Hercules
Veteran Niva Petrol Head
Lada - your peace of mind to take on the world's vast landscapes.
Posts: 785
Location: Gauteng
Town: Benoni
Registered: Oct 2, 2009 11:55:41 GMT 2
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Post by Hercules on Apr 7, 2010 18:10:39 GMT 2
Hi Danie.
I also engage and dis-engage during moving because the selection is fairly stiff. I can also select when standing with a bit of an effort. But the more I used it, the easier it select and now that I use 75W90 GL4 Castrol oil, it engage even easier. I think that maybe it is that the more you used it, the gears and selector start meshing better and smoother as the gears and selector work them self in.
Regards.
Hercules.
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Post by ronnie on Apr 7, 2010 19:38:04 GMT 2
Hi all
One way to make regular use of the transfer box is to use low when you reverse. This has the added advantage not to need to slip the clutch the way you tend to do. Try low when you are reversing a trailer.
Regards
Ronnie
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Post by marius on Apr 7, 2010 20:53:33 GMT 2
Hi Danie
One thing you should NEVER DO is to change from hi-lo on the move - but with the diff lock its no problem at low speed (less than 60km/h).
UNLESS you have some of these nice (but too expensive) mods from Ladaworld.
I use my low range quite often - but the diff lock only in thick- sand, snow and/or mud. Not on hard surface unless real slippery.
With enough oil in the box you should not have problems - not using the leavers - I think?
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Post by marius on Apr 7, 2010 21:08:12 GMT 2
Hi Ronnie I do the reverse thing quite often - it also works quite well in long wet grass on a slope using the choke. THE ONE MAJOR ADVANTAGE of the Niva - it's got a manual choke Just pull the choke out slightly and ease of the clutch. Works very well on any slippery surface. (With the lock engaged)
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Post by danie on Apr 7, 2010 21:15:12 GMT 2
Very interesting topic - and thanks for sharing information -gained by many years of experience here guys !
Regards
Danie
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Post by ronnie on Apr 7, 2010 21:20:21 GMT 2
Hi Marius
I regularly change from low to high and vice versa on the move. It is exactly the same as driving cars from the 50`s with no syncromesh on the lower gears, double declutch and get the revs right and it will change silently. It only takes a small amount of practice.
Regards
Ronnie
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Post by marius on Apr 7, 2010 21:47:36 GMT 2
Hi Ronnie
Yes I'm (almost) old enough to remember ;D
That is very interesting - I'll give it a shot.
Thanks!
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Post by ronnie on Apr 7, 2010 21:54:40 GMT 2
Hi Marius
It is easiest going from low to high. If you find you are crunching the gears borrow some one else`s lada to practice with.
Regards
Ronnie
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darryn
Veteran Niva Petrol Head
Ruchnoy Protivotankovyy Granatomyot
Posts: 713
Registered: Mar 5, 2010 21:50:09 GMT 2
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Post by darryn on Apr 7, 2010 22:06:29 GMT 2
AHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ha ha ha HA HA HA aha..... ha ha ha.... hee... hoo... HA HA HA HA HA AH HA HA HA!!!!!! HA HAAH HA HA!!!!! 800 bucks for a timing chain? That was the funniest thing I heard all day! I rather just (carefully) drilled and cut my own collet and fastened it with copper wire. By no means permanent, but at least this will stop giving me nightmares. Have a look at my first, very little, mod.
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Post by danie on Apr 8, 2010 6:08:49 GMT 2
800 Bucks Surely it must be gold plated. I honestly hoped they got the message by now. Danie
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Post by ronnie on Apr 8, 2010 8:58:39 GMT 2
Hi Darryn The quickest way to hit the agents in their pocket is to find an alternate source of supply. They do not deserve any SUPPORT. Regards Ronnie
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Post by marius on Apr 8, 2010 13:26:41 GMT 2
www.ladaparts.ru asking price for the timing chain $25 and for a waterpump $30 The Rand is quite strong these days - but you have to add some import duties. The Dealers should get some bulk discount and perhaps even a tax benefit? Simple maths tells you somebody is screwing somebody (ironically - in the end the dealer is only screwing himself) P.S. for decades now the dealerships in SA motor industry are taking the consumer for a ride - and consumers are somehow willing to pay Somehow I think the SA consumer LOVES paying through his
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Post by ronnie on Apr 8, 2010 14:52:17 GMT 2
Hi Marius By my calculations the dealer is paying no more than 280 rand including import duty and vat but excluding post and package. Enough said Regards Ronnie
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Post by danie on Apr 8, 2010 17:58:05 GMT 2
Well, if one orders one part at a time from Russia, transport obviously makes things more expensive. That's why I believe that one should always add a couple small, fast moving components to an order - to save on transport costs. That's also the reason why I started the topic "Build up your own Sparepart Stock".
To my mind, private imports should not scare anyone off - in fact, private imports definitely make Ladas the most affordable 4 X 4's in South Africa !
