Dave's "S200KYS" Jimny 'laner Build...

Balls! Failed MOT -

001 - Stop lamp not working nearside
002 - Stop lamp not working offside - loose connection somewhere, noted on blogs / videos
003 - Anti-roll bar linkage insecure Nearside front - loose nut on SuperPro adjustable droplink
004 - Anti-roll bar which is adjustable, locking device missing - bolts not in ARB disconnect
005 - Ball joint dust cover excessively deteriorated steering box drop arm - time to fit a new one!
006 - Exhaust has a major leak of exhaust gases (back box) - damn, could do without that expense
007 - Headlamp aim too low nearside - quick fix
008 - Front brake application uneven (slow on the offside) - stuck pad/slider

Not too bad? A few hours next week...

I had no stop light either, found crispy wires in the connector from bumper wiring to the in car wiring

At least there wasn't anything serious or structural.

Not sure if I have said this already Dave but S200KYS is a serious bit of kit, fantastic build. I'm sure, just like you have done in the past you'll have the mot stuff sorted in a weekend.

Thanks folks

Couldn't do anything yesterday as I had to drive to Oxford and back to drop our eldest back to Uni, but before I left I ordered an exhaust back box off eBay...

Which turned up today! There's service!

All ready for for those items above to be ticked off tomorrow

Hours work for you mate

I wish!

Nearly done though... discovered one of the disk pad springy mounts missing, so I've ordered a set from the BigJimny Store...

Rest done though, brake lights took hours to trace, I've got a photo on my camera I'll post later to explain...

Those guys in exhaust bays certainly earn their money though, what a PITA that was! Ended up cutting the bolts off as I couldnt even see the threads on them! And some silicon spray lube to get the old exhaust off and the new exhaust onto the rubber hangers... Saved the labour charge though, and got the back box cheap off eBay...

Offending track rod end replaced too...

Retest soon...

So, here's that photo...



This is inside the rear door of my soft-top...

It took me ages to trace the fault with the brake lights that have been working intermittently for some time now... I'd all but given up, the horn and the brake lights in the bumper are on the same fuse, the horn was working fine, the brake lights weren't... the tail lights and indicators were working fine, and they share the earth wires with the brake lights, AND to top it all, the high-level brake light on the top of the soft-top's rear door was working fine?! WTF?!...

So, feeling beaten, I figured the only way to get the bumper brake lights to work was to wire them to the high-level brake light? That would sort it... right?

This wiring block is the one that feeds power up to the high-level brake light... testing everything with a 12v probe, I couldn't get the positive wire to light the light on the probe?... Yet the brake light was on, a big crow-bar was pushing the brake pedal down against the seat for me... yet I still couldn't get the live wire to trigger my probe?!...

Whilst doing all this, lying on the floor following the route of all the wires, I also noticed my number plate light was on, even though the vehicle's lights weren't on?... Something strange was going on here...

Now, go back to the photo, see the green-and-white wire and the black wires? Now... follow them through the factory fitted connector block... see it? The wires are reversed as they come out?! FFS... It took me ages to spot this!

So... I'd used a botch-lok , errr sorry, a scotch-lok , to take an earth off the high-level brake light for the number plate light, and used a wire up from the rear lights to power it (as the number plate was moved from the bumper to the rear door)...

When I took this additional wiring off, to start again... the blummin' brake lights in the bumper came on! It looks like the number plate light was getting two positive feeds? and everything was getting a bit confused? So I started again, using the proper earth wire, and didn't need to botch the bumper brake lights into the high-level brake light...

Still not entirely sure why the bumper brake lights worked intermittently though? But having spotted the crossed wires in that connector plug, and rewired everything, "all's well that ends well" ?!...

I'd be interested to know if anyone else's wires are crossed like that coming out of the soft-top's high level brake light connector block? (and before you ask it's not possible to get the plug in the wrong way round )

Finally passed this afternoon...

I did put it in for the retest at the back-end of last week, they checked all the failures and I thought it was about to pass... but.... they noticed the brake lights worked fine when the lights were off, but not when they were on? :huh: So a bit more hunting to sort that out, and it passed today...

Ready for another year of greenlaning then! Bring it on! :laugh:

Happy for you pal

Meanwhile... my springs turned up -



These were discussed in another thread somewhere, but for the purpose of my build blog... these are some I've sourced off another make and model of car and are wound from 14.5mm wire to cope with the extra weight carried on and in my notoriously heavy Jimny

I just need to cut one coil off for the fronts and two for the backs to make them the right length and number of coils (that'll be 400mm on the front and 360mm on the rear)

Here's the discussion thread on them - www.bigjimny.com/index.php/forum?view=to...d=62515&limitstart=0 - I didn't get the answers I wanted, and after a long chat with Alan my laning passenger and an ex-rally driver, I decided to order them anyway ;) :lol:

Time will tell if they work out, I'll let you know of course

I wouldn't cut to much off maybe half a coil at once
see how it stands then take a little each time
I know it sounds a bit tedious but you can't put it back on matey