New Tyres Lead to More Discoveries

We had the tires replaced today with the help of Uncle Aume at Dunlop Alotau. He managed to get us a staff discount at their Port Moresby office and we paid K260 (US$68) for 245/75R16 tyres. A pretty cool deal!

Our cost for the 5 tires totaled to K1,460 (US$380) – much less than I had initially anticipated. However, while the tires were off I discovered a couple of problems.

The Isuzu MU Wizard raised up and ready for new tires.

It turns CV axles on both sides of the vehicle have been removed. It is not really necessary in a city environment but is required for 4 wheel driving. However, I also discovered that the rear sway bar is broken.

We had to break the wheel stud in order to remove the tire.

A broken rear sway bar.

The CV axles are also missing.

I also confirmed the park/emergency brake cables are broken and we had to brake one of the wheel studs because it was stuck.

The next thing on my list is to fix the passenger and drivers seats, clean the interior and then fix the brake cables. As easy as it sounds, it will be a challenge to find the required parts.

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List of Repairs to Do on the Isuzu MU Wizard

So I’ve decided to publish a list of things that need to be done on the Isuzu MU Wizard. I started the list on initial inspection of the vehicle but after removing the tires, I’ve noted a few other things that need to be done. There is a tilt so the torsion bars need to be adjusted. Brake cable . The most obvious work that needs to be done is to get the parking/emergency brake cables replaced. I might also replace the rotors and brake pads. The windows and doors need to be fixed . Suspensions . The rear sway bar is broken and also bushings might need to be replaced. I also felt like weight was being shifted too much to one side when turning. This is not good. CV axle . These have been removed for both sides so I will have to have them replaced. Wheel hub assembly? I plan to have this done but it’s not a priority yet. Seats and interior. I will also have to get the seats fixed and the interior cleaned. It is a mess at the moment. Torsion bar ...

Welcome to 2022 - What Have We Been Up To

It has been a while since I posted and here is an update on what we have been doing lately. Firstly, the Isuzu MU Wizard has been grounded. There is a leak in the head gasket which is forcing pressure into the cooling system. This has resulted in radiator bursting. After repairing the radiator for a second time, I decided to ground the vehicle. However, we have also purchased a Toyota Hilux LN106 double cab. The truck is a base model and does not come with the extra features you might find like air conditioning or cup holders...but it is one of the best light trucks ever. Anyway, back to the MU Wizard, we are hoping to put some work into the truck this year and hopefully get her back on the road. This will include replacing the head gaskets ( or we might just do a rebuild ) and getting its four wheel axles (front axles) back. I've also set my eyes on putting sound deadener and getting the air condition control unit fixed. Its a lot of work, but we already have a ...

Ball Joints and Wheel Bearings Replaced

So after a long hiatus we have finally started some work on our Isuzu MU Wizard. The first thing we did was replace the ball joints. The ball joints had reached the point where it would fall off any time. It would squeak whenever I hit a hump/bump or turned a corner. This led to me grounding the Wizard for almost 6 months. I know its a long time but I was caught up with work that there was very little time during the day to work on the SUV. Fortunately, I'm starting 2021 with catching up with the vehicle's maintenance. Last week we replaced all the ball joints and outer wheel bearings. All parts were sourced from Pacific Engineering in Port Moresby. The ball joints did not require special tools - ball joint puller, etc - but it did require some elbow grease and breaker bar. While the ball joints were out, we also decided to check the wheel bearings - and yes - they were also kaput. We ended up replacing them as well. We have also identified that the tie rod...

Bernard's Isuzu MU Wizard Journey

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