Saving a 1989 Geo Tracker - Rear Brakes, Wheel Cylinders & Exhaust Refresh
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Date: 2025-09-01
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Comments and reviews: 20
autorepair
Hello Mr Eric. Hope your having a great day today! Happy Labor day to yaz too! I'm posting because I've been doing auto service work for over 43 years down in south GA. In all my years, most of my work has been brake work. I've seen some odd ones, but this geo tracker is a new one to me. It must be a special vin or something. Most of the ones that I've worked on has the common gm set-up but no center self-adjusting bar. (That one looked like a ford focus setup but without the bearing hub assembly - those fords are junk designed to fail) Also no four bolts to hold the drum on. most of the ones down in my area(that are still alive-4 left, are the common wheel studs and solid drum held on by the axle style. Anyways, Love your vids! I indeed learned a new design today on these vehicles and will keep a mental reference of this video to go on. Many thanks and keep up the good work!
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Hello Mr Eric. Hope your having a great day today! Happy Labor day to yaz too! I'm posting because I've been doing auto service work for over 43 years down in south GA. In all my years, most of my work has been brake work. I've seen some odd ones, but this geo tracker is a new one to me. It must be a special vin or something. Most of the ones that I've worked on has the common gm set-up but no center self-adjusting bar. (That one looked like a ford focus setup but without the bearing hub assembly - those fords are junk designed to fail) Also no four bolts to hold the drum on. most of the ones down in my area(that are still alive-4 left, are the common wheel studs and solid drum held on by the axle style. Anyways, Love your vids! I indeed learned a new design today on these vehicles and will keep a mental reference of this video to go on. Many thanks and keep up the good work!
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firstielasty1162
In PA here, there's a tough off road race, awesome variety of vehicles, from barely runs to pretty expensive and radical. You can walk the track during the race.
One year I was watching a guy with a Geo tracker, broke way off in the woods, trying to lace together his broken timing belt with dental floss.
Kept walking. I doubt it worked for long, or at all, but good effort, I say.
Why not try Gotta do something while waiting for help.
Another year, saw an fj40 abandoned, sort of stuck in a tree/bush. I like them, so went to look. It was in or on a yellow jacket nest. So that's why they weren't trying to get it unstuck.
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In PA here, there's a tough off road race, awesome variety of vehicles, from barely runs to pretty expensive and radical. You can walk the track during the race.
One year I was watching a guy with a Geo tracker, broke way off in the woods, trying to lace together his broken timing belt with dental floss.
Kept walking. I doubt it worked for long, or at all, but good effort, I say.
Why not try Gotta do something while waiting for help.
Another year, saw an fj40 abandoned, sort of stuck in a tree/bush. I like them, so went to look. It was in or on a yellow jacket nest. So that's why they weren't trying to get it unstuck.
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TimfromAlabama
Those things did great in the woods if you put a good set of mud tires. It didn't weigh much, so if you DID get it stuck you could pull it out with a small tree and a coma along. Even a Ford Ranger could pull them out. lol. Sure, it didn't ride smooth, it didn't have much room for a group of people, but you could fill it up and run in the woods all day long thru medium mud holes and bad decisions and only use like 1/4 tank of gas. Sure don't make them like they use to. No computer junk, backup camera, lane keeping, etc. But, if kept up right they lasted forever.
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Those things did great in the woods if you put a good set of mud tires. It didn't weigh much, so if you DID get it stuck you could pull it out with a small tree and a coma along. Even a Ford Ranger could pull them out. lol. Sure, it didn't ride smooth, it didn't have much room for a group of people, but you could fill it up and run in the woods all day long thru medium mud holes and bad decisions and only use like 1/4 tank of gas. Sure don't make them like they use to. No computer junk, backup camera, lane keeping, etc. But, if kept up right they lasted forever.
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joesepspindel3335
I live in taxachusetts and I bought a 96 geo ttracker and this thing is patchwork. Frames been patched, floors been patched, rockers are patched, you name it. These things are the automotive equivalent of a disposable lighter up here. My brakes are different, it has regular adjusters and I don't have those four bolts holding the drum on. Same lug pattern as an old CJ or F150 as long as the center bore hole is over four inches you can put some cool rims on. Very light weight vehicle.
