[jonfromhamilton]

Hey guys, going to be buying my first Sierra soon, in fact my first 4x4.

Going to look at this one tomorrow
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/SUZUKI-SIERR ... 3a6e56a34f

Just wanting to know what I should be looking out for when I'm getting muddy looking underneath it.

What are some common Sierra problems I should be looking out for ?

Really looking forward to catching up on the trail with some of you guys to pick up your practical tips and tricks!

-Jon

[jonfromhamilton]

...and what would you guys pay for that Sierra ?

[alien]

check for rust behind the plastic sills, around the windscreen frame, cracks on the window frame around the wiper poles, also rust under all the floor matting.

check under the oil cap for milkiness and under rad cap for the same. take it for a spin and check clutch and brakes work well, also lock the front hubs on some dirt/grass and check 4wd hi and low works smoothly.

if you get the chance, start it up and let it idle while you talk about the specifics with the owner, see if its got any choke / overheating issues and any smoke from the exhaust.

in perth a zuk that looks as clean as that one appears to be it'd sell for around $4k.

[foolsp33d]

Looks super clean! Very original..ie: wheels, rear seats, front bar,carpet.. The purple on the RHTop. is funky.. best ya sell the frnt half to me if ya buy it I reckon..


What alien said is all pretty spot on.. if you have a decent magnet handy.. whack it in various spots on the underside of the tub, where the footwells are is a good spot to start.. as is the sills.. you will see the drain plugs(rubber bungs) under there(the footwells) for future reference

give the drive shafts a good wiggle up n down, checking for slack/movement in the unis.. grab the top of the wheels and shake, looking for abnormal clunking or wobble from bearings..

to be honest it looks like a great unmolestered lil WT. dunno bout the description "ITS A 1.3L AND IT GOESS HARD" thou... Probably also due for timing belt and tensioner water pump etc change to be safe going by
that lol.

[eldo]

looks neat and i reckon its probably even worth the buy it now price if youre super keen

[ZookFan]

foolsp33d wrote:

Looks super clean! Very original..ie: wheels, rear seats, front bar,carpet.. The purple on the RHTop. is funky.. best ya sell the frnt half to me if ya buy it I reckon..


What alien said is all pretty spot on.. if you have a decent magnet handy.. whack it in various spots on the underside of the tub, where the footwells are is a good spot to start.. as is the sills.. you will see the drain plugs(rubber bungs) under there(the footwells) for future reference

give the drive shafts a good wiggle up n down, checking for slack/movement in the unis.. grab the top of the wheels and shake, looking for abnormal clunking or wobble from bearings..

to be honest it looks like a great unmolestered lil WT. dunno bout the description "ITS A 1.3L AND IT GOESS HARD" thou... Probably also due for timing belt and tensioner water pump etc change to be safe going by
that lol.

Yeah right!

[Gwagensteve]

alien wrote:

check for rust behind the plastic sills, around the windscreen frame, cracks on the window frame around the wiper poles, also rust under all the floor matting.

check under the oil cap for milkiness and under rad cap for the same. take it for a spin and check clutch and brakes work well, also lock the front hubs on some dirt/grass and check 4wd hi and low works smoothly.

if you get the chance, start it up and let it idle while you talk about the specifics with the owner, see if its got any choke / overheating issues and any smoke from the exhaust.

^^^^ This=gold.

That's the only stuff that should put you off.

Steve.

[abclarke]

Downside to posting something nice looking here, someone else might grab it before ya

[stockman]

Looks alright.
Ask what happened to the original wheels.

[jonfromhamilton]

Awesome guys thanks so much for these specifics.

Credit card cash advance + low interest bank transfer here I come... maybe.

I will definately let you guys know how it all goes and soon will be out on some easy trails bugging you guys for more info.

[stilletto_rebel]

Where in Franga are you? I'm by Kananook Station.

[jonfromhamilton]

So am I buddy!

I left at 6 30am this morning and drove to Altona to see the little Sierra and had a look underneath while the guy put his pyjama pants on and came out to open it up for me.
we went for a spin and took it on the straight to 100kph which was a bit of an effort but not unexpected and then went on some dirt to test the 4wd.
all the gears seemed nice and tight, no movement in the drivetrain that I could notice driving or stationary.
there is some rust near the hinge for the front windscreen and there is some slow oil leakage from the bellhousing and the engine head but I'm not too fussed as I have a handy mate just down the road from my work.

End of the day, I got my first 4x4 for 3 grand.
I pick it up on Monday and then will leave it at work until I get it looked over and the RWC done.

Pretty excited !

[neofitou]

Very nice. Congraulations.

My first sierra used to be parked at Kananook station most days.

I would be round your place with a hammer to help you out if I still lived there too!

Go see Geoff Whitehead at the 4x4 workshop right near the station for the RWC, top bloke and can actually fabricate stuff which is rare for a mechanic nowdays.. he did alot of the work on my first Pajero (after the first sierra and the landy) before I was confident with engines.

[jonfromhamilton]

Not too keen on Geoff,
I went to see him when I first moved here, I wanted to do some weekend work experience type stuff just to get into 4x4s, it didnt work out but anyway when my Excel needed its clutch slave cylinder replaced he charged me more than list price for it and I wasn't too excited about the hourly rate.
And now it makes funny noises, never used to do that.

I see that white tin top Sierra a lot of the time, it was a constant reminder that I needed to find my own !

[suzukikid]

Good work bloke! good to have another vic bloke on here!

[stilletto_rebel]

I've been to Luke at Beachside Autos in Rosella St the couple of times I've had niggles with mine. He's upfront, seems honest and doesn't charge the earth.

Yeah, I've seen that white one at the station, too. It's owner seems to work long hours!