for a PCM scan; no codes. It spit and sputtered the whole way there and was pretty warm by the time I was on my way back home. I got the idea to remove an O2 sensor just to see what would happen. It was noisy but ran well. When I got home, I pulled the rear Cat. off and it looked like a volcano erupted in there; the first third of the "honey comb" material had melted and was blocking exhaust flow.

 

[L.Turner]

I found the problem yesterday. I was frustrated and took it to Advance Auto for a PCM scan; no codes. It spit and sputtered the whole way there and was pretty warm by the time I was on my way back home. I got the idea to remove an O2 sensor just to see what would happen. It was noisy but ran well. When I got home, I pulled the rear Cat. off and it looked like a volcano erupted in there; the first third of the "honey comb" material had melted and was blocking exhaust flow.

Hmmmm....What happened to my email notifications?? I hadn't gotten any heads up on these new posts until I intentionally checked in just now.

Anyway, sorry for the delayed replies. But, glad the problem has been identified. Just be glad you were lucky enough to find that clogged Cat. Converter while still able to drive it and be near and at home.

A few years ago, I was returning from a trip driving a Mitsubishi Pickup Truck on the Interstate and had the Cat Converter completely clog up and blow the engine. I was over 100 miles still away from home. I won't go into all the gory details, but, it ended up costing a bundle and a half of money to get home, get the engine repaired, and get the truck back on the road.

As for my own Tracker, I still just love this baby to death.

As a side note, I pulled into a Shoney's a couple of weeks ago where I haven't been for quite some time. Lo, and behold! There were THREE of us sitting in the parking lot. I can't recall seeing that many Trackers together in one spot without purposely planning it....ever! One was red and the other two of us were silver.

 

[L.Turner]

No biggie on the reply; I figure all of us are busy.
I'm still gonna replace the timing chain, etc. I've meant to look up parts on the internet all week, but never got around to it...Trying to figure out if that "kit" that was posted on this thread would be a reasonable option vice the individual "Clowes" (I think it is) parts from Rockauto.

Mine is Dark metallic green. I wasn't too thrilled with it at first, since I haven't owned anything smaller than a V-8 in almost seven years. But I like it more every time I fill up w/ gas. My other "main" ride is an 05 Avalanche w/ a 31 gallon tank and averages 17 mpg, which lasts me as long as 12 gallons in the Tracker.

In all honesty, at 122,000 miles, it won't hurt one bit to replace the timing chains and anything else in that area. While you're at it, since you'll have all that area taken apart, I'd suggest going ahead and replace the water pump, too. It'll make things a lot easier to do it while everything is torn down.

The main reason I had decided to go ahead and replace my timing chains was due to the engine overheating after throwing the alternator belt...due to a bad tension pulley arm. However, the cause of the misfiring was due to a bad coil pack on the #1 cylinder. I had replaced all the plugs and it ran good for about 35 miles. Then, it started missing again. Replaced that coil pack and, bingo, she ran smooth as warm butter after that. But, I do think I was on the right track to replace the timing chains and the water pump after that overheating episode. It's been a few months now and I'm still enjoying the ride.

Be sure to re-read what I wrote about removing that crankshaft pulley. That was quite an ordeal for a first time on this particular make of car. I'd never had such a problem before.

Good luck.