Niva Newbie Guide :: Essential reading

Welcome to the world of Niva ownership. Nivas are great little vehicles -but there's a few little quirks you should know about...

Diff-lock: The Niva has a centre diff-lock in it's transfer-case; when engaged this locks the front and rear diffs into turning at the same time (ie to aid traction offroad). However, DO NOT DRIVE ON SEALED ROADS WITH DIFF-LOCK ENGANGED; it should only be engaged on loose or slippery surfaces (eg mud, grass, sand, gravel). The diff-lock is controlled by the foward-most of the 2 smaller gear levers, shift it backwards to engage (an orange light on the dash should turn on when it's engaged), and shift it fowards to disengage. It can be engaged on the move if necessary.
Tip: Sometimes the diff-lock can feel jammed in place - they can be a stiff (especially if used seldom) and can need a bit of a shove, but don't force it - simply reverse back a few feet and try again. This make take several goes.

Low-range: The Niva transfer-case also contains a low-range gear for slower crawling speeds. This is controlled by the rear-most of the 2 smaller gear levers, shift it fowards to engage low-range, and backwards to re-select normal range. DO NOT SHIFT HI-LO WHEN ON THE MOVE, it'd be like trying to change gear without using the clutch. Hi-Lo on the fly? - No!
Tip: between Lo and Hi there's a 'Netural' position, this can be handy when servicing and you need the gearbox etc to spin, but not the wheels.

The timing chain has a manual adjuster than needs to be adjusted every 10,000 km or it will develop into an increasingly serious sounding noise, and eventually do terminal damage to your head.

Here's how I do it, or check in the workshop manual. Indeed I highly reccomend buying or downloading the workshop manual

as the Niva is generaly an easy DIY car. And if you get the manual you can also find the instructions to adjust the points, timing, and valve clearences, etc, which is a great idea as well if you have no idea when your new toy was last serviced...

Ladas have a name for unreliability, but this is mostly unfounded and largely due to owners maintaining - or rather not maintaining - a car essentially designed in the '60s as if it were a modern design. Preventitive maintence is essential to Niva ownership. Oil is especially essential to change often in your Niva, especially if you use it off-road. It's easy and good cheap insurance.

So get the pan out and change the oils this weekend. I recommend changing all the oils in the engine, gear-box (see below), transfer-case, both diffs and the steering-box. The 12mm hex Allen key you need for the drain plugs should be in your Niva tool-kit. Oil specs here.

Also the joints in the driveshaft have greases nipples and need done regularly to keep things ship shape.

The gear-box is the Niva's weak point. The bearings are probably too small for the job and are of questionable quality, the fifth gear was added as an after-thought and hence isn't as well designed as it could be. Luckily there's a couple of precautions you can take:

The manual says not to operate fifth at under 80 kph, and the Australian Lada parts company reccomends a 90 kph minimum and has indeed sold less replacement fifth gears since issuing this advice. The South African parts dealer reccomends a 120kph or 4500 rpm minimum for fifth; as my top speed is about 120 I'm not sure if they're taking the pish. :)

Also, a popular, and widely considered essential, method of helping preserve the 'box is to overfill it so 5th gets improved lubrication. Do not use GL5 spec oil if you can't be assured it is 100% yellow-metal safe (some GL5s damage the yellow-metals in some Niva 'boxes. GL4, which doesn't do such damage, is an adequate oil). 1.8 to 2 litres is the reccomended amount instead of the factory 1.3 litres. As this is above the level of the filling plug, oil is ideally poured into the 'box from the top by removing the shifter lever (an easy job, instructions here).

If you get the chance it also pays to ensure the gearbox's main rear bolt (on the output shaft) is tight, and locked in place.

Nivas have seperate gearboxes and transfer-cases which need to be aligned to run smoothly. Transmission rumble and vibrations cannot be completely removed, but they should not be that bad (indeed if they are they will likely be doing damage). Here's how to align the Transfer-case. If the 'box is making mechanical noises you may have other issues.

Because of Lada's supposed lack of quality many people assume that aftermarket parts are better than Lada parts. This is not the case. Indeed cheap parts sourced from countries with ultra cheap labour have far less quality controls, if indeed any. Oil filters are a prime example.
Further, Lada parts are designed to work with other Lada parts, some after-market parts are not properly compatable with Lada's; eg many aftermarket brake pads are too hard and give a crappy pedal feel, and wear your Lada discs out.

In markets were Lada has withdrawn (ie mostly counties that drive on the left side of the road) there are no longer official dealers. However, genuine factory parts are thankfully still easily available:

I can't personally vouch for any of these suppliers other than Gee Motors, but Lada UK, Lada Australia and Carmine all have good reputations on various forums.

One of the few exceptions some consider to the use-only-genuine rule is gearbox bearings - Lada's are considered poor quality by many, and quality replacements from a reputable manufacturer are often advised. Here's some subsitute bearings some people reccomend (though beware many once reputable manufacturers are increasingly using cheap labour with low quality controls).

Nivas are better than most cars of their age for rust, but they can have sporadic steel and paint quality so they can rust in some truely odd places, especially if regular rust-proofing maintence hasn't been done (check the back of the workshop mannual to see where you should be rust-proofing once a year).
Luckly they are made from thick steels so if you attend to rust spots early you can avoid costly repairs or failures later. More information on Niva rust traps and rust prevention.

Always give your Niva a good hose down underneth in all it nooks and crannes after playing in the mud as it holds moisture and road salt.

