Emergency near the Salton Sea
- Thread starter shanester
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The vibration could be your parking brake. Ensure both bell cranks are fully retracted. Light parking brake shoe engagement can cause intermittent and severe vibration. Might want to pull the rear rotors and ensure that the parking brake components are free and clear as well.
I'd imagine all of the parking brake externals (cable, springs, bell cranks) were totally caked in mud at a minimum.
I'd imagine all of the parking brake externals (cable, springs, bell cranks) were totally caked in mud at a minimum.
another thought could be mud actually IN the tire. sounds crazy but it has happened to me in a suburban that was stuck in similarly deep conditions (sitting on frame). apparently the pulling (at an angle) caused one of the tires to separate from the rim allowing mud to get in there, but the tire reseated on the rim once pulled free. the centrifugal force and the density of the mud could be what's causing the 'clockwork' like timing of the vibration, then as it gets past a certain speed, it's evenly distributed around the inside of the tire, only to 'settle down' as you go below a certain speed.
also, get an articulating yard sprinkler and stick it under your truck for about 45 minutes, moving it front to middle to back about every 15.
also, get an articulating yard sprinkler and stick it under your truck for about 45 minutes, moving it front to middle to back about every 15.
Sounds like it might be a good time to rotate tires! Clean mud off the inside of the rims, pressure wash all the mud out of your brakes, make sure drive shafts are clean, etc...
I have no experience with this so for the experienced folks, what gear should we have on board to get us out if we were in his situation? A shovel and those recovery boards?
Nice you got out 
, paying to much but getting stuck gives a good rush aint it 
My sway-bar got pulled from the diff (just bend back but rubber was gone) when a friend (free
) pulled me out so I think you need to pressure wash the diff and check the axle gear for damage and get the wheels off to clean some more.
Clean inside chassis with pressure sewer cleaning nozzle.
You got it so deep it was one big anchor so I think lifting it was the first thing to do.
Never more throttle when it starts to sink: very unlogic when in the car (been there) but I have sunk to many times where stopping earlier would have made it far easier to get out.
A high lift is very handy but tilts sideways when you get to high up (but might manage to let it fall (without damage...) next to the wheel hole)
An airlift would have been handy but any sharp object can puncture it, and in this situation you would have to dig a hole for it first.
Shovel to get all that sand out of the way (but under the diff remains) and throw a spare tire under one wheel so that is at least one wheel that wont sink, three to go...
some three stumps work fine for me, but not old trees as they just turn to splinters.
A winch is most easy (and dangerous), hook to a ground anchor if no tree and pull forward, but big chance the anchor moves to the car in your situation, or use a spare tire as anchor.
Biggest problem is when almost done with all the work and then get in and be back to zero within a few seconds of throttle, so to me it is: do it properly and check to make sure the next try is the final one.
My situation was to dangerous, my friend insisted I was not getting the hi-lift and stuff out and let the car fall on me in the water:
Nothing a Deutz cant handle:
, paying to much but getting stuck gives a good rush aint it My sway-bar got pulled from the diff (just bend back but rubber was gone) when a friend (free
) pulled me out so I think you need to pressure wash the diff and check the axle gear for damage and get the wheels off to clean some more.Clean inside chassis with pressure sewer cleaning nozzle.
You got it so deep it was one big anchor so I think lifting it was the first thing to do.
Never more throttle when it starts to sink: very unlogic when in the car (been there) but I have sunk to many times where stopping earlier would have made it far easier to get out.
A high lift is very handy but tilts sideways when you get to high up (but might manage to let it fall (without damage...) next to the wheel hole)
An airlift would have been handy but any sharp object can puncture it, and in this situation you would have to dig a hole for it first.
Shovel to get all that sand out of the way (but under the diff remains) and throw a spare tire under one wheel so that is at least one wheel that wont sink, three to go...
some three stumps work fine for me, but not old trees as they just turn to splinters.
A winch is most easy (and dangerous), hook to a ground anchor if no tree and pull forward, but big chance the anchor moves to the car in your situation, or use a spare tire as anchor.
Biggest problem is when almost done with all the work and then get in and be back to zero within a few seconds of throttle, so to me it is: do it properly and check to make sure the next try is the final one.
My situation was to dangerous, my friend insisted I was not getting the hi-lift and stuff out and let the car fall on me in the water:
Nothing a Deutz cant handle:
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I like the makeshift sand paddle idea.
