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: knotty on November 23, 2015, 01:42:04 PM
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Hey everyone I am going to look at this 2000 4 door tracker 4x4 auto 170k miles in 2 hrs .... what are some things I should be concerned about common issues ? Thanks for your help ! I a did search also
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First - see if they have maintenance records and verify that oil changes have been done regularly.
Next - try to hear it start from cold, you're listening for a rattle from the front of the engine, if it rattles for more than 1~2 seconds walk away.
The two items above are related - if regular maintenance has not been performed the timing chains can fail prematurely, and that's a fairly expensive repair.
The other potential problem areas are a rusty front suspension cross member so inspect that, and make sure the 4WD on the dash cluster turns on when 4WD is selected (don't drive it in 4WD on the road, just let it idle in neutral and select 4H)
Beyond those few you just need to check for the usual stuff on any used car - rust in the wheel arches, etc., oil leaks, these are pretty robust little vehicles, and not noted for being problematic.
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Thank you for your info I bought it and am super happy with it except for one thing . The heater is Luke warm at best but it will get hot every now and then. What should I check
Ps here are some pics
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What sort of heater controls do you have? Horizontal slider style? Stick your head under the dash and work the heater control see if you can find the other end and make sure it's connected.
On these vehicles the coolant is always circulating through the heater core and the temperature control is done by "blend doors" - flaps in the heater plenum that control how much air flows through the heater core.
Empty the glove box, squeeze the sides in and flip it all the way down, behind it you should see the cabin air intake, and also the door that controls fresh air or recirculate - make sure that is connected to the lever - there's also a filter between the air intake and the heater plenum, which is probably clogged & restricting air flow - there are two different styles horizontal (which I have never seen) and vertical (which my car has) - look for a 1" wide plastic strip that snaps into place.
Also make sure the cooling system is full.
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Yes it's the slider type , it blows just not very hot and it cools really well when I slide it to the cold side
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Cooling system is full but not sure where the filter is.
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The filter box is located under the glove box and a little towards the tranny (left side). I believe it is a vertical filter, if memory serves me. I've owned three of these 2nd gen trucks and none of them had a filter in place when I checked them. One of them had a broken tab on it which indicates someone had been in it at some time. It could be that prior owners removed them and never replaced the original filter.
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Update I took the filters out and drove it around without them in the car and still very little heat, I'm going to see if by chance the thermostat is stuck open...
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If you're replacing the thermostat, an OE (GM or Suzuki) replacement would be a good idea.
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The only next thing it could be is a clogged heater core am I correct when saying this ?
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I think you can reach the heater connections from under the hood, so it should not be too difficult to check - look for two hoses maybe 3/4" in diameter near the center of the firewall.
I doubt that's your problem though - I think these engines require coolant flow through the heater circuit to open the thermostat, so if that clogs, I would expect the engine to overheat quite rapidly.
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ya if the thermostat is stuck open then I would definitely replace with an OME one because the new after market ones I've found that the o-ring gasket is different and doesn't seat properly
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I am going to check it on Friday ! Thanks for all your help I will keep you all posted!
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Update thermostat is good, full of coolant ,rad cap good, blend doors seem to be working, cabin filters are new , the only thing that is left is clogged heater core ? Am I correct? If so how do I get it unclogged, or do I need to replace it ?
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Is this normal operation temp ?
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That's where mine runs. Looks normal to me.
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Ok thanks that tells me it has to be my heater core is plugged or something
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Ok it was my blend door not shutting all the way , got it fixed and now it's better just not what I would think but that could be because it's been super cold and it's just not heating up like normal
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My experience with these little trucks (1st and 2nd gen) is they don't heat or cool exceptionally well when it is really hot or really cold unless you are running down the road at speed.
They are utility vehicles... so I just accept this fact. On hot muggy days the A/C can almost freeze me while on the highway but it still makes driving more comfortable when at slower speeds in town when it can't. The A/C still reduces the humidity level well enough. Same with the heater.
My wife has commented many times that my Tracker's heat production is either too cool or runs her out of the truck. Same with the A/C. It works well enough for me anyway because the truck's performance and ability more than makes up for these slight short falls in my opinion.
