Suzuki Club UK

hi.I'm new owner of an old Sj samurai...had it 2 weeks.over the last few days i noticed a heavy pulling to the left under breaking and noticed the freewheel hub on left side was getting super hot.then on friday all hell broke loose.steering went crazy accompanied by severe grinding noise.i at first suspected foul play as i noticed the hub on the left was set to lock(which i know for a fact i didnt do)...after turning this back to free the noise went away but the steering was still all over the place...but now swerving to the right under braking..there is also a grinding noise and ashudder on the steering wheel when i turn to the right...i was advised the problem may have been a sticking brake caliper on the right..turned out not to be so.but when i was checking this i noticed there was a considerable amount of play on the whole of the hub,disc,wheel etc.i was then advised to take the shims out of the upper and lower bearing housing.i did this and although the amount of play was lessened there was still the grinding upon turning to the right and a general feeling of steering craziness all round..i have now been advised it may need the upper and lower bearings replaced on the left wheel and i am awaiting a price...having also been told it is a swine of a job!?...so...there you all have it...any thoughts or ideas or advice you can throw my way then im all ears...I was loving my new truck up until then although i think i paid way over the odds for it second hand but i needed something sharpish with decent off road capability and relatively cheap on gas...i just got rid of a shogun that was melting my pocket with fuel costs..the SJ has 2" body lift and an add a leaf...i am waiting fro the shock extenders to arrive so its like drving the thing on iron wheels right now...could this have caused the steering/suspension/grinding problems???
please help
john

Hi there, a few of us have replied in your other thread along the same lines, In future please check your original threads for replies and carry on with that instead of starting a new thread I would imagine that some of the play is your wheel bearing by way that it is effecting the brakes and making making everything hot.

jack the wheel up and give it a spin, if it still sounds smooth, not graunchy then you can just tighten it up a bit, if it is noisy then you will need new wheel bearings as well, both kingpin bearings and wheel bearings are pretty easy jobs to do.

Where in the country are you, there might be someone on here close by that can have a look for you/do the reepairs for you for a good price?

Scott

hi and thanks for the reply...and the advice on using the forum..all duly noted and will be respected.
ive jacked the beast up and there is a large amount of movement when pushing the wheel from the top and bottom.the brak pads are fine with lots of bite left and the caliper is moving freely..i have been advised it will be bearings and have also been told it is a swine of a job..tho i m willing to give anything a go.one of the reasons i chose this vehicle was because it is old school engineering and i would feel cofident tackling a lot of the work myself..i live in warminster wiltshire
thanks again
john

when you wobble the wheel get someone else to do it and look where it's moving, if the swivel seal is moving on the 'ball' then it's kigpin bearings if the hub and disc are moving (caliper staying still) then its the wheel bearing, nice and simple job and should only be around £30/£35 for a wheel bearing kit. sounds to me like its the wheel bearing to be honest. even the king pin bearings aren't that hard to do though.

If you cover fuel money and spare a few beer tokens I could come over and help you do it if you want?

or you could just follow this write up if you are feeling confident

http://forum.difflock.com/viewtopic.php ... hlight=hub" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ScottieJ wrote:even the king pin bearings aren't that hard to do though.

You can do the bottom ones using nothing but a 12mm spanner and a hammer

twiss wrote:

ScottieJ wrote:even the king pin bearings aren't that hard to do though.

You can do the bottom ones using nothing but a 12mm spanner and a hammer

Not if you are replacing the race as well like you're supposed to Twiss

hi ..its mainly the hub and disc that are moving tho i also think there was some movement on the ball.I'll check it again..thanks for the offer of aid skottie and i might take you up on it but i think i might like to give it a bash myself if its a easy as you say..I'll let you know.do you have a supplier you normally use for parts in the area?...quite handy your'e also a wiltshire boy me thinks.

No worries!

I usually use melksham motaquip, but any motor factors should be able to get them for you.

you can also get them on ebay for a good price, I've never tried these myself though? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SUZUKI-SJ413-SAMU ... 45f35b8f32" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

yeah i was just looking at them..seems ok..so you say if there is movement ob the ball too then i prob need kingpin done too?is that easy enough.i dont have a service manual as yet..

ScottieJ wrote:Not if you are replacing the race as well like you're supposed to Twiss

A minor technicality

Normally the races seem to be ok, as long as you don't wait until the bearing's completely fucked before you take it out