Well, had my Surf for all of 6 weeks now,.. and I’m impressed!

[travellingmac]

Hi All

Well, had my Surf for all of 6 weeks now,.. and I’m impressed!

Would be hard not to after hearing all your views and secrets, shortcuts etc,… they have all been invaluable!

The good news being, I have had it dirty! Sure not dirty enough, but good enough for a first outing. I visited the Devils Punchbowl a few weeks back, and these motors sure get around.

After tackling a few drop-offs and really wanting to get down and dirty, common sense kicked in and I decided that being stuck on a Sunday eve down South, with no winches, ropes etc wasn’t the done thing. But me being the kind hearted soul, I thought my 3 mates would want just a ‘lil jaunt down the forestry tracks,.. chuckle chuckle,.. well 4 guys and 2 hours of digging later, my mate was handing over cash at the local! The great prophet Surf Daddy once said,..”He who drives off a straight forestry track into quagmire, buys the rounds”.

Now back in town, and time put aside this weekend, TT (Travelling Truck) has now had a change of oil, new oil and fuel filter (already had a new air filter), full grease, spider, yokes, shafts, ball joints etc. Also the slow back window now has had a going over, and the general degrease and wash. I really did like the dirty look but as the Missis is back from travelling Asia next week , and hasn’t seen my baby yet I thought best give it some glam.

But, alas there is always a but,.. I can’t find the rear windscreen washer bottle filler. I have looked all round the tailgate, under, over inside storage, etc , so I can only assume I am not the brightest, which could be true, or, and this doesn’t sound right that it runs off the main front washers,…could this be right?

Also I am going to drop the oil out of the diffs and clean the breathers (I think I might have a shaft bearing seal on the way out) and also change the Manual and transfer box oil this weekend. But while I am at this, I really would like some peace of mind with the cooling system. I have no idea when it was done and it has no sign of any coolant in it, and I have a new thermostat to pop in.

But,… after reading many a cooling nightmare, I really don’t need one. Is there a high likelihood of getting airlocks, and hence overheating, or is there a tried and true, but simple way of flushing and refilling.

Also, before my must do soon adventure to the Pit, I want to get my hands on a good but cheapish hand winch and a stretchy tow rope,.. any recommendations?

Is there any thing service wise that I should also be looking at so as to avoid the unnecessary. I am no mechanic, but I do have a toolbox.

Sorry to ask all these questions, but I know the answers are out there.

Well thanks again for a grand site, and any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks

Travelling Mac.

[kitesurf_phil]

Hi All

Well, had my Surf for all of 6 weeks now,.. and I’m impressed!

Would be hard not to after hearing all your views and secrets, shortcuts etc,… they have all been invaluable!

The good news being, I have had it dirty! Sure not dirty enough, but good enough for a first outing. I visited the Devils Punchbowl a few weeks back, and these motors sure get around.

After tackling a few drop-offs and really wanting to get down and dirty, common sense kicked in and I decided that being stuck on a Sunday eve down South, with no winches, ropes etc wasn’t the done thing. But me being the kind hearted soul, I thought my 3 mates would want just a ‘lil jaunt down the forestry tracks,.. chuckle chuckle,.. well 4 guys and 2 hours of digging later, my mate was handing over cash at the local! The great prophet Surf Daddy once said,..”He who drives off a straight forestry track into quagmire, buys the rounds”.

Now back in town, and time put aside this weekend, TT (Travelling Truck) has now had a change of oil, new oil and fuel filter (already had a new air filter), full grease, spider, yokes, shafts, ball joints etc. Also the slow back window now has had a going over, and the general degrease and wash. I really did like the dirty look but as the Missis is back from travelling Asia next week , and hasn’t seen my baby yet I thought best give it some glam.

But, alas there is always a but,.. I can’t find the rear windscreen washer bottle filler. I have looked all round the tailgate, under, over inside storage, etc , so I can only assume I am not the brightest, which could be true, or, and this doesn’t sound right that it runs off the main front washers,…could this be right?

Yes the main bottle does back and front.

