Preping my 99 DII for 4 hours of baja washboards

Hi all,

I'm in the process of prepping my newly purchased DII (98k miles) for a 12 onroad + 4-6 hours off road run into baja. The off road ranges from really crappy washboard gravel roads with whoopty dos and the odd soccer ball sized rock to smooth hard packed salt flats. I'm wandering what experience you guys have that might help me on that drive.

Tires:
My dealer told me that with the traction control, I wouldn't need to air the tires down much. I've only had it in really loose sand, but I didn't need to air down then. I'm running Michelin cross terrain 255/75/16s, he inspected and said he runs them, and they'll be fine.

I've had the truck in the shop for a 140 point inspection at the local landrover dealer. Shop owner was great, and has plenty of offroad experience. He took me around my truck and pointed out all the problem spots, then we went through the mission critical points. We decided on a new rear diff, left rear axel hub, changed the timing cover seal, a plastic pully etc.

Remaining issues due to my budget...
Transfer case is leaking and needs to be resealed. Plan to check fluid while there and top off if needed.
Radiator has a slight discoloration off the right hand side, so it's leaking a bit, but not really dripping.
Slight Throttle body seal leak. didn't fix due to budget, but i'll take a kit with me in case.

SPARES
Parts are impossible to get in Baja. What parts would you guys recommend as spares? My list so far:

Coolant, Oil, gear oil, transfer case oil, etc. Still researching what to get for those.
Serpentine belt
hose repair kit
Fuel Dry additive to take the water out of fuel. Recommended by Mech.
Throttle body seal and hoses.

Tools
Anything special I should bring with beyond the normal socket set, wrenches, and drivers?
Added: 28mm socket, and a breaker bar, for removing the chrome lugs

Thanks! Sorry for the long post!

Get a diff guard and a skid plate to protect the steering crossrod.
 
The tires you have are ok for sand but the sidewalls are a little weak for rocks, so more rims and tires.

Having run thaty area many times, the first thing you need to do is have your front drive shaft rebuilt to replace the 2 non servicable u-joint in the double cardon where it attaches to the t/case. If you don't have 4 grease fittings on the front drive shaft you can and will loose the drive shaft and can take the tranny with it.
Do the coolant leak and the radiator before you even think about heading out.
Buy Mexican auto insurance thru an American auto insurance broker for sure.
How many miles on your truck? Do all the fluid changes before you take this trip.
You will want to air down, crazy not to, so take an air pump.
Also, start reading up and the t/case you have in your truck and the CDL feature for extra traction.

What I have mentioned is just for starters, there are so many more things that should be done and if money is tight, I would wait on the trip till you do the really important stuff lie replacing your suspension and steering stabilizer, install some diff guards and have your CDL set up and replace your plug wires, if you still have the old grey wires with a set of 8mm Magnacor wires.
Also inspect and replace the rear roto flex on the rear drive shaft if it is showing any cracks.
Take plenty of fuel additive.
Thjis may blow your budget, but there is nothing more costly then braking down in Mexico.

Mike, 98k

Drive shaft replaced already.
Baja Insurance is always a must.
Inspected roto, didn't see any cracks.
Recent oil, changed diff and tcase fluid.
I'll check on the plugs and wires. Think that was done in the 90k.

Lanzu - I'd love those extra protection items and will be adding them but not before this trip due to budget.

Radiator is bugging me. Think I'll pick up the used 2003 he has and put that in before I leave. Is that a big job? I've done it in a chevy before.

I've read about the CDL, but I'm not doing anything like hills or rock climbing. As you know these roads are nothing a 2wd can't do, you just run them at 45mph+ so you get there quicker. Is the CDL really needed? Does it add that much traction?

Adding Fuel Conditioner to parts. What brand do you like Mike?

How far do you air the tires down?

No offense, but if you have to take your rover to the dealership for service work maybe a 6 hour desert crossing isn't a good idea.

