Definitely not a hairdresser's Vitara - MoT time

[bunglebus]

I mentioned a while back my FIL deciding an appropriate mode of transport for a 6 foot bald retiree with a big beard, was a 30 year old Vitara:

Like many of us, I made the error of expressing a passing interest in motor vehicles, so now when they go wrong it falls to me to try and fix them.

First fail was the O/S wiper arm deciding to only vaguely follow what the N/S one was doing, inspection via a phone camera revealed an odd looking mess behind the pivot (and the inspection cover missing which should have set alarm bells off)

Enquiries online and at a local scrapyard found a linkage posted for £40 or just down the road for £30. Unfortunately despite several calls and arranging to go and collect, the breakers kept making excuses so we bought the one off Facebook. The O/S spindle felt a bit tight and as you can't take it apart, I left it sat in a pot of oil for several days which improved things - then the real fun began. 

The spindles pass through a plastic bush/mounting which is held to the scuttle via a couple of captive bolts. The O/S had clearly been apart before and the bolts replaced with two very crap ones, plenty of evidence of angle grinder attack too - I forgot to get a pic but this was after I'd removed the bolts, fairly easy to access this side thankfully

The other spindle is similarly mounted and the bolts just spun inside the plastic, so after dremelling the nuts off, the bolts were heated and pushed through, and new bolts/nuts fitted - all the new fixings are stainless as that's all Halfords had left - this would bite me in the arse later. Getting these bolts in place from the back is not easy, thankfully Suzuki put a decent size cover under each mount, but in the end I had to access this middle one with my arm through the hole left by removing the motor, all the way over on the N/S by the inner wing.

Having ensured I could re-fit everything, I tried to get the linkage out - and discovered the centre mount has a sneaky third captive bolt which exits inside the car behind the dash, just under the 'screen. Balls.

Despite various acrobatics, there was no option but to start undoing the dash mounts and pulling it away until I could get at it - I could just about get a socket on the nut, but of course the bolt yet again spun inside the plastic and nothing would come loose. They just have splines on the shaft of the bolt and this seems to be inevitable. Problem is, unless you can get this last bolt pushed through, you can't get the linkage mount free. Balls x2. 

Time for plan B - pull the O/S end of the linkage out (ball and socket) and fix it. I was loathe to take apart the "new" linkage in case I couldn't put it back together again, but the old one didn't put up a fight

Despite this first class repair using a self tapper and some blobs of pigeon shit, the arm was not secured to the spindle fully, allowing quite a lot of rotational movement where there should be none

Ground back;

Now I'm not going to say my welding was a million times better than whoever did it last time, but I did at least succeed in sticking the two parts together firmly, and while I was at it improved the battery hold-down which was literally a strip of steel that just bent as you did it up previously

Then I refitted everything. Or tried to - why the **** won't the scuttle trim go back on? Oh, because the new bolts I fitted to the N/S spindle mount are too long and foul it, so I had to remove them and cut them down again (stainless so a PITA), then I dropped one and spent ages looking in the grass for it (can't use a magnet because stainless) and eventually found the cheeky bastard sitting on top of the bellhousing. Now they're even harder to get in as you're trying to put a tiny bolt in from the back where you can't see what you're doing and once again I have my arm through the motor access hole and round the back to reach it. Best part is if I'd realised I wasn't getting the linkage out due to the hidden bolt, I wouldn't have touched the damn things in the first place!

Still, it's all back together now, just in time for some rain to test things as I deliver it back, I'll just stick the heater fan on...er...where's the slider gone? Oh FFS it's got trapped behind the control panel while I had the dash out! Here we go again...

[Low ontime]

Ah… car jobs for family members ….

always eventful…! 

i now just say “I don’t have the special tools for xxxxx job and it would be cheaper at a garage and the works guaranteed “ especially this time of year… 

[bunglebus]

That debacle was a couple of months ago, got much bigger things to tackle now - more to follow

[bunglebus]

I suppose it's par for the course with old cars, but everything I look at has missing fixings. While taking the dash out I discovered there were no screws holding the centre console in, so I whipped the seats out and replaced them after putting some spire nuts in place as they were AWOL too.

While I was there I adjusted the handbrake cables as it was pointing at the roof. However the handbrake still doesn't have any effect at all, not ideal in an automatic.

Other tinkerings included trying to adjust some of the slop out of the steering box, and adding a bit of Wynn's treatment as it groans at low speed. Neither fault is fixed, knackered balljoints discovered at both ends of the O/S track rod which have caused the tyre to wear on the inner edge.

I also noticed the manifold to downpipe gasket was blowing and the cat heat shield loose and rattling.

