Ack's FAQ - The Bulletins

The FAQ has passed 600 links!

2010-07-24T11:22:00.000-07:00

Ack's FAQ now has 601 links in the searchable database!

The latest is a set of Factory Service Manuals (FSMs) for the Suzuki Vitara, Grand Vitara and XL-7 models. These FSMs also contain information about the 1.6, 2.0, 2.5 and 2.7 liter engines!

Check it out by doing a search for fsm on the Search page.

Ack's FAQ Now Has A Site Menu

2009-12-31T09:07:00.000-08:00

Now you can find stuff at Ack's FAQ the "hard way" by clicking on Site Map in the menu bar.

Why would anyone want to do this?

Sometimes folks just want to do things "old school". Sometimes web pages are easier to find that way.

Why would Ack want to add such a feature to Ack's FAQ?

If you ever tried to use Google (or any other search engine for that matter) to find information about your Samurai, Sidekick, Tracker or Vitara, you almost NEVER find a link to Ack's FAQ!

That is because those pesky search engine Bots NEVER look at the FAQ search database! They only look for physical links in a site's static HTML webpages. Since the search results that you see are created dynamically through your search input, the Bots and Spiders find about Three-tenths of a percent (!) of the actual content of Ack's FAQ.

How do I connect all that great information at Ack's FAQ to the search engines? Create a Site Map! The site map page contains all the links in the search database at Ack's FAQ. That means the Bots and Spiders can find the juicy content and include it their search engine databases!

Be looking for more search engine results that point to Ack's FAQ in the future!

Izook.com is undergoing an update

2009-11-30T18:38:00.000-08:00

I have it on good authority that the Izook.com website is currently offline and is under rennovation. Hopefully, it will return even better than ever!

Ack's Gear Calculators Go Metric!

2009-11-08T10:53:00.000-08:00

The gear calculators at Ack's FAQ (not including the downloadable version) now display both MPH and KPH results when engine RPM and tire size are inputted!

ZookiMelt '10 and my Internet pet peeve...

2009-10-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

Planning continues behind the scenes for ZookiMelt '10.

The webpage is moving along and tentative discussions are proceeding. Mostly, we are all working on getting through the upcoming holiday seasons so that afterwards, serious attention can be given to how this event will be the Mother Of All ZookiMelts.

Remember - ZookiMelt '10 will, unfortunately, not be affiliated with iZook.com. If you want to volunteer or have ideas for ZookiMelt '10, feel free to email/PM either purevil71, redbeard or ack!

Keep watching here and on many of the popular Zukin' forums for details as they become available!

My Pet Peeve...

As some of you may have noticed, when I post I tend to display rather advanced writing skills. Stuff like correct spelling (mostly), the correct use of punctuation and proper sentence construction. These skills, when properly used, make posts easy to understand and therefore very informative.

It really ticks me off when I run across the following posts:

A post with zero replies because the writer was so bad at communicating that nobody wanted to get involved in a thread that, for all intents, would turn out to be pointless in terms of trying to communicate with the original poster. Often such threads turn ugly because the Original Poster took offence at the comments of others concerning his communication skills.

Posts with words like "axel", "break" and "Samuria". Gee, did these posters actually make it to High School??? If you can't spell even the most rudimentary words assocated with our hobby, maybe you need to get that GED or take a Remedial English course at the Community College! "Please help me change my timming belt." "Can I put a 351 Windser in my Samuria???" If you don't want to take the time to express yourself clearly, maybe you should look elsewhere for help...

Post replies written by Pinheads. Pinheads - to me - are anyone who posts to see his words on the itnernet. Pinheads usually have nothing constructive to add to a thread. Often, they post incorrect information declaring it to be Gospel. Sometimes Pinheads don't know how to spel or put together a decent sentence - which amplifies incorrect drivel they spout. Also, Pinheads NEVER admit to being wrong.

I feel much better with that off my chest...

Ack's FAQ is UNSTOPPABLE!

2009-08-26T18:25:00.000-07:00

...Actually, I am making changes behind the scene to further secure the future of Ack's FAQ.

First, I would like to thank all the folks who have kindly donated to keep Ack's FAQ running. You all are helping to keep the spirit of Paying It Forward alive! Your donations also reduce the existance of the advertising structure on the website. The LAST thing that I want to do is turn Ack's FAQ into the same slowly-dying advertising pig that the offroad.com forums have become. Your donations will be used to pay the Internet Service Provider bill.

Speaking of Internet Service Providers, Ack's FAQ is moving to a new one! All the same features - including bandwidth - that makes Ack's FAQ work for one fourth the cost!

The changeover will occur around August 31, 2009.

The only folks that won't be happy with this move will be the old Internet Service Provider! Oh well...

2009-08-12T19:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, Virginia there WILL be a ZookiMelt '10

And the official website is currently under construction!

Schedule of events
Maps
Camping/motel/hotel information
Online Registration
Forms and Rules
Pics and Videos
Official Swag Store

Watch all the popular 'zukin' forums for the official opening announcement!

ZookiMelt '09 Group Picture Now Available!

2009-07-28T16:54:00.000-07:00

The 2009 ZookiMelt Group Picture is now available at Walmart.com!

There are two versions - the main difference being the background used in either montage.

I ordered a 12 x 18 poster print for a little over 9.00 tax included.

To order your copy, go to:

Walmart Digital Pictures

kczuks.us under new management

2009-07-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

Sometime around the weekend of July 18, 2009 kczuks.us changed ownership. The new owner/operator is nunk. I think a bit of positive Karma is in order here.

Best wishes in your new project, nunk!

BTW, anyone who has a Samurai, Sidekick or Tracker in Metro Kansas City is invited to the third annual Suzuki offroading get-together at KC's City Market on August 23rd. "The Art of the Machine - Suzuki-style" event starts at 10am sharp showing our little trucks to the public until 2pm.

ZukiMelt '09 was a Success!

2009-07-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

Despite concerns about this year's event possibly being the last one, over 75 vehicles made an appearance at ZookiMelt '09!

Lots of wheeling, lots of pictures all over the Suzuki offroad forums and lots of fun despite intermittant showers.

Only two organized events this year - the Night Run on Friday and the Raffle on Saturday.

Planning for next year is already underway and that planning includes all the events that the 'Melt is known for plus more! An official website is under construction and will be up and running soon.

If you have any ideas or suggestions, feel free to email or PM either Brent May (purevil71) or myself. Brent and I hang out at Zuwharrie.com (http://bbs.zuwharrie.com/content), Zukikrawlers.com (http://www.zukikrawlers.com/index.php) and Balls-Deep 4x4 (http://www.balls-deep4x4.com/forum/).

You'll find lots of pictures, links to videos and discussion at Zukikrawlers.com.

The Bulletins Blog: What's Happening at Ack's FAQ and in the Suzuki Offroading Community!

2009-06-21T12:43:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the new Bulletins Blog! Using a blog to post bulletins about happenings at Ack's FAQ - and in the Suzuki Offroading world in general - is faster and easier than hand-coding an HTML page whenever something big happens.

Feel free to contribute informations about events, product releases, etc. right here!

-Ack

06-18-09 ' 550 Links! Yet another facelift... VIN Decoder link deleted

2009-06-21T12:38:00.001-07:00

Ack's FAQ has reached it's 550th link in the database! There is a lot more coming as all the new additions to the '96 Tracker Factory Service Manual Project have not been indivually entered into the database.

So much work so little time...

Recent research has revealed that Ack's FAQ does not have enough graphics on the main pages to properly identify the purpose/function of the website. That research source also offered to fix the problem as part of a $3800 marketing proposal.

I don't think so...

So look for ongoing changes to the "look" of original content pages at Ack's FAQ.

Speaking of changes... The VIN Decoder links got the axe. It was a cool idea but I got zero feedback on it and it tended to cause clutter in page rebuilds.

05-15-09 ' 96 Tracker FSM Section 8A - Electrical Diagnosis - now online!

2009-06-21T12:37:00.001-07:00

At long last, the Electrical Diagnosis setcion of the '96 Tracker FSM is online. It contains 41 subsections covering just about everything electrical in a '96 Tracker. Much of the information is handy for reference for other years of Trackers and Sidekicks. To access it, do a search for tracker fsm.

04-24-09 VIN Decoder and Tracker FSM Project

2009-06-21T12:36:00.001-07:00

I have added a VIN Decoder to the home page! If you wanted to know if a Jetta that you found on Craigslist has a Diesel engine or a T-bird has a turbo-ed 2.3, this is the tool to find the answer!

Also, the Tracker FSM Project continues to grow with the addition of new sections from Volume 2 of the '96 FSM. Find the Tracker FSM index by doing a search for tracker fsm.

04-11-09 Problems with forum links to Ack's FAQ

2009-06-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

Users have recently pointed out what appears to be "problems with Ack's FAQ". The symptom is either a 404 or 303 error when a user tries to use a link to Ack's FAQ that is embedded in a forum post.

Because of the design of Ack's FAQ - and the fact that it is not a money-making operation and I cannot afford the time and money required to apply the upgrades to eliminate the problem - you cannot post links to search page results found on Ack's FAQ. You can only post links to actual articles or webpages found at Ack's FAQ.

If you are not sure about where a page (URL link) that you found at Ack's FAQ is, use the search string that took you to the URL link.

02-01-09 Ack's FAQ is a Sponsor of Zukapalooza '09!

2009-06-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

As an official sponsor of Zukapalooza '09 presented by Zuks Of Arizona (http://www.zuksofarizona.com), Ack's FAQ will be providing a free copy of Ack's FAQ - The CD version to every registrant! Come join us on May 21-25 for some desert offroading and Zukin' comaraderie!

10-17-08 Find Links to "Dead" Pages Here!

2009-06-21T12:31:00.001-07:00

Every so often a great resource website "goes away" forever. Often this occurs because the webmaster loses interest or gets fed up dealing with all the hassles involved in running a website.

I have - through the Internet Archive's magical Wayback Machine - added working links to some of best of these deceased websites. When you do a search, you'll be able to spot Internet Archive website entries by the words Internet Archive at the end of the link's description. To see all the Internet Archive links in the FAQ do a search for wayback using the ALL category.

For those who have never heard of the "Wayback Machine", it is a reference to a device that Mr. Peabody created in a segment of the cartoon shows Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show collectively known as The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. The Wayback Machine carried Mr Peabody and his "pet boy" Sherman back in time to explore notable famous people and events in a whacky fashion.

...and now you know the rest of the story.

05-18-08 Ack's FAQ Sponsors Whitfield's Truck at the URE 4x-Cross Event

2009-06-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

Ack's FAQ and Zuwharrie.com sponsored Mike Whitfield's Suzuki Sidekick at the URE 4X_Cross event held at the Uwharrie National Forest may 9-11, 2008.Whitfield finished 6 and 7 in his class. The operative word is "finished". There were a lot of other trucks who - for various reasons including boneheadedness - didn't make it very far. Whitfield did bend the passenger's side A-arm, bent the strut towers and banged up the oil pan. A custom-fabbed hybrid steel Samurai drop out center section on the front axle helped avoid axle damage typical with this kind of TracKick driving.

Why sponsor a truck? The damage information from the competition will be useful in helping you (and parts vendors) to design parts for a better, more reliable offroading truck. Without sponsors teams cannot enter and you will not be able to show the offroading world just how great our little trucks are!

For more pictures of Whitfield's Sidekick at the event, go to: http://bbs.zuwharrie.com/content/topic,82262.0.html Videos of the event can by found at youtube.com. Search for Uwharrie 4x4cross

05-08-08 New Stuff Behind the Scenes!

2009-06-21T12:26:00.001-07:00

New software tools are now in place that cuts the long, tedious and complicated process of adding new links and pages to the FAQ down to mere minutes. Look for more searchable material appearing weekly!

10-08-07: Suzukitech.org offline for good??

2009-06-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

It appears that suzukitech.org may be no longer up and running. I have been unable to access it through links at Ack's FAQ for several days prior to the above date in the headline.This sort of sudden disappearance of information has always been a concern of mine. I have been reluctant to this point to actively mirror data from other sites but it is becoming apparent that any site that does not have a form of advertising support is a candidate for sudden disappearance! Therefore, I will be building up a series of mirror pages for un-sponsored Suzuki information sites to protect the availability of and access to information as necessary.

09-05-07: Ack's FAQ has moved!

2009-06-21T12:20:00.000-07:00

The growth of Ack's FAQ made it necessary to move the site to a new server operated by Rolet.com, a local, Kansas City-based web hosting company. This move allows better interaction between myself and the folks at Rolet who are dedicated to making Ack's FAQ an even better experience than before! Advertising comes to Ack's FAQ!

I have secured my first bonafide advertiser! Soon you will be seeing ad banners strategically placed thoughout Ack's FAQ. I hope that you consider them not as eye irritants but rather as links to products and solutions that will make your offroading experience even more rewarding! Educational/Informative Videos.

The grand experiment that was Ack's Garage - the audio programs - has reached it's end. The audio programs were fun to produce but the time and organization it took to produce a show was a bit overwhelming. In it's place will be short how-to and techincal videos on various commonly-discussed forum topics. Right now, you can find five videos in the FAQ under the new search category of VIDEOS including an improved remake of Driveshaft Re-assembly ("phasing") Video. Some videos will be produced or archived by Ack's FAQ while others will on be links to other websites around the Internet. In production are videos covering BumpSteer, Fixing the Dreaded Transfer Case Lockup and Manual Locking Hub Maintenance. Look for these and more videos in the FAQ very soon!

The 5 existing episodes of Acks' Garage will still be available in the Ack's Garage page to haunt the producer and all willing participants...