NEWSERVICING LIGHT TRUCKS THE

BY PAUL WEISSLER Things are popping this year in light truck land, with new models and plenty of safety, performance and convenience upgrades for existing models. or 2003, there’s a fresh crop of SUVs (and one truck)truck) fromfrom thethe U.S.,U.S., EuropeEurope andand Asia—andAsia—and AsiaAsia Fdoesn’t mean just Japan anymore. The U.S. offers the new and and Aviator, GM’s Hummer H2 and the Chrysler Group’s hemi-powered heavy- duty Dodge Ram pickups. Europe is sending thethe VolvoVolvo XC90XC90 andand thethe British-builtBritish-built (BMW-(BMW- powered) . Japan has models fromfrom itsits BigBig Three—theThree—the newnew ToyotaToyota

Dodge Ram

22 January 2003 Honda Element

Lincoln Navigator (background) & Aviator

Volvo XC90

January 2003 23 SERVICING THE NEW LIGHT TRUCKS

upscale Lexus cousin, the GX 470, this winter. It’s a slightly long-stroke engine (94mm bore x 95mm stroke). Com- bined with variable intake valve timing, it produces 282 ft-lb of torque at 3800 rpm (245 hp at 5200). It’s a very lively engine that actually produces more horsepower than the V8 (235), but less torque (the V8 delivers 320 ft-lb). The V6 block has an open-deck de- sign with siamesed bores, but there’s a water passage between them. The cylin- der liners are very thin and not recom- mended for a rebore, so long down the road they’ll have to be resleeved. The main bearing caps are held by four “plastic region” (torque-to-yield) bolts The new Toyota 4Runner’s base engine, a 4.0L V6, has an open-deck block de- from underneath and two bolts thread- sign with siamesed cylinder bores. A drilled coolant passage (red arrow) in ed in from the sides. the siamese joint prevents a hot spot from developing. There’s a dual oil pan design—a main aluminum casting (for structural rigidi- 4Runner and Lexus GX 470, the Honda are ongoing, of course. Volvo has made ty) and a steel pan as a secondary reser- Element and the Nissan Murano. Add the most impressive moves, with its gy- voir to provide needed oil capacity. the Kia Sorento to the ’03 list, which roscopic stability control. However, Cheers to Toyota for the oil filter, which joins the Hyundai Santa Fe, introduced both Range Rover and Toyota/Lexus, is surrounded by a bracket shaped like last year. These two Korean products with their hydraulic cross-linking of the part of a funnel. Attach a hose to the have been changing a lot of minds. shock absorbers, also have significant pipe on the bracket, loosen the filter We know there’s more in the new technology. and the oil flows through the pipe and pipeline, too, with Nissan ready to show So here’s a rundown on the newest hose into a drain container. us the Pathfinder replacement this SUVs and light trucks now—or soon to The clutch-type fan has a thermostat- month, a new GMC SUV based on the be—on U.S. highways. ic bimetal valve that provides three- Envoy coming a bit later, plus all-new position control of the silicone fluid GM compact pickups and the 2004 TOYOTA/LEXUS valve inside the coupling—off and low Ford F-150. Even Porsche will soon A brand-new 4.0L V6—Toyota’s first and high speeds. bring its Cayenne SUV to these shores. all-aluminum truck/SUV engine—is The intake air chamber is a plastic The efforts to improve SUV stability coming for the new 4Runner and its housing with a solenoid valve actuator to provide two airflow paths based on engine rpm. That actuator is laser- Oil Filter welded onto the chamber, so if it ever needs replacement, we hope there’ll be a field service kit that allows you to avoid installing an entire chamber. The 4Runner and Lexus GX 470 share the same 4.7 V8 and Torsen (torque-sensing) center differential 4WD system, although each has differ- ent controls. Surprisingly, the more lux- urious GX 470 has the “rugged” 4H-to- Drain Pipe 4L shift lever, while the 4Runner has an With Cap electrical control system with a dash- board knob. The 4Runner/GX 470 cross-linking Oil Filter Bracket of the shock absorbers is a diagonal set- up, somewhat like hydraulic brakes. The curved bracket under the 4.0 V6’s oil filter is shaped like a funnel. All you Midpoint in the hydraulic line between have to do following an oil filter replacement is remove the cap from the pipe one front and the opposite rear shock is end and attach a drain hose and oil flows neatly into a container. a “center absorber.” When the vehicle

