[zookedup]

G'day AZ crew!

just picked up a 93 vitara wagon that was sold to me not completely running. the previous owner had rarely driven it in the last 18 months do to getting another car and the vit would run for a little bit then stop ( I dont know if the engine just dies or spluttered) the bloke reakoned if you left it for 20 or so minutes it would start up again fine.

anyway brought it home friday night and drove it around for a few hours with no problems, as a bit of trouble shooting I changed all the plugs and leads, oil etc and it seems to be running fine. my mechanic thinks it could be because it has hardly been driven and this is what is causing it.

I also noticed above the battery terminal a hole has been burnt into the bonnet from i possibly arching i wrapped both terminals in electrical insulation tape just incas, is there any chance this may have been causing the problem?

My other issue is that I took it out for a quick wheel on saturday night in some soft rutted sand and could only lock the drivers side hub in?the passengers was stiff as and wouldnt budge. anyway the little vit powered through the soft stuff like a trooper then just as I went to turn to get back on the road it wouldn't climb out of the rut
after a push and some digging it still wouldn't go so dad had to come and snatch me out. the previous owner had mentioned that there was a crack in the front diff which a mechanic found last time the diff oils where meant to be changed, I momentarily forgot this when I saw the 4x4 tracks and this would be why I got stuck.

so will I just need to replace my diff housing or will a complete diff be needed?
had quotes from a wreckers for $480 for complete diff with gears and $280 with housing, does that seem about right or are they having a joke?

and what would be a rough estimate in time for a mechanic to change it over?

cheers Sam

Build up thread coming soon!

[wolf_rt]

zookedup wrote:

G'day AZ crew!
anyway brought it home friday night and drove it around for a few hours with no problems, as a bit of trouble shooting I changed all the plugs and leads, oil etc and it seems to be running fine. my mechanic thinks it could be because it has hardly been driven and this is what is causing it.

Whats the problem???

Quote:

I also noticed above the battery terminal a hole has been burnt into the bonnet from i possibly arching i wrapped both terminals in electrical insulation tape just incas, is there any chance this may have been causing the problem?

Put some blu-tac or playdoh on top of the terminal and shut the bonnet to see how much clearance there is...

Quote:

My other issue is that I took it out for a quick wheel on saturday night in some soft rutted sand and could only lock the drivers side hub in?
the previous owner had mentioned that there was a crack in the front diff which a mechanic found last time the diff oils where meant to be changed, I momentarily forgot this when I saw the 4x4 tracks and this would be why I got stuck.

If you only locked one hub in, you are still in 2wd...
heres a hub rebuild thread http://auszookers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=20086

Quote:

so will I just need to replace my diff housing or will a complete diff be needed?

where is the crack??? you could possibly just weld it up.

[DarkHorse]

When a car's been sitting 18 months it probably needs a good going over - fresh oil everywhere, fresh tank of fuel, flush coolant, brake fluid, power steering fluid, fresh grease where grease goes (hubs, CVs etc) fuel and oil filters... anything that deteriorates (rubber) or settles (fluids). Worth having a good look at the drive/fan belts too.

Battery - yes it could have been arcing, mine was doing the same. Might have been killing your spark, but I'd expect it to be a more consistent fault than you describe if that was the case. Spin the battery 180deg and it should be clear.

Sounds like passenger hub needs a cleanout and regrease at least, maybe full rebuild. If you couldn't get it to lock then you couldn't get 4WD - the axle would have just been spinning without driving the wheel. As soon as the driven wheel got resistence it would stop and the other side would just keep spinning, getting you nowhere.

A crack in your diff is a problem - is there any oil in it? A bad enough crack can lunch your diff gears, but you'd know about it if that was happening. The alloy diff is fragile if it's been driven hard off-road or with large tyres.

If you're going to replace it find a steel one from an early model V6 manual GV (be careful to get the pinion mount as well, there are 2 types which both bolt up to the cross-member.) You might be up for $500ish for a complete unit, but you'll need to get the internals swapped so you keep your 5.12 ratios, so factor in some labour if you're not up for doing it yourself. Could be done in a day if you were the trop priority, otherwise allow a week! Bare housings are as rare as complete assemblies, but you might be able to get some money back reselling the gearset.

Looking forward to seeing it, what's plans?

[zookedup]

sorry I can't believe I forgot the post the problem ! urgh its been a long day !

the car will run for a little while then just stops, give it 20 mins and its fine. I havent had this happen to me yet but its why the car was sold.

and yeah I will look into rebuilding the hubs i just thought it may have something to do with the diff being no good?

and by the time I get a mechanic to take the diff out I would say its just as easy to put a fully working one in than try patch one that may be more than just cracked.

Is there much to the GV diff conversion?

[zookedup]

so far my plans are to get it running well and maybe respray it as the paint is a bit weathered from sitting outside for a while.

it will need some new tyres so depending on weather I decide to keep it long term will determine what gets done to it.

weather I can afford to keep it also is a big thing because its my 2nd car my other is a nl gls pajero and eeping both on the road wont be cheap especially on 1st year apprentice wages

[wolf_rt]

You will have to wait and see with the 'stopping' problem...

Hubs wont have anything to do with the cracked diff.

Sorry i was thinking of a live axle with the 'welding up'...
being a vitara it is most likely it's the '3rd member' or 'carrier' that is cracked... not really repairable...

as DarkHorse said, if you want to keep the car, or do any serious 4x4'ing, get the steel carrier, and swap your 'internals' into it (probably a job for a mechanic)

if your just going to flog it off, or not do any hard core wheeling, you could get a standard 2nd hand replacement, and put it in fairly easily....

If it actually is just the housing that is cracked, weld it up....

[DarkHorse]

Just check and freshen everything up, fix that hub and drive it. Drive it hard, blow out the cobwebs (I almost mean that literally - best thing for the motor.) Someone smarter than me might be able to give you some more detailed advice.

Housing's alloy, got a TIG?

Diff shouldn't have to come out to know if there's an issue (other than an obvious crack) - oil level and whether it's inside or outside is a good indicator. Once the hub's fixed lock 'em in and see what happens when you drive in 4WD. Parked, put it in 4x4, unlock the hubs and get under and spin the front drive shaft by hand (it should spin reasonably freely) and make sure that both CVs move. Jack the front end up so both wheels are off the ground, lock the hubs, and spin the shaft again, spin the wheels, listen for any nasty noises.

GV diff is a straight swap, pinion mount is the only variable. Diff brackets are different, but you'll just end up with 3 bolts each side instead of four on one side. If you do, get one of the supporting poly bushes for the short side put in while it's apart, save you an oil leak later.