Shifting difficulties such as a low clutch pedal, high shift effort, grinding or gear clash are signs that the clutch in your 1997 Tracker needs attention. Before you resign yourself to replacing parts, adjust your pedal height and free travel, and clutch lever free play.
Adjust the pedal height of the Geo Tracker by loosening the clutch pedal stop bolt. Move the pedal until it's 1/4 inch above the brake pedal. Tighten the stop bolt on the clutch pedal to 115 inch-pounds.
Measure the free play of the clutch by pressing down on the clutch pedal until you can feel tension on the clutch pedal. Use the ruler to measure the free play to determine whether it's within the 1/2-inch to 1-inch range.
Chock the rear wheels. Lift the front of the Geo Tracker and support it on jack stands if the clutch's free play is less than the recommended range. Loosen the larger of the two nuts near the clutch cable bracket -- the one that's farthest from the bracket -- and re-measure the free play. If the free play of the clutch pedal is within the recommended range, tighten the smaller nut closest to the bracket. If it is not, continue to loosen the larger nut until you are able to get the free play of the pedal within the range. Once you have reached the recommended range for free play, tighten the larger bolt to 13 foot-pounds.
Check the free play of the clutch lever for the Geo Tracker. The free play should be between 0.02 and 0.06 inch. If the clutch lever free play is not correct, loosen the bolt for the clutch lever if the free play is too little, or tighten the nut if the free play is too much.
Look at the alignment marks for the clutch release lever and clutch release shaft on the Geo Tracker. If they don't align, remove the clutch release lever from the shaft, align the marks and then repeat your free play adjustments.
