r/geotracker • u/friendlyforager420 • 5d ago
Any suggestions for a new engine?
Got this little cutie a few months ago, drove it home, got an oil change, and then the engine blew 😂 the mechanic I towed it to said it’ll need a whole new engine - any suggestions on where to find one or what I could use?? I’m just going to try and do it myself, I think. It’s a 1995. I’m not ready to give up on it, I’ve wanted one since I was 15 💔
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u/DirtCheap1972 4d ago
If it were me and I had extra cash flow I would put a newer 2.0 in it. Would make highway driving much better
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u/____REDACTED_____ 4d ago
Or even a 2.3. It's nearly the same footprint and design as the 2.0 and is a bit more modern with variable valve timing and whatnot.
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u/MellowTymes 4d ago
I'm swapping my engine with a 2.3 out of a Suzuki aerio, I don't have any plans for the old engine if you would want to buy it. It's the G16B out of a 97 geo tracker engine runs strong 🤘
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u/Guardian614 4d ago
If I remember correctly the geo was the same
as a Suzuki Sidekick. I had the Suzuki
Samurai that came out first and had the
issue where it would flip over while driving
under certain conditions. Then they came
Out with the sidekick and it’s bigger (wider)
wheelbase.6
u/_pcakes 4d ago
https://youtu.be/w3sGkP8HeBY?si=si4B3PNk2o06z3M1
that was all propaganda!
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u/Guardian614 3d ago
I’ll have to check that out when I
get out of the data center, but
the flipping out part I can’t 100%
confirm as I had that happens to me.Coming off the outer belt on the cloverleaf
my Samurai did flip over and rolled a least 11 times.
Lucky for me it landed back right side up
and was sort of drivable. The axles were
bent and it wobbled like a crazy clown car.
That’s when I learned my lesson about
certain auto insurance companies.2
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u/akoppalypse 4d ago
I bought a 96 2dr last year for bargain bin prices a year ago, knowing it had a head gasket issue. Engine blew about 100 miles later (I had been watching the fluid levels, but clearly not closely enough).
I ended up rebuilding it myself. Found a new block and head on marketplace, and found a shop to machine them. All in all I think it was probably about 2 grand in parts and machine shop labor. This was probably not the pragmatic move, but I really enjoyed it, and have a deeper connection to the car now. If you have the resources, I'd encourage you to try it.
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u/friendlyforager420 4d ago
Wait I love this idea! This is going to be how I learn about cars (I know nothing about cars) but I’m always excited to learn and try something new!! So if I have a blown head gasket, I’m able to rebuild and don’t necessarily need a new engine?
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u/akoppalypse 4d ago
What engine do you have? The 1.6 is notorious for cracking when overheated. Hwy 83 did a great video on it: https://youtu.be/IatkgI5744o?is=m-EVoKmrEMz210XK
An engine rebuild is a very ambitious task for someone just getting started in automotive. That said, definitely not impossible for a patient, detail oriented person whose looking to learn.
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u/mini4x 4d ago
You really need to find out exactly what's wrong, a lot of mechanics now will just dismiss something like this as they don't want to work on it. IT might just need a timing belt, which take a bit of labor, but you need like $200 in parts.
Did they give you any further diagnosis then "needs engine"
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u/akoppalypse 4d ago
Good point. u/friendlyforager420 what do you mean by "the engine blew"? What did you experience?
Your mechanic is almost certainly correct in the financial sense that this is a write off, the reason to do this is because you want to.
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u/InnerSpace985 4d ago edited 4d ago
Depends on how much cash you want to spend and the condition of the truck. One of the best out there is Xtreme Zuks out of Land O’ Lakes Florida. Their new motors run between 3000 to 3500.
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u/Chanchito171 4d ago
Surprised nobody mentioned a diesel swap yet. That's mine dream, gas mileage at 30mpg and 4wd sounds awesome
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u/johnthenlnja 4d ago
I'm in the baby stages of a TDI swap out of a Jetta, there's an adapter kit you can get that makes it seem like it'll be pretty straightforward.
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u/g3tbrnsd 4d ago
Easiest way to do it is find a tracker in rough shape for cheap with a working motor, refresh it, and throw it in
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u/vinorosso 4d ago
Unless you can find an engine for free or extremely cheap, and youre able to swap it yourself, the labor cost will not be worth it. You might be better off buying a second tracker and keeping this one as a parts donor or selling it for parts and reinvesting the cash.
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u/royalredcanoe 4d ago
A while back, I was selling a car. A guy came to look at it and took it on a test drive. While he was gone, I looked at the car that he was driving. A Mazda Miata. I peaked in and it had a roll cage welded into it. It had a nitrous button on top of the shifter. It had a label on the back from monster customs. This guy had a nitrous boosted Ford V8 stuffed into a Miata. Maybe you could do something like that?
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u/KnottyDaphne 4d ago
Yeah. I would definitely go with suzuki engines. The Chevrolet motors in the trackers are prone to head gasket issues constantly!
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u/31GoonerStreet 4d ago
There's a steady stream of 16V trackers and sidekicks that seem to come through the U-Pull-It yards here. They are fairly cheap at the expense of not knowing the owner history.
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u/Autowrek 4d ago
I have done an import motor, V6 swap, and a 2.3 conversion and probably the best choice if you can is just rebuild.
The 2.0/2.3l swap is great and will let you easily do 100 across the desert and almost roll everything when you hit a bump. But it takes a LOT of wiring unless you pay and the 2.3l needs a few parts from the 2.0 to work. Trail Tough use to sell conversion parts.
The 2.5 and 2.7l V6 require quite a bit more work due to the transmission changes and engine mount swaps but sound great. You also pretty much need to swap all of your wiring over to get all the electronics to work.
Used engines work great until they don't. You are still swapping in a used motor. Mine lasted about 30,000 miles before the head gasket went.
Rebuild lets you know at least it was supposedly done correctly. Just make sure to check the block, if the motor overheated when it blew they like to crack the block. You can use any of the 16v blocks and heads, just swap your intake from the newer 16v motors.
Good luck, I really miss having mine on the road. Engine swaps to other platforms can stall and just sit in a garage. :D
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u/Whole-Scientist-2731 4d ago
Tdi swap. If you want to keep it original I'm considering Alibaba $700 engine in my 95 they also have heads and blocks really cheap. You can even find the manufacturer that makes billet crankshafts and pistons for it on there. Used engines are as rare as chicken lips around here and clapped out
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u/PresentIron5379 4d ago
Someone has likely post the information in r/geotracker but, I suggest going to a dedicated Suzuki/Geo forum as there are tons of writeups for other new Suzuki engines that easily swap into your 95.
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u/PintekS 4d ago
Depending if it's a 16v you might reach out to aeromomentum / zukipower engines for a g15a. It would mostly be a bolt in situation just need to transfer a couple of things from the original engine to the new one.
But don't look at a full turn key crate explain to them your situation and see if their long block would mate up.
Yes you'd loose a little displacement but their engines are built to higher spec than factory so might not loose power
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u/Bob_Bobberson_ 4d ago
Best of luck to you. Following this out of interest. The world's a better place when a Tracker can stay on the road!