jimmyjames Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 So: I'm trying to buy parts at amazon because my wife is in the us and I'm in central america where she'll be coming soon. I figure it's easier to check on amazon if the parts are right than it is to trust some guy she talks to at an autoparts store, her not knowing anything about it. Or is there a better place I can get the right parts online and have them sent to her by mail so she can bring them back here to me? Amazon asks for lots of profile info on my tracker and I have it all except for these: "Trim: Base or lsi"? And: Body Type:e105 e167 j105 j167 And last: Wheel base 86.6 or 97.6 These questions above I don't know how to find out the answer to. I would guess the shorter wheel base, and Base trim, but how do I know for sure? The body type I have no idea what those numbers mean. Can anyone help me out so I can be more sure I am ordering the right parts on amazon? Here's all the info I've gathered so far: not 100% sure every bit of it is true but I think so: VIN# 2CNBJ1865X6905626 MODEL DJR37 CANADA (CAMI)/ GM 1998 DICIEMBRE GVWR GAWR FRT GAWR RR 1YL on driver door as you see in jpg below Code B1A Port of Entry CAMI (Canadian Automotive Manufacturing Inc) - owned by General Motors (GM) "From 1991 on the Geo Tracker sold in Canada was identical to its US counterpart." - Wikipedia L01 GAS, 16 Valve 4 CYL 1.6 LT, MFI, OHC MM5 MANUAL 5 SPD NG1 NEW YORK?? PG2 Wheel - 15 x 5.5 STEEL Next step: try to get parts for leaking steering box. See other thread. p.s. In trying to gather info, I found several VIN sites but some give differing info. One showed that I have a bigger engine which I know is wrong. So is there a "most trustworthy" source of info from VIN? By the way, here they seem to find parts by searching for Vitara. Is that the exact same as my car or does it vary depending on the parts? Recent brake package I bought was for GEO Tracker and it worked even though mine is Chevy but the mechanic said "Vitara" was what I wanted to search for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Moses Ludel Posted June 10, 2016 Administrators Share Posted June 10, 2016 jimmyjames...You can get a much more reliable VIN breakdown from a factory workshop manual. Most manufacturers begin their shop manual with charts that break down the VIN. Each number or letter from the beginning "2" through the "X" indicates the vehicle's equipment. A Suzuki or Chevrolet/Geo dealership should have these manuals. The factory parts manuals also begin with a VIN break down for identifying parts. Do you have access locally to a dealership? If so, consult with the parts or service department. They should be able to break down the VIN and equipment. I would invest in a used copy of the factory service manual for this model. eBay, books4Cars.com, Powell's Books and other sources offer used factory workshop manuals. Do not settle for an aftermarket, generic manual. Get a "factory" manual. Used, the book should cost no more than $25 to $30, and the service details are the best. The book will pay for itself during the work you perform. Moses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyjames Posted June 11, 2016 Author Share Posted June 11, 2016 Okay then, but how do I know I'm getting the RIGHT Factory manual for my car? Based on the VIN? Or? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoatBoy4570 Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Your worrying to much about ordering the wrong part. you have more than enough info to order parts for your tracker. Amazon is a redistributor, a middle man, a very good one granted but they do not have expertise as to what they are selling so the more checks they make the better the chance they will sell you the right part. Try and hook in with a car part house like rockauto. rockauto is the amazon of car parts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyjames Posted June 15, 2016 Author Share Posted June 15, 2016 Thanks for the tip on rockauto. I'll check it out. The problem is - as near as I can tell - I'm not a mechanic - is that Trackers were made in a bunch of different countries and several different manufacturers... and the Suzuki and the GM and the Vitara and the Tracker and etc make it a bit confusing to find the right parts, especially those of us not living in the USA and parts can be harder to find in a foreign country. Plus things changed from year to year, too, no? I've never had a car before where there seem to be so many different models... And because parts are not widely available sometimes - over the past years - some owners have thrown a Suzuki part in on a GM car, etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Moses Ludel Posted June 15, 2016 Administrators Share Posted June 15, 2016 jimmyjames...For a steering rack assembly or parts, the casting number on the gear housing is often helpful for finding parts. This may also be the "part number" for the complete rack. Doing some networking/research online with this part number can help "reverse engineer" its origins. Try using the rack assembly's part number as a place to start. You may be able to break this down to individual parts or a seal kit. Cardone (https://www.cardone.com/products/steering/steering-products-remanufactured/steering-gears) is one major source for rebuilt parts and could be a good catalog reference source. Edelmann makes seal kits: http://www.plews-edelmann.com/repair-kits/. Try searching with your vehicle model and drill down to see if the part(s) offered include a reference to the casting/part number on your steering gear rack. Moses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyjames Posted August 4, 2016 Author Share Posted August 4, 2016 On 6/15/2016 at 6:55 AM, Moses Ludel said: jimmyjames...For a steering rack assembly or parts, the casting number on the gear housing is often helpful for finding parts. This may also be the "part number" for the complete rack. Doing some networking/research online with this part number can help "reverse engineer" its origins. Try using the rack assembly's part number as a place to start. You may be able to break this down to individual parts or a seal kit. Cardone (https://www.cardone.com/products/steering/steering-products-remanufactured/steering-gears) is one major source for rebuilt parts and could be a good catalog reference source. Edelmann makes seal kits: http://www.plews-edelmann.com/repair-kits/. Try searching with your vehicle model and drill down to see if the part(s) offered include a reference to the casting/part number on your steering gear rack. Moses Not being a mechanic all of this is kinda iffy but I bought some parts for the steering assembly and hopefully if it breaks down further these parts will help fix it... I used links like the ones you gave me and found parts and wifey brought them back from u.s. But a friend who knows something about cars told me rebuilding this steering assembly is labor intensive and so it's best to put up with the leak until it gets bad enough to pay the $ to fix it, especially since parts could be expensive - and perhaps impossible or very hard to get - if the ones I bought don't do the trick... So I am waiting and hoping we can sell this car and get a newer one soon, before it breaks down further... Thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Moses Ludel Posted August 8, 2016 Administrators Share Posted August 8, 2016 Drive safely with enough power steering fluid in the pump... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyjames Posted August 13, 2016 Author Share Posted August 13, 2016 On 8/8/2016 at 1:20 PM, Moses Ludel said: Drive safely with enough power steering fluid in the pump... Thanks! Will do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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