Bush repairs on vehicles.

[dino]

I recently had a brake caliper sieze on my truck. I carry some tools and was able to pinch off the brake line and remove a brake pad. I was wondering if there is a better way to fix this issue while out in the bush?

[walks with deer]

i took themm off aswell when it happened to me...

also put my uncles front end back toghether on his old chev...woth mystery shit i found ask him
..probably not a better way just limp to shop.

[BromBones]

Not much else you could have done with what you had.

Brake fitting plugs are cheap though, throw a few assorted sizes in your toolbag. Pull the line and plug it at the junction block, you wont have to worry about losing brake fluid. Crimping the line slows it down but usually wont hold high pressure. Can completely remove the caliper as well.

[Drillbit]

Learned lots from the Kluskus trail over the years. (now it's a highway)

Vice Grips on a brake line will keep you moving.

[jbruce]

pry the pads back with a large flat screw driver.if you take the tire off grab your can of wd 40 with the lil red straw and slip it through the rubber on the caliper cylinder and giver er a good squirt. theses are road side repairs not something bcaa would recommend.

[Squamch]

I carry plugs in my tool box, or you could just pull the caliper off, put something between the pads so you don't pop the pistons out and dump all your fluid.

Brake fluid has to be a fluid that doesn't compress. Water will work in a pinch. You'll need to do some extensive maintenance afterward, but you'll get out of the bush with brakes.

I also have a wire brush, combine that with the weasel piss methods recommended earlier and you may just free up the piston again. Helpful to have a can of brake fluid for that too.

Check if your vehicle uses power steering fluid, or trans fluid for power steering.
Carry some small hose clamps and extra bolts to plug a torn or broken line for trans coolers, power steering, etc. Or hit lordco for an assortment of brass jag fittings to patch lines.
Also, in a pinch, a deep socket and hose clamps will work to repair a line. It will restrict flow, but it'll work. Fixed the propane system on a buddy's truck that way once.

[BornNRazed]

Happened to me when out fishing, I had the piston blow out of the brake drum and dump fluid leaving my brakes useless.

I ended up jamming an earplug in the end of the brake line and then threading in a screw I pulled off the interior of the truck somewhere. It held great drove 2 hours all the way at home, to the parts store and ended up being able to use the same brake line when I repaired it.

[Bugle M In]

NOW THIS COULD BE AN INREDIBLE THREAD!!!!!

Lets talk issue that have happened, and how they got fixed in the field so you could get home!!!!

Power steering hose got a small hole in it. (maybe due to tire blow out)
Only noticed because we blew a tire (take air out of your tires a little when off road!)
Oil just shooting out, in a small but constant stream, even with vehicle off an not running etc.

Got duct tape/and some hockey tape.
Then used fishing line, monofilament, and made tight even, side by side wraps up and down for several inches,
and then repeat over top for several layers.
Then more duct tape over that.

`All was good for the week!

[Linksman313]

I recently had a brake caliper sieze on my truck. I carry some tools and was able to pinch off the brake line and remove a brake pad. I was wondering if there is a better way to fix this issue while out in the bush?

Trade in your 2004-2008 F150 should fix this lols (oops not a bush fix). In all seriousness I would remove completely and tie up as best as possible, or carry a couple of clamps like Squamch mentioned.

Had a tie rod come out of its socket one time on my old patch service truck (mid 90's chev 1 ton) , found that exactly 6 new bungee cords wrapped under tie rod and over upper control arm then zip tied together (god love zipties) will hold for approx. 70km of northern AB lease roads.

[Squamch]

Suzuki samurai uses a cable for the clutch, not hydraulics. Housing failed and was buckling. I splinted it with a wrench, some diff breather hose, and tie wire. Lasted a couple months.

Oil drain plug fell out on a 4runner somehow. Used rad overflow bottle hose and a random bolt to seal up the hole.

Motor mount broke on an old toyota wheeler, ratchet strapped and chained it down.

Blew a heater hose on an xterra, had no tools. We were able to loosen the hose clamp with a nickel, whittle an appropriate sized stick, and plug the heater lines.

Hmmmm......what else have I done....


Glow plug relay died on an old Ford diesel, used the block heater wires to go straight from battery to glow plugs and got er fired up.

[wrenchhead]

Snapped a whole rear leaf pack wheeling... jacked up frame a rammed a block of wood between the frame and axle to make it home.

Rope and tie wire to fix a tie rod end one time as well.

