Failure in an 80…are you ready

[zebrabeefj40]

Might wanna be careful about leaving busted birfields in the axle for the ride home. If the birfield exploded the pieces can jam between the housing and the knuckle while turning. Then you can't turn! BTDT... Made for an interesting ride home. I recommend pulling busted birfields before you head out on the highway.


Nick Jennings

 

[Junk]

nick, that's what is meant by pulling out the short side pulled out both the birf and the inner. luckily, thanks to some dude that moved away, i have a few spares now always in the truck to go along with the purty new birfields that i have stocked too.

 

[landtank]

While doing my axle this weekend I noticed that my short side was torn up much worse than the other. I'll probably replace it on the next rebuild.

 

[Gumby]

Starter contacts stuck on once when the wife had the rig 1.5 hours away.

That one sucked.

I have had the starter stick off twice on the trail after being dunked.

Stinkin CDL quit on my last wheelin trip. Could hardly get over the speedbump at Starbucks.

Wheeled all day in AWD. Never got stuck. Can't say that about the heep that was with us though.

 

[zebrabeefj40]

"nick, that's what is meant by pulling out the short side pulled out both the birf and the inner. luckily, thanks to some dude that moved away, i have a few spares now always in the truck to go along with the purty new birfields that i have stocked too. " - Junk

Right, but further up in the beginning of the thread another gent described how he got home without pulling the busted parts. I'm only offering why that might not be such a great idea. Treat my spare parts well...I might need them back.

Nick

 

[Junk]

Treat my spare parts well...I might need them back.

Nick

you can have them back any time. of course, they may be in slightly deformed condition just kiddin.

fyi - will get pics done tonight - not like i'll be watchin any jets highlights

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Might wanna be careful about leaving busted birfields in the axle for the ride home. If the birfield exploded the pieces can jam between the housing and the knuckle while turning. Then you can't turn! BTDT... Made for an interesting ride home. I recommend pulling busted birfields before you head out on the highway.


Nick Jennings

Good point Nick I was only 30 miles from home when she blew and I could only turn left she was jammed limiting the right to about 10% turning.
Three lefts make a right

Phil

 

[CruisinGA]

All this makes me glad I have a 40 to depend on.....

 

[RavenTai]

Had a fuel pump relay leave me stranded, pulled it apart cleaned and reinstalled has not given any problem since, I should probably get and keep a spare one on hand incase it acts up again but they are not cheap

 

[wob]

Dan - did that pizza have mushrooms on it?


Phil - I've heard of others (Greg aka SkytoSkydad) that have had the electrical harness fail on them while driving. It was the section of the harness that passes at the rear of the engine. Some movement of the wires would probably give some temp relief if you know that this is the problem.

Chalk me up for this one as well.

 

[robbie]

Never been really stranded Yet(knock on wood). Always seem to have engough resources around to make the fix to get home or to a friends house (same day fixes, maybe a few hours delay). Near strand times have been plenty. Most remote was in the Serria Madres in nothern mexico, south of Copper canyon. We parked late one evening (lost) on a road (barely) that on the map started out as a 46 miles dirt road to a main road(we must of missed the turn). The next moring as I went to start the 85 4/runner, the battery would not kick the engine over. well it was below freezing so after breakfeast I heated some water and we pushed the truck close to a long down hill grade and I had My present wife get in, I poured the hot water on the battery and pushed her down the hill to pop start the truck. It started and we were able to drive for the next 24 hrs out on the alternator. The battery had lost a cell, nominal voltage cold was 9 volts, but warm 10.5 jsut enough to run the computer.
You could not do this in a auto cruiser, dual battery is the best resolve for this, carry started contacts, yes I carry 5/8 heter hose. I once lost the return line on the power steering in Arizona and use a couple of short sections of small hose off other devices under the hood to get me out, now Icarry 3/8 P/S hose. The starter one way clutch stoped on me one day and it would do nothing but spin, walked to a dealer and got a rebuilt, keep the old one for the 10 dollar core charge. Even with a slight HG leak you could get home , but a major one you could not.
Fuel pumps can leave you stranded, any thing over 150k miles either replace or carry one with you. Alternator can last up to 225k miles but after that I would carry the brush holder for the 93 to present ones. Older one you need to solder to get the brushes out and replacesed. later robbie

 

[stayalert]

I was stranded the other day, I shut off the engine with the tranny in "D" I was stranded for about ten seconds wondering why nothing happened when I tuned the key...DOH...Once while towing a scrap landrover on a trailer I heard a pop and the exahust became quite loud ....Pulled over and wrapped some wire around one of the o2 sensors that had popped out....Smelled pretty bad until the insulation on the wire I had used buirned off (twas all I had at the time)
Rob M

 

[Brentbba]

Stranded and had to be flatbed towed twice. First time, check engine light and headed to dealer. On the way, died on the freeway. Wife was driving and I was following 'in case of a problem.' Glad I was. She was able to get to the side of the freeway. That one was caused by the infamous O2 sensors.

