I have a few jobs to do upcoming on the Land Cruiser, which I will try to share here. Firstly why should you learn to work on your own truck? Well if you off road, some time, somewhere, you will have an issue with your truck (and if by some miracle you don’t, someone else will and it is good to help others!) and when that day comes chances are you will be a long way from your local garage.
[I love the ways these boys go bush, it makes for great viewing. But all that weight (and the way they drive!) has to take it’s toll...]
Oh, and you might save yourself some money in the process.
So as you work on your driving and recovery techniques. Pick some simple jobs and start to learn to work on your truck.
Safety: Personal safety and financial safety. Consider yours and others safety before tackling anything and while you are doing a job. Never get under a vehicle only supported by a jack. You already keep a fire extinguisher in your truck, right? You might want to get it out and have it ready if you are doing something with a risk of fire (fuel filter change). There are many dangers associated with working on car, fuel, batteries, electrics, etc. Know the risks and take precautions. You will cut fingers and scrape knuckles, this is part of it, getting actually injured or worse is not.
Yes, working on your truck can save you money, but biting off more than you can chew or just making a simple mistake can get very expensive, very quickly. Not sure? Get some advice beforehand from someone who knows and you can trust.
Workshop manual: On line resources, forums, YouTube, can be really useful, however I would always start by looking at the manual (in fact I have been known to buy the manual before buying the car, to see how easy/hard things look). You can also easily consult the manual wherever you are.
Factory manuals can be very useful, however they are designed to be used by professionals and normally a certain level of knowledge is assumed. If you can lay your hand on one at a reasonable price, then by all means go for it, but I would still have a Haynes or similar in conjunction.
Tools: Yep, you’ll need tools. A bit like knowledge and experience you just build them up as you go. You’ll also work out what is worth spending money on and what isn’t. General rule, don’t go for the cheapest, don’t go for the most expensive. You want something that will last and will be functional. A good independent tool shop should be able to advise you if you tell them what you need it for and how much you want to spend.
Sometimes less is more. The more you can learn to get by with the tools you have, the more you will develop your skills and problem solving abilities. On the flip side, sometimes you just have to buy the right tool for the job.
Mates: Like minded friends are well worth having (acquiring!), knowledge, diagnosis, tools, lifting in gearboxes, etc. All easier shared with a mate or two. Your mates not interested? (Get rid of them. Joke, maybe...) Join a club, you are bound to find some like minded fellows there.
Getting to know your truck mechanically will mean you will be able to tell when something isn’t right. You will either see, feel or hear it. Spotting a problem early is often crucial to getting it fixed.
I’m sure like many of you I enjoy these videos and these guys obviously have a lot of experience, but they come a little bit undone in this video.
The symptoms they are describe seemed to point towards the most likely cause, dirt in the fuel, (as they correctly diagnose and then talk themselves out of it). As the fuel filter starts to become blocked then engine starts to run lean (not enough fuel in the air fuel ratio) hence the rise in exhaust gas temperature and poor performance. As the filter becomes more blocked the mixture becomes leaner till they eventually end up with a lean misfire. Lucky not to burn a valve out. But that’s not the point, the point being don’t ignore signs of trouble (what was the point of having a EGT gauge fitted and when it is reading over temp, to just keep driving as it gets worse and eventually stops). If something is not right stop and look into it there and then, it won’t fix itself.
[In the interest of balance, I am guilty of this one. When we took the Range Rover up through Queensland, we stopped at a small town to re-fuel. On restarting the Rover it emitted a slight squeal from under the bonnet, I didn’t pay it any attention at the time. 30km down the road with my brother driving it suddenly lost power steering and the alternator light came on. We pulled over only to find that the tensioner pulley bearing had failed throwing the aux drive belt. We were stuck on the side of a main road with roadtrains buzzing past at 100km/h, and then it started to rain, north Queensland tropical torrential rain. If I had been a bit more switched on back at the town I could be doing this job under shelter, with the facilities of a small town at my disposal, as it was I was by the side of the highway in torrential rain trying to knock out a smoking hot failed bearing. The only thing I did right was consult my LR parts supplier (and don’t you get to know them well as a Land Rover owner!) before leaving on any parts he recommend I take in addition to the ones I ordered, this bearing was one of them. Lesson learnt.]
You will soon know what you are looking at and will be able to give your truck a regular once over, to make sure all is well. When I am on a trip I do this every morning (when the truck is cool and I am fresh) before setting out for the day.
I maintain (boom!) older Land Rovers are great first trucks (this probably applies to Jeeps too) as they kind of force you learn how to fix things (or you will sell it, very early on), very few times is something not fixable enough to get you home, especially on the older trucks. Once you start venturing to more remote places this is not so ‘desirable’, but like everything you will build up to this. Of course, be careful going down this route, for some it’s a slippery slope...
Happy Spannering!