24 January 2003 starts to tilt, the shock in compression spring on 2WD, torsion bar on 4WD, transmitter, which identifies the transfers pressurized fluid to the center compared with air suspension on all wheel, is built into the tire valve, so a absorber, and through it to the extend- Navigators (but a forthcoming option tire change is no longer a simple “re- ing shock, increasing its damping force. on Expedition). place the valves” matter. Those parts The Expedition/Navigator 4WD has are 1. not going to be cheap and 2. spe- FORD EXPEDITION a new Control Trac system, which cific to the wheel, so you can’t use LINCOLN NAVIGATOR brings a true 2WD position, while also just any one. As for tire rotation, we The two full-size Ford SUVs are all-new providing all-wheel drive, 4-High and 4- might have to look forward to repro- models for ’03, featuring rack & pinion Low. In 2WD, the system disconnects gramming. There are other types of steering, four-wheel-vented disc brakes at each front wheel hub, not merely at in-wheel transmitters, separate from and independent rear suspension, with the front axle, so the axle shafts and the tire valve, but they’d complicate axle shafts passing through slots in the gears are motionless. That helps im- installation of accessory wheels. frame, a design pioneered in the Ex- prove fuel economy. The wheel hub dis- plorer. But there are also lots of techni- connect is a next-generation version of cal differences between the Expedition the Warn vacuum chamber system that The Aviator is built off the Ford Ex- and Navigator. had been used on Ranger pickups. plorer platform, and looks much like a The Expedition’s base engine is the There are lots of electronically con- Navigator that got shrunk. So it’s no surprise that it has a DOHC version of the 4.6L V8 (vs. the DOHC 5.4L V8 in the Navigator). There’s no shrink- Extending age in horsepower; in fact the 4.6 V8 Compressing all-aluminum design develops 2 more horses (302), though significantly less Center Control torque (300 ft-lb vs. 355 for the 5.4 V8 Absorber in the Navigator). Rear The Aviator’s brakes resemble those Shock in the Explorer. They’re twin-piston Absorber calipers over vented discs in front, sin- Front (RH) Shock gle-piston over solid discs in the rear. Absorber However, the brakes are significantly (LH) larger than the Explorer’s, so you can’t Orifice do any parts swapping. There’s a 2WD model Aviator, but no Control Trac 4WD. Instead, an all- wheel-drive option, similar to what’s Cross-linking of shock absorbers with fluid tubing and a “center absorber” used on the Mountaineer, is improves vehicle stability on the Toyota 4Runner and Lexus GX 470. The shock available. under compression transfers pressure through the center absorber to the As with the Aviator’s bigger brothers, shock on extension, to increase its damping force, reducing body tilt. direct tire pressure monitoring will be an option, late in the model year. SOHC 4.6L V8, which has the same trolled features on these vehicles. The horsepower as in ’02 (232 horses), but a optional running boards on the Naviga- RANGE ROVER new torque curve that peaks at 291 ft- tor, for example, are not some simple There were many snickers about the lb. However, the engine block is an all- switching setup. They stay deployed un- Range Rover’s 4.0 and 4.6 V8s being new aluminum casting, and many en- til the vehicle is moving at least 5 mph. based on a 40-year-old GM engine, but gine internal parts were redesigned. For reliability, all wiring and bearings that was a distortion of history. The The Expedition offers a 5.4L V8, but are sealed against moisture, and the cylinder bore spacing may have been it’s also a SOHC, with a new stiffer and track is a self-cleaning design. unchanged, but the engine has been quieter cast-iron block rated at 260 hp, There are a powered liftgate, option- modernized repeatedly over the years. with a reworked torque curve that al power-folding third row seat backs, The pushrod engine, still available on peaks at 350 ft-lb. even power folding side mirrors (which the Rover Discovery, is all-aluminum The Navigator has just an iron-block are heated, by the way). and develops a respectable 217 hp and 5.4 V8, but it’s a DOHC version rated at Late in the model year you can also 300 ft-lb of torque. 300 hp, also tuned for torque (355 ft-lb look forward to optional tire pressure When BMW bought Rover (which it at 2750 rpm). Its engine-mounted fan is monitoring—a direct-reading system later sold to Ford), it began engineer- controlled by an electromagnetic clutch. with an on-board receiver/computer ing a new model. So the 2003 Range The Expedition’s suspension is coil and a transmitter in each wheel. The Rover is a BMW design, including a

