[Eryk]

So I just picked up my first zook, a late 97 swb g16b vitara, bone stock, 180k ks, good nick all around for 5k, only a handful of little issues that I don't fully know how to take care of.
Most major one at the moment is when I turn the steering to the left its smooth and light and feels normal but to the right its a bit rougher and hear a bit of noise about 1/3 way through, my guess is its just one of the cv's gone bad (I noticed the boots weren't in the best condition when I got the car), So would I just need one of the cv's changed to fix that or could it be something else? (On trail tough they offer front cv's and rear cv's but its the first time I've ever heard of rear cv's I believe we only have cv's in the front? correct me if I am wrong)
Also there is a bit of rust in the common spot, just above the boot door, only surface rust though, however I did notice there is a bit of rust starting just under the rear windscreen washer nozzle, and I am not too sure on how to remove that, does the roof lining pop off or is it one of those that need to be reglued after removing? It looks like the nozzle/washer line is just behind the roof lining, again I am not sure, it is the newer interior though, I've seen a 97 vitara with the old interior before i got this one and this one has the interior without the space to lay something in the middle on the dash on top, not sure if this makes any difference with the roof lining.
Another (minor) issue, there is a really small whining noise coming from the ac compressor (where the belt spins) I am not sure if its anything worth looking into, the A/C still works but I do not want it to go wrong one day and have to fork out cash for a whole new compressor if its an easy fix.
Also where is the tyre iron located in the car? The jack is under the driver seat, the jack arm/hook is under the passenger seat but I cannot find a tyre iron anywhere, I do have a spare one but I was hoping for a stock one to be there tucked away somewhere as there is no real storage compartment in the car other than the glove box/box above glovebox.
On the way back from Albany at 110km/h at slight bends the rear windows would open a gap and let air out through them (not sure if thats the gaskets gone wrong or the close latch itself but I don't think it would fully waterproof the interior whilst driving in rain)
Thats all the thing's I found wrong with the car, now just save up for a lift, bashplates, diff breathers and snorkler and ready to hit some serious tracks haha.
Anyone know of any good light tracks around rockingham/manudrah? Or even further down south?
Thanks in advance guys, good to finally be a part of the zook community.

#E: Also whats some good Australian websites/stores for parts/mods?

[Eryk]

anyone? even solving a few of those problems would make my life alot easier, thanks guys.

[Scrawny]

Steering doesn't sound like a cv issue. However, I'd recommend as a minimum having boots replaced but probably joints too. Jack the front wheels off the ground and do a thorough check of all steering components, wheel bearings etc. Spin the steering wheel while the wheels are off the ground and see if the issue is still there.

Is there a compartment in the boot area where the tools could be hiding?

A/C whine could be clutch on the front, could be tensioner bearing for the belt, could be compressor itself. I'd just be monitoring it and seeking advice from an A/C specialist if it gets worse

[krat]

The tyre spanner in my swb is in the original vinyl tool bag under the drivers seat. You are up for a new spanner I think.
Mine is a soft top so can't help with the rear window thing.
Scrawn is on the money with the steering thing. Time to get the jack out.
Aircon : mine had a bit of a squeal. Just try tightening the belt and see if it makes a difference. Check the belt condition as well.

Good luck.

[fordem]

Regarding the whining noise from the a/c compressor - is it continuous or only when the a/c is in use? If it's is continuous it's most likely the clutch bearing and that can be replaced separately, often without removing the compressor if you have the right tools to hand. If its only when the a/c is in use, it's probably a compressor bearing and that will probably require a compressor replacement.

[Eryk]

Scrawn wrote:

Steering doesn't sound like a cv issue. However, I'd recommend as a minimum having boots replaced but probably joints too. Jack the front wheels off the ground and do a thorough check of all steering components, wheel bearings etc. Spin the steering wheel while the wheels are off the ground and see if the issue is still there.

Is there a compartment in the boot area where the tools could be hiding?

A/C whine could be clutch on the front, could be tensioner bearing for the belt, could be compressor itself. I'd just be monitoring it and seeking advice from an A/C specialist if it gets worse

Yeah I noticed one of the boots was in pretty bad cond. i believe the left one? So I was just gonna get 2 half shafts to replace just to be sure, as I had driven it from Albany to Perth when I got it I didn't hear any noise while driving (only from the steering sometimes on sharper turns right) it kind of sounds like something is rubbing on something? I just put it up on jackstands and have videos of the noise without and with the car on jack stands, there is no noise on jack stands till I get to the end of the turn then it has the same sound as it does without jack stands about half way through turning right, it has it on both sides when the steering is turned to the end:
Without Jack Stands:
With Jack Stands:

krat wrote:

The tyre spanner in my swb is in the original vinyl tool bag under the drivers seat. You are up for a new spanner I think.
Mine is a soft top so can't help with the rear window thing.
Scrawn is on the money with the steering thing. Time to get the jack out.
Aircon : mine had a bit of a squeal. Just try tightening the belt and see if it makes a difference. Check the belt condition as well.

Good luck.

Thanks for the tip, I didn't notice the vinyl bag as it sort of blended in with the seat covers, I now have a tyre iron
How would I go about tightening the belt?

fordem wrote:

Regarding the whining noise from the a/c compressor - is it continuous or only when the a/c is in use? If it's is continuous it's most likely the clutch bearing and that can be replaced separately, often without removing the compressor if you have the right tools to hand. If its only when the a/c is in use, it's probably a compressor bearing and that will probably require a compressor replacement.

The previous owner told me it's only when the A/C is on and you can only hear it slightly when the bonnet is up, so I am probably up for a new compressor in the near future? The ac still works fine though.