[Squamch]

Snapped a whole rear leaf pack wheeling... jacked up frame a rammed a block of wood between the frame and axle to make it home.

Rope and tie wire to fix a tie rod end one time as well.

Classic move. One of my buddies drove out with a Douglas fir coilover on his buggy after a pretty spectacular roll.

[dino]

What other tools shoud a person carry for temp fixes when otherwise you would be screwed. Ive heard of hardcore guys putting a couple of batteries together in series and being able to weld with jumper cables and a rod. I dont know if there is any truth to it.

[nature girl]

Broke a radius arm and got a long thick stick and put it in the hollow radius arm tube and had a come along to hold it. IT was a very crappy road no tow truck would of got us out in that spot. Made it home.

[BromBones]

What other tools shoud a person carry for temp fixes when otherwise you would be screwed. .

Those compact lithium battery booster packs are handy. The little one I have fits in the glovebox and actually jump started my 5.9 Cummins (was still cranking over, just very slow). They will boost most gas engines easily.

Also a mini-compressor & tire plug kits, a scissor jack - can slip into narrow spots to straighten out bent parts (like tie-rods when someone doesn't see that stump at the edge of a cutblock). Heavy duty ratchet straps can work for that as well. JB Weld quick set, Radiator stop leak.

A couple small totes in your truck can hold a pretty decent spare parts & tool kit. Talk to any field service mechanic and you'll get some good ideas for emergency repair stuff.

[j270wsm]

What other tools shoud a person carry for temp fixes when otherwise you would be screwed. Ive heard of hardcore guys putting a couple of batteries together in series and being able to weld with jumper cables and a rod. I dont know if there is any truth to it.

I knew a guy who made up cables to weld off the alternator of his samurai.

[BornNRazed]

My father in law shot a deer mid november and in the process slammed the car into the side of the road left lights on and door open with key on, vehicle not running. Yes I said car it was his daughters ford escort, he rolls like that and let’s just say lots of guys would turn their 4x4 pickups around before going into places he was driving it in. Something about going backwards at a 45 degree angle and you’ll get through any deactivation. When he returned the battery was of course dead. He took every AA and AAA out of any flashlight, radio, gps etc he had held them all in his hands in series with the battery while buddy turned over the car, and two very pathetic rotation of the engine it caught and off they were with meat in the freezer

[Squamch]

What other tools shoud a person carry for temp fixes when otherwise you would be screwed. Ive heard of hardcore guys putting a couple of batteries together in series and being able to weld with jumper cables and a rod. I dont know if there is any truth to it.

Yep that works. Stack up 5 or 6 pairs of sunglasses and they make you feel better about arc flashing yourself...you still get flash, but you feel less like you will.

Tools- I carry a viair compressor, patches, and plugs. And spare valve stems!! The correct size valves for your wheels would be good too.

I have an electrical box; random sizes and lengths of wires, shrink wrap, various connectors and fuses and relays. A test light, and a multimeter.

I have another ammo can with sockets and ratchets. I carry a mix of imperial and metric, because not having a tool kills me. If someone in a passenger vehicle is broken down, I probably have the tools to fix it...and I may even be able to fix it.
The other ammo can has wrenches (strung together on a carabiner), pliers, a tie rod puller, tie wire, screw drivers, and a file to square up bolts that have been mangled.
I also have a hilift, a winch, shackles and straps and a snatch block, some LONG jumper cables made out of welding cable.

I go shitty places alone, so I want to be able to extract myself from any situation.

[whitlers]

Like most above I always carry tools.

Broke the rear shackle off my dodge a while back and chained the leaf up with my snow chains and drove it home.

[stixnstones]

Had a control arm go in creston last year. Grab a spool of tie wire n pliers. It last a few turns down the hill I was on then wood have to jack up tire fix align n fix n do it all over again til camp. 9 km took me 4 hours lol

[dino]

How about any quick fixes for a blown fuel pump in the tank?

