Learn from others mistakes

[mitchelljames]

Hi all , this is such a great site i have only had my 2008 3td gu patrol for a few months i upgraded from a navara, i have spent so much time reading through everyones experiences and i am learning lots.. My aim is to over the year get my car up to scratch to start doing long tours of our great country. Im big on learning from others mistakes so what im trying to say is what upgrades has everyone done to get there vehicles to the self sufficient touring stage? so far i only have a standard gu with snorkel, bullbar,brush bars,water tank, and the wish list is front lockers,turbo timer,dual battery system, egr blocking plate and scanner,winch and a good canopy , any info from you guys who have done the big trips and made mistakes along the way would be appreciated .. cheers mitch just starting out

[growler2058]

I don't have a 3ltr but the"nads" are a good place to start I believe

[GRA.GU]

Gooday Mitchelljames, I've done most of the big trips to which we aspire and the one piece of advice I'd offer is try to keep your weight down. The more weight you add the less capable you make the vehicle.
If you're talking outback touring, a standard vehicle will do that. In fact most outback 4bys probably have only a bull bar and an extra spare wheel added. I've heard of many Patrols breaking the rear spring towers, and a friend with whom I was doing the Canning a few years ago did exactly that. It's my belief that many fall into the trap of overloading and then fitting heavier duty springs to compensate. On severely corrugated roads the springs, instead of absorbing some of the wheels upward movement and feeding the forces gently to the body, hammer against the far higher inertia of the overly heavy truck, so stressing the mounts beyond their design criteria.

Tyre size is another area where I think people make mistakes when modifying for touring. Vehicles that live in the outback have usually got standard wheels and tyres - often 235x85x16. These sizes are most unfashionable in city vehicles, but fashion apart, they work! And you can get spares if you tear a sidewall in the outback. I've done a number of desert crossings in my former Troopcarrier with that size tyre and have towed wider tyred vehicles out of sand bogs, and I've never seen it demonstrated that wider tyres have an advantage, provided pressures are adjusted. On the road the wider ones have an advantage, but off road touring...?

If you stick to comparatively standard sizes you'll also find that your gear ratios are matched to your engine's output in the manner that the designer had in mind. [not all designers are stupid, LOL] and so you'll get better climbing ability, better fuel economy and hence better range. Another benefit of standard sizes is the weight advantage it brings - it all adds up, and for the Patrol wagon you only need about 600kg over its empty standard weight and you've exceeded the GVM. If you haven't already weighed yours it's a worthwhile exercise. Fill your fuel tanks beforehand, and then do some calculations when you get home as to the extra water, food, camping gear, tools, etc that you'd take on an extended tour and you'll quickly realize it becomes a question as to what weight you can shed rather than what extra to take. I don't even fit driving lights to mine as I rarely drive at night when touring. Also, re lockers, you'll do the Telegraph Track or the Canning, or almost anywhere without them.

OK so my recommendation for a good long distance tourer is that you try to keep it light and wherever possible keep it standard. Having said that a 2inch lift and good quality shocks, dual batteries, a winch if like me you travel solo a lot, and a set of drawers [despite their weight] to try and keep things in their place. On mine I also run roof bars with an awning and shovel as well as the option of an extra spare wheel and MaxTrax.

On the CRD a catch can, scan gauge and EGT gauge are also desirable, but I'm yet to fit the EGR block as there seems to be some debate as to whether it's necessary on this motor. And with the improved technology of the turbos and oils, I don't think anyone worries about a turbo timer these days. However, any common rail motor is susceptible to fuel contamination and so I carry a Mr. Funnel for when I'm suspicious of the supply or filling from jerries.

Whatever you do you'll have fun, so go ahead and enjoy yourself.
Graeme.
[Hadn't seen your post, Plasnart, prior to doing mine. Fortunately, we seem to basically agree. LOL]

[pearcey]

G`day everyone.
As I have done all the above trips plus many more I agree with all the above advice
1 Keep it light.
2 Keep it basic.
3 Make sure it`s in top condition.
I carry basically the items Plasnart suggests in his compulsory section.I don't carry a winch but I do carry a winch extension strap,I don't have a roof rack as I am able to carry every thing inside.
A couple of things I do carry are a good set of jumper leads, a first aid kit which is modified to suit our needs also I keep my first aid training up to date as methods are changing all the time.
I also run two alternators, the original charges the start batt, the second charges the aux batt. As we sometimes camp for extended periods of time I carry a 80 watt suit case solar panel.
A good communications system is I believe essential.
Fridge wise I use a 40 lt Fridge freezer and cryovac all perishable goods.
Water wise I carry it in three separate containers in case of accidents or contamination.
I also carry 1 short jumper lead to join two batteries together to use them as a welder, the welding mask is made of cardboard so it can be fold tight for transport plus a dozen multipurpose rods.
Carrying ground pepper is essential as it is the best radiator seal you can get and it does not block any of the cooling system only the leak.
One last thing touring is touring not a speed test so drive to the conditions and enjoy what we have.IT can be a long walk home if you break something, and on that note stay with the vehicle.Opp`s another thought you may consider an epirb.

[the evil twin]

Hi Mitchell,

I have a 2007 CRD and it is set up as a long range Tourer... quite a nice one IMHO.

Your first purchase should be a ScangaugeII (or similar). Less than $200 and they are absolutely fantastic. Absolute no brainer purchase for a CRD as they will monitor every engine parameter except EGT and will tell you fuel useage very accurately and remaining to within a litre or two. It will save you $200 in fuel useage alone.

Your second purchase should be an EGT if (I stress IF) you are going to be towing or intend to Chip or modify the engine with EGR blocks etc.

The CRD's to date have been very reliable with many in the 100 to low 200 thousand K's and do not require the so called "NADS mods" if you watch your fuel flows and temps. NADS is from a decade ago now.