Actually, I'm going to take a offense to that.

What's smarter, a guy poking around a car he's had for a month hoping to spot all the problems that could hang him up on a trip like this, or taking it to the expert?
What's smarter, a guy changing a diff for the first time, then heading into the desert on it, or the guy who gets the expert to do it.

I'm stoked for you that you spend allot of time wrenching on your LR, but I'm not going to cower at home because I've never changed a diff.

I mean, I build websites for a living, but you won't catch me telling you not to post asinine comments on land rover forums unless you've built your BBS.

Heh.

Thanks for the help Mike and Landzu.

Just take it slower in the rocks and have fun.

Hi,

I think there is a "small" element of scare mongering going on here, if you want the ultimate off road truck, then the budget will be HUGE and never ending. These Discoverys are superb in standard form out the factory, yes offcourse stuff can be added to protect / help and improve it. But to do it ALL at once is just crazy and not affordable by most people.

For me persoanlly, I would suggest you do fix any coolant leaks etc etc, but the other stuff is down to budget. If your truck is running well , you will enjoy it and have fun, if you dont have protection underneath, then you must be more careful which route you choose etc, but thats not to say it impassable by a standard vehicle.

If you have the funds, then a steering guard in my opinion would be the best / first purchase to make as that is a known area that can be damaged due to the design of the truck and where it is. Diff guards if your on rocky trails is def worthwhile investment, and they are not to costly to do, so adding them to may be a good idea, it all adds up to a little more "confidence"  when off road

As far as adding a CDL, yes it makes it MUCH better, but the TC system is very good as well tho. This will all depend on what year your truck is as to whether or not it has the stuff already in there to connect it up, if it does not, then the budget gets bigger again.

Are you going on your own ? or others with you ?

rrhyne, I see no fault with your logic IF you plan to take that expert on the trip with you. I am far from a LR expert. I'm a real estate agent and have only owned my first disco for a few weeks now. I'm here to gain knowledge on my vehicle and in the course I expect some criticism. If you are that thin skinned you might want to stock up on 50 SPF..it gets hot out there in the desert while you're trying to beat a busted U-joint out of the yoke.  

 you make it sound like the U joints fail 100% all the time, which is not the case.......

Urban, I just used U-joints as an example out of a thousand parts that can fail. U-joints popped in my head first because every other post on here is a suggestion to replace factory U-joints with greasable U-joints. This reminds me of a question I've been meaning to ask. U-joints fail, greasable U-joints fail, $150 CTM U-joints fail..if a disco U-joint failure causes thosands in damage wouldn't it be a good idea to try and mitigate that damage by installing a heavy duty transmission pan or some kind of scatter plate? 

Hi, I undertsand the point you made ref the U-joints, and yes they do fail. But from what I read on here it seems that anyone who asks about them they are told replace em or they will fail, which is not strictly true, yes they CAN fail, but out of the 1000's of Discos that are sold worldwide, I wonder what the actual percentage really is.
 
Replacing them with greasable ones on the "hookes joint" is def a good idea, and preventitve maintenance is always better, it still amazes me that Land Rover made it like that in the first place. For someone venturing off road like this topic is about, unless the factory UJ's are worn out , then there is nothing concrete to suggest they will fail just because he / she goes off road.
 
As far as some kind of protection / scatter plate, well maybe your on to something there , design and market one

quote:

ORIGINAL: NiteTrain

rrhyne, I see no fault with your logic IF you plan to take that expert on the trip with you. I am far from a LR expert. I'm a real estate agent and have only owned my first disco for a few weeks now. I'm here to gain knowledge on my vehicle and in the course I expect some criticism. If you are that thin skinned you might want to stock up on 50 SPF..it gets hot out there in the desert while you're trying to beat a busted U-joint out of the yoke.

I bought mine specifically for this trip, because they are known as rock solid off road vehicles. I didn't buy it to drive around suburbia. I am interested in learning as much about it as I can, (that's why I'm posting) to minimize problems on or off the road.

