Sharky's Musterious Isuzu! May have broken it again :(

[Sharky.]

Took the Mu in for its warrant of fitness this morning... it failed.

Fog lights need to be tightened and focused (I already knew they needed to be tightened as they're loose as hell but they physically don't tighten any further due to the nut and thread...), left-side headlamp needed to be realigned (got that done by an auto lights guy immediately afterwards) and my handbrake pretty much doesn't exist.

At least it didn't fail on something major such as something leaking, so I guess that's a good thing.

I also got confirmation that my alternator is knackered in one way or another, 9.2 cranking volts, 13.1 idle no load and a max of 12.4 idle full load... not to mention the in-dash voltmeter shows 16v when under full power! Aaaaaaaaand the microswitch that activates the reversing lights and beeper is probably dirty/loose as I have to jiggle the shifter around to get the lights to come on.

Iffy alternator probably explains why my a/c fan only half works and why my power windows take ten years to wind up, so it would be nice to find those two issues fix themselves with a replacement alternator. Going to get a replacement alternator instead of having my current one pulled out and serviced, simply because I need the Mu during the week. Going to cost a bit of $$$ and delays plans I had by a few weeks, but if it gets the Mu working properly... properly, then I'm okay with it.

 

[Punknoodle]

See if any auto sparkles around you do an exchange service for the alternator. Save some bikkies that way.

 

[Sharky.]

Cost isn't really that big of a deal to me any more, I have a much better-paying job now and I just want the damn thing working properly so I can stop spending money on it

 

[Sharky.]

The Mu's going in to get its wee things done tomorrow morning, hopefully everything will be working properly when it's done. The engine's sorted so now it's the electrics' turn, if the auto place I'm going to managed to source a replacement alternator then I shouldn't have to put up with headlights+a/c causing the battery voltage to drop below 11V any more

Once this is sorted then it should be almost sweet as mechanically, with only a couple of minor cosmetic flaws; while I want to eventually get these sorted too (stuffed clearcoat on bonnet and roof, flaky silver paint on grille surround, couple of dents on back of right-rear quarter panel) they can wait indefinitely as getting it into top mechanical condition is and always has been my priority. The only other mechanical things I can think of that aren't electrical related is a faint squeal from the right-front rotor when braking at a certain speed and a possible need for a wheel alignment (up front at least). Those are both minor things I can live with though, so after tomorrow I'll be more than happy to leave things as-is for a while.

 

[Sharky.]

Triple combo.

Good news: the Mu finally has a new warrant of fitness.

The bad news:

Farewell, sweet foglights. I never used them and the passenger-side one had a corroded reflector, but I still liked the way they made the front end look. In the end it wasn't worth trying to get them tightened in their mounts - both the bolts and ball joints they mount on were seized solid, so it was easier, faster, cheaper etc to just have them cut off. Might buy some new ones as replacements at a later date.

Additionally the alternator should be getting done next Saturday. Could be up to $3-400 exc labour depending on what type of alternator they are able to find, if it doesn't have a vacuum pump hanging off the back it's going to be cheaper... or something.


The readjusted handbrake is going to take some getting used to, it used to have about 10cm of travel in the lever but now it only pulls out a few centimetres before it engages

 

[Sharky.]

Alternator didn't get done last week unfortunately, which meant I was having to deal with monumental electrical issues for the first few days this week - a brand new battery that completely drained itself in 24 hours, a relative inability to use my headlights or anything else that would draw a lot of current from the battery, battery that wouldn't charge above 11.5v, dash lights that wouldn't go out because charge was always so low etc.

Ended up giving it to the auto guys (again) on Thursday morning and taking their loaner in the interim; I picked the Mu back up midday today and it was sweet as. New alternator and a new charge relay did the trick, the voltmeter pins itself at 13.6-14v now 👍

Of course every upside has a downside and this time it was $750... so yes, that means I've had to spend over $5000 to get the engine in a vehicle I bought for $4000 working properly :| Hopefully that's the end of the problems with it though, besides a couple of minor things like the a/c blower not working on speeds 1 or 2 and the power windows taking a rather long time to wind up it's running pretty well now. Now that everything is getting enough electrical power, it drives so much better than it used to

 

[Punknoodle]

Wow, that's pricey, but hopefully it will serve you well for some time now

 

[Sharky.]