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I live in taxachusetts and I bought a 96 geo ttracker and this thing is patchwork. Frames been patched, floors been patched, rockers are patched, you name it. These things are the automotive equivalent of a disposable lighter up here. My brakes are different, it has regular adjusters and I don't have those four bolts holding the drum on. Same lug pattern as an old CJ or F150 as long as the center bore hole is over four inches you can put some cool rims on. Very light weight vehicle.
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simonilett998
Hot tip on installing/removing those nail spring retainer clips.
Just hold the pin still from the back with one finger, put your needle nose pliers in the grooves of the spring clip, then push against the spring and turn the whole clip around the pin.
Can also do the same way by gripping the sides of the spring clip with flat nose pliers.
No need to push the spring clip in and turn the pin separately.
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Hot tip on installing/removing those nail spring retainer clips.
Just hold the pin still from the back with one finger, put your needle nose pliers in the grooves of the spring clip, then push against the spring and turn the whole clip around the pin.
Can also do the same way by gripping the sides of the spring clip with flat nose pliers.
No need to push the spring clip in and turn the pin separately.
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JDARJISJ
I feel like you saw my request from a couple weeks ago and answered it. While the drum brakes on my Chevy 3500 are a bit beefier and have a few more heavier springs, I appreciate seeing you work on some and while I got to chuckle at you struggling with the nails and not getting parts put in in the correct order (just like me) you were much smoother at getting the springs stretched and in place.
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I feel like you saw my request from a couple weeks ago and answered it. While the drum brakes on my Chevy 3500 are a bit beefier and have a few more heavier springs, I appreciate seeing you work on some and while I got to chuckle at you struggling with the nails and not getting parts put in in the correct order (just like me) you were much smoother at getting the springs stretched and in place.
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johnhufnagel
I started doing the masking tape trick recently for parking brake shoe installs. I leave the tape long/wide on the side towards the backing plate, so I can use it to hold the parking brake shoes in place just enough to make installing the nails and springs a little easier. sticky enough to hold the shoes, not so sticky as to leave a mess on the friction material.
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I started doing the masking tape trick recently for parking brake shoe installs. I leave the tape long/wide on the side towards the backing plate, so I can use it to hold the parking brake shoes in place just enough to make installing the nails and springs a little easier. sticky enough to hold the shoes, not so sticky as to leave a mess on the friction material.
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jamescaron6465
Man, I don’t miss working on drum brakes. I swear getting the nails into the shoes and the clips on you need three hands to do it, right
Just did my wife’s Honda front brakes and of course I had to think about SMA when I pulled out my impact to takeoff the bracket bolts and my brake clean. I was a little disappointed. I didn’t have the sound effect.
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Man, I don’t miss working on drum brakes. I swear getting the nails into the shoes and the clips on you need three hands to do it, right
Just did my wife’s Honda front brakes and of course I had to think about SMA when I pulled out my impact to takeoff the bracket bolts and my brake clean. I was a little disappointed. I didn’t have the sound effect.
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keithstudly6071
I remember back in the 1970's when the service places used to advertise specials on brake jobs. Down in the fine print they would say 'price for most cars, disk brakes extra'. They actually had people convinced that it was harder to service disk brakes! You ask for drum brake service today and most people won't even have the tools to do them.
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I remember back in the 1970's when the service places used to advertise specials on brake jobs. Down in the fine print they would say 'price for most cars, disk brakes extra'. They actually had people convinced that it was harder to service disk brakes! You ask for drum brake service today and most people won't even have the tools to do them.
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calholli
I named our daughter River. After that Serenity movie (sci fi. Where the super alien being girl is named River and she kicks everyone's azz. I actually liked that movie more than I should have. :) (Matrix is one of my favorites too. If you liked Matrix and 5th Element. you would like Serenity. It's a good time.
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I named our daughter River. After that Serenity movie (sci fi. Where the super alien being girl is named River and she kicks everyone's azz. I actually liked that movie more than I should have. :) (Matrix is one of my favorites too. If you liked Matrix and 5th Element. you would like Serenity. It's a good time.
