Road Trip Prep & Advice (Yosemite)

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100d ua

100d ua

Joined
Jul 4, 2018
Threads
45
Messages
1,210
Location
Oregon
Hey Everyone,

I'm planning a 1,500 mile roundtrip road trip next month and I have a few questions about a few areas...

2000 Land Cruiser W/ 273K miles on the ODO

- Fan Clutch: I don't believe mine has ever been replaced. Are there any ways to test it or symptoms to look out for before it fails?

- Ignition Coils: Also, don't believe these have ever been replaced. Should I do this preventatively? $50 each for a Denso will def hurt the piggybank... but maybe I can pick up some lost MPG's and prevent a potential break down?

Getting the most out of my MPG's

Might sound crazy, but I have the 2nd and third row removed, PSI bumped up to 40/45, new air filter, new fuel filter, fresh alignment, fresh oil, brakes, spark plugs, and I plan on removing the sliders (no real hard trailing planned). Anything else I can desperately attempt to gain some MPG's?

Lastly, lets talk the trip

I'll be leaving Portland, OR and the first stops will be Carson City and Virginia City before making our way to South Lake Tahoe for lodging. From our hotel we plan to go to Yosemite. I've done some reading and watched a few Youtube videos, and it looks like there isn't any real trailing to be done there and the closest dispersed camping is an hour away? Considering we will be going in early May, are there any road closures or weather conditions I should be aware off? The research continues but I'd definitely appreciate any inside knowledge!

Are there any recommendations or suggestions for places that are must see in the areas between Carson City and Yosemite?

Apprecaite any feedback and hope to see some of y'all during my travels!
 
JMO, if the cruiser has been running good, just fill’er up with gas and roll. I wouldn’t waste time and effort removing the sliders for what will likely be a net gain of zero MPG.

My biggest concern would be making sure the cooling system is in good shape, especially the radiator and heater T’s.
 
MountaineerLC said:
JMO, if the cruiser has been running good, just fill’er up with gas and roll. I wouldn’t waste time and effort removing the sliders for what will likely be a net gain of zero MPG.

My biggest concern would be making sure the cooling system is in good shape, especially the radiator and heater T’s.
Click to expand...
Yep, that's all good and been checked.

Removing the sliders is still an idea. I don't really know if it will affect much and the physics of it... all I know is I for sure felt it when I installed them LOL.
 
Just some ideas:

For electrical, have a spare coil pack, mass airflow sensor, scan tool, fuses, spark plugs, test light. Also, duct tape, baling wire, some cooling and fuel rated hose of various diameters, clamps.

Lots more in the back of my truck if you want to go overkill, but you’ll probably be fine as long as you have gas in the tank.
 
GOLIGHTLY said:
Just some ideas:

For electrical, have a spare coil pack, mass airflow sensor, scan tool, fuses, spark plugs, test light. Also, duct tape, baling wire, some cooling and fuel rated hose of various diameters, clamps.

Lots more in the back of my truck if you want to go overkill, but you’ll probably be fine as long as you have gas in the tank.
Click to expand...
MAF never goes bad without a lot of warning and similarly spark plugs and coils just don't crap out without giving you plenty of warning.
Also looks like he will be in or near civilization most of the time so he can easily find common hoses and stuff.

I wouldn't worry abt removing sliders either as those won't make a lick of difference in mpg.

As for the trio, there are certainly wheeling opportunities around Tahoe, so you can take advantage of having a cruiser with sliders ;)

Have fun, make some good memories and don't worry too much abt prep. May be invest in a scanguage and keep an eye on the engine and trans temps, that's all!

Oh and bring a wad of cash for gas - cruisers be mighty thirsty 🙄
 
I have a scan gauge so good to go there and yes, aside from all that my next big worry is the gas cost 😂😂
 
100d ua said:
Considering we will be going in early May, are there any road closures or weather conditions I should be aware off? The research continues but I'd definitely appreciate any inside knowledge!
Click to expand...
The major road closure is Highway 120 (Tioga Rd) coming from the east side (Hwy 395). It usually opens late May or early June. This would be the short way coming from Carson City and there is more dispersed camping coming from that direction. Early May, you will enter Yosemite from one of the west side entrances.
 