OP did you clean the inside of the wheels? I had a similar experience with mud from Lake Crowley in the Mammoth area. The mud is nasty, when it dries it turns rock solid and clings. Enough to cause that kind of vibration.
OP did you clean the inside of the wheels? I had a similar experience with mud from Lake Crowley in the Mammoth area. The mud is nasty, when it dries it turns rock solid and clings. Enough to cause that kind of vibration.
Yes, a shovel and a set of maxtrax would have greatly assisted in un-sticking this. Two is a start, but four would really get it done. Ironically, all for less than the tow job cost.
As for the vibration, I'd get all the wheels off, power wash both sides. Then check the prop shafts and slip yokes to be sure there isn't mud stuck in them. Also the CV boots corrigations tend to hide mud in the outboard joint area. I had this issue...
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Wow - crazy experience especially with kids. Glad to see you made it out safely!
Kudos to the guys on this forum - inspiring to be part of such a helpful community!
Kudos to the guys on this forum - inspiring to be part of such a helpful community!
- Thread starter
- #52
Thanks for all the responses guys. Great stuff.
It was indeed the mud that was causing the vibrations. I spent the entire day deep cleaning the undercarriage. 8am-9pm. I used Simple Green and let it soak in anywhere where mud was present (which was everywhere). What's crazy is the amount of mud hiding behind things. You really gotta get in there and get dirty to clear it all out. After cleaning 95% of the nastiness off (I'm sure there is mud hiding... I will find you if you're reading this you sick SOB...), I let it air dry and applied Fluid Film to all the wheel wells and parts of the frame. I have 4 steel ramps on the way and when they get here I'll completely protect the undercarriage with Fluid Film.
The following pictures don't do the mud justice. This stuff is death. Where we got stuck, there were dead birds, thousands of sun baked fish skeletons, excrement, shells, etc. It smelled brutal. I was the guy who brought it all home for neighbors to see. Again, some hard lessons learned from this experience.
It was indeed the mud that was causing the vibrations. I spent the entire day deep cleaning the undercarriage. 8am-9pm. I used Simple Green and let it soak in anywhere where mud was present (which was everywhere). What's crazy is the amount of mud hiding behind things. You really gotta get in there and get dirty to clear it all out. After cleaning 95% of the nastiness off (I'm sure there is mud hiding... I will find you if you're reading this you sick SOB...), I let it air dry and applied Fluid Film to all the wheel wells and parts of the frame. I have 4 steel ramps on the way and when they get here I'll completely protect the undercarriage with Fluid Film.
The following pictures don't do the mud justice. This stuff is death. Where we got stuck, there were dead birds, thousands of sun baked fish skeletons, excrement, shells, etc. It smelled brutal. I was the guy who brought it all home for neighbors to see. Again, some hard lessons learned from this experience.
You will want to check for oil leaks around your front and rear axle oil seals for a couple of weeks.
I got stuck in mud like that a couple of months ago and after a few hundred miles the front axle oil seal failed.
I got stuck in mud like that a couple of months ago and after a few hundred miles the front axle oil seal failed.
GAGNARLY.
Wow. If this isn't an advertisement for MaxTrax or Element ramps I don't know what is.
Thanks for sharing. Makes me want to go click buy now on some recovery gear this minute...
Thanks for sharing. Makes me want to go click buy now on some recovery gear this minute...
salton sea really stinks glad you are out
yeah, you REALLY want to make sure to get all that stuff off. the salinity levels in that mud will accelerate rust. it's not your ordinary mud - but i'm sure you know that.
- Thread starter
- #60
Thanks guys. I'll check for leaks @Skidoo, great call.
Check this out:
That hits too close to home for me. The pressure felt exactly the same though our experience wasn't as extreme (except that I was just as deep if not deeper). What made it feel terrible was the fact that my family had to suffer through it for several hours. My wife was digging out mud. My 6 month old was screaming his head off. You better believe I have lots of recovery gear on order.
Check this out:
That hits too close to home for me. The pressure felt exactly the same though our experience wasn't as extreme (except that I was just as deep if not deeper). What made it feel terrible was the fact that my family had to suffer through it for several hours. My wife was digging out mud. My 6 month old was screaming his head off. You better believe I have lots of recovery gear on order.