Regards
Danie
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Hercules
Veteran Niva Petrol Head
Lada - your peace of mind to take on the world's vast landscapes.
Posts: 785
Location: Gauteng
Town: Benoni
Registered: Oct 2, 2009 11:55:41 GMT 2
Karma: Exalt | Smite
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Post by Hercules on Apr 8, 2010 18:31:23 GMT 2
Hi Darryn.
Your sollution is quit good and should last long. Personally I will replace the copper wire with a single split pin through both legs and bend the end back. The split pin is stronger than the copper wire and will not wear off easy.
Regards.
Hercules.
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Post by ronnie on Apr 8, 2010 18:42:16 GMT 2
Hi Danie
None of the dealers here have any interest in this forum. (other than taking our hard earned cash.) Why should we support them? Surely we can import from the one dealer who has an interest in our forum. Lada and Korean parts in Australia. That is providing there prices are right which I have no doubt they will be. Andy can you give us the price you charge for the timing chain please.
Regards
Ronnie
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Post by marius on Apr 8, 2010 19:09:09 GMT 2
"private imports definitely make Ladas the most affordable 4 X 4's in South Africa !"
100% on that one Danie...
AND even beter when you service it youself. We've had our Niva for 10 years and over that period the average running cost per year was less than a thousand RSA Rand (fuel excluded). I service the car every 10 000km and use good quality mineral oils.
This includes expensive replacements like the clutch, the 5th gear, waterpump and brake master cylinder.
I still run the original Russian road tires and they are good for a few thousand more at 85 000km.
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Post by lada & korean parts on Apr 9, 2010 2:20:09 GMT 2
hi,
just went in & looked at the mentioned timing chain & pump.
the correct chain lists as $45.65u.s. & pump $37.39u.s.
these are not genuine parts,and we actually pay more than that for the original items. (we have experienced non genuine parts,& it cost us a fortune,wont go down that line again)
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Post by danie on Apr 9, 2010 6:40:34 GMT 2
Hi Andy In South Africa the price of a waterpump (at the Agents) is about R1000. For that price, at least three so called "aftermarket " waterpumps (including Airfreight) can be imported from Russia.
I installed one of these so called "aftermarket" waterpumps in my Lada about 45 000 kms ago - no problems so far.
To be honest, I am happy with the "aftermarket" waterpump, and would rather import three similar pumps, that buying one "original" pump from the local Agents.
Regards
Danie
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Post by lada & korean parts on Apr 9, 2010 6:51:09 GMT 2
around christmas time we had a customer who had bought a "bargain" waterpump off ebay. had done just over 5,000kms,then he cooked the engine. they went through,replaced thermostat etc etc etc.,and it turned out what happened was the shaft through centre of impellor was still spinning,but the impellor itself wasn't. of course,the lada was called everything under the sun,new i shouldn't have bought this piece of crap etc.,cost me fortune.....blah blah blahhhhh,but it wasn't the car,was poor quality part he fitted. saved $25 from buying genuine,but cost hell of lot more in long run. ;D hey,there's got to be some good stuff out their,but haven't found much of it yet...........
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Post by marius on Apr 9, 2010 8:49:30 GMT 2
The prices I mentioned earlier from Ladaparts for the chain and the pump appears to be "on special". The point is no matter how you look at it we are getting screwed. The nice thing about it - we can do something about it People in SA driving EU cars (great cars) are really getting screwed.
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Post by lada & korean parts on Apr 9, 2010 9:08:45 GMT 2
IT IS A SHAME.
like tata owners here,over $100 for an air or oil filter for it..........
they're indian,parts cost nothing to make........
after talking to tata owners,they say things like cyl. heads have to be replaced at 40,000kms because of poor quality alloy,blow holes in them,and all the other problems they have.
ladas are the best as far as i'm concerned (been with them since they first came out in 83),and when some sook about build quality (which is usually just the thin plastic in ur 40+ degrees) i just think of poor tata owners,& know they have nothing to sook about......
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Post by danie on Apr 9, 2010 18:33:42 GMT 2
Hi Darryn I'm sorry - I think we have hijacked your thread................again. Just some advice - when you remove the "doughnut" you will have to use a big hose clamp to "crimp" the doughnut, before any attempt to remove the bolts. If you fail to do this, there is a huge possibility that the doughnut will be damaged...... See this pic - from Baxter's website: Trust me, I have learned the hard way............ Regards Danie
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darryn
Veteran Niva Petrol Head
Ruchnoy Protivotankovyy Granatomyot
Posts: 713
Registered: Mar 5, 2010 21:50:09 GMT 2
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Post by darryn on Apr 10, 2010 22:36:34 GMT 2
A daft question? Actually two: I'm going to flush the cooling system as well as the oil from my engine tomorrow or monday. I have 5l of antifreeze- do I fill the rest with distilled water or will tap water suffice? And the subject of "cleaner oil"- do I tap the old oil out and fill it with only this "cleaner oil" and run the engine like this for 10min? The reason I want to be completely sure is that I don't want guess and land up with a cooked engine. That would finish me.