Like older English cars some Nivas have their share of electric faults. Many of these are caused by the crappy fuse box and are generally easily fixed, once found. The plug in the back can slip out, and the contacts that hold the fuses in often need re-bent into position and/or sanded for better contact. Where is my fuse box? Under the dash on the left side.

Tip: Tail lights a bit dim? Pull the bulbs out, give the contacts a good clean/sand, and wash the mud from inside the lenses and reflectors (make sure you pop the bottom tabs into place when you put the lenses back). Sorted.

Check the cable from the heater control is opening and closing the in-line valve that closes off hot water to the heater (in the left side of the right-hand footwell). If you're lucky the cable will simply need reattached or adjusted.

If you're unlucky, and the tap itself has corroded open. While new replacements are easily available, apparently it can be a bit of a PITA to instal a new one. Some owners simply instal a hardware store tap in the heater feed hose under the bonnet to control the flow of hot water to the heater's radiator; not exactly convenient, but certainly effective.

While Niva steering will never be sharp enough to keep Jeremy Clarkson happy, it shouldn't be too bad - it was ages before I worked out that Nivas shouldn't actually have steering as crappy as mine was. If yours is overly heavy, woolly, or just plain scary - it can probably be easly sorted.

If everything is working as it should Nivas have excellent brakes. Pre-1994 Nivas did not have self-adjusting brakes, so the rear brakes will need to be manually adjusted even now and again (generally before every WOF/MOT test). It's a relatively easy job, here's my tips.

Another thing odd on Niva brakes is the regulator that sits above the rear axle, check this has movement as specified in the mannual

and is well greased inside its rubber boot.

If new pads or shoes are needed, genuine Lada ones are reccomended by most people as they not only give better feel, but they aren't overly hard on the discs/drums like some after-market ones are. If you need to bleed the Niva's brakes, note that there are two nipples on each front caliper.

A common mod is to fit 15" Suzuki rims as the Suzuki is one of the few common vechicles to share the Niva wheel's stud-pattern (PCD). However, be aware there are some risks associated with fitting Suzuki rims. Firstly there's legal and insurance issues as the off-set (how much the wheels stick out) makes the track wider than the dealer fitted OEM 15" rims.

This offset is also linked to premature wheel-bearing, ball-joint, tie-rod end, and even steering-box failure. While the jury is out on this, there are too many people who have reported bearing failure after fitting Suzuki rims for it to be totally unfounded. Note that both the Australian and South African parts dealers strongly recommend against fitting Suzuki rims.

It may well depend on the condition of your Niva, the tyre size and pressure you run (higher pressures mean less forces going through the steering gear), and your alignment (tracking) settings, and wheel-bearing condition. Not to mention Suzuki rims come with varying offsets, some visably bigger than others. I'd suggest that people using 'Zuk rims run their tyres at the highest safe pressure as this greatly lessens the forces needed in the steering.

The biggest tyres that will fit on a standard Niva are 195-80 on the standard 16" steel wheels and 205-80 on the 15". You can usually go a size bigger with a Niva lift and/or an arch-trim. For more information see Tyres - How big can I go?

Lift-kits for Nivas are available off-the-shelf in Brazil, Russia, and Europe; coil lifts are even more widely available. But the Niva is a very easy vehicle for a do-it-yourself lift, especially with the well-tested Hoodoo lift. There are 4 basic methods for a suspension lift - Lada Niva lift information.

We'd probably all like to modify our Nivas to be the ultimate off-roader, especially because of their DIY nature. But in truth many modifications are not really needed (though may of course be fun to do all the same). Before going bananas with mods this well though out and prepared Niva is a must read - the Full Hoodoo.

The original Russian carburetor on the Niva is a good carb, but a popular modification is to swap it for a Weber found on various European cars (eg the DGAV found on many common Fords of the '70s and '80s, or one from a Fiat). It is a cheap and easy swap, and can usually be done almost totaly with factory parts. Although the Lada carb is not nearly as bad as many people make out, the Weber has bigger throats and the upgrade is reccomended by many for more power and drivability, more info here.

While many engine swaps are possible with work, the only engine that is a relatively easy and well documented conversion is the Fiat/Lancia DOHC. There's info on this swap on my technical resources page.

Don't put stiffer shocks on the without beefing up the mounts - on the front you'll risk breaking the top mounts clean off. In fact standard Niva front shocks are excellent for off-roading and don't usually need upgraded to stiffer shocks.

Replacement shocks (aka dampers) are of course reccomended if your originals are knackered. If you can't get genuine shocks, after-market ones should be fine - just make sure you do not get stiffer than standard. If you do need stiffer front shocks you can strengthen front mounts with some angle section or possibily even just improved welding, here's how to uprate the shock-mounts.

Likewise some owners have also had problems fitting overly stiff shocks (eg gas-shocks) to the rear.

Procomp ES9000 are a popular rear upgrade and are available in standard or extended lengths (ie for lifted Nivas).

Mostly common sense, but there are some potentially fatal common traps for beginners - so have a wee read of one of the many excellent off-roading FAQs on the 'net (such as Difflock's guide to off-roading

) before a serious play or recovery.
Tips: The best general advice I can offer is to be gentle instead of thrashing your poor Niva over obstacles, don't be afraid/lazy to get out and walk ahead to check an unfamiliar bit of track or depth of a river, and be very very sure you know what you're doing before doing serious recoveries.

Here's my extensive collection of Niva information and resources: swaps & modifications, over 50 clubs, lifting the Niva, workshop manuals, tips & tricks, off-road modifications & upgrades, the famous Cloggy's Fiat DOHC swap site, and much more...

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Baxter's Advice for Niva Newbies.