Random wandering around UT last week

[alia176]

If any of you have camped at Muley Point overlook, and you looked down to the valley floor, you'll see this trail that goes into the horizon. I made it a point to run this trail to the end, just for S&G on this outing It's called the John's Canyon trail link and it's pretty cool. Steve met me Sat night, then we parted ways Sun morning while I continued on. It's a cool place to putt putt around and burn fuel. One of the pic shows me pointing at Muley point way up there.

 

[alia176]

On my way to John's canyon, I also ran Valley of the Gods road. There's a BnB right at one end of the trail and looks like a nice place as I drove by.

 

[alia176]

and finally, just when I was having way too much fun on my way out of john's canyon trail, I hit a wash a weebit too hard. My trussed axle gently kissed the oil pan #2, aka "engine girdle" and a hairline crack appeared about 5' long. This oil pan #2 is made of cast alum so let me see if I can TIG it up this weekend. If I had put the bumpstops back in, this would've have happened.

I used my AAA+ to get a free tow to Bloomfield, then Uhauled it home after that. BTW, tow company had to charge $7 per mile for 18 miles over the 100 miles allowed. I might up to up my AAA to Primere coverage for 200 miles.

 

[alia176]

this oil coated the entire undercarriage on the drive from trail head to Bluff, and I went through two quarts of oil and needed two more but didn't have any. That was the first time my "oil level low" indicator light came on, which gave me a slight heart attack.

Three cans of engine degreaser at the car wash hopefully removed everything but I'll find out soon enough when I dig into this project.

 

[alia176]

back to the story, somewhere near the end I was questioning my choices. I really should've walked up and assessed the off camber climb up, then climb back down. I survived. Thankfully the edge was pretty solid when i opened the door and looked down. The bush is on the edge right below the door.

Anyway, another lesson learned. Walk ahead and check things out before you HAVE to climb up, then turn around. There was this giant boulder that fell in the past sometime!

 

[TOYOTARIG]

Looks like a fun trip, other than the whole oil pan thang!

 

[Mesa Woman]

Sometimes I feel like Gabe wants to push our rigs and I feel like the nagging wife with the what ifs… we are alone comments but I also feel I have prevented some towing trips.

So glad you are safe and your rig made it home with just a fracture. Now you know the low oils light for sure works! And yay for being close to your 100 mile tow than the 200mil mark. Phew!

Thanks for sharing your adventure with us!

We have been up on Muley Point and love love love it out there! Comb ridge is a favorite get out of here spot!

 

[alia176]

As I was tooling down the trail, I was asking myself "what would happen if I hit one of these washes a little too hard. Would I have front coil springs bind up? Would the axle housing hit anything?"

I sure got my answer. Never leave the driveway half cocked when you're going remote camping.

The bump stops got removed after the trussing of the housing took place because the bump stops were hitting the truss just sitting on the driveway! I have plans to move them inside the front coils like factory, and now I know exactly how many inches of up travel my axle is allowed to have.

 

[William839]

As I was tooling down the trail, I was asking myself "what would happen if I hit one of these washes a little too hard. Would I have front coil springs bind up? Would the axle housing hit anything?"

I sure got my answer. Never leave the driveway half cocked when you're going remote camping.

The bump stops got removed after the trussing of the housing took place because the bump stops were hitting the truss just sitting on the driveway! I have plans to move them inside the front coils like factory, and now I know exactly how many inches of up travel my axle is allowed to have.

Any pics of your axles trusses ? I was going to truss mine with the swap but the 6BT Pan is guaranteed to hit with my 2 inch lift ..

 

[Tank5]

Glad you got back safe. Crazy ride! Thanks for sharing your lesson with us. I have heard it said the first thing to break is the last thing you worked on / modified. I always make sure I carry the specific tools needed to address the last thing I messed with on my rig when I hit the road with it. I don’t know how often that statement comes true but I will continue do what I do.

I am sure you had a number of alternative plans to get out, glad you had what you needed to get back and sort it out.

Housing looks good under the 80!

 

[marcfj60]

What an adventure. I'm glad you were able to get the tow from a reasonably accessible point instead of being way out in the boonies and stranded. Thanks for sharing with us.

 

[alia176]

Any pics of your axles trusses ? I was going to truss mine with the swap but the 6BT Pan is guaranteed to hit with my 2 inch lift ..

do a search with my name and the keyword Axle in the 80 section and you'll find it.