Unfortunately I also found an oil leak when I jacked the car up, it seems to be coming from either the transmission or transfer case (I am still not sure which part it is) it has a sort of 3 drop pattern and sometimes more drops if I take the car for a long ride, I've got pictures:



E: Second look i noticed its connected to the front diff and another same looking part right next to it (closer to front of car) seems to have a leak too.
I can't afford to have oil leaks as we are currently renting and the owner won't be happy with oil drips all over his garage floor, how much would this oil leak cost to fix? really appreciate your help guys.

[Reubs]

Tailshaft seals. About $15 ea and relatively easy to replace. If they continue leaking you may have some bearing issues.

Those oil leaks on the floor look to be really superficial in the scheme of how bad leaks can be. I buy a carton of degreaser cans every time I see them on sale for my oil leaks. An offcut of vinyl flooring goes great on a garage floor to contain very small leaks - just wipe down every so often. Rubber sheets aren't good as rubber swells with oil contact. Alternatively a galvanised steel drip tray is like $25.

[Eryk]

Reubs wrote:

Tailshaft seals. About $15 ea and relatively easy to replace. If they continue leaking you may have some bearing issues.

Those oil leaks on the floor look to be really superficial in the scheme of how bad leaks can be. I buy a carton of degreaser cans every time I see them on sale for my oil leaks. An offcut of vinyl flooring goes great on a garage floor to contain very small leaks - just wipe down every so often. Rubber sheets aren't good as rubber swells with oil contact. Alternatively a galvanised steel drip tray is like $25.

Thanks good to hear its nothing expensive, so thats what tailshaft look like? so that would be leaking diff oil? I have another part thats leaking oil I think it might be either the transfer case or extension gearbox? I will post a photo Now just to try figure out what the wheel noise is, I am going on a 3 week holiday so when I get back I will be getting all this fixed hopefully all at once, put it into Suzistore in Midland (Perth) and get all those done, unless its a relatively easy job that doesn't require a torque wrench and much knowledge cause as far as my skills go I can replace oils and parts I see I can just unscrew/replace but when it comes to changing seals and such I haven't got the guts to do it, I am sure if I knew how to do one and done it once itd be a different story but I am pretty sure when you replace gaskets you need to torque all screws to even torque so its not pressing on one side of the gasket/seal harder than the other.
Here is a photo of the other leaking part:

As for the drip tray, I work a delivery job so once I get this car all sorted out I will get rid of my daily camry (I've already put it up for sale so if its sold before its all fixed I'll have a bigger problem) and be using it for deliveries so a drip tray would only be a temporary fix to an everyday issue, I am more worried that if I don't get it fixed asap and I started driving it daily I would eventually lose too much oil (as there is no dip stick to check it) and the tranny or whatever its connected to will fail.

[Eryk]

any help guys?

[Reubs]

With a leak as superficial as that it'll take tens of thousands of kilometers of driving before you lose enough oil from the transfer case to cause an issue.

As an example, years ago I bought a Vit in Perth. I replaced both seals but still had leaks - suspected stuffed bearings. I couldn't park that thing for 5 minutes without a big smear of oil spilled under it. The oil leak was so bad after driving 1 day from Perth to the SA border (1400km) I had a mist of oil across the back of the car. I drove it back to Brisbane over the next 3 days (4400km total over 4 days) without incident and without topping up the gear oil. Point is - a little oil makes a big mess.

Yes I was talking about tailshaft seals on the transfer case. Easy replaced. The seal is probably easily stuffed up but certainly not a difficult job to have a go at, nor one you need a torque wrench for.

Drain transfer oil. Undo tailshaft bolts at diff ends. Drop tailshafts. Pry out old seal with a screwdriver. Carefully press new seal in. Big socket and a very light hammer probably helps. Put tailshafts back in. Fill transfer oil.

As for strange noises - see a mechanic...

[Eryk]

Reubs wrote:

With a leak as superficial as that it'll take tens of thousands of kilometers of driving before you lose enough oil from the transfer case to cause an issue.

As an example, years ago I bought a Vit in Perth. I replaced both seals but still had leaks - suspected stuffed bearings. I couldn't park that thing for 5 minutes without a big smear of oil spilled under it. The oil leak was so bad after driving 1 day from Perth to the SA border (1400km) I had a mist of oil across the back of the car. I drove it back to Brisbane over the next 3 days (4400km total over 4 days) without incident and without topping up the gear oil. Point is - a little oil makes a big mess.

Yes I was talking about tailshaft seals on the transfer case. Easy replaced. The seal is probably easily stuffed up but certainly not a difficult job to have a go at, nor one you need a torque wrench for.

Drain transfer oil. Undo tailshaft bolts at diff ends. Drop tailshafts. Pry out old seal with a screwdriver. Carefully press new seal in. Big socket and a very light hammer probably helps. Put tailshafts back in. Fill transfer oil.

As for strange noises - see a mechanic...

Had a mate look over it and it seems to not be the tailshaft seals on transfer case (I already got the seals) he thinks its the gearbox leaking and it just dripped down to the transfer/tailshafts cause of gravity, I changed the gearbox oil and there was about 300-400mL missing so I wouldnt say its a superficial leak, I drive everyday with alot of stopping and starting maybe thats what caused it to drain so quickly, also noticed some metal shards on the drain plug (might be the reason my reverse makes a grinding noise 90% of the time I pop it in, and is it possible that its not my tailshafts/transfer case but the gbox itself? degreased it today for a proper check in a few days.
Here are photos of the drain bolt: