2002 Tracker
 

Hello Members,

Just bought a 2002 Tracker ZR2 with 160,000+ miles. I have no prior experience with this vehicle. There are some items I will be fixing... such as the rear tailgate--is inoperable due to the latch being frozen. Hoping to be able to pull the rear interior door panel off for working on it. The trans oil is not looking great--I assume it is supposed to be pinkish/red and it is definitely aged/dark. Presume you have to remove the brush plate under the engine to get to the oil pan nut/filter, and then trans pan? Also, the front grille is missing and the hood latch does not hold the hood locked. And the hood is rusted and void of paint. Are the grilles easy to find? This is my short list right now. The rest of the vehicle is very decent and frame looks great. Are there any BIG items I need to be aware of for maintenance---or fluid changes that might be critical for a new owner of a used vehicle with this mileage? I will hope to get all the fluids changed, but with 4wd this appears to be a time consuming project which will spread over months for me---along with all the other little nitpick items I can get to. Thanks...

JR

Rockauto has a grille and a hood. You might be able to just paint your hood. Spend some time searching on the internet and you will probably find the other parts. The hood and tailgate latches could probably be repaired by loosening them up slowly with blaster and WD40. They are probably just stuck or have a broken spring. You can also look for Suzuki Vitara parts as they are the same vehicle and most parts are interchangeable.

Thanks for the reply. I believe you are right. The current rusted hood appears to be a replacement because of a minor front side impact which clipped the upper fender and corner--also slightly kinking the radiator support brace (name of that piece is unsure). All very minor. Not much damage but it likely bent the corner of the hood. I wonder now if the rust on the existing hood was caused by a lack of a hood blanket underneath. Otherwise, it must just be poor paint. The appearance of the hood and lack of the entire grille is likely the reason this vehicle did not sell. I will be working on this vehicle as much as possible today hoping not to find something I wont like. Otherwise, this 4X4 is my new pet for now.

JR