 

[alia176]

i might need a new oil pan #2 if I can't fix it properly. I did a number on it from what I saw last night as the oil was draining.

 

[alia176]

Glad you got back safe. Crazy ride! Thanks for sharing your lesson with us. I have heard it said the first thing to break is the last thing you worked on / modified. I always make sure I carry the specific tools needed to address the last thing I messed with on my rig when I hit the road with it. I don’t know how often that statement comes true but I will continue do what I do.

I am sure you had a number of alternative plans to get out, glad you had what you needed to get back and sort it out.

Housing looks good under the 80!

I'm very thankful that I discovered the problem as I was airing up. At that time, I lost two quarts of oil already, and I hit the hwy for Bluff. I was driving down the road with a huge cloud of smoke behind me as the oil hit the exhaust pipes. About halfway into Bluff, low oil level light came on and I poured in one Q of 10w30, and one Q of ATF, then finished the drive to the campground in Bluff.

If I ran out of oil to pour into the engine out in the bush, this would've been a very complicated situation. I'm not sure what the best course of action would've been. Perhaps walk to the hwy, hitch a ride into Bluff, buy all the oil they have then, hitch another ride back to the trailhead. Remember, I got Luka with me the whole time! I'd probably grab dinner and a motel if it got too late. Then walk back to the disabled 80, limp her into Bluff, then do the tow truck thing, maybe?

It all turned out very well for me and I've ever so thankful. Oh, I didn't tell y'all about the near head on collision I avoided on 550 when a semi blew his driver front tire and steered directly across all four lanes of 550 and landed on MY side of the shoulder! Whew, that was very close. If I were 2.5 seconds slower, it'd have been a different situation. I saw on the side view mirror of the Uhaul that they landed in a cloud of dust on my shoulder w/o hitting anyone. It looked like the semi was still right side up, but may have flopped over due to the downward slope of the shoulder at that point. I was too busy getting used to hauling Beastie so I just kept going with both hands on the wheel!!

 

[Mesa Woman]

I'm very thankful that I discovered the problem as I was airing up. At that time, I lost two quarts of oil already, and I hit the hwy for Bluff. I was driving down the road with a huge cloud of smoke behind me as the oil hit the exhaust pipes. About halfway into Bluff, low oil level light came on and I poured in one Q of 10w30, and one Q of ATF, then finished the drive to the campground in Bluff.

If I ran out of oil to pour into the engine out in the bush, this would've been a very complicated situation. I'm not sure what the best course of action would've been. Perhaps walk to the hwy, hitch a ride into Bluff, buy all the oil they have then, hitch another ride back to the trailhead. Remember, I got Luka with me the whole time! I'd probably grab dinner and a motel if it got too late. Then walk back to the disabled 80, limp her into Bluff, then do the tow truck thing, maybe?

It all turned out very well for me and I've ever so thankful. Oh, I didn't tell y'all about the near head on collision I avoided on 550 when a semi blew his driver front tire and steered directly across all four lanes of 550 and landed on MY side of the shoulder! Whew, that was very close. If I were 2.5 seconds slower, it'd have been a different situation. I saw on the side view mirror of the Uhaul that they landed in a cloud of dust on my shoulder w/o hitting anyone. It looked like the semi was still right side up, but may have flopped over due to the downward slope of the shoulder at that point. I was too busy getting used to hauling Beastie so I just kept going with both hands on the wheel!!

Wow!! So glad you are safe!
I was gonna ask for the video but you were in the U-Haul! Crazy! Scary! A fear most of us have.

 

[alia176]

Wow!! So glad you are safe!
I was gonna ask for the video but you were in the U-Haul! Crazy! Scary! A fear most of us have.

Thanks. I have good karma, apparently.

 

[krazykat69]

I'm very thankful that I discovered the problem as I was airing up. At that time, I lost two quarts of oil already, and I hit the hwy for Bluff. I was driving down the road with a huge cloud of smoke behind me as the oil hit the exhaust pipes. About halfway into Bluff, low oil level light came on and I poured in one Q of 10w30, and one Q of ATF, then finished the drive to the campground in Bluff.

If I ran out of oil to pour into the engine out in the bush, this would've been a very complicated situation. I'm not sure what the best course of action would've been. Perhaps walk to the hwy, hitch a ride into Bluff, buy all the oil they have then, hitch another ride back to the trailhead. Remember, I got Luka with me the whole time! I'd probably grab dinner and a motel if it got too late. Then walk back to the disabled 80, limp her into Bluff, then do the tow truck thing, maybe?

