Commonly Broken Parts

When offroading what are the most common parts that break that I should carry a spare for? I'm into Overlanding and not rock crawling and don't want to carry excessive spare parts. Thanks guys & gals

 

I'd love to hear what others say about this.

I've thought about this a lot since I'm into light "overlanding" myself. Haven't really come up with a great list but there are a few things I've thought about.

Is it something I can fix on the trail to begin with? If not of course leave it out.

Is it something that will 100% prevent me from limping the vehicle home? People talk a lot about driveshafts and CV axles. Is it possible to limp home in 4WD without a rear driveshaft? Is it possible to limp with a broken CV axle just hanging out?

Ball joints and tie rods are brought up a lot. I would probably have a full tie rod and pickle fork in my bag.

Engines can usually run down 1 or 2 cylinders depending. Because of this I'd leave out anything that's cylinder specific.

I think the thing you're most likely to have trouble with is the battery. I'd prioritize a second battery.

 

Good thoughts, makes sense

 

I would always keep a spare Serpentine Belt, wont take up much space, although its usually one of the pulleys that goes bad.

 

what breaks ?

the bank
LOL

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srsly, nothing breaks unless you hambone it into some bullshit

flats... you need spares

you hear scraping, get out and look see if it's critical. it won't be, run it, loves it

 

The fuel gauge - it always wants to read empty, even when it seems you just filled the tank.

Spare fuel gauge sender floatant is definitely a good idea to prevent low power issues.

 

Interesting

 

I am into both over landing and rock crawling. In my tool box I carry an extra cv axle, upper and lower ball joints, inner and outer tie rod ends, brake fluid, and oil. I also have the back half of the rear driveshaft. As of right I want to add a couple U joints and some coolant. Other wise ever thing else is too much for the trail or I can limp the truck to a maintained road.

 

And yes, I do carry a spare serpentine belt ( I save the old one when I replace, so the spare is "free", and it has saved my butt in the past.) I also carry a selection of tools, a plug kit and air compressor, some recovery gear along with the winch at all times, booster cables, a 2 1/4 lb quality axe, a shovel, a fire piss can in summer months. As for the battery - I run a group 31 and test it often, and often have a deep cycle battery for my trolling motor along on fishing trips - which can be used to boost in a pinch. I maintain the rest of the truck well and have no worries about busting it in half out there, and if it did, I have the skills to MacGyver my way home or just call for help on my mobile radio. Short of all that, I've got good boots and socks, as well as fire lighting equipment and a tarp to make a shelter, among other things. That fuel sender floatant is a big one though - don't overlook it.

 

Is it possible to remove all or part of the rear driveshaft on these trucks and still drive with the front wheels in 4WD without fluid leaking out of the case?

 

Just my 2 cents....

I'm my 30 yrs of exploring, camping, hunting and fishing in the north woods of Maine, with numerous vehicles, I don't think I've ever carried a spare part other than a spare tire. And never been in a position that required the use of a spare part. I do carry a tote with plug kit (used many many many times), compressor, tools & recovery gear.

If you don't beat on the truck, it'll perform as needed.

Probably just jinxed myself.

 

Yep you can remove the whole thing and be fine. If you have to drive in fwd you want to remove the whole thing. The reason I have a spare drive shaft is because I was in moab and smash the crap out of my driveshaft and didn't want to drive 6hrs on the front one.

 

You never had a 3G 4Runner then. (that's the "throwing LBJ against a brick wall" emoji)

 

assembled wheel bearing/ hub should be added to the list. I've seen these go out offroading as well as on the road too. The rest of the part list looks pretty complete with what was mentioned above. permatex gasket maker can be used to patch a leaking diff in a pinch and a steel stick putty can be used to patch a hole in a gas tank. small enough to keep in the truck for when you need it

 

You will find that you need very few spares if you regularly maintenance your vehicle yourself. Most mechanical failures come from things that you can see coming a mile away. Grease your u-joints every oil change, and check for bad joints and play in the pinion bearing. Look under the hood on a regular basis and check for leaks, and bad hoses and belts. check your front end stuff and bearings at every tire rotation. The things that will blind side you are electrical. The number one thing that has stranded me over 40 years of adventure travel is the darn battery. Batteries have sent me walking more often than ruined tires. You can get a shorted cell, and you are dead! Using AGMs pretty much eliminates that worry. Acid batteries don't hold up well to offroad use.

I carry:
roll of wire
roll of self vulcanizing rubber tape
fuses
headlight bulbs
electrical tape
JB weld
gorilla duct tape
serp belt (old used one)
tire plugs
carefully selected tool kit
selection of random metric nuts and bolts
electrical tester

I have carried all kinds of parts over the years (axles, u-joints, etc), and never once needed one. One time in 40 years I needed a spare tire. All the rest were fixed another way. Twice I had batteries die without warning. Broken u-joint on a buddies jeep, that I jiggered together well enough to do 25 MPH. Got home at 2 am. I've had to limp a few times but very few situations I could not work around.

 

Just carry a spare truck.....

 

^
Look no further.