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Little Red (1996 Geo Tracker)

Thanks for that info!

Looks like I’ll be hunting down a spacer or a new rear drive shaft.

The front will be swapped from the Suzuki.
 
FleshEater said:
Thanks for that info!

Looks like I’ll be hunting down a spacer or a new rear drive shaft.

The front will be swapped from the Suzuki.
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Let me know if you need a spacer, I have a stash of them that mine came with. Not that they're expensive, but I don't really have have much use for them.
 
skyhiranger said:
89-98 tcases have the same bolt pattern, where they bolt to the tranny.

The rear output shaft on 96 and up tcases are 16 spline, instead of 26 spline like the 89-95s. Front output splines are 26 for all years.
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Can also confirm a 99 2.0 5spd tcase bolts to an early 3spd, I believe it's the same as the 96-98 cases. The trans was completely different from the 1.6 5spd also. Looked more like a w56, so much so I pulled the bell off and was hoping they would swap :laughing: no dice.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
Can also confirm a 99 2.0 5spd tcase bolts to an early 3spd, I believe it's the same as the 96-98 cases. The trans was completely different from the 1.6 5spd also. Looked more like a w56, so much so I pulled the bell off and was hoping they would swap :laughing: no dice.
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I am not that familiar with the 99+ stuff, so that is why I said 89-98.
 
Kid said he’s bored this summer vacation, so I put him on tearing down the Zuk.

I finally grabbed another engine stand, so we’ve been chipping away at getting the engine pulled. Some of the stuff is way rustier than I thought. Going to be chasing threads and looking for bolt replacements the whole time while rebuilding.

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It’s out!

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Talk about some trust letting a 12 year old operate the hydraulics while removing the last few things.

Idiot me forgot to remove the inspection plate so it was…uh…harder to remove than it should have been. :homer:

Now the tear down and rebuild starts.
 
So, two weird things on this engine.

1. #1 spark plug was bent. No idea how. Valves aren’t bent and no way the piston could hit it.

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2. I pulled the intake off and oil came dumping out, but not from a port…maybe the head gasket leaked and the oil made it out into the intake gasket area? It was WAY darker than the oil I found in the head.

Always forget how much bench space these jobs take up. Also trying to keep stuff organized this time.

CF295D19-F64F-44EC-8144-3DE620736184.jpeg
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Oh, one more question for anyone that has dealt with this.

What’s the best way to go about removing snapped off bolts in this aluminum block? I’ve 5 or 6 at the moment. There’s a bit sticking out on them, Kroil all over them, vise grips, and they just do not budge.

Some are really small, and I don’t want to mess up the aluminum.
 
I've gotten lucky with welding a nut onto the bolt and heating the area around it a bit but it's really iffy on the smaller stuff.
 
350TacoZilla said:
I've gotten lucky with welding a nut onto the bolt and heating the area around it a bit but it's really iffy on the smaller stuff.
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Is it okay to weld it on the aluminum? The breaks are REALLY close. These are also like M6 bolts. 3 for the timing cover. 2 for the alternator bracket (M8 I think).
 
^^^^ Yes, the heat from welding actually expands the aluminum helping to loosen the broken bolt. I bet there are a lot of examples on youtube to give you a visual on it....
 
SHARPMACHINE said:
^^^^ Yes, the heat from welding actually expands the aluminum helping to loosen the broken bolt. I bet there are a lot of examples on youtube to give you a visual on it....
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I did end up finding some. Also found some where the nut just broke off, too.

I hate rust.
 
It's kinda like step 1 of a 10 step cussing experience when removing broken bolts, its fairly easy, cheap and isn't going to make a bunch more damage even if you fail. Then you start getting into the ones that really suck like drilling pilot hole and using easy out (very ironic name in my experience with them) then your looking at drilling to a larger fastener and re-tapping the hole. Oh also I sometimes just use a nut with fucked threads and drill it out to fit the bolt shank and give it a bit of a bevel inside for bit more weld surface area.

If there is enough sticking out you can sometimes get lucky with dremeling a slot in the end of bolt and using a impact screw remover, I can't remember the exact name but its the type you hit with a hammer not like air impact gun. Just soak the bolts with your favorite oil beforehand for day or two.
 
350TacoZilla said:
It's kinda like step 1 of a 10 step cussing experience when removing broken bolts, its fairly easy, cheap and isn't going to make a bunch more damage even if you fail. Then you start getting into the ones that really suck like drilling pilot hole and using easy out (very ironic name in my experience with them) then your looking at drilling to a larger fastener and re-tapping the hole. Oh also I sometimes just use a nut with fucked threads and drill it out to fit the bolt shank and give it a bit of a bevel inside for bit more weld surface area.

If there is enough sticking out you can sometimes get lucky with dremeling a slot in the end of bolt and using a impact screw remover, I can't remember the exact name but its the type you hit with a hammer not like air impact gun. Just soak the bolts with your favorite oil beforehand for day or two.
Click to expand...

