CENTERING THE FRONT DIFF ON HUMMER H1
4x4 AnswerMan,
Does the Hummer H1 come with a centered differential?
-Braden

Hi Braden,
The Hummer H1 does in fact have a front differential that is centered. That said, it does sit slightly to one side, making it necessary to carry three different half shafts for field repair.

Luckily Manny MacMillan, our Hummer contributor, found a kit that can fix this problem by modifying the differential location so you only have to carry two different spare half shafts.

If interested, here’s the link for you to read up on the modification:
Centering the Front Diff on a Hummer H1
Enjoy!

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CHITTY-CHITTY BANG BANG TOYOTA 22R-E
4x4 AnswerMan,
I have a 1990 Toyota 4-Runner with a 22R-E engine. I was driving to town the other day and I thought it was running out of gas. I made it to town and put gas in it, but it was running VERY ruff. I changed the fuel filter; put new plugs & wires in it ... still VERY ruff running. Then I put a new exhaust manifold gasket on it (needed due to leak), took the valve cover off, checked to see if all was well...It "looks" and feels to the hand like it is o.k. Still VERY ruff running. So I got out the old pressure gauge to check cylinder pressure and #1 had 145 lbs, #2 had 136ish lbs. but 3 and 4 have NONE. ANY idea what is going on?
-Mark Talley

WOW Mark, sounds major if you have no preasure on cylinders #3 and #4.
One way to check would be to do a visual inspection of the bottom end. 
Drop your oil pan and see what you find.

You should be able to visually inspect if any damage to your crank or piston rods has been done.

If your bottom end doesn’t reveal anything, then you will need to pull the head to see what is visible from the top end. Your cylinders might be damaged, and that’s why you are getting no PSI reading on cylinder #3 and #4. 

It can also be your head if the valves are stuck. You mentioned that you had an exhaust leak, and this sometimes damages the valves if not taken care of in a timely manner.

Good luck with your inspection and repairs.

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KEEPING YOUR COOL
4x4 AnswerMan,
I have read in various places that these electric fans do not move enough air to keep the engine cool when under heavy load. As a tower of heavy loads, I am concerned about this.

RE: Flex-A-Lite Electric Fan story on Off-Road.com

Does the company stand behind its product with a guarantee that this will work under heavy load? I just towed a load across the Mojave Desert in heat as high as 106 degrees with no problem with the stock fan. Can I expect the same performance with the electric?
-Rudy Yakym Jr.

Hi Rudy,
If you frequently use your truck to tow, Flex-A-Lite recommends that you use a good heavy-duty clutch and clutch fan.

The Flex-A-Lite electric fan is intended for HP gain. For example, when using your truck for diesel drag racing or on off-road trails.

Now if you’re looking for added cooling power, you might consider adding an auxiliary electric fan to your radiator. Flex-A-Lite has these also.

If you have more questions concerning truck electric fans, contact Flex-A-Lite at http://www.flex-a-lite.com/

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SLOPPY BRONCO
4x4 AnswerMan,
My Bronco, which is a 94 full-size, starts to wobble in the front when driven over 35 mph. What should I do?
Jlang Wilson

Hello Mr. Wilson,
For starters, don’t drive over 35 mph until we can get this Bronco under control.
Inspect your steering and front suspension components for wear or loose hardware:
• pitman arm
• track bar
• drag link
• tie rod ends
• control arms
Also, look at your wheels and make sure they aren’t bent or that the tires are out of balance. If they are, a simple balance and alignment can take care of the problem.
If you still can’t find the problem, just take it into a good off-road or alignment shop. Most will do a free inspection.

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BIG SAMI
4x4 AnswerMan,
What is the largest tire I can put on a 1986 Samurai without rubbing? Also, what negative result might I get from a 3" shackle lift? The car will be mostly a street car with some off-road.
Wolfman

Hi Wolfman,
One size up from stock size tire will be it with a larger shackle.
Keep in mind that even though you might be looking at 3-inch shackles, you’ll be lucky to get an actual 1 – 1.5 inches of lift. 

The downside to using very long shackles is that it will affect your steering and handling in a bad way.  I’d stay away from anything more than a 2-inch shackle.

The better approach would be to do a suspension lift. Calmini has a nice one for around $500 that will give you a 3-inch lift and let you run up to 31-inch tires with minor trimming.

