Moderate Offroading Widsom (1 Viewer)

[HorseMeat]

Mud Wizards,

I am planning a trip from Missouri to Colorado to hike Mt. Elbert and I was going to hit a few moderate mountian passes (Mosquito Pass and Birdseye Gulch plus a few others) and I am calling on the wisdom of ya'll. What are the not so obvoius things I need to check that might go bad and ruin my trip? My rig is a '96 in fairly good mechanical shape with 214k miles on it, fresh oil chane, fresh pads, and brake fluid, 5k on birfield repack but it still has the smallest clicking going on but it is intermittent and the birf itself looked ok(?) It also does not have front and rear lockers. Round trip it will probably end up being 1600-1700 miles in the span of a week. I don't plan on doing anything noteworthy on the trails so I don't expect much potential damage.

Mods include:
OME 861/862
Monroe heavy duty rear shocks
OHTSU AT 4000 285/75/16
Running boards have been removed by PO
Summit racing sticker

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Trust it. Drive it. Looks like it has the right basic mods. Take a shovel for “in case”.

 

[ajax1]

Not a whole lot open all the way through yet on the high passes depending on when your coming.
I would check belts, lug nuts, wheel bearings, fluids. Is radiator in good shape along with fan clutch? Stay out of the fast passing lane on 70 unless your passing , 2nd gear is your friend up the passes

 

[HorseMeat]

Not a whole lot open all the way through yet on the high passes depending on when your coming.
I would check belts, lug nuts, wheel bearings, fluids. Is radiator in good shape along with fan clutch? Stay out of the fast passing lane on 70 unless your passing , 2nd gear is your friend up the passes

The radiator had a small leak, more like a bubble, along the top plastic when I got it about 10 months ago. I jb welded it and havent had a problem. I cant speak for the fan clutch though. I'll be entering Mosquito pass from the east and taking Birdseye Gulch north from mosquito in 3 weeks. What would cause the passes to be closed? mud?

 

[Heckraiser]

Snow. Most everything should be open in 3 weeks.

I'd say your rig sounds good to go as long as you're confident in its mechanical condition. Check the steering arm nuts under the knuckle before you hit the road and after you get off the dirt to head back home. 71 ft lbs. I'm also a believer in a real temperature gauge or scangauge/app to monitor water temp after I realized I had been overheating on I-70 in the summertime and my stock gauge never moved.

 

[amgraham]

Bring a basic tool kit and fluids, matching good spare as you never know when you'll catch a poorly placed stick or rock. I like to carry a cordless impact and a cheap floor jack for that too. And a jump starter pack. They're so cheap now it's a no-brainer. Remove the mudflaps if you have them or they'll probably get removed for you on the trail and take the flares.

I wouldn't take off on a trip like that with a jb welded radiator but that's up to you. A top notch cooling system is good peace of mind in nowhere.

Some kind of traction boards or winch would be wise if you're on your own. I will say my last trip I did some pretty gnarly rock crawling open on 285 ATs with 861/862s and it did much better than I expected and I only got stuck when I knew there was a high probability that I would. Also a small compressor would be good for airing up and down.. My truck rides like hell on the OMEs on the trail so I air down to compensate even if I don't need the extra traction.

 

[rolliges]

Replace radiator or bring a spare with enough fluids for the vehicle.

 

[HorseMeat]

Bring a basic tool kit and fluids, matching good spare as you never know when you'll catch a poorly placed stick or rock. I like to carry a cordless impact and a cheap floor jack for that too. And a jump starter pack. They're so cheap now it's a no-brainer. Remove the mudflaps if you have them or they'll probably get removed for you on the trail and take the flares.

I wouldn't take off on a trip like that with a jb welded radiator but that's up to you. A top notch cooling system is good peace of mind in nowhere.

Some kind of traction boards or winch would be wise if you're on your own. I will say my last trip I did some pretty gnarly rock crawling open on 285 ATs with 861/862s and it did much better than I expected and I only got stuck when I knew there was a high probability that I would. Also a small compressor would be good for airing up and down.. My truck rides like hell on the OMEs on the trail so I air down to compensate even if I don't need the extra traction.

What kind of compressor do you guys use? You are correct on the cooling system worry but its the top plastic and hasnt leaked at all since the repair so who knows it might be stronger. I have a small 12,000 lb manual winch I use to winch cars onto trailers in the past if I absolutley have to use it. What else have you guys ran into? The PO did the PHH bypass some time ago, should that be a concern?

 

[Tools R Us]

... You are correct on the cooling system worry but its the top plastic and hasnt leaked at all since the repair so who knows it might be stronger. ...

Or not. How many long, steep grades have you pulled with it, about to be tested. If it was brittle enough to crack once... The other thing I would check is the heater valve, also plastic and if it hasn't been changed, likely aged out.

 

[amgraham]

What kind of compressor do you guys use? You are correct on the cooling system worry but its the top plastic and hasnt leaked at all since the repair so who knows it might be stronger. I have a small 12,000 lb manual winch I use to winch cars onto trailers in the past if I absolutley have to use it. What else have you guys ran into? The PO did the PHH bypass some time ago, should that be a concern?

I just carry a small masterflow or something I got at costco years ago. It's slow but it works in a pinch. I air up at a gas station if I find one instead.

If the PHH bypass hose is in good shape (as well as the other hoses) you should be fine. Just look for any cracking, bulging, or super soft hoses. I also agree with checking the heater valve but it's easy enough to bypass if needed. Maybe a section of 5/8" hose would be handy to carry for those purposes.

 

[Cruzerman]

The cooling system would be my biggest concern. Do you have a something to tell you the actual temp? I just took a 1000 mile trip to eastern Oregon. I had a new ultragauge so that now I could see the actual temp. While my dash gauge never moved, this thing showed temps that made me nervous. Needless to say that I have a new radiator, fan clutch (to be modded), and water pump to install.

 

[surfpig]

Everything these guys said, especially the scanguage thing for true coolant temps. I would think seriously about a new fan clutch at the very least. I thought my new-to-me 80 was in perfect mechanical condition for the first six months I owned it, until I started climbing desert and high sierra passes in the hot summer months. That showed the weaknesses in the system.

 

[inkpot]

Heater valve if you haven't already. It will be as BRITTLE AND AGED OUT as the radiator.

 

[greentruck]

Yeah, Mosquito should be open by the end of July. The "Get Your Ass Over the Pass" Race is usually around the end of the month, but it looks like it's August 4 this year. There's indication it will be open by then here:
Leadville Boom Days

They will clear things before the race , but don't know how soon that is versus your schedule, but looks like they'll have it open by when you're there.

IMO, if you stay on Mosquito Pass and similar trails, your mudflaps will likely be OK, just be careful to check when backing up that they don't get between the tire and a hard place. I've been over Mosquito and found Subarus at the top. It's nothing to take lightly, but relatively easy versus other trails I've been over there - once the snow is cleared.

 

[bigredmachine]

if your doing the fan clutch you may also want to replace the fan, its plastic and while it is unlikely that it will break it can happen and will likely take out the rad.

 

[shocktower]

Uhhhh make sure it is full of fuel don't touch any lot Lizards and enjoy