[NickOff]

hey guys
i recently bought a 1990 seirra hard top and took it into the machnic the other day (machnics a mate of my old man, and faired dinkim)
i just said a general service and a good look over it for problems as it was loosing coolent and had some oil leaks.
this is the list he sent me back

My question, i just bought a service manual and was wondering how much i could do myself? (im 17 and havent had much to do with cars at all but keen)???

ill definelty do the welding myself, and probably worry about the tires later

1a) all tyres are very severly ozone cracked & very hard
1b) N/S/F tyre scrubbed on inner edge - recommend wheel alignment
2) we've found coolant leaks (explains the loss of coolant)- aside from the
radiator top & bottom hoses, all hoses are very hard & need renewing: will
have to cost these up as only genuine can be used for the multitude of small coolant hoses that run near the carburettor.
3) will need glycol in the radiator when hose problem attended to
4)timing belt - has it been renewed???
5)front differential oil is milky - means water is getting into diff - renew
oil
6a) front differential - axle seals have failed and diff oil is leaking from
swivel hubs - needs swivel hub seal kit & inner axle seals renewed
6b) front wheel bearings are loose - need nip up & grease renewed (this
would be done as part of 6a)
7) rocker cover gasket needs renewing
cannot check transfer case oil because filler plug has been rounded -
need to renew filler plug
9) broken bracket on exhaust mounting - needs welding
10) brake fluid & clutch fluid both have more than 5% moisture, so need
bleeding and fluid renewed.
11) horn not working (haven't investigated why yet)
12) need to remove rear wheel hubs to check rear brake shoes
13) possible sump/ possible rear main crankshaft seal leak - won't know
until rocker cover gasket is renewed and engine degreased
14) slight movement in rear wheel bearings, but consider serviceable for
around town/ beach work.

on the bright side, spark plugs are new, air filter is good, fuel filter is
good, rear diff & gearbox oil smells & looks good, front & rear universal
are in good condition & took grease well, differential pinion seals are
good, gearbox & transfer case final seals are good.

[steak_knife]

Do it your self if you can, with that list you'd be up for over 2k in part's & labor.

1b ?? what's "N/S/F" ???

[Scrawny]

Stekky, near side front. L/H side

[Brett]

you can do all of that yourself. its just fitting parts or gaskets and its the best way to learn about your car. just take your time. if you have any problems ask on here.

[steak_knife]

ScrawnC wrote:

Stekky, near side front. L/H side

I knew that..

[Ben_Sierra]

Most of it is pretty easy, but don't mess around with anything you don't understand, otherwise you could make stuff worse

[spuki]

as said above, do it your self, great way to learn, even if you get some1 to help you out and show you how to do it, like your old man or some1? would also save you a shit load.

[gman]

NickOff wrote:

hey guys
i recently bought a 1990 seirra hard top and took it into the machnic the other day (machnics a mate of my old man, and faired dinkim)
i just said a general service and a good look over it for problems as it was loosing coolent and had some oil leaks.
this is the list he sent me back

My question, i just bought a service manual and was wondering how much i could do myself? (im 17 and havent had much to do with cars at all but keen)???

ill definelty do the welding myself, and probably worry about the tires later

1a) all tyres are very severly ozone cracked & very hard
1b) N/S/F tyre scrubbed on inner edge - recommend wheel alignment
2) we've found coolant leaks (explains the loss of coolant)- aside from the
radiator top & bottom hoses, all hoses are very hard & need renewing: will
have to cost these up as only genuine can be used for the multitude of small coolant hoses that run near the carburettor. I'm sure most of the hoses you could get from repco and just some of the smaller ones with bends go genuine
3) will need glycol in the radiator when hose problem attended to
4)timing belt - has it been renewed???
5)front differential oil is milky - means water is getting into diff - renew
oil
6a) front differential - axle seals have failed and diff oil is leaking from
swivel hubs - needs swivel hub seal kit & inner axle seals renewed
6b) front wheel bearings are loose - need nip up & grease renewed (this
would be done as part of 6a)
7) rocker cover gasket needs renewing
cannot check transfer case oil because filler plug has been rounded -
need to renew filler plug
9) broken bracket on exhaust mounting - needs welding
10) brake fluid & clutch fluid both have more than 5% moisture, so need
bleeding and fluid renewed. Don't be to worried about the clutch Fluid as it has a cable sounds like his trying make it sound worse than it is
11) horn not working (haven't investigated why yet)
12) need to remove rear wheel hubs to check rear brake shoes
13) possible sump/ possible rear main crankshaft seal leak - won't know
until rocker cover gasket is renewed and engine degreased
14) slight movement in rear wheel bearings, but consider serviceable for
around town/ beach work. there is no adjustment here so If there not noisy leave them alone, I'm sure you'll be taking on some huge mud hole soon..... that will F*&k them properly in no time at all than replace them.

on the bright side, spark plugs are new, air filter is good, fuel filter is
good, rear diff & gearbox oil smells & looks good, front & rear universal
are in good condition & took grease well, differential pinion seals are
good, gearbox & transfer case final seals are good.

