1994 5sp 4wd shifting problem

My girlfriend has a sweet (POS) 1994 tracker that she commutes about 5 miles to work with.

Today as she was parking in her school's parking garage the manual transmission would not go into gear at all into any gear with the clutch fully depressed.

She had to push it abit but final got it into reverse to get into a parking spot. when the car is off, the shifter will move into gear ok she says. I haven't seen the car yet.

Previously the car was hard to get into reverse sometimes but other gears were fine.

So if it the clutch/tranny linkage/transmission gears? I know very little about tracker's so we need help!!

I'm going to look at it tonight after work, so any help Asap is appreciated!

Thanks!

sounds as if the clutch is going south

sounds as if the clutch is going south

That makes sense. She just moved to a new apartment and is parking on a steep hill. She might be burning it up back into her parking spots.

any idea how much that would cost?

Check the free play in the clutch pedal, it should depress about 1" maximum before the throw out engages. The clutch cable can be adjusted from underneath the Tracker. There is an arm that sticks out of the side of the transmission, I believe the passenger's side. Attached to this arm is a steel rod, which in turn attaches to the clutch cable. Lubricate the nut and threads on the rod and then tighten it up until you have proper free play at the pedal. You may have to hold the rod with pliers or another wrench to keep it and the cable from turning/twisting. Hopefully this will fix the shifting problem. Let us know how it goes before we get into more complicated stuff.

Check the free play in the clutch pedal, it should depress about 1" maximum before the throw out engages. The clutch cable can be adjusted from underneath the Tracker. There is an arm that sticks out of the side of the transmission, I believe the passenger's side. Attached to this arm is a steel rod, which in turn attaches to the clutch cable. Lubricate the nut and threads on the rod and then tighten it up until you have proper free play at the pedal. You may have to hold the rod with pliers or another wrench to keep it and the cable from turning/twisting. Hopefully this will fix the shifting problem. Let us know how it goes before we get into more complicated stuff.

The clutch has never had a good feel to it, but it certainly felt different tonight. the first 1-2 inches felt dead... it was totally free of any restriction, then you could feel it being alittle stiffer but nothing really felt like a clutch engaging all the way to the floor. under the hood we saw the clutch cable mooving alittle bit when we put the pedal down.

otheriwse i wasn't really able to get under the car. I think we are going to get it towed to a garage tomorrow and see what they say.

sound like you need to adjust the clutch

sound like you need to adjust the clutch

Do you have any details on how to do that? I have the chilton's book for the car... it described adjusting it at the pedal, not at the transmission as was previously mentioned a few posts ago.

Thanks, Steve

"Adjust at the pedal" if you read between the lines means to adjust the pedal free play so that you have the proper resistance at the pedal. The cable adjuster is down under as stated. The manual threw me for a loop on that one, too. Then I discovered that the writers were using a different grammatical structure than the rest of the English speaking world.

baumbr has it right you adjust it from underneath the truck.it sounds like the clutch is not totally disengaging does it grind when you try to put it into gear. let us know whats going on .

basically you are adjusting the play between throw out bearing and presure plate.

basically the throw out bearing is inside tranny which almost rides against the pressure plate.the bearing is connected to an arm the arm is connected to a shaft the shaft is connected to another arm outside of the transmision . the clutch cable is connected to that arm. you dont want to much play between the throw out bearing and the pressure plate . if there is to much the clutch will not totally disengage and the clutch will still rotate causing the transmissin to grind or not engage. not enough play the clutch will slip.

basically you are adjusting the play between throw out bearing and presure plate.

basically the throw out bearing is inside tranny which almost rides against the pressure plate.the bearing is connected to an arm the arm is connected to a shaft the shaft is connected to another arm outside of the transmision . the clutch cable is connected to that arm. you dont want to much play between the throw out bearing and the pressure plate . if there is to much the clutch will not totally disengage and the clutch will still rotate causing the transmissin to grind or not engage. not enough play the clutch will slip.

