Long drives In a Jeep 1000+ Kms : Precautions and Checks

[amreshmahapatra]

Hi Friends,

A new member and an avid Jeep fan, I have been scrounging through the 4x4 & off-roading section posts for quite sometime now. I have been getting excited checking all the new members into the forum, the old timers, the experts and their rides. I see the jeep bug has bitten quite a few of us newbies, really bad, to go and look out for a jeep high and low, across states boundaries to the length and breadth of the country.

I am in a similar position, almost ready to secure a MM540 for myself, but the vehicle is about 1300 kms away from my place of stay and I have to get it myself. In the spirit of ownership, I have decided to drive this vehicle back to bangalore. I am sure quite a few of us might find ourselves in a similar situation having to drive their vehicles back from place of purchase, maybe a long drive back home.


Even if not the situation I just mentioned above, if someone wanted to go on a really long drive(Only Highway riding), I wanted to start this thread to let experts and been-there:done-that experience holders to guide in terms of what precautions, with respect to the vehicle/engine, need to be taken for such a drive (about 1000+ kms)

For the sake of clarity I am putting some pointers. Please feel free to add/delete/modify these. (The assumption is a diesel engine here, either the 62/72 Bhp peugeot)

1. Is there a maximum recommended kms one should drive per day on these engines. The maximum recommended kms before taking a break ?
2. What parts of the vehicle/engine needs to be checked, and for what?
3. What spares should be kept handy?
4. Does the driving terrain, planes/ghats call for separate precautions?
5. Can we also quantify the recommended no.s for eg. Oils, Tyre pressure, etc.

What post-drive checks need to be done at the end of such a journey?

[DirtyDan]

Originally Posted by amreshmahapatra

1. Is there a maximum recommended kms one should drive per day on these engines. The maximum recommended kms before taking a break ?
2. What parts of the vehicle/engine needs to be checked, and for what?
3. What spares should be kept handy?
4. Does the driving terrain, planes/ghats call for separate precautions?
5. Can we also quantify the recommended no.s for eg. Oils, Tyre pressure, etc.

What post-drive checks need to be done at the end of such a journey?

A lot of this information you will find in other threads even if it is a little hard to coax it out with the search feature. I suggest you first take a look at 2 threads by Samurai who recently went thru what you are contemplating. Samurai is also a moderator who lurks around here and will probably see this thread of yours. See.....

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-of...ilar-jeep.html (How to live with a CJ340 or similar Jeep?)

and

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/4x4-of...hp-family.html (Mahindra CJ340 joins Team-BHP family)

[!aaaoops!]

Greetings fellow new guy. I have been watching this site for years now so I really do not feel new. I suggest you particularly look at posts by samurai, ex670 (better known as Arka, the biggest motor head here, I think), 4x4addict, vinod_nookala and redmm340. Two others with experience from the military are susan3004 (a major in the Indian Army) and DirtyDan (a retired ranger Lt. Colonel from the U.S. Army).

No engines get fatigued. They may leak oil, coolant, break fluid etc. These are what you need to watch for with any vehicle unknown to you.

[kittigadu]

Amresh,
what ever it is, just after you get the keys from the owner, drive it to a mechanic and get the oils changed and get it greased where ever necessary. Particularly, the steering would be hard and you would get tired easily.
Check for engine heat. Should be below 80. If its going above, its time u load her onto some truck.
Drive at a constant speed. Remember the famous 'death wobble' (since u said u are a newbie), do not panic. just slow down and things settle.

1. Is there a maximum recommended kms one should drive per day on these engines. The maximum recommended kms before taking a break ?
a. Well, I dont think so. Take short breaks say every 200Kms or so. Not for the engine. you need it. Drink more water even if u are not thirsty and take a lot of pee breaks checking for any leaks. err, i meant oil leaks.

2. What parts of the vehicle/engine needs to be checked, and for what?
a. All the parts to be checked have meters in the dash. Keep an eye on them. 90% of the problems can be detected there. Also check the

3. What spares should be kept handy?
a. A tube, radiator water, torch and if possible fan belt. All for precaution. You wont be needing most of them but.

