Popular Post Frederic Posted June 6, 2023 Popular Post Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 It is no mystery that off-roading takes a heavy toll on your vehicle. In this topic we will discuss the preventative and corrective measures you can do to minimize the risk of your 4x4 breaking down in the desert. While below steps will not remove the chances of breaking down completely, it will at least reduce the potential significantly. Preventative - Pre-Drive Checkup This preventative check takes only 15mins and will take away a lot of the potential issues you can come across. It does not take away the need to get your car serviced but is merely a quick first inspection before heading out into the desert. 1. Check your oil level on the dipstick. If the level is too close to the minimum level, or the oil is appearing too black, replace the engine oil. We generally advise you to replace the engine oil: * at 80% of the normal recommended km. (for example change your oil at 8,000km instead of 10,000km) in case you are an occasional off-roader. * at 50% of the normal recommended km when you are a hardcore high level dune basher. How to Read an Oil Dipstick - AutoZone We always recommend using fully synthetic oil only from a well-known brand only (Mobil1, Castrol, Amsoil, Redline). Our cars deserve only the best if we push them to the redline on regular basis ! Make sure to run the engine for 5-10mins first so the oil is at the right temperature and viscosity before turning off the engine and taking out the dipstick. 2. Check your coolant level. The overflow tank will have a min. and max. level line. Coolant level should be within this range. Coolant should be replaced every 50-60,000kms with the recommended type of coolant for your 4x4. 3. Check your air filter. Off-roading will clog up your air filter quite soon, so inspect it before every drive by opening the air filter box and taking out the filter element. Take out the filter and gently tap it on a soft surface. The majority of the sand will come falling out. * If the filter element is paper-made, better to replace it every 20,000km. * If it's made of a nonwoven fabric or material than can be cleaned you can clean it with a gentle water pressure and let it dry (having a second filter at hand is very useful so it has time to dry out). In case of an oiled filter, you will need to follow the recommended maintenance of these filters religiously which includes oiling the filter after cleaning it. PS always make sure the close the airbox properly. In some vehicles it's a bit tricky and you don't want to have sand getting inside ! Make sure all the clips are on and there is no misalignment. Even the mechanics often make this mistake when being in a rush. 4. Check for any loose hoses or leaks. While you are under the bonnet, have a close inspection at the air intake hose to make sure there are no cracks, and look for any suspicious signs of leaks (often you will find a leak as the sand sticks to it). 5. Check the pressure of your 4 tyres. If you inflated it properly on the previous drive, then the tyre pressure should still be the same. If you notice that 1 tyre has a lower pressure, it could mean there is a slight leak. Either from the valve stem, or a small puncture. You don't want to drive in the desert with a leaking tyre as this will be a recipe for regular pop-outs. 6. Battery. It is visually not possible to inspect the car battery, but after about 1 year you might start seeing signs that the car doesn't start on the first go. A good tip is to pass by a service station like Autopro which is generally next to the gas station and ask them to perform a battery health check. They have a special device that will show you the battery health in about 2mins. If the result is below 50-60% i would recommend replacing it. Those devices are available on Amazon as well: Car Battery Tester - YUNGU 12V Battery Alternator Analyzer Load Tester Starter and Charging System Tester Battery Analyzer for Cars Motorcycle Marine Truck and More : Amazon.ae: Automotive 7. Dashboard lights. Do you have check-engine lights? Better get them looked at by a professional mechanic. These are indications something is wrong and it should not be ignored. If you are a bit technically inclined, get yourself an OBD scanner tool that allows you to read out any DTC (fault codes). 8. Clutch. In case of manual gearbox: if you noticed the play of the clutch pedal has changed recently, like feeling a lot softer, this is a clear indication something is wrong. Do not go off-roading with a faulty clutch ! 9. Underneath the car and your parking spot. Have a look underneath the 4x4 itself. If you see lots of sand sticking in some area nearby the engine and/or transmission, this means you have an oil leak somewhere. While in old cars small leaks are acceptable, in newer ones this should not be tolerated. Check the parking floor as well, as this will give you an indication if you have a coolant leak or other oil leaks. During The Drive 1. Keep an eye out for overheating signs. Stop the car immediately and inform the convoy if your engine or transmission is overheating. 2. If you made a nasty hit, ask the convoy to stop for a minute. Step out and inspect the front of the car including radiator, bash plate, and verify if you have any leaks. If you can spot it early enough most probably it can still be fixed and we don't have to drag your 4x4 out of the desert. 3. Understand your 4x4. With every drive you will gain experience and you will learn from pushing the car how much it can take and for how long it can take this. The more you are in tune with your 4x4, the quicker you will spot any potential issues. Post-Drive Checkup This can be done while inflating your tyres. 