If it can make it to next weekend without something showing signs of breaking then I think I'm good, given the amount of stuff I've had to fix on it I'm cautiously optimistic though, after the head gasket saga I thought that was going to be the extent of problems but then the alternator decided it wanted to die!

What's been fixed/replaced to date:

• head gasket replaced, included a full gasket set
• head tested and machined
• exhaust guides replaced
• valves resurfaced
• water damage on front housing repaired
• head bolts replaced
• timing belt replaced
• water pump replaced
• injectors serviced
• oil and fuel filters replaced
• oil replaced
• windscreen washer pump replaced
• alternator replaced
• charge relay replaced
• handbrake adjusted
• fog lights removed

That's about $5300 all up, so I hope I don't have to spend any more money on it for a while

(I replaced the head unit, but that's not relevant to this discussion)

 

[Sharky.]

Checked the Mu's tyre pressures today in an effort to try and work out why it drinks more than Amy Winehouse ever did, and what I found was quite significant...

LR tyre 21psi
RR tyre 24psi
LF/RF tyres somewhere around 25psi
Spare tyre 19(!)psi

21psi in a 31-inch 4WD tyre? Well there's your problem /Adam Savage

Inflated them all to 32 psi, so hopefully 16L/100km (17mpg) turns into 10L/100km (~25mpg) - low pressure is a m+s tyre's worst enemy on the road for obvious reasons, moreso than a conventional car tyre. It felt a lot stiffer and harder the instant I drove off after inflating, so I'm hopeful

 

[Sharky.]

Been a while since I've felt the need to update this thread, given the track record of problems I had with the Mu I'm calling that a good thing

Three months on from the alternator job it's running reasonably well, the only things worth noting are that I feel like it needs a wheel alignment, it's a wee bit smoky (blue) when cold and it still likes a drink. I'm planning on getting a wheel alignment done next week sometime, diesels tend to blow blue before the seals get up to operating temperature/conditions and it gets 18-20mpg around town at the moment which I guess is ok for a 21-year-old 2.8 litre 4cyl diesel 4WD vehicle.

It needs a bit of TLC with respect to the exterior though as it is, well, a bit rubbish - couple of bits of plastic/rubber rear side window trim are missing, a few rusted stone chips in the leading edge of the bonnet, the grille/headlight surround is in desperate need of a repaint, couple of dents in the right-rear corner above and below the light cluster, two small patches of rust on the roof (one bubbling, one flaking), scratches all over the paintwork - to be expected though, it's a 4WD after all - and the dying clearcoat on the bonnet and roof.

I'm probably going to get myself an electric polisher/buffer and some cutting compound and take care of the scratches myself, may even be able to dull the patches of dead clearcoat a bit and make the paintwork look a little bit more respectable. I want to get the roof and bonnet resprayed (front grille at the same time too I suppose), but it's a very low priority so I don't see that getting done any time soon, if at all.

At least nothing else has gone wrong mechanically, and that's the main thing

 

[Sharky.]

Got a wheel alignment done today, the thing had 4.1/3.2mm toe in the front end! Adjusted to 1.0 each side and the front tyres swapped around to even out wear (afaik the left front was wearing its outside edge more than the right front) as well as help the alignment - it drives relatively true now, certainly a lot moreso than before

 

[GDII]

4.1 is nothing. I had 12mm on one side and 5 on the other. I had removed the engine cross member which locates the suspension arms. I only drove it from my place to the tyre shop to get it fixed but hitting wet manholes made the car jump one way pretty badly.

 

[Sharky.]

Yay! A problem! It's been long enough!

