[jockey]

Hi all,

Well I just sold my big patrol and now wanting a smaller cheaper 4wd to have some fun in. I have found a little sierra that looks to be in really good shape with quite low K's. Although there is one little thing that im not sure about and was hoping someone could clarify what the problem could be and if its easy and cheap to fix before i commit to buy it.

So here it is, its a 1995 sierra with 132'000 k's and has a lot of work just done on the motor with receipts to prove. Heres the list of what he has had done to it.

Engine was fully stripped, inspected and put togehter with...
* Fully recon exchanged head
* New head bolts
* New rings, all bearings and bottom end serviced.
* New timing belt kit.
* New clutch kit.
* New spigot bearing.
* New oil & Temp switch
* New Thermostat.
* New water pump.
* New Battery.
* New fan belt and all hoses
* New soft top with dark tint.
When the motor was put back into the car, the mechanic gave the car a full service with new plugs, coolant, oil filter etc. he also checked all oils and fluid levels.


Now there is one little problem he says thats wrong with the car. When slowing down to a stop the car almost/sometimes stalls OR when stopped it revs high.

Thats all the info I can give you atm as I am having a look at it tonight, though im trying to get some info about this problem before I go have a look and say i will buy it so i know what i am looking at.

Any help/ideas would be great!

If all turns out well I cant wait to get this little beast!!

[Fatzook]

Carby. Nothing internally could cause those issues. So at worst, you need a carby rebuild.....>$500.

How is the rest of the vehicle?

Check the condition of the gearbox, transfer, and diff oils. Check for leaks around the front swivel hubs, and brake fluid leaks around the rear drums. Make sure it engages in 4wd hi and low, and check that the free wheeling hubs engage. Check drive shaft uni's for slop, and drive shaft slip joints.

All these little mechanical things are cheap to fix, but if you need to fix them all, it will add up quickly.

[steve125]

not sure why a car with low Ks needed a new head, the rest is fairly regular stuff.

the problem with stalling when slowing down is the idle solenoid that sits on the front of the carb, last time I priced one it was around $160 so I learned to live with it.

I've also got the high idle problem, if you find out what causes it let me know.

[Fatzook]

steve125 wrote:

not sure why a car with low Ks needed a new head, the rest is fairly regular stuff.

Low kms kills cars just as much as high kms.

short trips on cold motors advances wear significantly. If it was a mom and pop run around for most its life, it may have just been trundled down to the shops and back a couple times a week.

[abclarke]

Sounds similar to the problem I've got at the moment! Very interested to see what other ideas people come up with

[Reubs]

Fatzook wrote:

steve125 wrote:

not sure why a car with low Ks needed a new head, the rest is fairly regular stuff.

Low kms kills cars just as much as high kms.

X2. Low k's could equate to longer time between services or no regular servicing at all. All it takes is a radiator that never gets flushed and is left too long or a perishing water hose (both are only good for a few years) and there you have it - overheated engine with stuffed head.

Also, I'm with Fatzook on getting the carby rebuilt professionally. Those symptoms sound exactly the same as mine before I had my carby rebuilt and you only realise how smooth a Sierra can be after you've spent good money on the carby!

[jockey]

He did mention he got it off an older lady that had had it for quite awhile and was most likely not serviced. How hard is it to do the carburetor yourself??

Also if for some reason it's not the carby what else could it be?? I'm just trying to figure out what this could all cost at worst case scenario.

I will also check the other things mentioned, though by the sounds of it, it should be ok. From looking at the pictures it looks very clean with no dints or scratches.

Lastly how do I know 4wd engages and works fine? ? Will putting it in 4wd hi and lo then drive round a little bit tell me if it's working or not?? I'm only asking this as I had a mate with a cruiser that I went 4wding with and putting it in 4wd seemed to be fine though later we found out it wasn't working cause he was getting stuck everywhere! Took it to macanics and found out something wasn't clicking it into 4wd. I forget what it was now though.

[jockey]

Well ive got the car and runs pretty smooth except for the carbbie problem as described above!

Sometimes it will rev high at a stop (about 2100rpm) and other times it will rev low (about 200rpm) or just stalls!

Is there anything you suggest i can try/do before taking it to a carbbie specialist and spend heaps of money for what could be an easy/cheap fix doing it myself.

[abclarke]

I got mine done drive in and drive out for $300, next day done. Feels great now IMO. Heaps better than before!

[jockey]

What did they do to it??

[abclarke]

Put a full rebuild kit through it, cleaned it completely then tuned it too.

[Bushbasher]

Had the sane problem turned out to be one of the seals in carby was gone

[Reubs]

jockey wrote:

Lastly how do I know 4wd engages and works fine? ? Will putting it in 4wd hi and lo then drive round a little bit tell me if it's working or not?? I'm only asking this as I had a mate with a cruiser that I went 4wding with and putting it in 4wd seemed to be fine though later we found out it wasn't working cause he was getting stuck everywhere! Took it to macanics and found out something wasn't clicking it into 4wd. I forget what it was now though.

Just engageing 4x4 and going for a drive won't necessarily tell you if your freewheel hubs are engaging. Freewheel hubs that are jammed or have been rebuilt and not assembled properly are the most common culprit IMO for 4x4 not working.

Engage 4hi or lo, lock both freewheel hubs and jack up 1 of the front wheels. You shouldn't be able to spin the jacked up wheel. You should be able to turn the front wheel with the hubs set to free and hear a 'click' when you first turn the wheel after setting to free or lock.