January 2003 25 SERVICING THE NEW LIGHT TRUCKS

grand, Range Rover isn’t cheap, but with its combination of fine interior materials, overall elegance and lead- ing-edge engineering, it’s fully compet- itive with anything in its class. DODGE ‘HEMI’ The hemi is back, sort of. The Chrysler Group has introduced an all-new 5.7L V8 with a combustion chamber very close to the hemispherical design of its high-performance engines in the ’50s and ’60s. But this one is a truck engine, and although it started out in the heavy-duty Dodge Rams, it also is go- ing into the light-duty Rams. The hemi replaces the 5.9L V8, This vacuum-actuated wheel hub is installed at each front hub on the new Ex- which is on phaseout (so you’ll still see pedition/Navigator 4WD, to provide a disconnect at the wheel. The front axle shafts and gears are motionless in 2WD, improving fuel economy. it in some Jeeps and early light-duty Ram pickups, for example). The hemi specific version of the BMW 4.4L V8 ribbed belts stay in their grooves. is a two-valve pushrod engine, with engine. The V8 produces 282 hp and The suspension is independent all two spark plugs per cylinder, fired 325 ft-lb of torque at 3600 rpm. It has around, with air springs, of course. The from an eight-coil bank. Because it’s a variable valve timing on the intake shock absorbers are cross-linked, but waste-spark system, you eventually can valves only. straight across (front to front, rear to look forward to replacing 16 spark Is this engine a specific version? rear). plugs and wires. Yes, it’s tuned for more low-end The Range Rover’s AWD drivetrain The engine itself is a deep-skirted torque, and it’s been “ruggedized,” has a two-speed electronic transfer cast-iron design with cross-bolted main with such things as super-sealing of case that has a Torsen differential to bearings. The top of the hemi is cov- oil and coolant passages and accesso- regulate torque transfer between front ered by a giant Siemens-built plastic ry bearings well-sealed against water and rear. The setup is combined with air-fuel module/manifold that holds the intrusion. Another upgrade is that the traction control so the vehicle is fully electronic throttle, air filter and fuel in- belt pulleys have protective/retaining capable off-road, while providing bind- jectors. ridges at the inboard and outboard free operation even in tight turns. The 5.9L Cummins turbodiesel re- ends so debris is kept out and the At a price in the neighborhood of 70 mains very much in the picture. Intro- Photos: Paul Weissler Paul Photos: Left: This looks like a conventional tire valve from the outside, but it’s actually part of a tire pressure monitoring sys- tem that will be introduced late in the model year on the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. Right: A look inside the tire shows the inner part of the valve. It’s a small transmitter that sends tire pressure signals to an on-board re- ceiver and electronic module for display on the dashboard cluster. Extra care during tire changes seems in order.