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you could do an coolant flush/clean. i do one every couple of years on my vehicles. drain the coolant out and mix some cascade (must be dishwasher machine detergent or it will froth up with bubbles) in a bottle of hot water and pure it in the rad. i put about three to four table spoon in when do mine, I'll mix it in a couple of bottles so it is dissolved good. then fill the rest of the system with water. run the engine up to temperature so your thermostat opens and let it run for around a 15 mins to a half hour. then drain the water mix and let your engine cool down. when the engine is cool add straight water fill it up and drain it out a couple of times to get as much soap and dirt out of the system.then add straight water and run it up to temperature to open the thermostat. to that a couple times until you think all the soap and dirt is removed. then i usually add a gallon of straight antifreeze to compensate for the water in the block then mix 50/50 for the rest of the system. i have seen a lot funky stuff come out of clean looking cooling system. also if their is a weak point in your system you will get a leak soon after, dirt will seal small holes. i put a water pump in my 88 fiero this summer so i flushed the system after that, a week later one of my line had a few pin hole leaks.
i find the heat heat in my 01 four door 2L tracker pretty good. i don't do a lot of highway driving. after about five minutes driving in the winter the hand is about 1/4 up and heat is flowing good out of the vent. the only complaint i have is the floor vents aren't that great.
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Anyone else use detergent to flush their cooling systems?
I've been driving four decades now (and wrenching before I had a driver's license), and this is the first time I'm hearing of this - I've flushed cooling systems before (with fresh water only) and yes, you can get a lot of crap out of the old cast-iron engines, but the all aluminum engines I've been dealing with it over the past two decades have always seemed pretty clean.
This is a sealed system, where's the dirt coming from? On the old cast iron engines, corrosion could be an issue, (especially if it was a cast iron block with an alloy head), but, on all aluminum, and running a decent coolant with corrosion inhibitors???
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Caterpillar actually had a part number for cascade not sure if they still do or not. engine company's like cat, Detroit diesel, ect buy cascade by the skid, very common practice with engine company's. i just flushed a 500 cat in a 01 Kenworth last week at work. oil cooler leak. as for where would dirt come from genius, their are steel pipes that do corrode have had a couple rust out on my tracker. cylinder liners are steel, never seen one of the magical all aluminum engines before. plus all these rubber hose or are they all aluminum on yours too. rubber is on of the things in a coolant system that breaks down the most from my experience. another factor to consider is are you the original owner. if not what has the PO done to it? once again the dick factory that know everything makes his useless comments. no wonder this site has been hacked so many times.
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Just thought I would mention it - googling Cascade & Caterpillar produces no hits worth discussing, Cascade & Kenworth and Cascade & Detroit Diesel showed similar results. Including cooling "system flush" in the search string did produce what I consider anecdotal reports from several diesel related forums that suggest that detergent is commonly used to flush large diesel cooling systems specifically to deal with the oil/coolant contamination that results from failed oil coolers (diesels commonly use oil/water heat exchangers), but nothing from any "manufacturer authorized sources" - very few of the results related to gasoline engines, and there were several asking the same question I am - are you serious?
I also went to the trouble of asking a friend who runs a radiator manufacturing business for both automotive and stationary power applications - his reply was that it's not very effective.
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http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/f23/more-coolant-flush-301344/#/forumsite/20512/topics/520218?page=1://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?58868-Radiator-Flushing-with-Cascade-Dishwashing-Detergent (http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/f23/more-coolant-flush-301344/#/forumsite/20512/topics/520218?page=1://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?58868-Radiator-Flushing-with-Cascade-Dishwashing-Detergent)
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2934343 (http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2934343)
http://landroverforums.com/forum/discovery-ii-18/anyone-ever-do-cooling-system-flush-cascade-detergent-53958/ (http://landroverforums.com/forum/discovery-ii-18/anyone-ever-do-cooling-system-flush-cascade-detergent-53958/)
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/284550-coolant-flush-notes-de-oiling-surprises.html (http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/284550-coolant-flush-notes-de-oiling-surprises.html)
http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/f23/more-coolant-flush-301344/#/forumsite/20512/topics/389674?page=1 (http://www.thedieselstop.com/forums/f23/more-coolant-flush-301344/#/forumsite/20512/topics/389674?page=1)
You want me to keep going. Go over to zuwharrie in the diesel section and ask the question. I listen to the journeymen automotive and HDET that I know and work with over you any day. They seem to pick up new tricks that the heat about then to criticize every technique that is new to them. It's alright to ask questions, but to acting like a dick when you do it is cool.