Also I am going to drop the oil out of the diffs and clean the breathers (I think I might have a shaft bearing seal on the way out) and also change the Manual and transfer box oil this weekend. But while I am at this, I really would like some peace of mind with the cooling system. I have no idea when it was done and it has no sign of any coolant in it, and I have a new thermostat to pop in.

But,… after reading many a cooling nightmare, I really don’t need one. Is there a high likelihood of getting airlocks, and hence overheating, or is there a tried and true, but simple way of flushing and refilling.

Find the drain tap, lower RHS of rad when standing in front. Put the heater(s) full on. Dump the old coolant and flush with tap water a couple of times. Refill with de-ionised water and antifreeze 50/50 mix. Run the engine with idle-up button engaged and the filler cap off. Every time it burps air pour a drop more coolant in. Give the top hoses a squeeze to help chase any airlocks out. Half fill the header tank and go for a 4 mile drive and top up on return (if needed). See thread, Burping Your Cooling System.

Also, before my must do soon adventure to the Pit, I want to get my hands on a good but cheapish hand winch and a stretchy tow rope,.. any recommendations?

Ask TonyN

Is there any thing service wise that I should also be looking at so as to avoid the unnecessary. I am no mechanic, but I do have a toolbox.

Change the cam-belt even if it is allegedly already done. Better safe than sorry. Change the other belts at the same time. While the viscous fan is off check that out too. A play with the search facility will turn up all the answers.

Sorry to ask all these questions, but I know the answers are out there.

Well thanks again for a grand site, and any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks

Travelling Mac.

Good luck with your toy. Now you have picked up your spanners you'll be hooked. I was a total spannerphobe until I got my truck and found this site. Now I own a set of overalls!!!!!

[travellingmac]

Timing / Cam Belt

Thanks for the info Phil,..

As suggested I will replace the Timing / Cam Belt, (though I was promised that it had been done six months ago, but no receipts to prove).

Since I am going to be draining the radiator, it thought 2 birds one stone.

I’m not sure if it is as straight forward as it would appear in the Haynes Repair Manual,.. can a Jo Bloggs like me with a new toolkit and a keenness to learn attempt this, or am I over my head and should I leave it to the professionals,… I was thinking it would be a good opportunity for me to give it a good once over and so I was thinking one can only learn, but are there any traps?

Also, does anyone know of where I can pick up the dash mounted Dials that have normally got the gradient, and other info on them,.. mine has the ugliest of brackets and no pod attached.

Thanks

Travelling Mac

[bensonsnuts]

Thanks for the info Phil,..

As suggested I will replace the Timing / Cam Belt, (though I was promised that it had been done six months ago, but no receipts to prove).

Since I am going to be draining the radiator, it thought 2 birds one stone.

I’m not sure if it is as straight forward as it would appear in the Haynes Repair Manual,.. can a Jo Bloggs like me with a new toolkit and a keenness to learn attempt this, or am I over my head and should I leave it to the professionals,… I was thinking it would be a good opportunity for me to give it a good once over and so I was thinking one can only learn, but are there any traps?

Also, does anyone know of where I can pick up the dash mounted Dials that have normally got the gradient, and other info on them,.. mine has the ugliest of brackets and no pod attached.

Thanks

Travelling Mac

Best bet for the inclinometer is a 4x4 breaker or someone from here like Hilux or streetluge Chris.
You also sometimes see them on ebay ,mainly from America, depends how bad you want one.
They look cool , but I can't say I've ever found it useful.
The butt cheeks tend to be a far better indication if you're overdoing it !!

[andy]

One on ebay at the moment.


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...category=36681

[Linda]

You wont need a winch for the pit - there will be tons of people to pull you out!!!

Supertrux do winches or you can get them on ebay, or from somewhere like Frogs island. Remember you'll need a winch bumper too and that can start getting a bit pricey if you want pukka stuff like Gamedawn has... Have a search about on the net and see whats about... (sorry - I'm rushing to leave work or I'd have done the searches for you and posted the links!!)