Gunbarrel Highway and CSR Spares

**Mike57** · 29th January 2019, 07:19 PM

I know that there is a sticky on remote area spares and I already have most of the items mentioned there. I have some specific questions so I thought I would put them here.

I am planning a CSR trip in August 2021. This will be an 8 week trip from Melbourne and return heading via the Great Central Road to Warburton, the Heather Highway and then the Gunbarrel to Wiluna via Carnegie station than up the Canning. Returning via the Tanami Track.

I just purchased the Off Road Extreme Pod Trailer to keep the vehicle as light as possible so keeping the trailer weight down to less that 1 tonne total I can carry around 600kg in the trailer. That will include 140 lites of diesel and 100 litres of water (both subject to some more detailed calculations) plus tools, spares and camping equipment plus the vehicle second spare.

IMG_20190112_164940040.jpg IMG_20190112_164926448_HDR.jpg

Considering the thousands of kms of corrugations I want to beef up my remote area spares kit (and also some more of the specialised tools).

What I have so far:

GAP IID tool
Crank angle sensor
GOEs emergency air up kit
Serpentine belt
Selection of suspension bolts
Air filter
Fuel filter
Brake pads
Wheel speed sensors (front and rear)
Vehicle height sensors
Brake light switch
Coolant hoses
Fuses
Spare wheel nuts
18 “ compomotive rims and a second spare with BFG 265/60/18 KO2s
Engine oil
Radiator Coolant
Brake fluid
Power steering fluid

What I am thinking about:

Turbo hoses
1 x front hub
Left and right rear hubs
Alternator
Suspension compressor
Additional tyre carcass for the car and trailer (trailer has larger diameter tyres on 17 “ rims as it was not possible to get a LR rims to fit).

I will also have spare wheel bearings and shocks for the trailer.

I am interested in hearing from anyone else who might have done such a long difficult trip in a D4 before. Particularly:

Whether any of these additional spares are warranted
What sort of problems you might have encountered that I have not thought of
What needed to be replaced when you got back
How do the LR shock absorbers hold up in heavy corrugations

I will have a good range of tools including everything needed to fit any of the above spares.

My D4 will have around 85,000 km on it by late 2021. It is a 2014 3 litre model.

Any knowledge would be useful. Many thanks

Mike

**cjc_td5** · 29th January 2019, 07:30 PM

I wouldn't take a quarter of that stuff. Mine is a MY14 model too. Gap tool, a selection of hoses and belts, and make sure your LCAs are in good condition. How many people for 140l of water?

**LRJim** · 29th January 2019, 07:37 PM

Tyre puncture kit

Relays

Head light bulbs

Wheel locks for the trailer incase you have to leave it somwhere

Enough money on a credit card to put the wife and baby on a plane home (trust me) 🤣🤣🤣

**SeanC** · 29th January 2019, 07:46 PM

Insurance that will cover a recovery on the track.
You will need to skip wells 2 to 5 (I think) as trailers aren’t permitted on that section.

**weeds** · 29th January 2019, 08:18 PM

I have no experience with late discos......

But, I’d fit new brake pads before I left and I’ve never lost a wheel nut so I’d drop these.

Re: fuel, is there not a fuel drop you can use??

Other than that sounds like an awesome trip.

DiscoMick · 29th January 2019, 08:24 PM

Neat trailer. Does it have a very flexible hitch (can't see clearly).

I have no experience with D4s so leave that for others.

Do you have underbody protection and big mudflaps for flying rocks?

**BobD** · 29th January 2019, 08:33 PM

In my 2010 D4 I have driven 4 times across the GCR, twice from Coober Pedy to Windorah via Birdsville, the Tele Track on Cape York, the Binns Track, Savanna Way via lawn Hill, Plenty Hwy, Kakadu and Litchfield and in 2017 the Gibb River Road and the coast from Townsville back to Perth, all starting and finishing in Perth. The car was on 250,000km when we did the around Australia and Gibb trip in 2017.

The only spare parts I have needed on a trip was air filters, pollen filters, oil changes and a top radiator hose ordered in Kununurra and fitted in Darwin after the original was partially cut through on the Gibb.

The only major failure immediately after a trip was the starter motor, which failed in Perth one week after returning from Cape York in 2014. This was replaced under warranty (60,000 km) and the replacement is still going strong at 280,000km. The LCA bushes also start rattling after a lot of rough roads, which is annoying but doesn't affect the car. As per the previous poster, replace them before you go and they will be fine.

Never had any issue with shocks on the rough roads. The most difficult thing is keeping the speed down because the car rides better at 100kph (or above if you are not careful) on corrugations and you get a dose of reality check when you hit a bigger bump at those speeds and the front suspension crashes onto the bump stops.

Plenty of things have gone wrong with the car over the last 280,000 km but never on a trip or directly after a trip, except as stated above.

I might also add that apart from the Cape York trip all have been towing either a Kimberley Karavan or an Adventure Camper Trailer

**weeds** · 29th January 2019, 08:34 PM

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Neat trailer. Does it have a very flexible hitch (can't see clearly).

I have no experience with D4s so leave that for others.

Do you have underbody protection and big mudflaps for flying rocks?

Looks like a DO35 hitch.

On another note I’d flip the jockey wheel up and retain it up.

**Eric SDV6SE** · 29th January 2019, 08:35 PM

Bull bar (profile pic shows car without one)
Driving Lights
Puncture repair kit or inner tubes
Over inflate spare tires to act a compressed air storage tanks
UHF / VHF or HF
Sand flag (sorry if I'm stating the obvious)
Oil filters
Funnel for filling fluids
Torx bits for prop shaft bolts and other parts
Fly screen for the front grille
Zip ties - cant have enough zip ties

Full Service before heading off, including transmission fluid change and steel pan upgrade
Check LCAs and sway bar bushes plus linkages - spare linkage for front and rear perhaps not a bad idea.

Lastly, satellite phone or remote area wifi so you can provide updates and upload all your photos to this forum to make us all jealous.

Sounds like an awesome trip

**bushrover** · 29th January 2019, 09:06 PM

G'day Mike,

Same as weeds, I don't have any experience with late Disco's, however I have lived in the Pilbara for nearly 13 years with plenty trips out towards the Canning, along the Canning and heaps of off track work. I have never needed any spares - just tyres, I carry every electronic part that can disable my vehicle or cause it to go in to limp mode, as well as most of the other items you have listed. If you have a Sat phone, take it, or hire one, even if only for peace of mind. Your GAP IID tool is an absolute must have. Without a diagnostic tool I think I would have left my late model Japanese POS to rot somewhere out in the desert. Make sure you have any special tools required to replace sensors, etc.

Murphy will always ensure the spare you need is the one you don't have.

Of the damaged, broken vehicles we have seen and helped, speed caused 90% of the damage. You can tow a heavy trailer or overload your vehicle and not have a problem........ if you travel slow enough to cause no damage.

I have seen 'off-road' trailers with suspension arms ripped out of the chassis, late model Toyota Pretendo's with front suspensions joints ripped out and a well prepared Nissan G60 with not the slightest problem.

My advice is - keep weight to a minimum, but take what you believe you will need (nothing worse than stressing about the 'whatsit' you should have packed), go slow, run low tyre pressures (especially your trailer), go slow, prepare your vehicle well, go slow and enjoy the trip slowly.

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