More jobs added to the list

[Dobloseven]

Something odd about that registration? Surely 56 reg is 2006/7.Thought the Vitaras of that era were very different .

[bunglebus]

 

3 minutes ago, Dobloseven said:

Something odd about that registration? Surely 56 reg is 2006/7.Thought the Vitaras of that era were very different .

It's L856 not LB56 - 1993

[bunglebus]

There I was minding my own business a few weeks ago, the Vitara having gone back to the old man with a list of jobs to be done, when I got a call to say it had conked out at the end of the A130 and a cloud of smoke had come out of the bonnet on the left (?) and it would crank but not start.

It only took the RAC around 8 hours to attend a pensioner without his diabetes meds or a coat on a cold day. Amazing.

It got dragged to mine and dumped on the lawn. Next day I had a nose under the bonnet and it did smell like burning but I couldn't see anything amiss. Tried starting it and it fired up, but wasn't running too well. It seemed to improve as it warmed up, took it around the block and back home, switched off and had a further look under the bonnet. Wisps of smoke coming from the air filter housing, strange but I suppose fumes could find their way back up there.

Once it was warm it wouldn't restart, WTF? Oh well I'll let it cool down, better check all the fluids as it often needs the coolant topped up. Oh. It doesn't have any, and I've had it running 15 mins or so.

Adding some produced lots of gurgling and hissing, I'm starting to fear the worst here is I've had a suspicion for a while that there's a head gasket problem.

Tried to start it and got a large cloud of steam and hissing noises from the left side of the engine bay - a load of water had sprayed out of the failed downpipe gasket. Now it's starting to make sense, the head gasket has failed spectacularly and chucked all the coolant out of the exhaust.

Plugs out revealed 1 2 and 3 nicely steam cleaned, still water across the gap on this one

Better drain the coolant again and remove whatever's in the cylinders

Off with its head! After a bit of procrastinating and buying a HBOL, I made a start and once again discovered missing fixings. Water pump pulley should be secured by studs and nuts, but some numpty has replaced a stud with a bit of threaded rod, so it would have been very easy to wind it in too far and destroy the pump on start up. Also found the radiator and cambelt cover to have missing bolts.

Best one so far is the bottom pulley, out of five 8mm headed bolts, one was missing and one was not actually doing anything. Just to add insult to injury #5 was chewed up so there was a further delay while I sourced some Irwin bolt extractors

Got the blighter out though

Next missing fixing discovered was a manifold stud

And despite chew marks, the cambelt tensioner wasn't much more than finger tight

The fixings I thought would be a fight (exhaust manifold) put up no resistance whatsoever, once I'd figured out some are 13 and some are 12mm anyway. However a silly bracket that just has some wiring plugs attached to it was done up to approximately 400lbs/ft

So here's where I'm at as of yesterday

Inlet manifold looks like a fun* job as I can't see all the fixings, only got this week off work and that's because the Mrs has an op today so I need to keep an eye on her at home.

What's the chances the engine is FUBAR thanks to running with no coolant?

[Dobloseven]

 Japanese,innit M8!Run forever,that will! Seriously,best of luck with it.Few years back had a Fiesta off a 90 plus year old guy down the road , who'd run it with no coolant,due to a leaking core plug in the block.Also the oil pressure switch had exploded,so no oil either.Recovery guy had told him it was the timing belt gone!Endura ohv engine! It'd got so hot one of the valve seats had dropped out.Secondhand head from a Ka,a new gaskets etc. and it ran for many years.

[FakeConcern]

Liked for great write ups not for you having a hard time fixing it!

[gadgetgricey]

Mate of mine had that exact same Vitara. White body kit , sure it was an L reg as well. Will ask if he has any photo's.
We used to call it the Venga bus for some reason.

Found out about 6 months after he'd bought it that his did not even have power steering. Amazed he could even park it with the wide wheels fitted.

[Rustybullethole]

First post did tickle me though I do feel your pain. 

Can you pull the head with the intake attached? 

[bunglebus]

Maybe, but there's so much attached I think I'd rather unbolt it from the head and leave it in situ

[Rustybullethole]

9 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

Maybe, but there's so much attached I think I'd rather unbolt it from the head and leave it in situ

Fair enough, cant judge the lesser evil from here. 

A lad in the year above me at school got one of these just before he left. He gained much respect and friends. 

[bunglebus]

Unbelievably, today is the first chance I've had to continue with this, due to work and bloody rain! It's on the lawn (complete with dead patch now) so I wussed out of laying on mud.