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bassiclymike
Something about those old Trackers/Samurais I kinda like 'em. I'm sure they're underpowered AF, but I like you can get them with a 5-spd. Might be a fun little around town car but I don't think I'd want to take it on the interstates. Those looked about the easiest drum brakes I've seen too. Hate those things.
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Something about those old Trackers/Samurais I kinda like 'em. I'm sure they're underpowered AF, but I like you can get them with a 5-spd. Might be a fun little around town car but I don't think I'd want to take it on the interstates. Those looked about the easiest drum brakes I've seen too. Hate those things.
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crsuperman1
Oh my God I remember having one of these as a teenager it was so much fun and the biggest piece of crap like the suspension was none but I'll be damned if it was fun and the diff didn't work and the wheel locks didn't work still a stick shift with a open roof loved it loved it loved it and hated it
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Oh my God I remember having one of these as a teenager it was so much fun and the biggest piece of crap like the suspension was none but I'll be damned if it was fun and the diff didn't work and the wheel locks didn't work still a stick shift with a open roof loved it loved it loved it and hated it
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HotrodDan
Any nurse in the world would love to have The Mayo Clinic on their resume, any mechanic would love to have SMA on theirs. Not just for the diagnostic training, but also emphasizing that you take pride in even the simplest of repairs that have been done thousands of times.
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Any nurse in the world would love to have The Mayo Clinic on their resume, any mechanic would love to have SMA on theirs. Not just for the diagnostic training, but also emphasizing that you take pride in even the simplest of repairs that have been done thousands of times.
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williamfoote2888
Remember doing the same brake job on my 83 Chevy Sprint.
Back when the Geo Metro was the upgrade and the Suzuki Samurai was the top of the line.
Think I paid $4500 for mine.
It was great! It was almost like driving a motorcycle!
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Remember doing the same brake job on my 83 Chevy Sprint.
Back when the Geo Metro was the upgrade and the Suzuki Samurai was the top of the line.
Think I paid $4500 for mine.
It was great! It was almost like driving a motorcycle!
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thomasrasmuson1470
Holy does watching you do this one brought back some memories.
I did more than my share of those!
That tape trick in the shoes is brilliant
BTW: those new pins are always fatter than oem just file 'em down a bit. I did
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Holy does watching you do this one brought back some memories.
I did more than my share of those!
That tape trick in the shoes is brilliant
BTW: those new pins are always fatter than oem just file 'em down a bit. I did
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floorpizza8074
Wow, the underside of that car is unbelievably clean for an '89! Looks like it must have been an Arizona car. Hope the owner gets it Fluid Filmed now that it has to survive the car melting state that is the PRNY.
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Wow, the underside of that car is unbelievably clean for an '89! Looks like it must have been an Arizona car. Hope the owner gets it Fluid Filmed now that it has to survive the car melting state that is the PRNY.
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paulcochran1721
Our local dealer has a 2001 Tracker for sale, but I think Mrs. O wanted a teal one. This ones red, and has 147K miles on the counter. It's been there a while though, maybe you can low ball 'em. Great episode!
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Our local dealer has a 2001 Tracker for sale, but I think Mrs. O wanted a teal one. This ones red, and has 147K miles on the counter. It's been there a while though, maybe you can low ball 'em. Great episode!
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nogarage_ou812
That is the factory routing on the exhaust. I always thought it was a little odd putting it through the bumper like that. It's also common to find those bumper covers being melted in that area.
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That is the factory routing on the exhaust. I always thought it was a little odd putting it through the bumper like that. It's also common to find those bumper covers being melted in that area.
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autorepair
I owned two of these (manual & automatic, what a fun car! Easy to work on, unstoppable in winter but a handful on major expressways due to there size and short wheelbase. Thanks for the memories.
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I owned two of these (manual & automatic, what a fun car! Easy to work on, unstoppable in winter but a handful on major expressways due to there size and short wheelbase. Thanks for the memories.
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CrimeVid
self adjuster they don't!
Every time I see you do that my heart sinks, anti-rattle pins grrh! They don't make coat hangers like they used to !
Can you grease the pedal pivots please
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self adjuster they don't!
Every time I see you do that my heart sinks, anti-rattle pins grrh! They don't make coat hangers like they used to !
Can you grease the pedal pivots please
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