1. Open the bonnet and check for any loose hoses or leaks. Same as in step 4 mentioned in the pre-drive checkup. 2. Check for any debris underneath the car. Especially after having driven in bushy terrain. 3. Check for any leaks underneath the car. 4. Inflate the tyres back to normal pressure. 5. On the way home, turn off the radio and listen to the car itself. Suspensions squeaks or rattling noises means you'll need to take it to the mechanic to get it inspected. Long story short. If you look after your 4x4, she/he will look after you and you will be able to enjoy this sport with less head-aches and costly repairs. Make sure to do your due diligence in selecting the right service/repair shop as well that doesn't cut corners but understands that as an offroader you want your car to be in the best possible condition technically. Please do share your own experiences and tips ! 5 2 7 "Go as far as you can see; once you get there, you'll be able to see further." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Posted June 6, 2023 Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 Really good post @Frederic always ensuring to check up on your 4x4 is essential to safe driving. I do have a question though; since I got the hurricane shocks and doing daily offroading they do squeak, never thought it was an issue. maybe I should go back to AM.Wrangler to get them lubricated or something? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederic Posted June 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 1 minute ago, Benjamin said: Really good post @Frederic always ensuring to check up on your 4x4 is essential to safe driving. I do have a question though; since I got the hurricane shocks and doing daily offroading they do squeak, never thought it was an issue. maybe I should go back to AM.Wrangler to get them lubricated or something? Hi @Benjaminyes you might want to get that checked out, but on the other hand i had exactly the same issue when i got my Rancho shocks installed. The squeak came from the mounting bushes that somehow needed to settle a bit. The noise dissapeared after 2-3 drives on its own. 2 1 "Go as far as you can see; once you get there, you'll be able to see further." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaro Tuzinsky Posted June 6, 2023 Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 (edited) @Frederic thank you for it. Especially for the post drive checkups, personally i didn't realise how this part is important. Appreciate your complex overview and advices. Edited June 6, 2023 by Jaro Tuzinsky 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munkybizness Posted June 6, 2023 Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 An amazing and insightful post as always. Nothing less to be expected from you @Frederic! 2 hours ago, Frederic said: Underneath the car and your parking spot. Have a look underneath the 4x4 itself. If you see lots of sand sticking in some area nearby the transmission, this means you have an oil leak somewhere. This is an important point that I learned when I was just starting out. When you're driving in wet sand (post rain) areas. Sand also sticks to the under chassis - axles, transmission, sump guards etc. Hence, when you've done about 4 to 5 drives, it's a good thing to also get your under-chassis pressure washed to remove any sand that's caked on. In my case, it was so thick that kerosene had to be used to loosen the grime and re-primed. 3 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zed Posted June 6, 2023 Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 4 hours ago, Benjamin said: since I got the hurricane shocks and doing daily offroading they do squeak, never thought it was an issue. maybe I should go back to AM.Wrangler to get them lubricated or something? squeaking is mostly bushings, not related to the shocks... though the top part and lower part have eyelet bushings to bolt onto the frames. If your shock bushings are metal, use PTFE spray to lubricate the top & bottom eyelets first before going back to the installer. Another source of squeaking is Upper Control Arm balljoints, this is easy to check by lifting the car up and slowly lowering it down. Or in absence of high jacks / lift machine, by standing on the front bumper and bouncing it up & down 😂 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zed Posted June 6, 2023 Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 3 hours ago, munkybizness said: Hence, when you've done about 4 to 5 drives, it's a good thing to also get your under-chassis pressure washed to remove any sand that's caked on. Actually best practice is to go to manual car wash after every last drive of the day (so if you drive both Saturday & Sunday you should wash the underbody Sat night & Sun night). I asked my mechanic why I had to replace 2 steering pumps within 6 months and 1 steering rack within a year and he said both parts were cemented with hard-dried-sand and told me I must have forgotten to wash the underchassis for a long time 😂 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GauravSoni Posted June 6, 2023 Report Share Posted June 6, 2023 8 hours ago, Frederic said: Suspensions squeaks or rattling noises means you'll need to take it to the mechanic to get it inspected. This would mean i have to get my mechanic for all my drives as a passenger! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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