Bottom line though, is I'm going where others don't because they won't be there.

If you don't mind, I'd prefer you didn't hijack this tread any further.

quote:

ORIGINAL: rrhyne
If you don't mind, I'd prefer you didn't hijack this tread any further.

No problem. Good luck with the trip, you're going to need it with your attitude.

*SIGH.* Really bummed this thread turned into a train wreck.

Dude, dont worry about some of the other posts on here, they are clearly just trying to be tough with the keyboard. Beyond the tech stuff... Are you going with anyone else? or just in one truck? If you are going by yourself you need to have a way to contact emergency/mechanical/ect help near the area. ANd in some places in baja its a dead zone so a cell phone wont cut it. There are some powerful radios out there that you might want to look into.

I would never recommend doing any type of off road without another truck with you, but you gotta do what ya gotta do. I had buddy go out to baja in 2002 and he had weak tires (not say yours are but...) Be blew out 2, and he is a really good driver. Now all he runs is the strongest sides walls he can find (He runs Mickey Thompson Baja Claws now). He was very lucky to have the regular spare with him, and a tire on top of the truck or he would have been stranded.

And obviously you know to bring extra water, and a little food, blah blah. But the #1 priority is to have fun doing what a rover is meant to do! Good luck, takes pics if you can!

Hehe. I'm not that thin skinned, just want to have a good rep here, help where I can and get good help.

No other trucks are with us, unfortunately. I've driven the road once, and am going with a guy who's done the roads 100 times, knows lots of people in the towns and speaks fluent Spanish. We call him the Baja He-Man. HEH.

Food and water is a must.

Can you get a 20-30 mile range on those hand held CBs? Prolly not.

Tires will be another Upgrade I'll do later in the summer. These are pretty good, better than we went down with last year, and have about 10, 15k on them. Spare is brand new.

I've added a 28mm socket, and a breaker bar. My mech. said sometimes when they pull the chrome lugs, they screw them up and the 27 that comes with the truck won't fit. That'd be fun. :D

I'll be sure to post some pics when we make it back. :D

--rob

The coolant leak is the #1 priorty in my mind.Hoses and belts then.

You would not catch me heading out across a desert with any kind of coolant leak no matter how small, if i had a choice.

Polar, you and Mike and Panzer are all spot on. Overheating that engine shoulds really really bad.

I've got a used 2004 radiator with with 6k miles on it in the back of my truck right now, just bought it from the LR shop. I'm either putting it in this afternoon, or paying my traveling mechanic to do it for me. If I do it, it'll cost me 40 more bucks, just cause I've got stuff to work on before I leave and his hourly rate is less than mine. It'd be worth it to know more about my truck, but I'm slammed trying to get out of town!

Thanks for the help.

x2 on the tires, take at least two spares.  Also take a tow strap.  You can also rent a satillite phone for less than $100 for the week (Cheap insurance).  It will work anywhere you are traveling in Baja.  Sounds like you are headed to Scorpion Bay.  As for the washboards, if you slow down a bit, you will save a bundle on parts that don't break, including your back.  Have fun!
 
Phil
LJ Discovery
1999 Discovery I

quote:

ORIGINAL: rrhyne

Mike, 98k

Drive shaft replaced already.
Baja Insurance is always a must.
Inspected roto, didn't see any cracks.
Recent oil, changed diff and tcase fluid.
I'll check on the plugs and wires. Think that was done in the 90k.

Lanzu - I'd love those extra protection items and will be adding them but not before this trip due to budget.

Radiator is bugging me. Think I'll pick up the used 2003 he has and put that in before I leave. Is that a big job? I've done it in a chevy before.

I've read about the CDL, but I'm not doing anything like hills or rock climbing. As you know these roads are nothing a 2wd can't do, you just run them at 45mph+ so you get there quicker. Is the CDL really needed? Does it add that much traction?

