[Mikey1st]

So i have finally finished putting my car back together after breaking a CV

The car now has
Gear box gears from a auto (mine is manual)
new CVs
swapped rear diff gears from auto as well.

I thought all was good until yesterday i was using my car to pull a small tree out of the ground and found both rear wheels spinning while in 4WD but no spin from the front.
The 4WD light is on which means the pump is working so im not sure where it is failing.

Any ideas?

[henno]

The light is solid? I'd pull the hose off the top of the diff, engage 4wd and see if the light flashes and then put your finger over the end of the hose and see if the light goes solid on the dash (you will need a helper).

This is what I did to diagnose that the actuator inside the diff had blown. This was confirmed once I ripped the diff out.

See if you can twist the CVs by hand. And check that the driveshaft is turning. That should narrow it down to what is actually broken.

[Mikey1st]

yeah the 4wd light is solid, no flickering or anything. Ill give the hose thing a go if i get time tonight thanks.

Would the actuator be obvious if it was broken? as i wanted to keep the steel housing i had the gears from the auto pulled apart and put into the steel housing so its been completely apart (done by my mechanic)

[henno]

Well, in my case it was obvious as my 4wd light was flashing. I just needed to work out which of the two common problems it was: pump or actuator. By putting my finger over that hose, feeling air pressure, and confirming the 4wd light then went solid, I knew it was the actuator.

Your case is slightly different so it might not be quite as obvious.

[TrackerMarx]

If you put the vehicle in acc and engage 4wd if you have a buddy place their ear to the bumper they should here the pump kick in. Also check the hose where it connects to the diff . there is a black hose comming from pump behind the bumper that runs to a hard line that runs along inner fender make sure that it has no kinks or holes from rust . here is a trouble shoot guide it should apply to yours Northamerica was a year behind on the GV http://www.suzuki-forums.com/1g-1999-20 ... early.html best of luck hope it is something simple like the pump or the tube because the diff bladder is a much harder fix

[ZUZUKI]

I hope the mechanic didn't bench test the diff actuation with compressed air at shop pressure, as the std air pump is low pressure, only about 5psi, however, if the air diaphragm was holed, then the 4WD light would act up.
Rgs, Michael

[Mikey1st]

So I took the hose off the bottom of the diff, put in 4wd and the light still stays on...
Got the misses to put in 4wd with my head next to bumper and it makes a click then a weird squeal noise, in the video below you can hear it.
I can't see any kinks or holes in the line either

http://youtu.be/9nuQpjNFnKU

[fordem]

Find the pump and follow the rubber tubes - one leads up the radiator mount to an "intake", the other goes down the frame rail to the differential - pull the tube to the diff off of the pump and have the misses put it in 4H again - place your finger gently over the outlet you should be able to feel air flowing from the pump, which should run for 10 seconds and cut off with the 4WD light off - you should be able to cap/uncap it with your finger, if you so choose, and get it to stop & restart, provided you do so within that 10 second interval, if you allow the 10 second timeout to elapse, just shift to 2H and back to 4H. The light should be off when the pump is running, on when it is not, provided the controller has not timed out and turned the pump off.

If the pump works as I describe, it's good, and you have a blockage between the pump & the diff.

[Mikey1st]

Ok so followed this... Pump works fine.

Chucked compressor on 1 end and nothing gets out the other so it's blocked pretty good
Any ideas what I can use to clear it?

[Mikey1st]

Disregard that^^

Coat hanger in the diff side pipe was able to knock what ever was stuck in it free. 4wd now kicks in properly

Although highlighted another possible issue. Went for a quick test run around 2 streets, and when turning sharp left there is a bit of a grind noise in the front right and sometimes a little clunk and almost feels like I have the breaks on. Could this just be because of bitumen?

[fordem]

Mikey1st wrote:

Could this just be because of bitumen?

YES!

Driving a part time 4WD in 4WD on a hard dry surface is a big "No~No" - it causes drive train windup and can break stuff. I'm surprised you only had a little clunk. It could be a sign of a problem to come - the dog clutches are known to slip and once they start, the problem only gets worse - I think Suzuki did modify the design a couple of times, but the true fix is to swap a center from an earlier Vitara in, and fit manual free wheel hubs - be warned, the fix does require some fiddling with CV shafts