4. Does the driving terrain, planes/ghats call for separate precautions?
a. Yes, on you way up, check for engine heat as you will be mostly on low gear and high rev most of the time. On your way down use low gear too and do not over use the brakes.

5. Can we also quantify the recommended no.s for eg. Oils, Tyre pressure, a. Always get correct tyre pressure.i usually get 34points on mine. I have no idea on the oil.

All this from my experience driving almost 1000Kms from Hyderabad-vijayawada-tirupati-bangalore all alone and lurking around this wonderful forum for the past 9 months.

Also, read the thread about the sounds u hear from the vehicle here (What's that sound ??).
Since you are driving mostly on the highways, you dont have to worry too much. drive safe.

Krishna.

[susan3004]

Hi Amresh,
Most of the points for such a drive have already been addressed. However, another aspect worth considering before such a trip and unknown vehicle is the condition of the tyres and tubes.
Get all the five checked for the condition and the number of punctures repaired in the tube. Replace if necessary.
Tyres develop cracks over a period of time, if the vehicle has been stationery for a long time. The wear of the treads should be scutinized for the remaining possible kilometerage on the set.

Secondly, check all the electricals throughly, considering you will be driving in the dark hours also. Wiper motor(also the arms and blades) must be capable of taking brust of rain considering the season.

Finally, drive steady and safe. All the best.

Sandy.

[ex670c]

Hi Guys the longest distances I have covered in a JEEP is 3300Kms in 11 Days.
10% Off-Road
40% Dirt-Tracks/Village Roads
50% SH &NH.

The Route (approximately)
Chennai-Kanyakumari
Kanyakumari - Kovilpatti-Amravathinagar-Bangalore. (interior tamilnadu)
Bangalore-Coorg(Virajpet)
Coorg-Bangalore
Bangalore-Chennai

Jan.2007 UBS (UBSingh) and myself drove down from Chennai to Kanyakumari to participate in the Great Arc 2008 (Great Arc - Home).

The event started with a mishap. 40Kms outside Kanyakumari, at 23:47hrs I dozed off while driving and hit a truck.

The resultant damage a left fender was smashed.

The impact of the collision shattered the already weak idler arm pin/sector shaft.

I had to wait, 14hrs before we could replace the idler arm and were back in the event. Also got some cosmetics done .

We were acompanied by a fellow JEEPer Mansoor with a MM540DP with SPOA.

We were averaging 300kms a day of track & village road driving. Other than that we had no other mechanical issues. I was worried about the King-pin coming loose from incessant pounding on the road and dirt track but nothing happened.

All the Gauges should be functional.
1) Oil Pressure
2) Engine temp.
3) Speedo-Odo
4) Volts/Amps
5) Fuel

The mandatory spares I would Suggest
1) Radiator Top Hose
2) Radiator Bottom Hose
3) Fan Belt
4) Clutch Linkage & Cotter Pins & Washers
5) Accelerator Cable
6) A comprehensive tool kit (Yet to see someone beat my collection of spares & tools in the vehicle )
7) Speedo-Cable
8) Assorted Nylon Rope.

Regards,
Arka

[bblost]

A good all weather warm jacket. Gloves.
Dress like you would if you were riding except for softer shoes like sneaker.

I once drove a Willy from Bangalore to Hyderabad.
The rain we encountered around Gooty made the drive more interesting.

Keep a check on all fluid levels. Oils and Water.
Sunscreen lotion will be helpfull as well.
A can of WD40.

and Attitude. Thats free and never cheap.

[vinod_nookala]

Hi amresh,

Take some time and go to TPC 2008 thread and visit that website. In that Arka has created an exhaustive list of spares and lubes that could be carried over to an OTR. You can just follow the same. Carry plenty of water for the jeep and you too.

Apart from that,

1. Please keep your cell phone completely charged!!!

2. Keep a good working torch.

3. Whenever u stop for tea/snaks check for leaks, water, oil and brake oil etc

4. Keep an eye on the guages, especially temp guage and oil preassure guage

5. Jack and wheel spanner are required

6. Keep emergency numbers incase if ur jeep breaks down u must have some one to call for help

7. Keep all vehicle papers ready


Driving a jeep is very tiring if you are not used to it. keep taking breaks and make it a relaxed drive. Have a sfae and happy journey :-)

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

This is for all vehicles - not just jeeps alone.

