Shocks on late model Wizards

[Roscoe]

After I purchased my 98 Wizard I was not happy with the ride as I thought it too hard, After having a ride in a 95 wizard which was much softer I was definitly concerned.

The rear wasnt too bad so I removed the front shocks and found they were so hard on compression it wasnt funny, ( I was unable to fully compress them by hand)
I have since replaced them with standard after market shocks for this vehicle and the ride is so much better.
Ive just got to wait till the Jap home market tyres wear out and replace them ones for our roads and that will make a big diff too.

[geeves]

Were the front shocks original or aftermarket?

[Roscoe]

Gday geeves, Original by the look of them, Im very interested if anyone else has a late model wizard to hear what the ride is like.

I replaced mine with Munroe units from Repco and they are the front shocks listed for all Wizards.

The rear ones are adjustable Ranchos which were on the vehicle and Im still experimenting a bit with them.

Until I change the tyres to NZ made ones, the ride will still be a bit on the hard side.

[morpheus]

I ve got a 98 wizard and the ride is a lot like you have described, I can feel every bump in the road, Got new tyres a while ago and they made a slight difference but Ive just put up with it
How much were the shocks and how long did it take to replace them ?

[Roscoe]

Gday Morpheus, has yours got the 4JX1 motor? if it has, there is something I want to check with you.

Before I changed the shocks, I was unable to bounce the front of the vehicle down by hand unlike the earlier models which you can do. After I removed them, it took little effort to bounce the front right down.

I went to Repco and purchased the standard shocks listed for all Wizards which were Munroe units and they cost me $270 ( Im in NZ)

There maybe other makes around for Wizards so may be worth a look or find an earlier model that is being wrecked and get the front shocks off it.

They are easy to change, jack the front of the body up until the top of the shock is visible behind the wheels, undo the top mount first and compress the shock down(you will need a bar to do this cos they are so hard) until the top is clear of the mount then undo the bottom.
replace in reverse order.

I spent many years doing hard off roading over here and I ran Heavy duty Bilstiens on my Land Cruiser but they were not as hard as these bloody things are.

I dont use this vehicle for off roading so I dont need good absorbtion on the compression stroke.

I have no idea why Isuzu changed to such hard shocks because the wizard is certainly no hard off roader, We use it as a family wagon and to tow a 20 ft caravan around.

Cheers

[morpheus]

Yep its got the 4JX1, in the process of gettin the fuel injector sleeves and o rings changed

Might check out prices this weekend but ive got to fisx the handbrake first as it failed the warrant on the left hand side

[Len]

Yeah you're right there about the hard ride. Mine is a 2000 Wizard with the 4JX1 motor. Ride is very firm to say the least! I've often thought about changing the shocks, seeing as 80% of my driving is on road, and a bit more comfort would be nice....