Having lived in Carson City, and family members living outside Yosemite (Mariposa), you will probably get more off-roading in NV than CA. As long as your hundy has been properly maintained you should pack a scan tool of some sort. Also, bookmark the Caltrans website, use this the day before for any road closures in Cali, it will also point out construction on the given roads.
Curious to see your mpg on the trip. @75mph I tend to be 13-17mpg depending on terrain. Mine is OEM/stock. Gotta believe dropping down to 55mph will be your biggest gas saver. Also, I would suggest keeping to 5psi over recommended pressures, part of the great things about the hundy is how it rides, 29psi is recommended for the fronts on the door panel, 33psi for the rears. I usually set mine to be at the recommended pressures at the lowest temps I’ll see on my trips (did 8 laps of the country last year in mine).
Coils, handle when convenient. Just replaced my coils in last 20k while a noticeable change not emergency unless one of yours is gone.
Take a ton of pics! Looking forward to your trip report.
 
ClassyJalopy said:
MAF never goes bad without a lot of warning and similarly spark plugs and coils just don't crap out without giving you plenty of warning.
Also looks like he will be in or near civilization most of the time so he can easily find common hoses and stuff.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately for me, it limp mode'd my truck with no warning in the middle of nowhere years back. Cheap part, takes up no space, I'll continue dragging one with me in future lol.
 
I agree on not replacing the coil packs before the trip if they're not giving you problems but I would recommend carrying an extra one or two as spares. I also don't think you'll gain significant fuel economy by removing your sliders, and that sounds like a PITA. I bet the second row weights more than the sliders anyway!

1,500 mile trip, averaging 12 MPG will be 125 gallons of fuel; averaging 15 MPG will be 100 MPG. The difference between the two, 25 gallons, is going to be $100 for the whole trip (assuming $4 a gallon, probably more in NV and CA but I live in TX where it's $2.7 per gallon). Bottom line, does it really matter in the grand scheme of a great trip/adventure?

We drive 20+ year old tanks designed for Pakistan, Australia and Africa. Fuel consumption CAN'T be a big concern.
 
What scan tool do y'all recommend?
 
100d ua said:
Hey Everyone,

I'm planning a 1,500 mile roundtrip road trip next month and I have a few questions about a few areas...

2000 Land Cruiser W/ 273K miles on the ODO

- Fan Clutch: I don't believe mine has ever been replaced. Are there any ways to test it or symptoms to look out for before it fails?

- Ignition Coils: Also, don't believe these have ever been replaced. Should I do this preventatively? $50 each for a Denso will def hurt the piggybank... but maybe I can pick up some lost MPG's and prevent a potential break down?

Getting the most out of my MPG's

Might sound crazy, but I have the 2nd and third row removed, PSI bumped up to 40/45, new air filter, new fuel filter, fresh alignment, fresh oil, brakes, spark plugs, and I plan on removing the sliders (no real hard trailing planned). Anything else I can desperately attempt to gain some MPG's?

Lastly, lets talk the trip

I'll be leaving Portland, OR and the first stops will be Carson City and Virginia City before making our way to South Lake Tahoe for lodging. From our hotel we plan to go to Yosemite. I've done some reading and watched a few Youtube videos, and it looks like there isn't any real trailing to be done there and the closest dispersed camping is an hour away? Considering we will be going in early May, are there any road closures or weather conditions I should be aware off? The research continues but I'd definitely appreciate any inside knowledge!

Are there any recommendations or suggestions for places that are must see in the areas between Carson City and Yosemite?