Adding Fuel Conditioner to parts. What brand do you like Mike?

How far do you air the tires down?

If you are still running the factory wire, you will start throwing some codes.
Work on learningh about the CDL, if you have a drive line and don't know how to engage it, you will be stranded.
Do any and all coolant issues, Mexico is no place to over heat.

That throttle body coolant leak is a $20 fix.
Replace the radiator if it is leaking.
Your tires will be fine, you have a spare and if you need to you can run on a flat tire.
Becareful of the line of travel that you choose, get out and walk ahead several yards if you need to. You dont need underarmor unless you are rockcrawling or blazing a trail in the woods.
Bring a fox-hole shovel and a machet. You can get both at the Army surplus store for around $20. Also bring a recovery strap, your trk weighs 6,000lbs, so you need a 9,000lbs strap, minimum.
Just like UrbanPanzer said, these are the most capable off-road trk you can get from the factory.
Bring duct tape, radiator hoses can be fixed with it in a pinch, as well as other things.
Dont worry about the diff fluid, if you need to add it then you have a much bigger problem, like a cracked diff or t-case. Save the room for drinking water.
Dont bring coolant, bring water, if you need to add coolant you can add water, but you cant drink coolant.
A good 12v air compressor is a must. Extra fuses. You can get a fuse assortment from Wal-Mart for cheap.
Bring 4 quarts of motor oil, it is going to be hot and you will use more oil than normal. Change it right before you leave.
Buy a new airfilter and put the old one in the box and bring it with you.
Make sure that your tire tool will fit your lug nuts. Strange thing about LR's, if the tires are put on with a impact wrench your tire tool will not fit the lug nuts and you will never get the tire off the trk. So check ALL of them before you go. And make sure that the nuts that hold your spare tire on the rack are not rusted to the studs. And check the spare tire for PSI, you should check your spare for PSI every 6 months.
Take your time, have fun and bring lots of drinking water. And your camera.
I'm trying to think of what esle you may need, basic tools, a flashlight and extra batteries. Water, did I mention water?
If I think of something else I will post it. Cash, bring cash, you may need to bribe somebody.
If you break down all you need to do is get back to civilization, so things that you wouldnt normally do to fix your trk are ok to do to get to safety.
And a MUST before you go, rent The Gods Must Be Crazy. 
 

"And a MUST before you go, rent The Gods Must Be Crazy."

Then don't forget your bottle of Coke too!!

This is building to a great list guys. Thanks for all the time you took to compile it.

I got the radiator fixed today. Plan to drive it a bit tomorrow and watch it like a hawk for leaks before I go on Friday.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Spike555
If you break down all you need to do is get back to civilization, so things that you wouldnt normally do to fix your trk are ok to do to get to safety.

Funny thing about that Spike. Last year we went down in a 99 ford exploder. Halfway, the EGR melted. The Baja He-man went back 2 hours to the biggest town to find a new one. Little did he know, it was Mexican Independance day. After a night in a roach motel, he befriended a mechanic who didn''t have the part and the guy drove him around till he found something. When he came back, it was with a guy in a green caddy, who apparently makes the trip from cabo to the boarder, walks across and goes to his cousins in LA twice a month. I''ll let you guess what that guys job was.

My eyes nearly popped out out of my head when he showed me the part he found. It was off a 95 ford taurus. The original EGR had a circuit board in it and here is this thing from 4 years previous, twice as big and made of aluminum, not plastic. I was flabbergasted. I protested, but what could I do? I had to try it, so we put it on the truck. It didn''t fit, so I wired it in place. Unbelievably, it freaking worked. Apparently the only improvement ford made in 4 years was to make it out of plastic, which melts.

So yeah, we did some things we normally wouldn''t do to fix it. :D

Mike,

RE: CDL you said... "if you have a drive line and don''t know how to engage it"

Do you mean some time of a drive line failure? What would the failure be that engaging the CDL would fix?

Thanks!