26 January 2003 duced in 1989, it’s a solid seller (in fact, the primary choice for heavy-duty). For 2003, this DOHC, 24-valve inline six has been extensively reworked; 300 of its 370 parts are new, including the head and block. It’s upgraded to the common-rail high-pressure electronic fuel injection system that improves idle, fuel economy and combustion (lowering emissions). Along with other changes, the engine now gets a 15,000- mile oil change interval, which is dou- ble the 2002 spec. Horsepower is up from 245 to 305 and torque from 505 to 555 ft-lb. The Cummins diesel in Chrysler Group applications uses the Chrysler The Dodge hemi V8 has two spark plugs per cylinder fired from an eight-coil hybrid coolant, which is a combination bank and a nearly hemispherical combustion chamber, all of which improve the combustion process for more power. The all-new engine is a two-valves- of silicates and organic acid inhibitors. per-cylinder pushrod type, a design that still finds many applications. HUMMER H2 air spring is an option). It may lack the we did it). Ground clearance is 10 to The new Hummer H2 is not really a independent rear suspension of the 12 inches, and the 17-inch wheels hold “baby” version of the Hummer H1. It’s H1, but the ride is far superior, and the 35-inch tires. just over 5 inches narrower, but at 190 H2 can climb over 16-inch rocks (yes, Although the H2 is engineered and inches overall, it’s actually 5 inches longer (and a couple of inches taller). Built on a modified Chevy Tahoe/ GMC Yukon chassis, the H2 is pow- ered by the 6.0L GM Vortec V8, which develops 316 hp and 360 ft-lb of torque, vs. 195 hp and 430 ft-lb of torque for the military-based H1. And at 6400 pounds, the H2 is 750 pounds lighter than the H1. The 4WD system on the H2 uses a Borg-Warner two-speed electronically controlled transfer case, compared with a Torsen design in the H1. The Borg-Warner case has no clutches or bands, but a pair of planetary gearsets with gears moved by shift forks. The front planetary setup provides either 1:1 or 2.64:1 gear reduction. The rear setup uses a chain drive with gearing that provides a 40% front, 60% rear torque split. If the driver engages a shift collar, the front and rear axles are locked together, so torque goes to the axle with traction. In addition, there’s an Eaton elec- tronically locking rear axle, for extreme side-to-side slippage situations. The engineers liked it so much, they decid- ed to put it in the H1. The H2 has a torsion bar indepen- dent front suspension and a five-link rear with a variable-rate coil spring (an

January 2003 27 SERVICING THE NEW LIGHT TRUCKS

huge that Volvo had to enter, using a much-reworked version of the large front-drive passenger . Volvo has two images it projects— safe and “green”—and the XC90 has been designed to attend to both. It’s the first SUV with both advanced anti- rollover engineering and a body that can roll over and over and over and end up with just minor sheet metal creasing. The antirollover system features a gyroscopic sensor that can precisely measure roll speed and angle. If it senses risk of rollover, the stability con- trol electronic module reduces engine power and applies specific wheel brakes to stop the vehicle and put it in- to an understeer. Of course, any vehicle can roll over A one-piece plastic housing covers the top of the Dodge hemi V8. It includes if the situation is severe enough, such the air filter and intake, electronic throttle, fuel injectors and intake manifold. as a side impact from another car or hitting an angled surface. If the XC90 marketed by GM, it’s built in a special ductions in wiring. A typical door, which does roll over, its ultra-high-strength plant under the supervision of AM previously had 40 wires, now has only (boron) steel structure keeps the cabin General, the maker of the H1. At about 16 in the zoned arrangement. However, intact. MOTOR witnessed a test at the $50,000, the H2 is less than half the comprehensive diagnostics for the Volvo Safety Center in Sweden, and af- price of the H1 (about $112,000). It zones require a scan tool with suitable ter a triple-plus rollover, a fractured even has such safety niceties as four- GM body computer software. control arm and the aforementioned channel ABS and air bags (not found on sheet metal creasing were the worst of the H1). VOLVO XC90 it. The interior air bags and side cur- GM for 2003 is more than the Hum- A Volvo in an SUV/truck report? Well, tains protected the crash dummies mer H2. The 5.3 Vortec V8 goes to all- Volvo is known for its Class 8 big rigs very well. aluminum construction, the first step in (now a separate company not owned The XC90 has a third seating row. In an extensive redesign of the Vortec se- by Ford). But the SUV market is so accordance with Volvo’s safety image, ries that will hit stride at the end of next year and include “displacement on de- mand” (cylinder bank deactivation un- der low loads, for fuel economy). The 5.3 V8 gets an oil pan with a “pass- through” opening, so it can be used on 4WD models, such as Chevy Trailblaz- er/GMC Envoy, which currently have only the 4.2 I6. Four- and five-cylinder spinoffs from the 4.2L I6 also will be introduced shortly. The four will be 2.8 liters, the five 3.5 liters, and they’ll go into all-new compact pickups, to be named Chevy Common Rail Colorado and GMC Canyon. The zoned electronic architecture in- troduced on the Trailblazer/Envoy (modules in the engine compartment, dashboard and rear) will be phased in The new Cummins 5.9L I6 diesel gets a “common rail” high-pressure fuel in- on all 2003 GM light-duty trucks and jection system, which has two-stage injection—a pilot burst to start combus- SUVs. The architecture, a vehicle com- tion and a larger burst to continue the power stroke. Engine performance is puter network, permits substantial re- up from 245 to 305 hp and from 505 to 555 ft-lb of torque.

