Suzuki Club UK

Hi folks I just picked up my latest aquisition a Suzuki SJ 413 Samurai with a removable hard top. On the way home I noticed some odd things. The one that caught my attention the most was a sort of rattle seeming to come from the steering wheel causing something of a shaking sensation at around 50 mph and under acceleration ?? The other thing that bothered me was what I can only describe as a graunchy sound seeming to come from the gearbox when under load in 3rd and 4th What would be the cause of this or is it normal? The other thing I noticed was the steering does not seem to center itself after going around corners which is ok if that is what they are like or perhaps it a symptom of the rattle from the steering .
Would appreciate any guidance on these questions as I am quite new to these vehicles.
Thanks Ian

Hi again The tickover seemed very high is this normal??
Thanks in

Steering not centering could be a tracking issue, might be worth getting it checked or another possibility is a broken steering damper that has seized up?

That could also be something to do with the shaking at speed.

Check all the steering and front axle though for wear / excess play in the

Wheel bearings
Kingpin bearings
Track rod ends/ball joints
Steering column- Ujoints and bushes where it runs through the bulkhead
Spring bushes
Steering box

Also check the front Ubolts are tight.

If those all seem fine get the wheels balanced/checked.

As for the graunchy noise have a read here http://www.suzukiclubuk.co.uk/phpBB3/ph ... f=2&t=4138" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; there are a few checks you can make to work out where its coming from.

Most likely candidates are

Transferbox input bearing
Clutch release/thrust bearing

Re: steering wheel not centering, is your SJ lifted? Sometimes people fit shackles or do spoa which changes the castor angle which stops it centering. When my sj got the death wobble I had my front wheels balanced, then replaced the steering damper which cured it

Hi having had a good look at the front end it looks like its got a loose wheel bearing so I will see if that will tighten up ok
Thanks folks

they usually do tighten up ok, give it a spin and make sure it still smooth and not noisy when you do though, if it's noisy then it probably won't last much longer.

Hi all solved rattlely noises Tightening wheel bearing improved theings a bit but having the front wheels balanced solved it completely
I am somewhat concerned regarding some what i can only describe as graunchy noises coming from the transmission. It is not equipped with free wheeling hubs and I am wondering if this could be the source of the noise it doesn't seem a bad thing and perhaps its normal
Thanks Ian