Thread: Remote area spares

There was a thread a while ago about a list of essential spares to take on a remote area trip. Can't find it now, apart from the obvious, coolant hoses, drive belt etc there were a couple of others, one of which ISTR was a crank angle sensor? Do these tend to fail? I guess it would stop the motor pretty quickly. How hard are they to replace?

I would also want to take a throttle pot. Any other suggestions?

Great thread and terrific posts by Bundalene.
A couple more points to ponder.

If you're carrying wheel bearings, pregrease them before you leave home and seal in plastic bags. A lot simpler and cleaner in the end.

Agree with Dave about the grease gun, if you're carrying one carry a full size one, the little ones are just a PITA. Make sure your grease is High Temp Bearing grease so it can be used on everything.

If your vehicle is a few years old change all your rubber hoses before you go and keep the old ones as spares. There's a short hose with different dia. ends I think on the LHS of engine at rear which is a real bugger to get to. Definitely change this one before you go. The top radiator hose can have a divot in it from rubbing on the air con, worth a check.
Check that the clip type hose clamps are accessabile and can be got to before you go. This can be a major problem in the bush.

Don't forget to replace the rubber hoses to the trans cooler, when these go it makes a hell of a mess and can leave you stranded.

Lose the wheel locknuts and replace them with normal wheel nuts. These are just a disaster waiting to happen.

If you've got a dual battery system check each battery before you go. In some setups a faulty battery can be masked by a good one and you don't know there's a problem till they both fail. If you reckon one battery might be a bit iffy don't take the risk. It's a lot cheaper and less hassle to change it before you go. Outback dirt roads are all corrugated and the battery is often the first thing to fail.

Make sure your air compressor is a top quality one not a cheapy. No room to move here as its a vital piece of kit. Same with the tyre gauge. Don't be afraid to let your tyres down. We had ours at sub 20 psi for most of the Simpson crossing.

With the TD5 disco there are couple of engine things to check. Engine oil in the injector harness and fuel pressure regulator are known issues. If you've done 100,000 Km and not changed the fuel pressure reg probably worth doing out of spite before you go. Lots of info about these issues on AULRO.

If your disco's auto worth checking the 'inhibitor switch'. This is a real show stopper if it fails and is a real design fault on the auto disco's. Our D2A has done 220,000 Km and is on its 5th. Last one cost a grand to supply and fit at the stealership but can probably be done cheaper elsewhere.

Don't have a cargo barrier unless you can remove it from the seating area. Your Disco rear door lock will fill with dust and be unopenable at some stage and you still need to get your gear out.

Carry a tyre plug kit with you, ARB have got a good one in a plastic box. Buy a heap more plugs. There is practically no limit to the amount of plugs you can put in a hole in a tyre. If you're carrying spare tubes or tyres make sure you have tyre pliers, you won't break the bead without them.

Make sure everything can be tied down securely, even if it means drilling holes and putting eye bolts in. Ratchet straps are good for this.

Probably heaps of other things I haven't thought of. Don't listen to people who tell you not to let your tyres down, they are idiots and there's lots of them out there. Same with those that tell you to go up sand dunes slowly, they've obviously never done it before. We've done the crossing several times and I've found high 2 or 3 in the auto is perfect at about 2500 RPM. For big red it was 14 psi and 3000 rpm in high 2, no problems and this is the biggest dune you'll find. Didn't need low range at all.

When you go from Dalhousie Springs to Mt Dare take the Blood Creek road, it's much better than the direct route.

If Dalhousie Springs is too crowded, and it will be, spend a night or two at Eringa waterhole instead. Much nicer, less people and shady.
If you're heading to Alice Springs the route through the Melaluca forrest via Old Andado Homestead is a magic journey.

Have a great trip

Deano.

NB. Sorry Frenchie thought you had a Disco, ignore where relevant.