BSJ Newbie Breaks His Jeep - on First Trail Run!
Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 12:46 pm
First of all, thank you to everyone who participated in the Antrim, NH Class VI run yesterday! I had a lot of fun and learned a lot. It was especially good to finally meet Ralph in person - he is a great trail guide, that is for sure.
On the drive home, I was debating in my mind whether the highlight of the day was seeing Ralph winch his Jeep through a 5-foot deep swamp while the rest of the group retreated out the back door . . . or seeing a stock Rubicon get tow-strapped backwards and sideways between some trees after it took on water in the same swamp. But soon it became clear that my own Jeep would win the award for "most damage!
My steering had been acting funny for the last couple hours of the run, but I chalked it up to the fact I wasn't used to how a Jeep handles in 4WD high and low. But by the time I made it to the New Hampshire State Liquor Store rest stop on Route 89, I could no longer turn to the left. At all. Imagine seeing a muddy Jeep in the corner of a crowded parking lot, inching forward and backward with the steering locked hard right.
It turns out the bolt that connects the components of the steering stabilizer arm was loose, so the arm was sliding back and forth on the stabilizer for the last two hours of the run. Eventually it bent the anchor bolt and bracket, and finally seized up.
Eventually I got it to release in the parking lot and fellow BSJ member Brad showed me how to reset and tighten the bolt so that I could limp home. It is a real mystery how the bolt got loosened - I guess a rock strike could do that, but there didn't appear to be impact damage. Maybe a rock strike to the stabilizer arm bent the arm slightly and loosened the bolt?
Anyway, the lesson for other newbies is this: don't ignore anything that doesn't feel right! I turned a loose bolt into a repair that will require multiple parts to be replaced, I fear. The BSJ crew is full of experts that can be very helpful in diagnosing and fixing a problem!
It took an hour to wash off the mud, and who knows how many hours and dollars to get the repairs done, but I can't wait until my next trail run!
Photos:
https://1drv.ms/f/s!AuACtRAQNfF_goQoUXlMg-Bq0Janqw
On the drive home, I was debating in my mind whether the highlight of the day was seeing Ralph winch his Jeep through a 5-foot deep swamp while the rest of the group retreated out the back door . . . or seeing a stock Rubicon get tow-strapped backwards and sideways between some trees after it took on water in the same swamp. But soon it became clear that my own Jeep would win the award for "most damage!
My steering had been acting funny for the last couple hours of the run, but I chalked it up to the fact I wasn't used to how a Jeep handles in 4WD high and low. But by the time I made it to the New Hampshire State Liquor Store rest stop on Route 89, I could no longer turn to the left. At all. Imagine seeing a muddy Jeep in the corner of a crowded parking lot, inching forward and backward with the steering locked hard right.
It turns out the bolt that connects the components of the steering stabilizer arm was loose, so the arm was sliding back and forth on the stabilizer for the last two hours of the run. Eventually it bent the anchor bolt and bracket, and finally seized up.
Eventually I got it to release in the parking lot and fellow BSJ member Brad showed me how to reset and tighten the bolt so that I could limp home. It is a real mystery how the bolt got loosened - I guess a rock strike could do that, but there didn't appear to be impact damage. Maybe a rock strike to the stabilizer arm bent the arm slightly and loosened the bolt?
Anyway, the lesson for other newbies is this: don't ignore anything that doesn't feel right! I turned a loose bolt into a repair that will require multiple parts to be replaced, I fear. The BSJ crew is full of experts that can be very helpful in diagnosing and fixing a problem!
It took an hour to wash off the mud, and who knows how many hours and dollars to get the repairs done, but I can't wait until my next trail run!
Photos:
https://1drv.ms/f/s!AuACtRAQNfF_goQoUXlMg-Bq0Janqw
