[jimnynutter]

Hi guys,

Driving home and just felt something wasn't right.
When I parked in the driveway, I had a look underneath

I spotted this



It's where the driverside front driveshaft goes into the front diff.

[russgt]

Nope. Needs a new oil seal and grab a plastic bush at the same time.

[Gwagensteve]

This is normal isn't it Isn't every vitara like this?

Too much droop=this

It should push back in.

Steve.

[atari4x4]

to much hektic flex, looks like it's been like that for a while going by the amount of oil staining.

while your there, pull it out a bit further & take a pic & i'll be able to tell you if it's 22 or 26 spline.

[tanshi]

Vitaras are where the awesome ness is.

[atari4x4]

just need to know how to build them right, same goes with sierra's, jimny's & LJ's

[Gwagensteve]

Sierras build themselves

[atari4x4]

what, no power, square wheels & no suspension from factory?

[Gwagensteve]

They're the good points. Don't tell everyone.

Steve.

[jimnynutter]

Ok so I'm part way through dismantling it.

I've gotten the free wheeling hub off and the face plate

I'm left with this


What do I do from here to get the driveshaft out?

[atari4x4]

are you just trying to get the driveshaft back in or you're wanting to remove the CV totally?

[shandy92]

remove that cer clip and then drop the strut, stand on the hub and it should fall out. you may need to turn the wheel to make it easier.

or remove that cer clip and then drop the strut then remove the ball joint then it will fall out.

[jimnynutter]

Wanting to remove the cv totally and put a new seal in and a bush,

[atari4x4]

cool cool, do what Mitch said

EDIT: clean the grease away a bit more & you'll see the circlip on the CV shaft.

[jimnynutter]

Well I got it off.

I thought suzukis didn't have torque???


Perhaps this is why I couldn't get it to seat in the diff?

There's chunks of metal all through the diff

[atari4x4]

22 spline

it had probably pulled out at one point & then you've kept wheeling it & it's loaded up & snapped it.

[jimnynutter]

Cheers Atari,

Luckily I've got a spare diff from Darkhorse still kicking around that I can use, unfortunately no spare drive shafts

Out with diff!!!

[atari4x4]

double check the ratio before fitting it... could be either 4.6 or 4.8 & 26 spline, yours will be 5.12 + 22 spline.

[jimnynutter]

Ok will do

[jimnynutter]

Well, I got the diff out an hour ago, I've just been assessing my options,
So far I need
1 new drive shaft
1 drive shaft seal
Support bush from Bruce
Thinking because its all pulled apart ill get a GV steel front diff, and install a mini spool, and LHS Cv conversion

[jimnynutter]

With dads help, we moved his camper trailer out of the garage and reversed the zook in,
Jacked it up and started removing the axle,

Got the free wheeling hub off and the face plate off.

I'm left with this




Removed the drive shaft and Found this

The splined end has grenaded inside the diff, weird thing is, I've never driven it through a situation that could cause it too let go,
I didn't hear any loud bangs at all, when I drained the diff oil prior to removal there were no chunks of metal that indicate something sinister inside has failed,

[jono165]

jimnynutter wrote:

Thinking because its all pulled apart ill get a GV steel front diff, and install a mini spool, and LHS Cv conversion

How do you plan to mini spool the front - I dont think theyre available in 22 spline. In any case why do you want to minispool the front?

Its going to get pretty old fast driving anything greasy with a minispooled front.

[atari4x4]

Don't spool the front, it's going to bring the suck & eat cv's x 11ty

[christover1]

My Sierra was welded front for many years.
There are obvious disadvantages.
But for me I found a lot of advantages, too.
Once I added power steer, the Sierra was fine with it.
Was very much better with a lock rite front, though.
I think a Vitara being wider and heavier, would be a bitch with a spool.
But never tried it.
Not hard to remove if you hate a spool.
Spool could be done if going 26 spline.
But I wouldn't recommend it.

[tom240]

atari4x4 wrote:

Don't spool the front, it's going to bring the suck & eat cv's x 11ty

I thought having the front locked would help save cv's? because the main cause of cv's breaking is from shock loading when one wheel lifts up, spins up and comes down, this would obviously not happen with a locked front end.

jono165 wrote:

Its going to get pretty old fast driving anything greasy with a minispooled front.

Have heard of disengaging one whees locking hub which will almost give you the same driving as an open diff and only engaging the other when needed. If you have the passenger side engaged it means you are more likely to break that cv which is the easy one to replace

[31zook]

^ if you remove the passengers side hub and just drive off the drivers side it will launch to the left everytime you accelerate, and dive to the right when you decelerate, plus you spend the whole tine fighting it.

An Airlocker is the best solution up front, no two ways about it, but if you haven't got the coin and can put up with a bit of resistance, a welded front diff is pretty good value. Allot of people talk about being pushed through corners, I have had a welded front in my SWB on 33s and my LWB on 36s and I have had little to no experience of that. Not enough drama to warrant taking it out thats for sure.

But each to their own.

[atari4x4]

I'm always cautious of loading up the power steering with the front locker in trying to get it to turn as the weak link in the front end of the vitara's steering is the idler arm bracket, I'll only run my locker when I really need it & when it's in it really doesn't like turning much.... maybe I'm too soft on it.

tom240 wrote:

atari4x4 wrote:

Don't spool the front, it's going to bring the suck & eat cv's x 11ty

I thought having the front locked would help save cv's? because the main cause of cv's breaking is from shock loading when one wheel lifts up, spins up and comes down, this would obviously not happen with a locked front end.

Yeah that is true when lifting wheels, then there is all the other time that the CV's are loaded up taking all the strain when trying to turn when running a spool on a surface that's flattish or has some traction.



If you want to do it the cheap way, get a china locker, replace the o-rings on the seal housing & bung the lot into a GV steel diff or get an auto locker.

[DarkHorse]

Just FYI that diff I sent you was straight out of the SV, so will be 4.6 and 26 spline I'm pretty sure...

[jimnynutter]

Ok sweet thanks guys
Funding allows for an ARB AIR LOCKER and steel gv front diff,
Keeping it 22 spline, Darkhorse, that's just the info I was after thankyou.

The crown wheel is fine so is the pinion, bearings all look ok as do the spider gears and carriers, just the one part that I'm unsure of the name of is screwed but I can nick that from the spare diff I've got from Darkhorse(cheers) are the airlockers different between 22 and 26 spline? And 10 bolt and 12 bolt

[atari4x4]

IMO you're mad keeping it 22 spline

did you get the LHS axle with the 3 bolt flange with the diff you got off darky? if so it's only a matter of picking up a 26 spline RHS CV doing the bolt in RHS CV mod.

fronts either come in 22 or 26 spline & rears either come in 10 or 12 bolt & they replace the assembly that contains the side gears & spider gears.