[#49]

Sometimes if your in tank fuel pump goes Ive seen guys hit the tank with a stick it was on a chev so maybe just a GM thing

[RadHimself]

Made it 14km down morice lake road on wensday the 12th... rear passenger rim exploded. Tire passed me in the ditch. There iam. Trailer on hitch, quad in the box, full slip tank in the box also. Rotor sitting in the mud. Busted out my trusty factory jack, got the ass in the air on blocks... jack decided it was going to die midway through lift number 3... so i had to put the truck in 4lo to glide up on to some stacked timbers after getting my trailer unhooked, pulled other tire off. Bashed out 4 wheel studs from the drivers side to put back in the passrnger side (6 snapped, 2 were intact, only found one lug nut. The rsdt and the entire rim except the inner 2” bead were ejected into the wilderness... never to be seen again) mounted my spare after removing passenger rear brakes and beating the rotor flat with a ball peen as it was damaged from sliding on gravel for 50’...

mader back to town, got some new wheel studs and nuts and picked up two rims cause my spare had cracked spokes (i hate aluminum rims)... had to weld 5 studs to the hub (thank u Jan) as the holes were ovaled out...

but here iam... hunting moose after a full day of muckery

tire that was on the rear was undamaged... i have no idea how it happened other then rim musta cracked then exploded... i torqued and greased EVERYTHING before leaving home. No wobble, shake, nothing.. just BOOM and the ass dropped...

luckily i was rolling along in 3rd at an idle and not on the highway...

[RadHimself]

As far as that goes, cut a hole in your box to access the tank from the top, pull out the unit and attempt to clean it.. desperate to cut a hole? Always carry a hammer and a punch...

i started packing a dewalt recip saw and 2 batteries with wood and steel blades.. not only is it quieter then a chainsaw, but its lighter and hacks through bones and meat like you wouldnt beleive

[twoSevenO]

As far as that goes, cut a hole in your box to access the tank from the top, pull out the unit and attempt to clean it.. desperate to cut a hole? Always carry a hammer and a punch...

i started packing a dewalt recip saw and 2 batteries with wood and steel blades.. not only is it quieter then a chainsaw, but its lighter and hacks through bones and meat like you wouldnt beleive

wtf man .... who cuts a hole in the truck box to get to a fuel pump that you most likely cannot repair by cleaning it. Usually if its dead, its dead and beyond trail side repair. Not to mention there is probably a frame cross member somewhere near that prevents it from being pulled up through the hole you cut. And a lot of times the tank isn't even under the box, but along the driver's or passenger's side putting the fuel pump somewhere under the cab itself....

man ... some of the advice on here ...

[Squamch]

wtf man .... who cuts a hole in the truck box to get to a fuel pump that you most likely cannot repair by cleaning it. Usually if its dead, its dead and beyond trail side repair. Not to mention there is probably a frame cross member somewhere near that prevents it from being pulled up through the hole you cut. And a lot of times the tank isn't even under the box, but along the driver's or passenger's side putting the fuel pump somewhere under the cab itself....

man ... some of the advice on here ...

How many trucks have you seen that had a filler neck not on the box lately?

While I agree that you probably cant clean it and are better off on the tappy-tape method...cutting a hole in the box is a common way to access the in tank pump on older trucks. Especially ones that dont have an empty fuel tank. And grand cherokees I think, but I avoid the jeep lifestyle. Nothing against it if that's what you're into, but it's not for me.

[whitlers]

Made it 14km down morice lake road on wensday the 12th... rear passenger rim exploded. Tire passed me in the ditch. There iam. Trailer on hitch, quad in the box, full slip tank in the box also. Rotor sitting in the mud. Busted out my trusty factory jack, got the ass in the air on blocks... jack decided it was going to die midway through lift number 3... so i had to put the truck in 4lo to glide up on to some stacked timbers after getting my trailer unhooked, pulled other tire off. Bashed out 4 wheel studs from the drivers side to put back in the passrnger side (6 snapped, 2 were intact, only found one lug nut. The rsdt and the entire rim except the inner 2” bead were ejected into the wilderness... never to be seen again) mounted my spare after removing passenger rear brakes and beating the rotor flat with a ball peen as it was damaged from sliding on gravel for 50’...

mader back to town, got some new wheel studs and nuts and picked up two rims cause my spare had cracked spokes (i hate aluminum rims)... had to weld 5 studs to the hub (thank u Jan) as the holes were ovaled out...

but here iam... hunting moose after a full day of muckery

tire that was on the rear was undamaged... i have no idea how it happened other then rim musta cracked then exploded... i torqued and greased EVERYTHING before leaving home. No wobble, shake, nothing.. just BOOM and the ass dropped...

luckily i was rolling along in 3rd at an idle and not on the highway...

Wow that sounds like a fun time! Good for you! That's quite the shit show.

[Squamch]

Saw a guy in the chilcotin once who had broken off a knuckle on an old Ford. Jacked it up, chained a pine tree under it and drove until it wore the pine ski down enough to replace it. I was young, dont remember much more details, but dad offered him a ride and he declined.