Only thing that was holding me up was the last few bolts in the inlet manifold and support bracket, which require hands the size of a Barbie doll to access it seems. Still, got 'em in the end

A couple of the head bolts seemed to crack off with minimal effort, one was a bit tight all the way up the thread

Gasket definitely FUBAR

Nasty helicoil repair to exhaust side will need attention 

Despite my concerns, the bores look ok after a careful clean with a plastic scouring pad, and I can't see any damage to the head or block where the gasket failed

#4 has obviously ingested something, but I don't think it's a problem 

Tune in after another 5 months for another exciting update!

Seriously I need to get this thing off my lawn and back to the poor FIL, think he's going stir crazy without it

[Missy Charm]

Is that a carburettor on the left? 

Well done, anyway.    Cars like this are the sort most likely to become extinct - they appeal to neither their intended audience nor to car enthusiasts who would look after them - so it's great to see one getting such attention.  

It'll be a classic one day...  

[bunglebus]

2 hours ago, Missy Charm said:

Is that a carburettor on the left? 

It's single point injection 

Not sure about this head, a bit of pitting where the gasket blew

But this is more concerning as it seems to intrude into the gasket sealing ring area

 

[jonathan_dyane]

Yeah that's fucked unfortunately 

[yes oui si]

AR39s on Vitaras are for winners.

Hopefully you can get it sorted. 

[bunglebus]

A trip to darkest Kent and handing over a bunch of pictures of the queen netted me this today

Top has some black death but should clean up

More importantly the waterways etc are in much better shape than the current ones

[bunglebus]

Got a couple of days free and the sun's shining, so I'm cracking on getting this head back on

Cleaned the block up and ran a bolt down the threads to get any gack out

Slung the head on and torqued it down...and then realised both inlet and exhaust gaskets are wrong

A count of the valve stem seals confirms I've been sent a 16v gasket set.

FFS I wanted this back together today

[bunglebus]

Still tinkering away, got the right head set now. Progress is mainly being hampered by missing fixings thanks to previous bodgers

Starting to look like an engine again though

[bunglebus]

New cap head bolts for the crank pulley, replacing the terrible 8mm head ones

New studs rather than threaded rod for the water pump pulley and vicious fan

You might be able to tell they're not quite all at the same angle, which is odd. What you won't be able to tell is that they're too long, so I had to take them all out again and chop them with the Dremel and hacksaw. I then fitted the fan, then took it off again when I realised I hadn't fitted the shroud. How we laughed!

I seem to have put about 30% more bolts back into this thing than I took out, the crank pulley, radiator, fan shroud and various other bits had fixings missing.

It's now back together 100%, spun it over and it coughed once but wouldn't start. I've managed to locate my timing light (probably last used about 20 years ago), as the distributor is about the only thing I can't be sure went back exactly as it came apart - doesn't help that you can put the dizzy cap on 180° out!

[stuboy]

On 16/05/2024 at 20:44, bunglebus said:

A trip to darkest Kent

anywhere nice?

[bunglebus]

42 minutes ago, stuboy said:

anywhere nice?

Maidstone area but out in the sticks somewhere. Bloke had a smallholding

[High Jetter]

Just stumbled over this thread, great work there!

[Peter C]

3 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Just stumbled over this thread, great work there!

Ditto!

[bezzabsa]

not seen a vitara out in the wild for a few years

[bunglebus]

Moved the distributor one position round on its helical drive and it burst into life instantly.

Only problem is there's lots of water vapour coming out of the exhaust. I can conclude one of two things - either there's loads of water still sitting in the exhaust from when the gasket failed spectacularly, or it's still drawing coolant in, maybe a cylinder liner has dropped? It's just got water in the system currently, as I wanted to run it up and drain it to get rid of any gunk - I'll refill with coolant tomorrow and if I can smell that at the tailpipe I'm admitting defeat 

[bunglebus]

I decided the best course of action was to sling the thing in for an MoT and see what happens, if it came back with a huge fail list it'd get binned off, if it was OK but still using coolant it'd get sold.

Got 24h insurance and the Mrs followed me to the test centre - apparently by the time we got half way there it stopped steaming. Good start.

Only failed on a track rod which I knew about and a rear brake pipe. It'll also need a tyre that the knackered track rod has killed, although it didn't fail on it. 

Tyre purchased through Asda and booked in today at F1 to be fitted so last night I whizzed the wheel off and attacked the track rod. As it's getting replaced I just went at it with the pickle fork, other than the usual fun of the ball joints spinning instead of the nut coming off (impact to the rescue), it wasn't too bad.

Brake pipe and retest booked Friday

Oh and the steam has completely stopped. Must just have had all the silencers full of water from its blow up last year

[yes oui si]

Good to hear about the steam only being temporary. Cracking work!