New toy - Cyprus

Hi all,

i live in Cyprus and just purchased a 1998 model Jimny, mainly for off road use (hunting).

The car was imported from Japan during 2002.

The car is in a very good condition, interior and exterior but I have no clue what is going on under the bonnet.

The car has been fitted with new lift suspension but I have no idea the height and the condition of it. Is there a way to help me by looking at the pictures? Btw I will upload the pics soon.

Also there is a lot of steering wheel vibration while downhill above 35mph!!! I mean a lot of vibration. Please note that the wheels need alignment thought!!! Is that the problem?

I have also note that the car has a steering dampener (if I am correct) which is located across the front part.

Can you please quite me a bit on how to check, what to look for and when visiting the mechanic not taking advantage.

Mike

CY wrote:

Yes that is most certainly a steering damper, so it might be masking an even worse problem.

Personally I would take it off and work from there. If the vibration only occurs downhill, does that mean your braking as well? If that's the case you might have warped disks.

But then you say the wheels need aligning so do those first then see how it stands.

You also have alloy wheels. I maybe wrong, but I am sure I have read they can warp a little on Jimnys when the wheel bolts are tightened, so it's worth checking that too.

i agree with GA, get the allignment done first as this may be the cause of the wobble.

is there greasy shity fluid coming out of the swivels on the front hubs? if so this is a sure sign the kinpins are probably knackered which causes "death wobble" generally between 40-50mph.

warped disks cause wobble as also suggested but mainly when braking.

does it wobble when driving on flat ground?

will be hard for us lot on here to help problem solve when the alignment needs doing

i know the traingle alloys like your spare are a nightmare to balance properly!looks like the road alloys are different tho.

sort the allignment issue then get back to us is your best course of action.

does it have wheel spacers fitted? the drivers side (uk spec) rear wheel looks like its sticking further out than the passenger side, might be an illusion tho but if you have no wheel spacers and it is indeed sticking further out one side id guess its a 3" lift with no adjustable panhard rod so the axle is off centre.