Apprecaite any feedback and hope to see some of y'all during my travels!
Click to expand...
Your prep is going to depend 100% on your trip. Do you plan to be on pavement the entire time? You don't need to have spares of stuff if you can just call a tow truck. If you decide to do repairs, give yourself plenty of time between the repair and the trip to make sure all is well....... Nothing wrong with pumping tire pressures a bit higher for highway driving. Coils don't need to be replaced if they are working but sure its not a bad idea to do it , at some point... Last thing you need is an issue before the road trip trying to fix a part thats not broken...... I doubt you'll see any noticeable gains in anything

If your fan clutch was failing you would know. It'd be wobbling or making noise. you could remove belt and give it a spin and check for play or anything weird.


Now if you want me to throw my opinion out there on the trip itself, dude your in an epic parts of the county. You could almost take dirt roads the entire way to southern Nevada..... I'm currently planning a Montana, central oregon, nevada, idaho loop.....there are some vast and amazing landscapes out there...... You have the black rock desert right in your path as well.

Lots of history with the original emigrant trail too.... I was getting all worked up over some preparation recently for this trip and it's like, people used to do it with wagons on horseback with nothing . I think we'll be alright in our climate controlled land cruiser. Worst case? you break down and get stuck for a while, shoot you might even miss some work.....that's not a bad thing at all.

If a trip becomes more of an off road adventure, where cell service is limited and people aren't around then you'll want to do more preparation. If you're taking the highway from A to B then just pack some road snacks and have some fun the cruiser won't let you down.
 
MountaineerLC said:
JMO, if the cruiser has been running good, just fill’er up with gas and roll. I wouldn’t waste time and effort removing the sliders for what will likely be a net gain of zero MPG.

My biggest concern would be making sure the cooling system is in good shape, especially the radiator and heater T’s.
Click to expand...

weight: makes no/minimal difference on the highway. that main factor there is wind resistance which you cannot change (other than removeing roof rack). drag coeficient is mainly influenced by frontal area, etc. Hilly areas will also affect.

I tested this with my fugly astro van. several trips to SLC from SoCal (yes....ski bumb) with rig empty on the outbound, fully loaded (mainly camoflaged wine/beer) on the inbound. this was pure highway. All trips done @70mg using cruise control.

Yea-haw :cheers:
 
Lots of great advice in here, thanks all!



@hoser Yeah I was reading about the particular road closure and while plotting the trip from Carson to Yoesmite, I was thinking how in the world is it 4 hours but your right, it’s directing me to the west side.



@Chrisek You’re probably right, I did some scouting on google maps and will do some on OnXoffroad later, but looks like there are some pretty cool spots right in Carson/Virginia city area. I’m also very curious what the MPG’s will be. The last time I did a 1k+ road trip it was towing a trailer. Here is my current setup with the 2000 being a 4 speed and having 33” tires.

IMG_2955.webp



@ed94r Thank you for the reminder on this! I used to use Techron fuel system cleaner almost religiously in my old BMW’s and LC but it’s been a while since I remembered to pick a can up and do another cleaning so adding this to the list.

IMG_2985.webp




@exiles Going to take this advice and carry at least one extra coil and need to get myself familiar with using the scan gauge functions for reading fault codes. Currently only using it to read various temps. I did some calculating, and if I can get 12 MPG average the whole trip I’m looking at roughly $600 in fuel assuming it stays at or under $4/gal.



@Jack90210 As far as I know it should be. No leaks and PO replaced the radiator, hoses and heater T’s years ago when I had bought it. They’re not the newest, but they have been replaced in the past 60-70k.



@Mike NXP I wish I had more time for this trip. We only have (4) days. Day one will be getting as much driving as we can and finding a spot to sleep overnight inside the car. Would love to stop at Crater Lake for the night but that’s only about 4.5 hours into a 9 hour drive.



Thanks to everyone that suggested against removing the sliders. Looking back on the installation I can see how that would be a huge PITA and not make much sense considering most of this will be freeway driving
 
You could check out Moon Rocks outside Reno, or Johnson Lane just South on 395 from Carson. Pretty cool spots, and you could sleep out there.
 
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