Gm Tracker 2001

[sabme]

Problem with tracker 2001 4dr 4wd, when in 4 wheel drive Tracker pulls to one side, becomes very hard to steer straight and sounds , feels, as if the transmission gets stuck in lower gear!!! my usual repair shop examined the tracker and couldn't find any faults, as soon as the car is placed in two wheel drive the problem goes away!!!!

Appreciate your help.

[barnbiketom]

are all 4 tires EXACTLY the same size and brand? if not you are screwed...

[fixkick]

x2 tire size.
what surface were you driving on,? pavement and if yes , was it dry, water wet, snow or ice covered.
or was it off road.?
this car has Part-time 4wd and is not AWD,

if you drive on just pavement that is not full of ice or snow , this is wrong. this car has no Center Differential or slip clutch device, none ! My 2002 jeep wrangler has such a magic clutch.!

see this link (see that damage, that is called wind up damage, the forces are huge.

http://www.fixkick.com/part-time-test.html


thin click on the Stop driving on pavement link.


in the glove box is the operators guide, on mine, page 2-22 it stays

"do not drive on in four-wheel drive on pavement for extended periods of time"
a gross understatement if ever, and fails to stated what pavement means or , time" 2004

1995 Suzuki "Do not use 4-wheel drive for normal driving on dry ,hard surfaced roads" (note how they skipped warm wet roads)

1994 "GEO" page 46 "Driving in "4H"or "4L" positions for a long time on dry or wet pavement could shorten the life of your vehicle's drivetrain " note the added word,"wet" !

here is one operator guide.
search works, in adobe, search and read the "do not" and "damage" and "4L" (for sure the ones , while in a moving car)
http://www.fixkick.com/All-Pdfs/Other-Ma...owners.pdf

you can drive in 4H or 4L, off road and or on ice or snow packed "anything" until the cows come home. Part time eats this for breakfast.
like in this video
http://www.fixkick.com/videos/AVI/kickin.mp4


be safe ! please !
note the warnings of shifting into 4wd on the fly, and speed limits to same, and hub usage, (2 types)

[sabme]

Thx. for the info, will be of much help, I ususally shift to 4 wheel on icy or snowy paved roads or farmland. Theissue becomes noticeable on paved roads at high speeds.

I believe tires are all the same mark, but will double check.

x2 tire size.
what surface were you driving on,? pavement and if yes , was it dry, water wet, snow or ice covered.
or was it off road.?
this car has Part-time 4wd and is not AWD,

if you drive on just pavement that is not full of ice or snow , this is wrong. this car has no Center Differential or slip clutch device, none ! My 2002 jeep wrangler has such a magic clutch.!

see this link (see that damage, that is called wind up damage, the forces are huge.

http://www.fixkick.com/part-time-test.html


thin click on the Stop driving on pavement link.


in the glove box is the operators guide, on mine, page 2-22 it stays

"do not drive on in four-wheel drive on pavement for extended periods of time"
a gross understatement if ever, and fails to stated what pavement means or , time" 2004

1995 Suzuki "Do not use 4-wheel drive for normal driving on dry ,hard surfaced roads" (note how they skipped warm wet roads)

1994 "GEO" page 46 "Driving in "4H"or "4L" positions for a long time on dry or wet pavement could shorten the life of your vehicle's drivetrain " note the added word,"wet" !

here is one operator guide.
search works, in adobe, search and read the "do not" and "damage" and "4L" (for sure the ones , while in a moving car)
http://www.fixkick.com/All-Pdfs/Other-Ma...owners.pdf

you can drive in 4H or 4L, off road and or on ice or snow packed "anything" until the cows come home. Part time eats this for breakfast.
like in this video
http://www.fixkick.com/videos/AVI/kickin.mp4


be safe ! please !
note the warnings of shifting into 4wd on the fly, and speed limits to same, and hub usage, (2 types)