For a tourer a good battery setup with at least dual batt's and ability to take solar panel charging for the batteries and to run the fridge is probably the next thing.

Every other post here is correct in that weight is the prime enemy and a stock truck will get 90% of the "touring" places a mod'd one will. (Mine is up 2 inches and 33" AT's and were that won't go then I don't want to either when it is just me and the missus)

EGR block made a slight difference to my performance but mine is also heavily mod'd. Remember the EGR block reasoning is to reduce soot in the oils and motor wear not a performance boost and it WILL screw with your boost. Any change in performance is a byproduct.

I would add long range fuel tankage to your list (Jerry's other than a couple as emergency fuel) are a PIA really).

Finally, one of the biggest bits of fun is in building the truck mate so enjoy... oh, one last thing, consider joining a 4WD Club even if only for a year or two... you will learn heaps.

[mitchelljames]

A big thanks to everyone for the advice , i think the general advice was keep the weight down and keep things simple, this should be easy to do except the mrs may need a few perks to keep her happy, i forgot to mention i brought the car with 2 way radio and gvm upgrades to 3.6t by old man emu so with any luck this is enough to cover me for what you guys are talking about when you say heavy duty springs ,i have also just put on new 32inch MTZ, i am by no means a mechanic so im just trying to learn as much as i can hense i found most people on here liked the MTZ tyres, i was going to go a bigger size but i wasnt sure if by doing so i would gear down my vehicle, plasnart i want to start off small like you say and test my vehicle and own personal skills , then i would like to do 3 or 4 months including the outback, GRA gu ill be weighing my vehicle again soon last time i think i was just over 2t but i didnt pay much attention, pearcey the epirb is something ill look into , can you really join 2 batterys to weld ? thats handy, the evil twin ill be looking into the scangaugeII but how does it save you on fuel ? im still in 2 minds about blocking the EGR some people say the common rail is a grenade where others say the later models like the 2008 are fine. thanks again everyone if you guys like ill try and get some pictures up for the before and then some more as i get improvement done. cheers

[mitchelljames]

Plasnart hahaha i just googled bumper dumper classic

[MudRunnerTD]

Plasnart hahaha i just googled bumper dumper classic

http://www.vacationgadgets.com/images/products/519_small.jpg

Ummmm..... That is actually a great idea!! Classic!

[the evil twin]

A scan gauge will save you fuel because (amongst all the other things) it tells you instantaneous and average fuel consumption. Just the slightest change in your driving pattern will show up and you can decide if it is better to hold a particular gear longer, throttle more/less aggressively, best change points etc etc.

When cruising as little as a 2 KPH change in speed can cost/save 1 litre per hundred K's, around town you can do a lot better. Aa an example sitting around 95/97 instead of 100 (actual not speedo) towing my camper saves me at least 2 or more sooo $3 per hundred is $30 per thousand is $300 per service cycle plus I get a heap more range out of my 170 litres useable fuel.

I have my Scangauge set to display Instant Fuel, Water Temp, Boost pressure and the 4th display varies depending what I am doing. I don't need corrected speed as I have twin GPS displays so it is usually Average Fuel, Volts or Engine Load depending. I can tell you that actual water temp is VERY handy out in the back blocks of WA as teh factory gauges (like all vehicles these days) has a suppressed operating range. By the time that water temp gauge is moving you are very close to trouble if you don't see it straight off.

Plus as I have an EGR block I get check engine lights so it helps by clearing teh 0401 fault code in case a worse one pops up

[the evil twin]

http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/

Ummmm..... That is actually a great idea!! Classic!

There is one Safety Warning that you must ALWAYS follow when using a Bumper Dumper...

The Bumper Dumper is not equipped with seat belts or Airbags so NEVER use the Bumper Dumper unless you have a dunny roll in one hand and the vehicle keys in the other

[mitchelljames]

battery welding looks like it could save some serious time, have you ever had to use the method

[pearcey]

The diff photo`s were taken on the Anne Beadellat about the SA WA boarder the job lasted to Laverton and the back to Adelaide .
The caravan drawbar was done just north of Thargomindah and was redone and gusetted at Windorah
as a safety precaution as he was traveling to the cape and then back to Adelaide.

[teleman]

My hats off to you Plasnart. You have turned this thread into a great thing. Everyone get on it!!!

[rottodiver]

i have one which recently slowed me up..... i was on some very corrugated tracks for about 50 km,s and the tied rod nuts that lock the tie rod in place vibrated loose..... consequently the tie rod started to turn, being on on rutted sand it took a while to notice till the steering wheel had turned so dramatically then hit some harder stuff and geeze did i notice, it toed my wheels right in... i then jacked the front end up, packed out a string line from back wheel to front wheel, and measured the distances untill i go close as i could.... then tightened the nuts... it got me home but ruined one of my front tires but i was home.... so when you get a wheel allignment my suggestion is put a good few wraps of 100 mile and hour tape around them and the thread if going to be doing any kind of corrugation!!!!
hope this saves some of you some time and rubber!!

Scotty

[mitchelljames]

Thats no good scotty , well at least you got home mate , cheers for the tip

[WhiteGU]

By far the handiest thing you can have on outback trips is a travelling companion (in another vehicle). This enables sharing the load of safety equipment to some extent, and enables a stuck vehicle to be towed out, winched out, or snatched out.

You should also carry food, which no-one has mentioned :) Carry high density foods like nuts, oats, dried fruits, baked beans, etc - things that will keep you alive without requiring water for preparation. (Rice, for example, is compact but requires lots of water to prepare).

There's nothing on earth more relaxing than camping in the outback - unless it's camping in the Vic High Country or the Tassie highlands.