[buzbox]

I will add further details and information as I go along. I will try to block it into legible pieces so it's not just one big blob. Feel free to add to it.

A basic check up will include:

- Check all engine fluids, engine oil, radiator coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid. Top up if required. Look for evidence of oil leaks.
- Clean and inspect the battery
- Check for cracks, tension and adjust various belts if required: Alternator, Water pump/fan, power steering. If there is a deflection of 6-9mm when you press the belt with your finger, It will need to be re-tentioned or replaced.
- Check the gap, clean and/or Replace the spark plugs, The reccommended gap is 0.7-0.8mm.
- Inspect the leads for cracks, replace if required.
- Inspect the distributor cap and rotor button for excessive wear on the contact points.
- Check how clean the air filter is, sometimes you can give it a tap in the oppposite direction of the airflow to remove some dirt and dust but it is reccommended to replace it if required. (do not use compressed air to clean the filter)

- Check your tyre's condition and pressure's. !!! It will save you money !!!
a) by preventing excessive tyre wear and extending your tyre's lifespan
b) improving fuel economy
TIPS-
1) Don't forget to rotate your tyres in a diagonal pattern and include your spare.
2) Check your tyre placard for the correct tyre pressure suitable for the vehicle.
3) Use a tyre depth guage to moniter tyre wear
4) If you have a slow leak, check and tighten the valve core if necessary.
5) spray soapy water onto the tread, leaks will appear as small bubbles

I know how some of you guy's love NOT washing your car, but I like to perform these checks when I do give it a wash. By doing these couple of simple checks that will take about 5-10mins it may prevent further trouble arrising and breakdowns.

[monley]

1) Don't forget to rotate your tyres in a diagonal pattern and include your spare.

[TheOtherLeft]

monkey wrote:

1) Don't forget to rotate your tyres in a diagonal pattern and include your spare.

That assumes you have a spare the same size as your other tyres.

[whincup]

i check my tire pressures literally every second time i stop for fuel. one thing most people dont realise though is the recommended tire pressures given are cold pressures. i didnt know that until nearly a year after i started driving

[royce]

TheOtherLeft wrote:

monkey wrote:

1) Don't forget to rotate your tyres in a diagonal pattern and include your spare.

That assumes you have a spare the same size as your other tyres.

why cant people appreciate when somebody is trying to gainfully contribute to something for the good of others and not fucking cry about it

If you dont have a serviceable spare tyre on a 4wd your planning skills are shit

[Teracis]

monkey wrote:

1) Don't forget to rotate your tyres in a diagonal pattern and include your spare.

I'm gonna hit google up for an answer, but what about when you have two spares? would it go spares onto rear, rears cross to front?

[abclarke]

whincup wrote:

i check my tire pressures literally every second time i stop for fuel. one thing most people dont realise though is the recommended tire pressures given are cold pressures. i didnt know that until nearly a year after i started driving

Cold pressures? Guess its something i havnt learnt yet

[royce]

one stays a spare and gets a turn next time

[buzbox]

whincup wrote:

i check my tire pressures literally every second time i stop for fuel. one thing most people dont realise though is the recommended tire pressures given are cold pressures. i didnt know that until nearly a year after i started driving

If you check them after 10-20mins after driving there may be an increase of a few psi compared to cold tyres giving you a false reading (hot air expands right), So yes check your tyres when they are cold.

[JrZook]

On a zuk forum, how many members rides have 2 spare tires? Relevance.....

[royce]

Re the oil part, GL5 is only ok in transmissions if it says so, typically you use a GL4 as the GL5 additives cause drama with the syncros

[buzbox]

I was going to place this in another thread, but I guess it's classed as basic vehicle checks.
WHAT OIL DO I USE? in my sierra - vitara - Jimny

The type of oil generally depends on where you live and what load you put your vehicle under. For example, If you live in a very hot climate you will require a different grade compared to someone who lives in much colder area's of Australia. You will have to take into consideration if you use the vehicle for towing or racing and the condition / amount of km's / wear of the engine.

Here is a SAE Viscosity chart which will help you choose the correct grade engine oil.




Suzuki's reccommendation is:

Engine oil - API grade SF/CC SF/CD multigrade oil (2 viscosity ratings eg 15w-40 - Monograde is 1 constant viscosity eg SAE 30)

Automatic gearbox - Dextron Automatic Transmission Fluid

Manual transmission - API GL-5 75W-90 or 80W-90

Transfer case - API GL-5 75W-90 or 80W-90

Rear diff - API GL-5 75W-90 or 80W-90

Front diff - API GL-5 75W-90 or 80W-90

Brake fluid - DOT 3 brake fluid

Power Steering fluid - specific power steering fluid or Dextron III ATF

[royce]

JrZook wrote:

On a zuk forum, how many members rides have 2 spare tires? Relevance.....

I have 3 spares

sooking in a thread trying to build information, relevance

[TheOtherLeft]

buzbox wrote:

whincup wrote:

i check my tire pressures literally every second time i stop for fuel. one thing most people dont realise though is the recommended tire pressures given are cold pressures. i didnt know that until nearly a year after i started driving

If you check them after 10-20mins after driving there may be an increase of a few psi compared to cold tyres giving you a false reading (hot air expands right), So yes check your tyres when they are cold.