[wrenchhead]

Ya the hole in the box is a great addition...a piece welded on either side of the hole and you put the cut out piece back in the hole and self tap it down to the welded piece, almost looks factory. Makes fuel pump changes a pleasure.

[carnivore]

It's not just a GM thing. I had an in tank fuel pump fail on a 2008 Dodge Ram 1500. Got towed to a dealership where they thumped on the fuel tank bottom with a rubber mallet. The truck then started and they drove it into the bay. I was told that when the fuel pumps star to fail they seize up and a thump can jar them loose for a temporary fix.

[Big Lew]

Saw a guy in the chilcotin once who had broken off a knuckle on an old Ford. Jacked it up, chained a pine tree under it and drove until it wore the pine ski down enough to replace it. I was young, dont remember much more details, but dad offered him a ride and he declined.

Know of a fellow that did that on the western road between Cranberry unction and Terrace.
He had to replace the pole a couple of times.

[Big Lew]

Fuel pump went on my 1967 ford 4x4 while way up in the mountains above Tunkwa Lake
before all the place was civilized. Always carried a siphon hose which I taped to the gas line
going into the carb, dumped out my 3 gal water jug, tied it to my west coast mirror, filled it
with gas from my spare can, and drove all the way to Cache Creek and put in a new pump.
Could watch the gas level in the plastic jug and would refill as needed. Unfortunately with all
vehicles now a days having injectors and needing precise pressure, that won't work anymore.

[albravo2]

My favourite thread in a while.

I thought we were pretty good at fixing sh*t in the bush but Squamch gets an invite to any and all backwoods trips. Pretty ingenious.

Our most recent innovation was a de-tensioner tool (15" of unistrut with a couple nuts and bolts) we rigged up to get a serpentine belt back on after it jumped the tracks.

Zap straps, duct tape and baling wire, plus tire plugs and a couple valve stems are in my "oh-shit" kit.

[twoSevenO]

How many trucks have you seen that had a filler neck not on the box lately?

While I agree that you probably cant clean it and are better off on the tappy-tape method...cutting a hole in the box is a common way to access the in tank pump on older trucks. Especially ones that dont have an empty fuel tank. And grand cherokees I think, but I avoid the jeep lifestyle. Nothing against it if that's what you're into, but it's not for me.

Filler neck location isnt an indicator of where the fuel pump is especially on some of these giant fuel tanks of 130+ liters.

But yes, primarily because you most likely won't be able.to do anything with it on the trail

[Squamch]

Ya the hole in the box is a great addition...a piece welded on either side of the hole and you put the cut out piece back in the hole and self tap it down to the welded piece, almost looks factory. Makes fuel pump changes a pleasure.

How did I know that zooming in on your avatar would show me a toyota :laughing:

I've done the gravity feed deal for a carbed motor. Also winched a front axle into position after the leaf spring snapped.
Classic jeep move is to snap the C clips that retain your rear axle shaft on a Dana 35 (I think), and end up strapping a log from your rock slider to the rear bumper to keep the axle, brakes, wheel, etc from falling out/off.

Water pump died on my Ford last year at 8pm in Duncan on a Friday night. Couldn't borrow a big enough wrench to get the fan loose, so I clamped my tie rod end puller down on the nut as tight as I could, and used the highlift handle as a snipe to turn it.

Drove a toyota out of the bush after snapping a leaf spring shackle bolt on a 1/2" ratchet extension held in with a lot of duct tape.

I'm sure I'll remember more as I think about it.

[twoSevenO]

Couple of things that worked for me over the years:

Dead fan clutch ... Drill a hole and put a bolt through to force it to stay engaged.

Electrical gremlins - always bring splices, fuses, multimeter, electrical tape etc.

A buddy had his ignition coil die on the trail. Ended up swapping one from my TJ into his Cherokee (same engine) and driving back to town to get one. So I always carry a spare one of those as well.

Things like RTV in case you gotta remove a stuck thermostat
Spare serpentine belt

Somethings you really cant do anyhing about.... like a dead fuel pump ... but there are lots of other things that can go wrong that it pays to have a small box of spare parts.

Dont forget that spare head gasket too :D

[dirtymax]

On my very first hunt I packed every tool you could imagine . Everything except a tire pump for the flat tire we got headed to camp ... We had a spare but wanted to repair the flat . Thankfully some old timers camped near us had one they let us borrow . Our big bottle of whiskey was the most important tool we shared with the new neighbours to get the job done !

