General maintenance

[Odinsink]

When you guys are on long trips how often do you do basic up keep? Blow out air filters, check lugs, check oil etc?

I ask because I’m watching expedition overland on amazon prime and I saw that every morning dude goes through all 3 of his vehicles. It dawned on me how I take my vehicles for granted because I haven’t done any major trails yet.

 

[M Rose]

When you guys are on long trips how often do you do basic up keep? Blow out air filters, check lugs, check oil etc?

I ask because I’m watching expedition overland on amazon prime and I saw that every morning dude goes through all 3 of his vehicles. It dawned on me how I take my vehicles for granted because I haven’t done any major trails yet.

Depends on how hard I’m pushing... minimum of daily trails or not. Hard pushing every couple of hours

 

[astroflashjones]

I'll be honest, I dont do much. If I'm getting due for an oil change or brake pads I'll take care of it before I go. If my vehicle was older I'd probably be a little more vigilant and check the hoses, belts, look for leaks, torn boots, etc. It depends on what constitutes as a long trip. Are we talking a weekend or a few weeks?

 

[Odinsink]

I'll be honest, I dont do much. If I'm getting due for an oil change or brake pads I'll take care of it before I go. If my vehicle was older I'd probably be a little more vigilant and check the hoses, belts, look for leaks, torn boots, etc. It depends on what constitutes as a long trip. Are we talking a weekend or a few weeks?

Lets talk something like the TAT.

I am the same way. My daily driver never gets checked. When I start doing long trails though that will change.

I just thought this could be an interesting topic.

 

[M Rose]

Depends on how hard I’m pushing... minimum of daily trails or not. Hard pushing every couple of hours

Let me rephrase this...

I check my fluids Daily (or every day that my vehicle is driven), visual walk around looking for leaks, low tire pressure, etc. If I’m on the trail and working the drive train hard I make sure to give her a rest every couple of hours... while she’s resting, I check fluids again, inspect underneath for leaks and damage, and visually look at the tires for condition and tire pressure. If it’s a hard run on the freeway (75-80 mph sustained for several hours) I will check all this at each gas stop.

Why am I so diligent with my inspections... I was a Auto/Diesel Tech for almost 30 years. And I saw rigs with catastrophic failures with less than 20K miles all the way up to my 300k Bronco due to lack of preventive maintenance. Fallow your operator manual regular service schedule for HD use, and do your daily checks.

 

[smritte]

This^^^^^^^
when I’m out, I check my fluids in the morning as well as a general visual for things that came loose. I’m real OCD about normal maintenance for the same reasons as @M Rose. Many years working in the field seeing things. Where I really get to see these things, was working Off Road events. Most of the issues I saw were lack of or improper normal maintenance. Remember, Off road normally means half life on a number of things even if you don’t drive too hard. Things will also loosen that normally wouldn’t have on the street.

 

[astroflashjones]

Lets talk something like the TAT.

I am the same way. My daily driver never gets checked. When I start doing long trails though that will change.

I just thought this could be an interesting topic.

Yeah for a trip like that I would definitely be more thorough.
Tire condition/ rotation/ lugs
Brake pads
Windshield wipers
Check lights and any other electronics (chargers, winch, etc..)
Fluid leaks
Torn bushings and boots
Filters
Fluid levels.
Double check fasteners on any recent work

My last couple trucks I've owned have been Tacomas and I haven't really had any issues. My cat went out at 20k miles and was replaced under warranty. I think the important part is to be prepared if something does break. Having essential tools and some spare parts and a little creativity can go a long way. As far as spare parts go, I dont carry much beyond some assorted nuts and bolts and electrical stuff.

 

[Sparksalot]

Visit General Maintenance or you risk Major Cash and Private Paycheck going straight to your mechanic twice monthly.

 

[Alanymarce]

We have 4 checklists:

1) Daily when we're not planning a longer trajectory - simple checks - walkaround and do a visual check on tyres, leaks, etc. make sure the windscreen and other windows are clean. Are we mentally and physically OK to drive? Have we slept 8 hours? Have we consumed alcohol in the last 8 hours? Do we have our first aid kit? Documents? FIre extinguishers, other legal kit required, etc.? When we set off we do an instrument check, brake check, and a horn check immediately.
2) Daily prior to a longer trajectory - as above, and also fluid levels, tyre pressures (with a gauge), hoses and belts OK? Recovery kit? Maps, GPS, iPod, GoPro, etc.
3) Every driver change (2 hours, more frequently if challenging tracks) - anything odd with the vehicle? Tyre pressures? Lights?
4) Weekly - in addition, we do a suspension check (visual), look more closely for leaks, and check wheel nut torque.

The lists are more extensive/detailed than noted, but this gives the idea.

 

[Dilldog]

Yeah what @M Rose and @astroflashjones said.