Why not just use the 4psi rule. It takes a bit of fiddling around but it is a very good measure of what the correct pressures to run.

[DarkHorse]

I was gonna mention directional tread tyres, especially since quite a few of us run MTs, but thought it was pretty obvious.

4psi rule is a good way to check if your cold pressures are working as they should.

[weaves]

Teracis wrote:

monkey wrote:

1) Don't forget to rotate your tyres in a diagonal pattern and include your spare.

I'm gonna hit google up for an answer, but what about when you have two spares? would it go spares onto rear, rears cross to front?

i run directionals.. so if your running two of them, have one in each direction. otherwise your kinda just gotta deal with the direction your been given... front to back. rotate in the spare if you wish.

[fordem]

buzbox wrote:

I was going to place this in another thread, but I guess it's classed as basic vehicle checks.
WHAT OIL DO I USE? in my sierra - vitara - Jimny

Suzuki's reccommendation is:

Engine oil - API grade SF/CC SF/CD multigrade oil (2 viscosity ratings eg 15w-40 - Monograde is 1 constant viscosity eg SAE 30)

Automatic gearbox - Dextron Automatic Transmission Fluid

Manual transmission - API GL-5 75W-90 or 80W-90

Transfer case - API GL-5 75W-90 or 80W-90

Rear diff - API GL-5 75W-90 or 80W-90

Front diff - API GL-5 75W-90 or 80W-90

Brake fluid - DOT 3 brake fluid

Power Steering fluid - specific power steering fluid or Dextron III ATF

To the best of my knowledge Suzuki does NOT recommend a GL-5 oil for their manual transmissions, and it may also not be recommended for the transfer case depending on which Suzuki you have.

GL-5 oils are rarely recommended for transmissions with brass or bronze components because of their propensity to destroy these metals. GL-5 oils that can be used with these metals do exist, and can be used, so be sure to read the bottle.

[MacDaddy]

whincup wrote:

one thing most people dont realise though is the recommended tire pressures given are cold pressures. i didnt know that until nearly a year after i started driving

Can you supply more info on this subject, about recommended tyre pressure, as per tyre placard, being the cold tyre pressure ?

[MacDaddy]

monkey wrote:

1) Don't forget to rotate your tyres in a diagonal pattern and include your spare.

When do tyres need to be rotated, like how many kms on average ?

[gypsy]

i rotate mine every 20,000

[89_tintop]

MacBear wrote:

when do tyres need to be rotated, kike how many kms on average ?

I do mine every service.. so every 5000klms.

I have gotten 40000klms so far out of a set of low profile tyres on the mrs car by dooing so (well thats what I beleive) they are evenly worn and I would say have probably 20000klms left in them

constant wheel allignments and balancing as well.

[royce]

MacBear wrote:

whincup wrote:

one thing most people dont realise though is the recommended tire pressures given are cold pressures. i didnt know that until nearly a year after i started driving

Can you supply more info on this subject, about recommended tyre pressure, as per tyre placard, being the cold tyre pressure ?

tyre placard will say it

[Scrawny]

It would pay to check what the manufacturer recommends for ATF if checking over other brands of vehicles. Late model Toyotas use Toyota specific oil and using DII/III will cause big problems.

[buzbox]

DISCLAIMER:
As for the oil info, I'm mainly going off what the haynes workshop manual states. Each car is different so if you have any doubts consult a mechanic, your local dealership or oil manufacturer.

But thanks for the additional info, good teamwork

[Che]

Seems you can't quote yourself... anyway new discoveries I want to add to my oil blurb a little higher up the topic.

Changed to Magnatec 10W-40 from Nulon 20W-50 a couple of weeks and a few tank refills ago and I gotta say my start up is now heaps better - idle is smoother from the turn of the key, no more 2 minute warm ups for a steady idle. Seemed to take a few days to hit the groove, but certainly a running difference.

I've also been getting ~30km more range each tank without any other mods I can attribute it to... I reckon if I ran my tank dry i'd get 600km. No looking back now, looks like Magnatec, a 1.3 and LPG are a winning combo!

[MacDaddy]

[Vash]

Guy at auto1 reckons i shouldnt use 10w40 on a high mileage motor... so he sold me penrite 15w-60 oil. i thought this might be too thick.. i got 230,000kms on the motor
what ya reckon?

[Scrawny]

Vash wrote:

Guy at auto1 reckons i shouldnt use 10w40 on a high mileage motor... so he sold me penrite 15w-60 oil. i thought this might be too thick.. i got 230,000kms on the motor
what ya reckon?

That'll be fine. We do use 10/40 in our old Hiaces at work with over 400,000kms on the clock so it's not really accurate info

[MacDaddy]

Vash wrote:

Guy at auto1 reckons i shouldnt use 10w40 on a high mileage motor... so he sold me penrite 15w-60 oil. i thought this might be too thick.. i got 230,000kms on the motor
what ya reckon?

For a Sierra 15W60 is good, is the oil semi-synth ?... for newer engines, 2000 on, a 15W may be to thick, especially if you live in colder area's...
I have 15W40 in my GV, its ok in Summer, but when it starts to get colder, i get timing chain rattle on cold startup... so next service, 10W40 Semi-Synth is going in, as i have 210,000kms on mine, and may go fully synth after that, if i can extend the life of my engine with it...