GQ prep and maintenance for 6 month trip around OZ...

[Hof]

Hi all,

After some advice from people who have made a long trip around OZ or anyone with suggestions..

Basically what kind of maintenance and prep would you do to a GQ before undertaking a big trip like this..

Cheers,

Hof

ps. GQ Diesel TD42

[bogged]

what is the service history on the car in the first place? what mods? what accessories?

replace all hoses, keep old ones for spares

replace all fluids (diff, gearbox, coolant, brakes, engine etc)

full service on diffs, with oil and wheelbearings

replace anything that isnt 100% keep old for spares

air con serviced (it gets fuggin hot out there)

new tires

Full service and tune on engine and gearbox.


its cheaper to do it now in the city than in the bush.

there's a start.

[Hof]

Thanks for the reply Bogged,

I bought the car off my old man about 4 months ago and he has had it since new.. So I know the complete history of the car..

I have overhauled the brakes, new pads, shoes, rear cylinders, all brake lines, inc clutch line.. Front seal kit on calipers..

I have a spare set of all hoses, though I was not going to replace unless they needed to be done.. I have changed the front wheel bearings.. Changed oil in diffs, transfer, gearbox, engine + filters.. Plan on getting new tyres before we go..

I lifted 2inch with new shocks and steering damper..

When you say service diffs what else besides change oil and would you change the rear wheel bearings, ive heard there difficult??

Cheers,

Paul

[bogged]

Thanks for the reply Bogged,

I bought the car off my old man about 4 months ago and he has had it since new.. So I know the complete history of the car..

I have overhauled the brakes, new pads, shoes, rear cylinders, all brake lines, inc clutch line.. Front seal kit on calipers..

I have a spare set of all hoses, though I was not going to replace unless they needed to be done.. I have changed the front wheel bearings.. Changed oil in diffs, transfer, gearbox, engine + filters.. Plan on getting new tyres before we go..

I lifted 2inch with new shocks and steering damper..

When you say service diffs what else besides change oil and would you change the rear wheel bearings, ive heard there difficult??

Cheers,

Paul

sound like you have checked lots of things I'd change hoses, cause you dont wanna loose fluids in middle of nowhere, and keep old ones- having said that, if it aint broke... if hoses look good - leave em.

With the diffs, yea fluids, and wheelbearings etc pretty much it.

Check Uni's on tailshaft and lube. you can prepare as much as you like, but you cant check everything that can go wrong, just make sure you have a wad of cash in the bank "INCASE"...

make sure you fit the DVD/WMA/MP3 player too

[lexi]

Check Kingpin bearings and front axleshaft seals. If anything sus in there may as well do it all while you are in. Check Viscous fan all working as new and condition of blades. If thermostat and rad cap are old I would renew them.

Alex

[mnpalmer]

And have fun!!


I'm extremely jealous.... :(

[Snatchy]

when you head north, things get hotter. i would pay attention to the condition of your radiator as you will probabally travel in hotter than usual conditions, and with a decent load onboard. mud, leaves, grass seeds and crap blocking the airflow will add to cooling issues. I suggest pulling the radiator out and giving it a good clean before you go as a minimum. if it is an early GQ, the original Rad might be getting old and due for a new core (mine was). Might be easier and cheaper to do it now that at Kalumbaru or on the Roper River?

i bent my rear trailing arms on a dirt rd in WA. no idea how as i didn't do anything remotely hardcore. I would suggest you fix this common Patrol issue by replacing them with strenghtened rear arms, or have your current ones strengthened by someone who knows what they are doing. other than that, i wouldn't get carried away with mods. Standard gets you home....... and there are not many tracks out there that need capable 4bys.

if you have a snorkel, i would re-seal the joins to ensure the seal is 100%. don't trust an unknown installer (unless maybe your dad) to have done this critical job properly. make sure all the other joins along the air intake are 100%. water will find its way in at that long river crossing, and diesels so expensive to rebuild.

minimising your weight is always a good idea for safety, legality and capability. i was very suprised at how heavy my GQ diesel was with only the standard touring mods of bar, winch, roofrack, LR tanks, 2nd spare and 40 L fridge.

hope you have a good trip dude