It all turned out very well for me and I've ever so thankful. Oh, I didn't tell y'all about the near head on collision I avoided on 550 when a semi blew his driver front tire and steered directly across all four lanes of 550 and landed on MY side of the shoulder! Whew, that was very close. If I were 2.5 seconds slower, it'd have been a different situation. I saw on the side view mirror of the Uhaul that they landed in a cloud of dust on my shoulder w/o hitting anyone. It looked like the semi was still right side up, but may have flopped over due to the downward slope of the shoulder at that point. I was too busy getting used to hauling Beastie so I just kept going with both hands on the wheel!!

I have used JB Weld Steel Stik putty to fix a leaking diff cover and used on a lower case on a motorcycle engine, which had internal pressure, when running. It sealed well and only seeped out slightly for several more days riding.
It sets up pretty quick and fully cures in a few hours. This might turn a big leak into a manageable leak, at least. On the diff leak, it sealed up above the oil level and we topped it off, after an hour, and it stopped the leak on the trail.
Might be something to add to a tool kit.

 

[krazykat69]

If any of you have camped at Muley Point overlook, and you looked down to the valley floor, you'll see this trail that goes into the horizon. I made it a point to run this trail to the end, just for S&G on this outing It's called the John's Canyon trail link and it's pretty cool. Steve met me Sat night, then we parted ways Sun morning while I continued on. It's a cool place to putt putt around and burn fuel. One of the pic shows me pointing at Muley point way up there.

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I've motorcycled into that John's Canyon road ,with several other guys. We finally came to a very dicey area and turned around. Well worth the exploration.
Next to nobody out there, most of the time. Just above the San Juan River. Near Goosenecks State Park.

 

[alia176]

I have used JB Weld Steel Stik putty to fix a leaking diff cover and used on a lower case on a motorcycle engine, which had internal pressure, when running. It sealed well and only seeped out slightly for several more days riding.
It sets up pretty quick and fully cures in a few hours. This might turn a big leak into a manageable leak, at least. On the diff leak, it sealed up above the oil level and we topped it off, after an hour, and it stopped the leak on the trail.
Might be something to add to a tool kit.

I have all kinds of epoxy in my tool kit too but this is what I thought about and went nah:

- drain the remaining oil on the ground.
-setup camp, while the remaining oil seeps out. It'll take hours for the oil to slowly stop dripping.
-next morning, wake up, and use brake spray to clean the large crack, about 5", and there are smaller 1" long cracks too. Oh wait, I don't have a can of brake spray cleaner. It's too big to fit inside my ammo can of fluids.
-wire brush the crack to create a rough surface. I have a pneumatic die grinder which would be perfect, but can't run the engine for the air compressor
- I also have a welder but I don't think I have alum wire in the spool gun, but this may have been the better solution, maybe? Two batteries might've worked but three would've been better for my spool gun. Still, the work site has to be PRISTINE clean before any welding can begin.
-wait for hours for everything to set. 12 hours? Meanwhile you're praying that the oil from inside the pan isn't ruining the JB Weld bond.
-on the next day, come up with six quarts of fresh engine oil.
- if the epoxy holds, woohooo.

This thread can produce all kinds of learning points for us, so let me know how anyone else would've done things differently.

 

[TOYOTARIG]

I have all kinds of epoxy in my tool kit too but this is what I thought about and went nah:

- drain the remaining oil on the ground.
-setup camp, while the remaining oil seeps out. It'll take hours for the oil to slowly stop dripping.
-next morning, wake up, and use brake spray to clean the large crack, about 5", and there are smaller 1" long cracks too. Oh wait, I don't have a can of brake spray cleaner. It's too big to fit inside my ammo can of fluids.
-wire brush the crack to create a rough surface. I have a pneumatic die grinder which would be perfect, but can't run the engine for the air compressor
- I also have a welder but I don't think I have alum wire in the spool gun, but this may have been the better solution, maybe? Two batteries might've worked but three would've been better for my spool gun. Still, the work site has to be PRISTINE clean before any welding can begin.
-wait for hours for everything to set. 12 hours? Meanwhile you're praying that the oil from inside the pan isn't ruining the JB Weld bond.
-on the next day, come up with six quarts of fresh engine oil.
- if the epoxy holds, woohooo.

This thread can produce all kinds of learning points for us, so let me know how anyone else would've done things differently.

How about aluminum tape over the crack, then JB Weld over the aluminum tape?