I have just purchased a left hand drive1997 Suzuki Samurai short wheel base. I have had the car for just under a week and i am starting to experience problems.

When the car is in the neutral it will free wheel downhill but there is a regular clunking noise with some resistance.

However if i freewheel backwards downhill there is no clunking or or resitance.

Also when i change gear there is a slight shuddering feeling in the car


I know the above explantion is as clear as mud!! I am just hoping it rings a bell with one of he experts on this site.
Also i do not freewheel backwards down many hills it was just something i discoved when trying to solve the problem earlier!!

I am going to say you definetely have a problem with 1 of your driveshaft's or your differentials.

Check to see that the regular clunking noise and resistance still occures when coasting in neutral with the clutch disengaged. If the sound goes away while you disengage there would be a good chance your machine's experiencing drive shaft problems. If nothing changes I would say its your front or rear diffs.

Hopefully this is clear enough to understand.

If not post another to let know!

Thanks for your quick reply.

The problem does still ocur when coasting and the noise is coming from the front.  So would you guess that its the front diffs. Is there anyway i can check? Could you tell me if this is usually a big expensive job to repair or a nice cheap and easy one.

Thanks

Do you have Free Wheeling Hubs? If you have then the diff shouldn't be turning.

I have just purchased a left hand drive1997 Suzuki Samurai short wheel base. I have had the car for just under a week and i am starting to experience problems.

When the car is in the neutral it will free wheel downhill but there is a regular clunking noise with some resistance.

However if i freewheel backwards downhill there is no clunking or or resitance.

Also when i change gear there is a slight shuddering feeling in the car


I know the above explantion is as clear as mud!! I am just hoping it rings a bell with one of he experts on this site.
Also i do not freewheel backwards down many hills it was just something i discoved when trying to solve the problem earlier!!

Okay, we have DO a bit of a "clear as mud problem" here...

Technically speaking,  there is no such thing as a 1997 Samurai as "Samurai" is the US name for the vechicle called variously SJ-413, Sierra and Jimny.  So are we still talking about a non-North American solid-axle SJ-413?  Ore are we talking about it's replacement, the Sidekick/Vitara with it's independent front suspension?

If it is the newer independent front suspension Vitara/Sidekick, you might have a CV joint going bad in one of the front drive axles.  This is a different fix than the kind of problem you would have in a solid-axle SJ-413 type truck.

If it is a SJ-413, I'd look at the U-joints on the front driveshaft before I'd get excited about working on the differential itself.   U-joint are one of the first things to show wear and are relatively easy to fix.

In either case, I'd also drive the truck with the front locking hubs set to the "free" position, if so equipped (again, the "'97 Samurai" description leaves me at a loss as to how the truck is equipped).  With the hubs unlocked and the drivetrain in 2-wheel drive, the noise should go away or noticably change if the problem is in the front drivetrain.  In this mode, nothing should be connected and taking any load so there should be no (or very little) noise up front.

Then again, maybe you hit the "9" key instead of the "8" key while typing the year...   

Thanks for those quick responses.  I have checked over my Spanish Log Book. The car is listed as a Suzuki Samurai SJ 1.3

Its Left hand drive, it was purchased in Spain
I am not mechanically minded at all however i am very keen to learn more about these  cars. So Could you please explain what to check for as if you are speaking to a complete novice.  Without a doubt the car will probably end up going to a garage however they are notorious for doing work that is not needed.

I have attached a photo for you

Thanks
Steve 
Spain

Just a quick update.

I have just watched the video about re-aligning the driveshaft on acks website. My front and rear shaft are both misaligned by approx 1cm. 

Could this be the problem?

Steve

I can't see very clearly but they look like fixed hubs to me. It looks like it has the plastic wheel centres like those that were fitted on my 410. A front prop UJ could well be the culprit, but it could be a kingpin bearing. You need to jack up the car and check for play in the suspension.

Just a quick update.

I have just watched the video about re-aligning the driveshaft on acks website. My front and rear shaft are both misaligned by approx 1cm. 

Could this be the problem?

Steve

It certainly can!

You'll get vibrations as you change speeds while driving as the u-joints work against each other in that configuration.  Time to break out the 13 and 14mm wrenches and break loose one end of the shaft at the flange.  Just match the dots as described in the video, double check the yokes and put it all back together.   Tighten the flange bolts to 29-43 foot pounds (the tighter the better...) per the Haynes manual (I think they get the torquing stuff right most of the time  ) and you are ready to roll.

Finally, it is always good to hear that someone was helped by my driveline video.  That's why I made it.

For more interesting reading on the theory behind driveshaft design and use, do a search for driveshaft at Ack's FAQ (the link is in my signature) and select the resulting link to Steve Johnson's Driveline Basics.