If you have a G, you need to know about shocks. Mine came with a set of Bilsteins that are supposed to be pretty good, and slightly less expensive than the original Sachs. Unfortunately I was really bothered by how mushy the ride was. I thought it could be a poor balance between front & rear braking (it could, actually), but since I had a set of 100K mile used Sachs shocks on hand I decided to try them.
All I can say is wow. This is what the G was meant to be. The Bilsteins are apparently OK when new, but I was shocked to find how amazing the Sachs are, even with 100K miles of use! Be prepared - they're stiff. That's what I wanted though. I've got red springs in front & whites in the rear but still needed good dampening. Sachs are the only way to go as far as I'm concerned.
If you're looking for shocks, spring for the extra dough and get the ones that are going to work!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Evolution
Fast-forward a few months and I'm happily driving the G daily, working out the bugs and finding new ones as I go. There was a mysterious oil consumption problem that I attributed to a possible engine fault (can you say "worn rings"?), but thankfully I realized that it was only that pesky oil filter housing to engine block gasket that the 617a is known for. It would leak as I drove so I was mostly unaware of it save for a few drips overnight. Once the gasket went in, the problem went away. Hooray for simple fixes. Oh, and don't let some retailers convince you to buy special tools to remove the filter housing - I did it easily with a standard set of wrenches and a socket-wrench type hex key. The whole job took a couple of hours.
Other minor fixes included changing the fuel tank vent hoses that would leak every time I got a full tank of diesel, making my glow-plug light work on the instrument panel - it's pin #1 which will be vacant unless your G was originally a diesel, having my speedo & odo re-calibrated for 35" tires, centering my steering wheel which had been about 1/2 turn off center (do this by making sure the wheel and steering column alignment marks are matched, and then adjusting the steering rod from the pitmann arm to the right wheel.), mud flap delete, and replacing the dome light so I can see at night. Oh, and now the stereo is working again, though I'm itching to install an old Becker Grand-Prix that I've already modified to take an aux input.
As usual, other more serious problems have surfaced that now need attention. The brake master cylinder has started losing pressure while sitting at a light... only sometimes, one parking brake cable broke, and it appears that my rear proportioning valve has seized so the rear brakes do nothing. Worst of all, the front axle has a bit of slop at the right wheel, plus both front wheel bearings are loose - this is a bigger job and requires replacement of all of the axle bearings, seals, and likely the CV joints. A lot of this is pretty serious work, but despite the wear the G is driving great. If I'm planning to hit the Rubicon next summer then I'd better get everything ship-shape though. Here comes a big parts order!
Speaking of wheelin', I picked up a used Warn 8274 winch already mounted on a 2" receiver plate. I thought I would toss that plate and install the winch but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. Just install 2" female receivers front & rear so you can winch from either end. I've ordered the 500-amp quick-connects so I can get power easily too. It looks like I'm going to have to get on my custom bumper project and dual battery tray soon too!
For a 27-year old 4x4 with over 200K miles on it, I think all of this is not bad. I had a K5 Blazer with 99K miles that destroyed a rear diff. It ate a set of u-joints every 20K even with all of the shaft angles aligned.
Other minor fixes included changing the fuel tank vent hoses that would leak every time I got a full tank of diesel, making my glow-plug light work on the instrument panel - it's pin #1 which will be vacant unless your G was originally a diesel, having my speedo & odo re-calibrated for 35" tires, centering my steering wheel which had been about 1/2 turn off center (do this by making sure the wheel and steering column alignment marks are matched, and then adjusting the steering rod from the pitmann arm to the right wheel.), mud flap delete, and replacing the dome light so I can see at night. Oh, and now the stereo is working again, though I'm itching to install an old Becker Grand-Prix that I've already modified to take an aux input.
As usual, other more serious problems have surfaced that now need attention. The brake master cylinder has started losing pressure while sitting at a light... only sometimes, one parking brake cable broke, and it appears that my rear proportioning valve has seized so the rear brakes do nothing. Worst of all, the front axle has a bit of slop at the right wheel, plus both front wheel bearings are loose - this is a bigger job and requires replacement of all of the axle bearings, seals, and likely the CV joints. A lot of this is pretty serious work, but despite the wear the G is driving great. If I'm planning to hit the Rubicon next summer then I'd better get everything ship-shape though. Here comes a big parts order!
Speaking of wheelin', I picked up a used Warn 8274 winch already mounted on a 2" receiver plate. I thought I would toss that plate and install the winch but the more I think about it the more it makes sense. Just install 2" female receivers front & rear so you can winch from either end. I've ordered the 500-amp quick-connects so I can get power easily too. It looks like I'm going to have to get on my custom bumper project and dual battery tray soon too!
For a 27-year old 4x4 with over 200K miles on it, I think all of this is not bad. I had a K5 Blazer with 99K miles that destroyed a rear diff. It ate a set of u-joints every 20K even with all of the shaft angles aligned.
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