Thanks for the doughnut solution Danie- that's coming in a few weeks time. Priority 1: get engine running. 2: bleed clutch (pedal failure) and replace the hydraulic fluid and maybe the seals in the master/slave. 3: top up transmission fluid, reattach front prop shaft and see WTF is going on with the front diff, as well as transfer case.
The previous owners did not do a good job of keeping the battery in working order. So what I now have is a badly corroded sill for the battery. Not only that, but the acid cascaded down and landed up all over the components beneath it. I see that the front left seal of the front diff sits directly under the battery- could that acid have chewed the seal on the diff?
If so, I'm very angry at the world. Why the hell can't people just look after their stuff?
I'll put some photos of the re-sprayed and cleaned engine parts.
Peace Darryn.
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Post by danie on Apr 11, 2010 8:28:12 GMT 2
Hi Darryn As far as I know the calcium levels in water in your area is not very high, so I would just add tap water. Perhaps someone else would be able to give better advice.
I do not have any experience with "cleaner oil" - but another possible solution is to use ordinary oil, with a clean oil filter. Drive the car for about 500 km, and replace the oil filter with a new one, without changing oil.
You will probably have to change the diff oil seals anyway. I can't remember the local price, but for some or other reason they are not too expensive. The local bearing prices are extremely expensive though - it might be better to order all diff parts, including oil seals, from Russia.
I wouldn't think about buying a second hand diff, if your front diff housing, crownwheel, as well as pinion gear is still in good condition. You probably just need new bearings and oil seals. If you buy a second hand diff, chances are very good that you will have to change bearings and oil seals anyway.
Regards
Danie
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Post by marius on Apr 11, 2010 9:06:00 GMT 2
Hi Darryn Real sorry about the hijack Also the retainer makes it one hell of a lot easier to refit the doughnut.
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darryn
Veteran Niva Petrol Head
Ruchnoy Protivotankovyy Granatomyot
Posts: 713
Registered: Mar 5, 2010 21:50:09 GMT 2
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Post by darryn on Apr 11, 2010 15:52:38 GMT 2
No worries about the "hijack" guys! We're all here because we enjoy it, right? Blab on... Please!
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Post by danie on Apr 11, 2010 16:12:32 GMT 2
I must admit, I really enjoyed the thread so far, and had a couple of good laughs as well. Feeling like a "spoilsport" now................ Regards Danie
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darryn
Veteran Niva Petrol Head
Ruchnoy Protivotankovyy Granatomyot
Posts: 713
Registered: Mar 5, 2010 21:50:09 GMT 2
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Post by darryn on Apr 16, 2010 20:46:27 GMT 2
Hello hello kids! Well, I've sent my tyres in to be retreaded with the CLT Bandag retreads. It's going to be the best thing for the kind of money I can spend right now. Here's the link for what I'm planning: www.bandag.co.za/index.php?q=con,50,%20CLT This tread will fit the 215/80 Bridgestone Duellers I have on now. Of course, I got the whole "you'll learn the hard way buddy- with them wide takkies you're gonna rip your front diff right off the body and then the vehicle will explode in a majestic fireball that will wipe out all life in a 5km radius" from The Agent, but I figured that if I just drive like I have a half a brain, the transmission will make it till I have the money to buy the proper stuff. The engine has been reassembled and is ready to go, but my clutch problems are just starting- there is hydraulic fluid streaming out of the slave cylinder (and the previous owner- doos- didn't reattach a spring between the slave cylinder and the clutch release fork). Now that the wheels are off to be redone, I turned the input flange of the front diff and there's a problem (according to Joe, but The Agent disagrees): the right hub turns just fine, but the left one just stops turning and will only turn again if the flange is rotated the opposite direction). I guess I'll only know what's wrong when I take the diff out and have a look. I think I'll use this coming long weekend to take the front diff out and service the side shafts/CVs etc. It looks like one heck of a job. The car no longer smells like rat pee on the inside, and this coming week I'll paint magnabond waterproofer on the inside and leave the sound dampening layers for after I've worked on the TC and gearbox. I'm also getting material this weekend to reupholster the seats (I've already undone the stitching, made templates and worked out how much material I'll need). After all this, I'll cover the floors with 5mm rubber. Inside the engine bay, under where the hydraulic reservoirs leaked, the paint has been eaten away, and the shelf for the battery is very badly corroded. This will have to be de-rusted and re-primed. I've also got "chassis black" paint to touch up the open places under the body and the wheel arches. So there's lots to do, and I'm still having a ball. I'll put up some more photos this week. That's it for now. Santa is watching, so behave yourselves. Darryn.
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Post by ronnie on Apr 16, 2010 21:18:21 GMT 2
Hi Darryn
I replaced the seal on the clutch slave and got a new seal at the local spares shop. So you should have no problem. Looking forward to seeing photos.
Regards
Ronnie
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