3. Whenever u stop for tea/snaks check for leaks, water, oil and brake oil etc

Air pressure, stones / nails in tyres too.

If a new vehicle, check spare tyres. Make sure you have located the wheel spanner and jack on board and know how to use them (some jacks work by rotating a ring parallel to the land surface. And places to connect them in case fo flat. And I may be I am overextending it, but it will be a nice thing to take the vehicle to a tyre shop, take out the tubes and check them. Two or more punctures, and you may be better off replacing the tubes.

[amreshmahapatra]

Dirty Dan, Susan3004, kittigadu, Arka, Vinod, bblost and backseatdriver;
Thanks for your inputs.
Since the MM540 has really worn out tyres, I have to replace them and I was zeroing in on Michelin LTX A/T tyres for the replacements. I believe A/Ts should be good for the highway drive. What recommended pressure should I maintain.

[GTO]

You guys have pretty much covered it all, I'll only stress on the most important pointers:

1. Prior to departure, give the entire Jeep a once-over. Look for leaks and loose parts. Believe it or not, my alternator once fell off on the old 2.1 XDP.

2. Always keep an eye on the temperature gauge. Mahindra's old school Jeeps will heat when stressed. Low gearing makes them work at max rpm on the highway.

3. Handling & braking : First-timers beware. Jeeps handle & brake way too differently compared to a regular hatch / sedan. The steering is vague too....constant corrections required at 70 - 90 kph.

4. Carry the most important fuses & an extra headlight relay. Stock up on the important belts too (fan, alternator, air-con).

5. Take a look at Samurai's excellent article on road-trips (ARTICLE: Preparation for an Indian Road Trip).

[sreerajunnithan]

Just came back from a south India round up, B'lore Salem, Palagat, Trissur, Cochin Alleppy Kollam. Way back - Kollam, Kottyam, Idukki, Cochin, Trissur Calicut, Wayanad, Gundelpet, Mysore, Bangalore. Total Reading was 1780kms, Per day drive was around 500kms. I was surprised that it was comfortable than my Car. Problems encountered are listed Below.

1) After some time Brake has become less responsive, there were enough fluid but i had to pump to get proper braking. I thought it is an air block as Suggested by UBS sir. But he suggested me to adjust the brake shoes and the problem was solved.

2) There was some noise coming from front right hub while driving slowly, i thought brake shoes was the culprit and opened the front right hub after i finished my first leg between B'lore to Trichur. When they opened the free wheeling hub, we found water inside and the grease where separated. Changed the bearing and re-greased it.

3) While coming back i had some missing from engine, there where no proper diesel supply, was little difficult to get it rectified since it was a Sunday and there where no workshops. Finally managed to find one Mech-An old guy yet experienced. He removed the diesel outlet from tank and drained some diesel and drained the pipe as well by blowing from the diesel filter side. After that it was zip through highways.

Learnings:

1) Carry a proper Toolkit. Most of the things are DIY
2) Never open your windshield and drive more than 50km/hr Jeep will loose the balance coz of the blocked air inside.
3) Never decide to drive on a Sunday since there will be no workshops open.
4) Cover all the ghats and forest in day light.
5) Keep it study and safe 70-80 kms/hr is good.
6) Get it refueled from good pumps

--Sree--

[GTO]

3) While coming back i had some missing from engine, there where no proper diesel supply, was little difficult to get it rectified since it was a Sunday and there where no workshops. Finally managed to find one Mech-An old guy yet experienced. He removed the diesel outlet from tank and drained some diesel and drained the pipe as well by blowing from the diesel filter side. After that it was zip through highways.

Why didn't you try manually pumping the fuel-pump?

[SirAlec]

What suspension/lift kit is used in the jeep shown above.?

Thanks

[sreerajunnithan]

Originally Posted by GTO

Why didn't you try manually pumping the fuel-pump?

Hello GTO, Infact I thought the same, but it was not an air block. And I manually pumped it without any success. The problem was, there was water inside the tank/pipe. I do not know how it got inside, may be my loose diesel tank cap or some water mixed diesel from a fuel station. I am yet to find out a solution for the cap.

--Sree--