[sneakydust]

Just upgraded my Jimny for a 86 Sierra.

There are a few differences so I just have some questions for some Sierra drivers.

Firstly the carby instead of EFI; I assume the choke is automatic, but on cold starts the engine really struggles to keep idleing, and in some cases stalls unless I give it some gas. Is this due to the carby needing to be warmed up? And I guess what I really want to know is if this is normal for the engine to need a 5min warm up?

Next, what engine oil is best to use and how much does the engine hold (didnt come with a manual so I cant look up the capasity).

Also is it normal for a sierra to max out at 90km/h (with 31"s) with stock engine/carby etc? I mean I thought the Jimny was slow but 90ks is pretty bad.

And also is it normal for the revs to never climb over 3000rpm when flooring it in neutral? It just seems to lack alot of zip compared to the Jimny and I find myself almsot always flooring the accelerator just to keep up with the traffic.

Though offroad the thing is a tank with 31"s and 3" suspention lift. Only thing noticable offroad compared to the Jimny is the ability for the engine to take water. I've got movies off the Jimny tanking through creeks with water over the bonnet (no snorkel) and I took the Sierra through a half decent puddle the other day and the engine got water logged for a good 10mins. Also the splash knocked the coil leed out but that was easy fixed.

So if any Sierra drivers have any tips for me I would be happy to hear from you. Realy concerned about the cold starting problem.

Anyway, Cheers!

[Rockhopper]

ok. First point. Your automatic choke is either not set up properly or it does'nt work. Take the top of and look down the carby when it is cold, and make sure the top flap is closed. This would indicate the choke is working but not set up properly. Also, make sure that flap is fully open when the car is warmed up.
2nd point. Everyones choice of oil is differant, but I use Penrite and I think the viscosity of the oil is 5w/40. If the engine is a bit flogged out, you would probably be better off using 10w/50.
When you say your car only does 90km/h with 31's on it, is that by the speedo?? If it is, then you are ctually doing about 105km/h as your speedo will be out 15km/h due to the larger tyres. You won't be able to use 5th gear unless you put crawler gears in the transfer case or change the diff centre ratios to suit the tyres you are running. Whichever option you choose though it will not fix your speedo problem. The only way of doing that (properly) is to take it to a professional to have the speedo recalibrated. Probably set you back about $250.
As for water crossings, mines got 31's with 6.5:1 crawler gears and 2" spring lift + 2" bodylift. The water I drove through the other day was well over the bonnet, and I accidently did it in high range. I probably did 6 or 7 of these water holes throughout the day and the car never missed a beat. I suspect because of the size of your tyres with no gearing, your poor old 1.3 probably just didn't have the oomph to get you through. The only other thing in that regard that I can think of is to check the seal betwwen the distributor and the cap, and make sure your leads are in good nick.

Cheers

[unique_seek]

Use castrol gtx2 cant go wrong with that for oil on a older car/4x4....i think 5w40 even 10w40 is a bit too thin!especially in a 86 model?and considering that when te engine s hot the oil wl be like water....better a thicker oil in older engine...20w40...but it does come back to personal preferance!

the engine should rev up to 6grand out of gear....thats a worry,but the sierra is by no means a zippy 4x4,not on road anyway....

With the water prob,you can spray your elecs with silicone or wd spray to keep water out...and as for leads popping off..how old are they?are they te right leads?you could use a lil bit of silcone to hold them down(bit dodgy though)

[sneakydust]

Thanks guys, great info.

As for the speed thing, it shows 80km on the speedo but 90ish on the GPS. 5th gear actualy works realy well, it makes it up most hills in 5th and doesnt struggle at all so thats not realy a prob.

I never expected it to be zippy im just surprised how much more zippy the Jimny is. I am a bit worried about the low revs though. There seems to be a bolt under the accelerator peddal thats stoppping the pedal from going down another 15mm. I checked the accelerator leaver on the engine and when the peddal is floored (on the bolt), the leaver still has a few more cm to move. Not sure what the bolt is for but im certain its not letting me get full acceleration.

In all im not to bothered by maxing out at 90kms, anything over that would be a scarey ride anyway. lol

I fixed the loose leads easy enough by tightening the node thingy with pliers. That hasnt been a problem since.

I am worried about the cold start ups through. I dont know alot about carbys so rockhopper, is what you are saying to do easy or should I get a professional to look at it? Or could you direct me to a good website or explain it in detail?

Cheers for the help guys! xD

[eldo]

it should be easy to look down the throat of the carby to see what the choke flap is up to, closed when cold and then it should be open when at full operating temp, maybe some one can post an image up???
you could go to the download section and download the service manual on this site

[sneakydust]

figured out the problem with the carby earlier today.. the little spring on the exterior of the carby that opperates the flap inside has broken off and come loose, making the flap not work properly. also theres a small arm under that spring that looks like something has broken off it, in any case its getting stuck when i press the accelerator and has now delovoped a problem were it starts to stall the engine when the accelerator is pushed about half way down.

my mechanic cant look at the car till wednesday week but he said hes got some spare zook carbys he might be able to pinch parts off..

I pulled the spring around and attached it onto the notch of were it broke off so the car can still run but it could come off and stall at any moment lol..

as for the arm that seems to be getting stuck im not sure if soemthing has broken off or if its just filth getting it stuck..

if anyone has any insight or suggestions id love to hear them, cheers.