Thanks for all of the advice. Unfortunately we had it towed to a garage nearby and we've had a bad blizzard today so I don't know whats going on right now with it. they want to replace the clutch cable totally, which may or may not be necessary, but should fix this problem.

unless the whole clutch is bad.... and then we get a new car. considering her power steering doesn;t work either, its not really a worthwhile fix at this point if we go beyond the clutch cable.

Don't be too hasty in replacing the Tracker. Try the adjustment first. If that doesn't work then a new cable, they can get bound up and not slide well just like choke cables, motorcycle brake and throttle cables, and bicycle brake cables. A burned clutch will usually slip not stick, i.e. you can rev up the engine while in gear but the car barely moves. that doesn't sound like your problem. Sometimes a sticking clutch can be fixed by giving it a good soaking with brake cleaner. (Mechanics used to use dry cleaning fluid "tetra", but it's now a banned substance.) Replacing the clutch is tedious and dirty, but not hard. The most difficult part of the job is lining up the transmission shaft splines.
Get the clutch working and then lets look at the power steering.

Don't be too hasty in replacing the Tracker. Try the adjustment first. If that doesn't work then a new cable, they can get bound up and not slide well just like choke cables, motorcycle brake and throttle cables, and bicycle brake cables. A burned clutch will usually slip not stick, i.e. you can rev up the engine while in gear but the car barely moves. that doesn't sound like your problem. Sometimes a sticking clutch can be fixed by giving it a good soaking with brake cleaner. (Mechanics used to use dry cleaning fluid "tetra", but it's now a banned substance.) Replacing the clutch is tedious and dirty, but not hard. The most difficult part of the job is lining up the transmission shaft splines.
Get the clutch working and then lets look at the power steering.

Thanks for your help. The garage wasn't able to look at it until today, they are replacing the cable. we had a big snow storm friday so there wasn't anything happening this weekend either.

Hopefully that will fix the problem. I'd rather not have to get a new car.

yeah the power steering is part of a long laundry list including windshield washers not working, back door under softop doesn't open, airbox is stuck shut... etc. It was free so we can't complain i guess.

Hey, stick with us. We'll get your Tracker cherried out before you know it. I've been through most things with my '92, including my son putting it through 2 collisions.

Couple of items for today that you may want to try:
1. Get a Haynes or Chilton's manual, you'll be able to do a lot of work yourself;
2. Lubricate everything, surprising what a few squirts of lubricant fixes.
3. On the windshield washer - Open the hood and back at the cowling near the windshield is the washer fluid hose. You should see a Y shaped connector, if this connector is cracked all your fluid will leak out and not make it to the windshield. Run a straight pin or fine wire down the nozzles to clear any blockages. Check the fuses, although not likely as everything on a Tracker seems to go through the same one or two fuses. Last take 12v directly to the pump motor and see if it runs.

Always start with the simplest problem/fix and you'll be fine.

Hey the clutch cable is not that big of an issue. If all the mechanic wants to do is replace that, then you have a pretty honest mechanic. He could of just as easily told you the clutch was bad.

I had the same situation, i thaught it was the clutch. I bought the clutch and a new cable just because i was going to just do it all. We found out a little to late that the clutch was fine, but replaced it anyway, but the cable was bad. A $15 fix. O well.

Since then however I have replace the clutch cable twice, but i think that is due to me playing in sand and mud as much as possible.

SeeYa
KRis

Hey the clutch cable is not that big of an issue. If all the mechanic wants to do is replace that, then you have a pretty honest mechanic. He could of just as easily told you the clutch was bad.

I had the same situation, i thaught it was the clutch. I bought the clutch and a new cable just because i was going to just do it all. We found out a little to late that the clutch was fine, but replaced it anyway, but the cable was bad. A $15 fix. O well.

Since then however I have replace the clutch cable twice, but i think that is due to me playing in sand and mud as much as possible.

SeeYa
KRis

Well we got the car back and it works. The dumb drivers door wont close all of the way without alot of force now though. She picked it up and complained about it and they blamed the tow truck driver. which may or may not be true - any ideas on this? Its almost like its out of alignment or something.

I didn't have much time to look at it, and it was about 15 degrees last night so I didn't want to spend too much time in the cold outside.

Also on the laundry list are: bad rear shocks and one wheel hub (for 4x4) wont turn without using some pliers or a wrench.

I bought some wd40 to spray into the hub to see if that helps. Is it possible to take them apart and lub them up easily?

Thanks. This thing has alot of problems and I hate to spend money on it but it would be a fun little car if things worked (especially the Power Steering!!!)

The driver's side door can get a little sloppy. Open and close it several times while watching closely. Is it under or over riding the U shaped catch? do the seams line up correctly with the door opening? These will give you an idea which way to move the door. Open the door, look at the front pillar where the hinges connect. Each hinge has 3 or 4 bolts. I believe they are 12mm, loosen them just enough to adjust the door so it closes properly and gives a good seal with even seams all around. Don't make them really loose, that will turn a 5 minute job into and hour. Snug the bolts back down and you should be good.

Write us back and give us the details on the power steering.

The rear door/hatch has probably lost or broken the nylon clip that connects the door handle actuator rod to the latch. If you can get the tail gate cover off you will be able to see what is going on. Replacement clips are about 95 cents at the local parts store.

I will try the door fix tonight maybe. I know it is really bothering her.

When we first noticed the back door problem I took the cover off and was trying to figure out what was going on. I couldn't make heads or tails of it at the time. I didn't have the chilton's guide then, i bought it recently though maybe I will try it again.

the power steering... doesn't work. there is a fluid leak somewhere... you can add a bottle like everyday if you want to. I've never figured out where it is. the belt broke because the AC compressor seized up and I haven't gotten another one back on since neither the AC nor the powersteering work anyway. I don't know if there is a shorter belt to use to power the PS pump and by pass the A/C?

The previous owners had a quote to fix the PS at about 1000 but I'm not sure what the diagnosis was.

OK the PS problem.
Belt, you can probably go to the parts store and find a belt of proper length to bypass the A/C. However most A/C compressors go into free wheel when they die, so likely the A/C clutch is frozen. If there is a wire leading to the compressor unhook it and see if the clutch releases.
PS systems are really just 3 components, the pump, the steering ram and the hoses. Pump and hoses are relatively easy to replace. You might want to check the steering gear/ram to see if it has leaking seals. Your Chilton's guide should help here. You should be able to get a pump and steering gear at a reasonable price from your auto recycler.

OK the PS problem.
Belt, you can probably go to the parts store and find a belt of proper length to bypass the A/C. However most A/C compressors go into free wheel when they die, so likely the A/C clutch is frozen. If there is a wire leading to the compressor unhook it and see if the clutch releases.
PS systems are really just 3 components, the pump, the steering ram and the hoses. Pump and hoses are relatively easy to replace. You might want to check the steering gear/ram to see if it has leaking seals. Your Chilton's guide should help here. You should be able to get a pump and steering gear at a reasonable price from your auto recycler.

Tackled the door tonight... its about 15 degrees again. and we have no garage or anything so i was in the street. that was fun.

It was hitting above the latch in the door so I first tried to adjust the bar on the body but I couldn't get the screws loose. so then I loosened the door bolts... there were only 2 per hinge that I saw and was working on. I had to loosen and tighten twice, it was hard to pull up on the door and tighten at the same time.

The latch mechanism was coated in some rubber and that had shredded and jammed. i cut some of that away and now it closes alright. better than before I hope.

I'll be interested to see in the morning and tomorrow if it stays aligned or not.

THat sounds like the same set of problems I have had with my 94' The door started to fall, so i took the hinge off to try and re-align the door, but only made it worse. The welded nut behind the door frame broke off. I tried many different ways to fix it with hardware, but no luck, I finally broke down and paid someone 25 bucks to weld it on. No problems now.

AS far as the hub. I had the same thing, I had to use a wrench to turn the hub. One nice day I went out there with some grease took the cap of the hub off, repacked some grease in there, and havn't had a problem since.

Have fun, I am now in texas, so i don't have to worry about the 15 degree bitter cold days of working on a car anymore.

TTFN
Geofrog

[QUOTE=geofrog]

AS far as the hub. I had the same thing, I had to use a wrench to turn the hub. One nice day I went out there with some grease took the cap of the hub off, repacked some grease in there, and havn't had a problem since.
=

how do you take the cap off? do you mean you unscrewed around the knob and pulled that out and put grease back there?

Door closes, but isn't perfect, I'm still hearing complaints of cold air getting in.

What I did, THere are alen bolts, I think they are allen maybe torx, anyhow, I removed them and it allowed the locking lever to pull out of the hub. At that point i worked the hublocker a little by turning it back and forth, packed the hub full of grease, put it back togeter and it has worked pretty good so far.

Good luck to you, I would probably just keep the hubs locked, if you have snow most of the winter, and worry about it when it warms up. I drove it for 3 years having to wrench it into the locking position.

Well let me know,
Geofrog

The air coming in around the door is probably a horizontal alignment problem. Sounds like you have the vertical problem fixed. The procedure is about the same. Mark the hinges for vertical position, then move the door horizontally. On my '92 the top of the door was leaning outward, I loosened the top hinge quite a bit and left the bottom hinge fairly snug, to preserve vertical alignment. Then as I pushed at the top of the door (NOT the top of the window frame) one of my sons held/pulled at the bottom edge of the door. Voila, no more air leak. Compare with the passenger door as well, to approximate the proper distances in the door gaps. I noticed that I have a stress fracture developing at the back of the driver's door where the window frame meets the door. Guess I'll have to get it brazed or welded. Probably a result of the door being out of alignment for a long while.

The air coming in around the door is probably a horizontal alignment problem. Sounds like you have the vertical problem fixed. The procedure is about the same. Mark the hinges for vertical position, then move the door horizontally. On my '92 the top of the door was leaning outward, I loosened the top hinge quite a bit and left the bottom hinge fairly snug, to preserve vertical alignment. Then as I pushed at the top of the door (NOT the top of the window frame) one of my sons held/pulled at the bottom edge of the door. Voila, no more air leak. Compare with the passenger door as well, to approximate the proper distances in the door gaps. I noticed that I have a stress fracture developing at the back of the driver's door where the window frame meets the door. Guess I'll have to get it brazed or welded. Probably a result of the door being out of alignment for a long while.

Very Interesting, I didn't even think about that. I will give it a shot. it sounds like you were much more scientific about it than I was. I didn't mark any positions or anything. Its a pretty flimsy door, I'm surprised it hasn't fallen off altogether.

Yeah, they are flimsy doors. I wouldn't want to take a side impact. Although I did see one that rolled. Everything was leaning to the left, but the "cage" formed by the upper body didn't collapse completely. I also think it was a low speed roll.

For $14 USD you can get everything you need to work on your Tracker (or clone). details below. (at end)

A/C clutch in front of compressor disconn. the wire.
now clutch is free wheeling for ever (hopefully)
door , go to body shop.

Doesnt run, use manual below to diagnose the problem.
comes with , how to troubleshoot, schematic, usa and canada.
YOU, have no TBI injection?

its either the wiring or the ECU.
with the road map you can check and eliminate the wiring issue, leaving you with a dead ECU.
now go to EBAY and buy a rebuilt ECU with warrantee. $70 USD, cheap!

, now help me.

where can I buy brand new syncro's from my 5-sp tracker
transmission.
These are the brass speed syncronizers that allow
people to shift with out double clutching ( as in a crash box , found in racing cars and old trucks)

they are short lived and need replacing, surely someone knows how and where to get tranny parts. ( yah I can find seals and bearings no prob.)
I have posted to 3 forums to no avail.

Now as promised ,is my source for a cheap shop manual.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOW TO GET A TRACKER (SAMURAI) FSM SHOP MANUAL (900+ pages) AND HAYNES MANAUL.

PAYPAL, DOWNLOAD IT , BURN IT TO CD.

CHEAP AND indespenable for any person doing work on said vehicle !!!
I am not affiliated with this co.

Total: $13.99 USD
Order Description: 1986-1996 SUZUKI SIDEKICK & GEO TRACKER SERVICE MANUAL
Item/Product Number: 819937

contact:
usa@tradebit.com

he sells on EBay too.