[dino]

I remember someone somewhere claimed to have used a 12v inline fuel pump after the tank one failed. Im not sure if this really works? Carry a cheap 12v inline fuel pump?

[wideopenthrottle]

we lost a valve stem with no tire places open on a long weekend...CT was open so we grabbed a 3 pack of valves and laid the tire on its side under the bumper...we put the base of the jack on the tire next to the bead/rim and started jacking up the truck until the tire bead popped off...slipped in the new valve and reinflated the tire to reseat the bead

[whitlers]

we lost a valve stem with no tire places open on a long weekend...CT was open so we grabbed a 3 pack of valves and laid the tire on its side under the bumper...we put the base of the jack on the tire next to the bead/rim and started jacking up the truck until the tire bead popped off...slipped in the new valve and reinflated the tire to reseat the bead

That's great idea

[scoutlt1]

I remember someone somewhere claimed to have used a 12v inline fuel pump after the tank one failed. Im not sure if this really works? Carry a cheap 12v inline fuel pump?
Not an expert here at all, but I think there would be too many issues with correct fuel pressure, wiring, return lines, etc....
Might work, but probably unlikely in a newer vehicle.
I used to carry a spare mechanical fuel pump when I had my old F-250 years ago. Easy to replace!

[bankshot]

Ground black pepper will stop or slow a leak in a radiator for days.

[Frank grimes]

Ground black pepper will stop or slow a leak in a radiator for days.
I’ve never experienced a slow leak in my rad:(
when it rains it pours ....

[wideopenthrottle]

That's great idea
it would have sucked to have to wait til the next day to head into the bush.....going in with no spare would have been stupid....that trip ended with the pic in my avatar as well as 8 WT between the 4 of us....

[sparkes3]

Working on my truck one day forgot to tie the battery down , went wheeling after hit a rut heard a weird grinding noise under the hood and poof the cab filled with steam and who knows what but it burned like a mudder fawker
big cloud of steam outside flipped the ignition off and bailed.
Waited for the steam to go away to open the hood and dam brand new eliminator 1000 flipped over on the alternator and ripped the side right out of it..
tried using chain block to get the truck up a hill to dump the clutch , didn’t happen ground was too soft tires would just scuff and truck would not start. Couple guys left to walk out to cell reception while they were gone I tipped the battery on the side topped it up with water and found a piece of poly rope that I caught on fire and melted over the hole.
Couple hours later the boys show up after getting reception and say my wife who is 8 months pregnant and her brother is on the way with another battery and cables.
They had a look at the repair and said let’s give it a whirl hooked it back up turned the key and she caught HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT the ****er is running.
The wife and her brother met us at the he trailhead and we wheeled for the rest of the day.
brought it back to can tire the next day the guy remembered me and asked why I was bringing back the battery I told him there was something wrong with it and turned it around he laughed and said I don’t think that will be covered.

[sparkes3]

Another time out hunting snapped the belt on my old 77 Ford about 15kms from camp,
used the hose for the washer fluid a nail and some tie wire to make a belt .
As long as I just idled along a didn’t hit any bumps too hard it would stay on for it back to camp and got the boys to go to town and grab me a couple belts and was good to go.

[Squamch]

Been out with my dad for the last few days. He believes that dragging your brakes constantly will keep them from squealing. "They pick up dirt and that makes them squeal."
So he has constantly glazed brake pads that squeal horribly. I finally got him to let me "clean" them, took a flat file and took off all the glazed face on the pads. No more brake squeal. Two days later he's got them sounding like a dying rabbit every time he slows down.

[northernbc]

If your stuck with a dead battery pull the bar off your chainsaw and use the chain to spin your alternator Just keep the chain tight by pulling on it

[twoSevenO]

Heres a good one for ya ...... if you have capped lug nuts make sure to carry a socket 1mm smaller with ya!

I had the caps "pop" or "swell" off the lug nuts just enough to not be able to put the lug nut wrench on anymore. So I had to take the cap off with some pliers.

Now the nut underneath is 1mm smaller and my 21mm socket wouldnt work. Gotta have a 20mm, which most Soviet sets dont include. Usually 22, 21, 19, 18 mm

Super annoying. Why capped lug nuts exist is beyond me.

[RadHimself]

If your stuck with a dead battery pull the bar off your chainsaw and use the chain to spin your alternator Just keep the chain tight by pulling on it


That is GENIUS