28 January 2003 its presence was factored into the safe- ty equation—leaving enough space be- hind the seats for a crumple zone—in case the vehicle is hit in the rear. The XC90’s engine is the twin-turbo 2.9L inline six, the only transversely mounted one of its type. It now has variable valve timing on both the in- take and exhaust, a combo that primar- ily reduces emissions, to help with the “green” image. The vehicle also has the Premair-coated radiator that Volvo long has used to “eat” ground-level ozone. It really doesn’t do much for the cost of the catalytic coating, but when you’re green, you do almost Screen whatever works. DC Motor The engine still has a timing belt Gerotor Pump drive, which is intended to keep the engine quiet. The battery didn’t fit into This closeup cutaway shows the gerotor pump that pressurizes the coupling the compartment; it’s in the back of the in Volvo’s XC90. It’s operated by the DC electric motor at right. A coarse white vehicle, under a cover plate close to screen provides added protection from any contaminants in the oil. the bumper. The AWD coupling on the XC90 is a coarse screen (to minimize flow re- B-pillars are built into the ends of the new Haldex design. When there’s a striction at low temperatures) just for doors, which latch into the floor rails speed difference between front and the chamber at the electric motor. and roof. Under the skin, the Element rear axles, a piston proportionally ap- is a carlike Honda CR-V, so it has an plies a multidisc clutch pack, to trans- HONDA ELEMENT optional AWD system. Carrying a price fer torque to the rear. The Haldex cou- The new Element is very boxy, theo- tag of $16,000 to $20,000, it’s certainly pling has a small DC electric motor retically designed for a college-age affordable. that pressurizes the coupling, so when crowd that needs lots of interior room there’s slippage, the torque transfer is and a hose-washable floor. However, KIA SORENTO 1 instantaneous— ⁄7 of a wheel turn. it’s also a suitable small business van, The Sorento is just upscale of the There are two filters in the coupling, a whose doors open to reveal a cabin Hyundai Santa Fe (a few inches longer primary pleated paper filter and a seemingly without B-pillars. Actually, at 180 overall), and more powerful, with a 3.5L V6 that produces 192 hp. This compares with the Santa Fe’s standard four-cylinder and optional 2.7L V6 that produces 173 hp. The Sorento comes in 2WD and part-time 4WD versions, and is priced at $20,000 to $25,000, a couple of grand over the Santa Fe. That gives the Hyundai Group (which owns Kia) nice coverage of the lower end of the body-on-frame sport/ute market. What we’ve given you here are just the highlights of what’s available now. As we said at the start of this report, there’s lots more on the way. Coming soon, to a highway near you.

Visit www.motor.com to download a free copy of this Filter Multidisc Clutch article. Copies are also available by sending $3 for each copy to: Fulfillment Dept., MOTOR Magazine, This cutaway of the XC90 torque transfer coupling (located just forward of 5600 Crooks Rd., Troy, MI 48098. the rear axle) shows the paper filter and the multidisc clutch.

January 2003 29