Steering adjustment screw leaking power steering fluid. My fault.
Steering box real loose in its mounts. Not my fault.

Tried adjusting my steering to reduce the amount of free play in it and over the course of my spannering I managed to damage the thread of the seal in the locking nut, resulting in PS fluid forcing itself out of where it's meant to be via the adjustment screw/locking nut interface. Mate's old man had a look at it and, well, didn't like what he saw. For a start the adjustment screw was waaaaaaaay out (despite what I thought and my best efforts) so he corrected that and tried to establish why the box was leaking. I ended up standing there looking a bit sheepish knowing that I screwed (pun not intended) up big time when trying to adjust my steering and banjaxed the locking nut's seal.

End result is I need to stuff an o-ring onto the adjustment screw and squish the locking nut down on top of it and hope that seals it up...


While in the process of doing that it was discovered that the steering box itself was barely mounted to the car, it moved around a fair bit when the wheel was jiggled and its mounting bolts were "bloody loose". That was resolved so now my steering box doesn't move around and I have a lot less unwanted free play than before, but I have to find some way to stop the PS leak asap because it's drinking PS fluid

After that I got taken for a ride in a W203 C32 AMG and the speed was very impressive...

 

[Mike Rotch]

You need to get a Haynes manual for your SUV .

After that I got taken for a ride in a W203 C32 AMG and the speed was very impressive...

I used to own one. I miss it Was and still is my dream car.

 

[Sharky.]

You need to get a Haynes manual for your SUV .

I do need one.

Contemplating buying a manual Bighorn with a screwed 3.1 motor for about $600 and pinching the intercooler, bonnet scoop, Recaro seats and maybe some other bits off it, parting out the rest. The guy selling it is going to de-reg it but if he's open to just putting the rego on hold (don't see why he wouldn't at buyer's request, as it wouldn't be his vehicle any more the registration status is irrelevant to him) it may be worth keeping and sourcing a replacement engine at some stage, because the rest of the vehicle seems ok.

Obviously I wouldn't have any need for a second 4WD, let alone a 7-seat Bighorn, but there's potential to make a bit of money

 

[Korza]

Swap the manual from the Bighorn into your Mu.

Do you know if its a Lotus tuned Bighorn?

 

[Sharky.]

Don't think so: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=641503793

 

[Sharky.]

Took locking nut off, jammed a small o-ring on the adjustment screw, put nut back on and tightened it as much as I could, went for a spin around the block and no noticeable leakage. There's still a bit of residual power steer fluid on the steering box itself and parts of the front suspension/chassis directly under the box that will eventually drip away, but there does not appear to be anything coming from the adjustment screw now

Time will tell if it's worked or if I have false hope.

 

[Sharky.]

Power steering's not leaking any more. VICTORY.

It also tracks straight now after the wheel alignment I had done the other month so it's no longer a complete mongrel at 100km/h It takes a while to get there though - even with my foot pinned it takes quite a long time to go from 80 to 100, it has absolutely no top end and at that speed + throttle application it's still in third (4spd auto with OD in 4th)

 

[Sharky.]

Nearly obliterated the rear end this afternoon, go me. Heading up a 4WD track fully laden - four people + some gear - I failed to spot a drainage channel in the track and hit it at somewhere around 40km/h. Front end went thump, rear end went THUMP THUMP and my two friends in the back seats whacked their heads on the roof.

Stopped immediately and had a walk around looking for any damage but we couldn't see any, so either the Mu somehow got through unscathed or something buried underneath was smashed (such as a chassis rail; nothing had come off the vehicle or was hanging underneath). The thing still drove fine so half of me thinks it somehow dodged a bullet, but the other half fully expects some degree of concealed damage - later on in the day we saw that the towbar was angled about 10 degrees upwards instead of its usual horizontal position; the towbar is made of steel at least a centimetre thick so it had to have taken a whack upwards of one tonne to bend it that far! The only thing that would be made of thicker steel is the chassis itself

Destroyed the monsoon shield on my passenger door in a separate incident, too.