All of what you said is what I’m dreading. :laughing:

My white Geo spent 25 years in California. This engine has been in Pennsylvania since 96’. Fucking bolts are rusted up tighter than a nun’s ****.

Going to try welding a nut. Highly unlikely to work. But worth a try.

This is what I’ve got. And I just snapped two more trying to take off the oil pan. Fawk me. These are some small bolts.
1E9D069A-4B49-4088-A2A5-265AF5CEB4D0.jpeg
 
I've never once had luck with welding a nut on. I've also always been terrible at removing broken bolts.

The trick I did learn was to drill almost into the ID of the threads when using an easy out. That usually helps it loosen up also.

Also, I've heard reverse rotation drills can sometimes get them out, haven't tried that yet it would have worked on the last ones I did though.
 
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YotaAtieToo said:
I've never once had luck with welding a nut on. I've also always been terrible at removing broken bolts.

The trick I did learn was to drill almost into the ID of the threads when using an easy out. That usually helps it loosen up also.
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I actually don’t have any easy outs. I need a good set and a complete set of taps and dies. Got a bunch of random stuff laying around. A set would be great.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
I've never once had luck with welding a nut on. I've also always been terrible at removing broken bolts.

The trick I did learn was to drill almost into the ID of the threads when using an easy out. That usually helps it loosen up also.

Also, I've heard reverse rotation drills can sometimes get them out, haven't tried that yet it would have worked on the last ones I did though.
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I’ve had lots of luck with the welded nut trick, lots! It is trickier if they’re busted off flush or counter sunk.

I have left hand rotation bits and both types of easy outs. Square and spiral. The spiral ones are my least favorite. The best easy outs I’ve ever found are torx bits. The square handle of a file also makes a perfect easy out.
 
FleshEater said:
All of what you said is what I’m dreading. :laughing:

My white Geo spent 25 years in California. This engine has been in Pennsylvania since 96’. Fucking bolts are rusted up tighter than a nun’s ****.

Going to try welding a nut. Highly unlikely to work. But worth a try.

This is what I’ve got. And I just snapped two more trying to take off the oil pan. Fawk me. These are some small bolts.
1E9D069A-4B49-4088-A2A5-265AF5CEB4D0.jpeg
Click to expand...
That bolt is as good as out if you’re any good with a welder. That’s a good one to practice on because it’s a lower consequence than the oil pan bolts. If it were my problem to fix, I’d clamp a 3/8” nut in some needle nose vice grips and hold it flush to the block. I’d weld the whole gap between that little bolt and the bigger nut and weld until the nut is domed with weld puddle. The whole nut will be a cherry and when it is, spray the shit out of the back side of that bolt with penetrating oil as it cools down, that will drawn in the lubricant. Once the nut/bolt is the right color it should spin right out.

I wouldn’t try that on anything that’s broke off flush or sub flush though.
 
If welding doesn't work, cut/grind the end of the bolt as flat and smooth as possible. Use a center punch to help start a small drill bit as close to the exact center as possible. Drill a hole in the bolt almost the size of the bolt. That will relieve stress. Then try an eaze-out.
 
DannyK said:
If welding doesn't work, cut/grind the end of the bolt as flat and smooth as possible. Use a center punch to help start a small drill bit as close to the exact center as possible. Drill a hole in the bolt almost the size of the bolt. That will relieve stress. Then try an eaze-out.
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That’s what I was going to try. Those vise grips grabbed that well and I twisted hard enough to flex the jaws of the vise and it didn’t budge.

Worst case I’ll use a helicoil to keep the bolts all the same size. The oil pan can be sealed up with RTV on both sides of the gasket.
 
FleshEater said:
So, two weird things on this engine.

1. #1 spark plug was bent. No idea how. Valves aren’t bent and no way the piston could hit it.

8E8C05F1-E928-45DF-9A3C-98FF5D10F751.jpeg


2. I pulled the intake off and oil came dumping out, but not from a port…maybe the head gasket leaked and the oil made it out into the intake gasket area? It was WAY darker than the oil I found in the head.

Always forget how much bench space these jobs take up. Also trying to keep stuff organized this time.

CF295D19-F64F-44EC-8144-3DE620736184.jpeg
B4F7E185-FDF8-41F2-B96B-07ED0BCA2DC3.jpeg
E86E6348-3FE2-4772-9FCA-FA5F448854F8.jpeg
E4771A05-087E-4B35-ABB6-6B48E6FC6EF9.jpeg
Click to expand...

I had a 2.0l that would do that to one of the plugs... My internet research said that it can happen with lean conditions. The lean cylinder cause it to heat up and draw shut. Not sure how true that is, but the theory makes some sense. That engine had issues running, from what i believe was a bad fuel pump.
 
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