[fixkick]

this car is not AWD. its Part time 4WD,
it does not work on paved roads, unless full of ice or snow.
there is no center differential. (none)
if you drive on non iced pavement it will wind up. 10x worse in turns. due to this lack of the center differential or magic slip clutch like my jeep has.
this car is most like an old ww2 jeep.

what you see is 100% normal. (if it acts funny , in 4wd in the dirt, then 4wd is bad, most likely bad hubs and is a 3wd car)
btw. when i say 4wd, that means the hubs are locked.
in the above, links, the books tell you not to unlock manual hubs. in 4wd mode. (for safety reasons, in case 1 hub was to lockup,by self, (rusty, they can)

one guy said, mine don't wind up, going straight.
well, hows that work for you , driving on a road that never turns...?
wiki 4wd. read 4wd and AWD, see the drawings.

also this is (was) so bad, the Suzuki had to make a TSB just to get some folks unwound,( they got stuck)
here is that TSB, and is very clear. the solution is, easy, just dont do it.





for this 4wd to work, at least 1 tire must slip.

[sabme]

I believe you have nailed it, the steering issue happens on paved roads, although I only switch to 4wd when it snows or roads have icy patces, the roads aren't ususally fully covered by snow or ice.

Changing the topic, is there a way to raise the Tracker, it sits so low driving on unpaved bumpy terrain the bottom of the Tracker is always hitting rocks and dirt as a result of which the muffler comes loose, have changed muffler twice already!!!

Thx. again.

this car is not AWD. its Part time 4WD,
it does not work on paved roads, unless full of ice or snow.
there is no center differential. (none)
if you drive on non iced pavement it will wind up. 10x worse in turns. due to this lack of the center differential or magic slip clutch like my jeep has.
this car is most like an old ww2 jeep.

what you see is 100% normal. (if it acts funny , in 4wd in the dirt, then 4wd is bad, most likely bad hubs and is a 3wd car)
btw. when i say 4wd, that means the hubs are locked.
in the above, links, the books tell you not to unlock manual hubs. in 4wd mode. (for safety reasons, in case 1 hub was to lockup,by self, (rusty, they can)

one guy said, mine don't wind up, going straight.
well, hows that work for you , driving on a road that never turns...?
wiki 4wd. read 4wd and AWD, see the drawings.

also this is (was) so bad, the Suzuki had to make a TSB just to get some folks unwound,( they got stuck)
here is that TSB, and is very clear. the solution is, easy, just dont do it.





for this 4wd to work, at least 1 tire must slip.

[fixkick]

best it to google.
https://www.google.com/#q=suzuki+sidekick+lift+kits


there are many kits
http://www.lowrangeoffroad.com/index.php...-kits.html

[fixkick]

my 1995 Jeep YJ wrangler ,  has the same type PART time 4wd box.
it will never ever work on  pavement. not dry nor just rain wet
it only works , off road, or on dirt or show or ice , or on grass or gravel or sand. (it works only on fully slippery roads)
or at least 1 tire on dirt. ( a trick to learn , to get out of 4wd if locked up now, put front right tire on dirt. and shift out of PT 4wd.)
never on pavement unless the pavement is ice or snow packed.

my sons 2008 wrangler has PT, too. and same rules apply. I just sold it to him this car.

this is not AWD, nor full time 4wd,
it is part time.  (part means offroad)

 

there is one exception, seen on some very old jeeps it center of driveline slip clutch for driving dead slow in PT 4wd, on pavement.
a very rare box. (transfer case) and never seen on suzuki's. (just  to be accurate)

the AWD has  center of transfer case center Differential,  for full time use. (costs more too, as seen on Grand Cherokees or Grand Vitara's 2004 and newer only.  or seen on newest ever Trackers 2004 up.

do not suffer the danger of CROW walking or crab walking or steering violent jerking doing this all wrong.<< serious danger.
shift in to 4wd at 1mph, (means dead slow crawl) to save the gears there.  nor stopped.  the box must be moving a bit to shift.
happy trails !