Go get yourself a workshop manual, some tools and a jack and have some fun there are some items you might wanna get a hand with but have fun.

[Brenno]

Clutch fluid level? better double check that - sierras are cable clutch.

All the other stuff is pretty easy, just get a workshop manual, some tools and start taking bits apart. Search this forum if you get stuck.

[shakes]

Brenno wrote:

Clutch fluid level? better double check that - sierras are cable clutch.

All the other stuff is pretty easy, just get a workshop manual, some tools and start taking bits apart. Search this forum if you get stuck.

x2 if you plan on keeping this car for a length of time learning your way around it will be a good move. if you can afford to tinker and have the car not ready for a few weeks give it a crack.

Buy a good manual, and take on each as small individual jobs. IE, after buying the manual write a list of fluids, gaskets and even bearings or other things that may need replacing when things like the hubs are apart. Then ONLY attempt one at a time. Pull the drivers side hub apart, redo all seals and bearings and dont start anything else until that is completly sorted regardless of if you need something to finish or not. 1. you wont end up with a pile of parts. 2. Being your are new to cars your less likely to forget how it went back together if thats all your thinking of.

So one afternoon invite a mechanically minded mate or 2 around on promise of beer and grilled dead animals. and attack each 1 at a time. The only major thing I would say is to get the brake fluid bled by your mechanic.

edit: spelling

[shakes]

2 more things, invest in some good jack stands!!!!!!!!!!! and get your old mans mate to show you were to position them under your car for various jobs.

and get a basic socket and spanner set with a few screwdrivers. you really only need a 10mm, 12, 14, and 17mm for 95% of stuff on a sierra (my Hardtop anyway) getting this stuff as a quality kit as a combined birthday or christmas pressie from a couple of people is a good way of doing it, maybe even with you pitching in a few quid to get good stuff rather than cheap gear.

[NickOff]

thanks heaps guys, ive just got a workshop manual so ill give it a go...

[whincup]

ScrawnC wrote:

Stekky, near side front. L/H side

why do they call the left side the "near side"?... is there a reason? cz to me it would make more sense for the drivers side to be called "near side"...

[royce]

near the gutter

[ajsr]

thats the bit that usually ends up NEAR that power pole when you fall asleep at the wheel

[PJ.zook]

Its a pretty easy list mate and sierras are basic to work on, I would give it a go yourself. Another thing too with the oil leak, sierras are prone to leaking out the distributor o-ring... another thing to keep in mind when tracing leak.

[Hybrid]

Very similar to the issue I had when I got my toy. It's all pretty easy, just time consuming. I'd just prioritise that list and work your way down. With regard to those hoses I've not bought genuine yet. I take the shagged ones to super cheap. They've got a bin with a pile of hoses in them. I just find hoses with the right bends and cut them to suit. Often you'll find one new hose that can be cut down into 2 or 3 of the hoses you need.

[whincup]

very worthwhile investment picking up a service manual from somewhere like supercheap or repco. i have very little mechanical knowledge, but with that and millions of questions on this forum, i've done quite a few repairs to my sierra all by myself.

[Hybrid]

Lol he's mentioned he's got a service manual a few times already.

[Polar_Bear]

has someone mentioned getting a service manual? if you look around, there are a few places on the net you can download the factory service manuals for free

[96coily]

NickOff wrote:

thanks heaps guys, ive just got a workshop manual so ill give it a go...

We like to help, but we're illiterate

[sbbunno]

i agree with who ever said do it yourself im in the same situation the fellas on hear will help out where ever

[jdk81]

I used the service manual for the first few months coupled with the downloaded factory service manual.

Generally now, I only need to refer to them for torque settings.

I pretty much did everything on your list as soon as I got mine.
Factory heater hoses (for bends) and used general vacuum lines and fuel lines

[cairns27]

I've got a '90 serria with a oil leak that looks like it coming from the bottom of the distributor.

Can I just get a generic "O" ring, or do I have to get a Hollywwod priced part?

Thanking you in anticipation'


bye

[steak_knife]

cairns27 wrote:

I've got a '90 serria with a oil leak that looks like it coming from the bottom of the distributor.

Can I just get a generic "O" ring, or do I have to get a Hollywwod priced part?

Thanking you in anticipation'


bye

http://www.suzistore.com.au/shopexd.asp?id=653

Depends what you call "Hollywood"

[cairns27]

Thanks, there's three here, I can nearly afford to do the lot., I've had a look, and there's little bit of oil around the lot.


bye

[cairns27]

the local suzuki dealer wants $17.5o for the "O" ring, and there's a three day wait.


bye

[dhula]

a bit off topic, but the other side is called the off side.
As in OSF (off side front)