 
More at http://www.calmini.com/
Whatever you end up doing, have fun with it and be safe.
Send us some pics when you’re done jacking it.

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F-150 ROLLIN’ ON 40s
4x4 AnswerMan,
 
I have a 04 F150 FX4 and I am researching buying a lift to put 40" tires on it. I know that I am going to need to re gear it to either 4.88 or 5.29 but I was wondering should I go ahead and just throw a new rear and front end on it like a DANA 44 or 60? And if I do that is there anything else that goes along with it or is it just a swap out for the new axle? Am I going to need to change the drive shaft or anything like that?
Taylor

Hi Taylor,
40-inch tires, huh…and swapping out axles…that’s a serious build.
For starters, you will need a lot of lift and possibly some fender trimming to stuff  those 40s under your Ford F-150.

If you’re thinking about adding a Dana 44 swap up front, you will have to modify the suspension from IFS to straight axle. You will also have to modify the steering.
Yes, you will definitely need new drivelines if you swap in a Dana 44 and Dana 60 into your F-150. The current ones are different (front is for IFS, rear yolk is different on 8- and 9-inch vs. Dana 60).

The project is do-able. If you have the time and money, go for it. If you don’t have either, it might be cheaper and faster to sell your truck and buy a Ford Super Duty that will handle those 40s much better.

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4x4 AnswerMan,
I have a 1995 Geo Tracker I'm going to lift, repaint and do all the cool stuff to it. What is the easiest way to lift and what color should I paint it?
Buck243
Sedro Woolley, WA

Buck,
If you’re going to lift your Geo Tracker, there are a few different ways to go about it, you can do a little body lift or you can do a suspension lift.
The suspension lift might be a better option if you plan on actually using it off-road.

99 – 2004 2.5 Suspension lift
89-98 2 or 3 inch suspension

Check out the guys at CALMINI. Some will also add a body lift to help squeeze in bigger tires—like 33-inch.  Which is rather big for this little trucklet. As for paint color--pick whatever suits your fancy, not mine.

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H1 HUMMER HUB-NUB
4x4 AnswerMan,
We have a H1 Hummer. How do you remove the half shaft from the hub?
-John Gilham

Hi John,
If you are planning on removing your half-shafts, please consider that there are three different size half-shafts on the H1. Make sure you label them so you know where each one came from.

The inboard side has a flange that is bolted to the brake rotor, while the outboard side has a splined stub that slides into the upper gear on the portal hub assembly.
You might also need to loosen the hub nut in order to get the half-shafts out.

If you need a detailed diagram of the hub assemblies, we suggest you invest on a Hummer H1 repair manual. It’s money well spent.

You can also check out our Hummer section on the Off-Road.com Forum to get help from our Hummer community:
http://forums.off-road.com/gm-hummer-humvee-hummer-ii/
Cheers!

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CHEVY TAHOE BRAKE CALIPER CONUNDRUM
4x4 AnswerMan,
What tool is required to remove brake pads and calipers on my 1997 Chevy Tahoe? Can you please help me out, would appreciate it very much!
-Phillip Morin

Hi Phillip,
You will need a lug-nut wrench to get your wheel off.
Some good gloves and eye protection.

A C-clamp is very helpful to push the caliper piston into the bore to provide room for your new pads.

You will also need an Allen-head or Torx socket to unscrew the caliper mounting bolts.

You should be golden after that. If you need a step-by-step, I recommend you pick up the Hayes Chevrolet & GMC Pick-ups Repair Manual for 1988-1998.  It runs less than $20 at http://www.haynes.com/products/productID/246

 
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FREE GEO
4x4 AnswerMan,
I have a 1994 Geo Tracker that I got from my dad free. I want to know how big off-road tires I can put on this little 4x4 without gearing the axles?  If I want to go bigger like 31x10.5x15, what should I gear them to?
-Tim

Hi Tim,
For stock suspension, you can run 225s. 
If you have the Sport edition, it sits about 1 inch taller than a regular Tracker. In this case you could run 235s.
If you want to run 31s, plan on adding a suspension lift.
Recommended gearing for 31s is 3.42 - 4.88

If you need more help, make sure to check out our Suzuki/Geo section on the Off-Road.com Forum.  There are knowledgeable people there that can help you with your project:
http://forums.off-road.com/suzuki-geo-all/
Enjoy!

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