Second time was the starter. Starter seized and fried the alternator as well. I was fortunately just outside my neighborhood on the way to the dealer again. Flatbed towed to dealer to ultimately replace starter and alternator.

To make light of the first situation, had called AAA and said I had full time 4wd and needed a flatbed. The sent a regular tow truck that was available sooner just to see if he could at least get it running to get us off the freeway. He couldn't and we waited for the flatbed. Must say AAA's service both times was great.

 

[Junk]

Never been really stranded Yet(knock on wood).

sorry robbie, but you don't count.

there is probably nothing you couldn't fix, so this question for you = 0 points.

 

[mabrodis]

Robbie's story didn't have enough drama, needs a higher McGuyver factor. Something like...

"While traveling in Northern Mexico, flanking a band of drug runners, my '85 4runner developed a sputter and then died. Upon further investigation (to narrow down the problem I removed the engine using a old cow's leg bone I found and a young sapling, then took the entire engine apart cataloging my findings and layed all the parts out in alphabetical order on the beautiful sandstone). I discovered one compression ring was slightly out of tollerance (simple procedure of using scales of a rare Mexican lizard to measure all tollerances, which everyone knows are 0.004" per scale). While my findings troubled me, I heard a flury of activity nearby, as I was crouched burried in sand to my neck to hide, I started putting the engine back together. Approx 8.5 minutes later the engine was together and with the help of a wary coyote I trained, we installed the engine.
The flury I had heard was the drug runners starting a small fire to cover any trace of their mobile operation. The fire quickly spread and was heading towards some large trees. Me, along with my newly trained coyote immediately reconfigured the I-4 engine to use one cylinder to pump water and the other 3 to run. We dug down to water (coyote helped some here), and starting pumping water, got the fire out in no time. Reconfigured the engine again, and this time doing a full tuneup using bird feathers and natural items found in the high desert, simple stuff. I never did find out why the 4Runner sputtered and died. To make sure it wouldn't happen again I constructed a new battery using cactus juice and a ox skull, my new battery was not perfect, I could only get about 500 CCA, which I measured with a simple voltage through a stick setup, simple stuff. I then started my trek to my family again. I ran out of fuel a few times, which was to be expected, I merely used fermented cactus juice to create my own alcohal. Ofcourse I had to tune my engine for alcohal but that was no problem. "

Now THAT would be a story!!

 

[NorCalDoug]

Oh...forgot about my '94.
Had the O2 sensors replaced, then kept blowing EFI fuses. Turned out that the wire harness had been rubbing against a section of the firewall -- a couple wires had the insulation worn through. When they came in contact with metal, they blew out the EFI fuse. I carry plenty of spare fuses now too.

 

[NorCalDoug]

Robbie's story didn't have enough drama, needs a higher McGuyver factor. Something like...

"While traveling in Northern Mexico..."

Now THAT would be a story!!

Dude -- that's too F'in funny! Sounds like you've been on a run with Robbie and witnessed a trail repair first hand

 

[alia176]

With my LR - three near stranded while going cross county but managed to get home. Two flat bedded home - broken CV and a broken fuel pump.

with my FZJ - 0 (wanna keep it that way!)

 

[clownmidget]

Not in my 80 but in my 60 and 40; respectively:

MSD distributor decided to grenade inside the cap. This confused me for over an hour before I finally decided to pull the cap and see all the bits of metal, plastic, wire, etc. in there.

Dual flats. I think this may be the biggest "stranding" issue really because it doesn't matter what your driving or how well maintained it is. Carrying a bunch of big-a$$ plugs & cement WHERE YOU CAN GET THEM QUICKLY is pretty important, as well as a compressor or quick-air, spare valve stems, and if you're really in deep the necessary tools/equipment to re-seat the tire on the rim. I learned all of this while wheeling in Baja and the ensuing 20-mile hike rolling two flat tires was not something I care to repeat.

 

[robbie]

I left out the part where my wife would talk (in english) to the women trying to find out where we where, I would talk to the men. The Federalis told us not to go the way were going but they could not tell me which way to go either. (were we in the mountian at the same time the chapas incedent happened(which was way south but heavy fereralis were there also)). We also fueled the truck with it running, they had a 6 gallon can we put on the top of the truck to siphon the fuel into with our last pesos. On this same trip, we were crusiing down this creek bed/ road when we pick up this guy that wanted a ride. well he was riding on the stuff in the back and his coat flew open and he had a gun in his waste belt. Told the then girlfriend (wife today) just to be calm. He got tired of the ride down the creek and wanted out. Man was I relieved when he got out and smiled. That was a wonderful trip and more stories to tell about the whole trip. We finally got a battery at all places WAL MART. later robbie