I woke up early the next morning and realized i really wasn't thinking clearly when i went to sleep last night and was kind of in a daze. Being stressed out can cause all kinds of mental games. So, i woke up with thoughts running through my head of what the issue could be.
At first i thought maybe a t-case output bearing was going out, or worse, maybe the transmission was gone! Oh crap, no way!.... wait, get a hold of yourself this could be simple.
So, i decided to take the front driveshaft out and see if i can isolate the sound in the front end by spinning the front wheels. Maybe it's a wheel bearing or worse, maybe it's the front diff and something with the ARB locker install had gone out.
So, i jacked the front of the truck up in camp and dropped the front driveshaft so i could spin the wheels. Pulled out the front driveshaft and put my hands on the front and rear u-joints. Shazaam, the rear ujoint was seized up! Thank goodness, this is it because i have a spare ujoint in the tool box! Life was good and i was about to look like i was a pro to my dad.
I looked over at Dad and said to him, "hey bud, i figured this thing out and it's an easy fix" his eyes got bigger and you could tell we both had instant pep in our step. I tried to become a teacher and show him that trail fixes can be very satisfying.
I explained that a year or two ago i replaced the ujoints in the front driveshaft with some that i picked up from man-a-fre that were made in Japan but were "sealed" meaning they could not be greased. What a mistake that was. We got a couple of sockets out and a BFH. I got the c-clips out and then showed him how to hammer the ujoints out using the sockets. The U-joint totally disintegrated in my hand as we removed it. It was dry as a bone.
Then i cleaned everything up and reached for the spare u-joint in the tool box. Started to fit the spare u-joint into the shaft and things just were not lining up. OK, don't panic, just keep trying. Wait, this just isn't right, this u-joint is too large to fit in here, so what's the deal! Oh yea, this is a spare for the rear driveshaft, not the front. Crap, now we were back to square one. What do we do now? We felt a little deflated again.
We also were able to see the beautiful back drop of some mountain cliffs behind us. There was a small stream running by camp and it was a beautiful place to have broken down. Peaceful and quiet.
So, i said, let's lock the center diff and roll back down the mountain to Salina, UT and see if there is a parts store. I thought it was a long shot, but worth a try. I was a little worried because when i lock the center diff, it will lock the rear locker. I was not wanting to drive another 12 hours into Carson, NV with the rear locker activated.
Keep in mind that Salina is a very small town and you could drive through the entire town in about 2 minutes.
Down the mountain we drove and we stopped at the gas station where this all started. I asked them if there was a toyota dealership anywhere close and they laughed and said the nearest one was a few hours away. OK, is there a parts store nearby? The lady said, "yes, there is one right around the corner, it's a NAPA." I thought, no way! Cool ok we were going there.
Pulled around the corner and there it was, a NAPA about the size of a closet. Just kidding, it was small but i again felt deflated as i was sure they would not have what we needed. They probably have more parts for tractors and big rigs then they do for cars.
In we went. With my fingers, toes and hair all crossed i asked the guy at the desk if they had a U-joint for a 1995 toyota land cruiser front drive shaft. Guy looked at me like i was crazy and said let me check the computer. He looked down and said, "well, the computer says i have one"... no way i thought. Well, i said, i will believe it when you have it in your hand. Back to the back he walked. Soon he emerged from the shadows with two! I said, wait, you have two?! SOLD! I said, "I'll take them both"! I couldn't get to my wallet fast enough.
Now i was so happy i was giddy! Also, there happened to be a grocery store beside the NAPA. So, i told my dad i will play mechanic and fix this if he would go over and stock up on some supplies. He agreed and off he went.
I pulled the cruiser behind the back and offered the guy a cheerwine for his trouble. I was thinking he might have been a mormon and he looked puzzled at the bottle of red fluid i was handing him. I told him it wasn't an alcohol drink, just a soft drink from NC and it's great. He then smiled and said thanks. He popped the top and drank it. He smiled and said, hey, pull that truck up here, i've got a vice and all the tools you need. So i did, pulled around back in the shade and used the vice to press the new u-joint in. He then handed me a big grease gun and said to "grease her up", so i did. About the time i was finishing, dad had returned from his shopping trip.
I was puzzled. I said wait, what did you get? He said, "well, a flat of water, some coffee and a couple of candy bars".... WTF i thought. "Dad, we are about to go into the desert and then into the sierra nevada mountains and will not see any civilization for a week, is that enough?" He responded "i will eat pretty light".... geez i thought. Well, I guess we will see.
Off we went..
Damn i'm stressed and pissed.
