Bris31
Adventurer
My bad, SWB is 2780mm. Thanks Amesz00.
Fuso guidance!
- Thread starter Globatrol
- Start date
My bad, SWB is 2780mm. Thanks Amesz00.
gait
Explorer
of course, it would be nice to have one, predictable, limp mode,
but its several - for example a different fault limits engine revs to 1500 rpm - if you like a different limp mode for each fault that needs one.
gait
Explorer
no computer generated engine faults other than the turbo boost at altitude. The engine just worked. Whole vehicle generally reliable considering the conditions.
King pin bearing, three broken wheel studs, broken spring leaves, slowed us a bit at various times. As did near fire (melted fuse melted some of the loom).
Sounds really practical for remote travel... haha - cynicism obviously as I know heaps of you guys are out and about in these rigs without issue! So it sounds like most of these fault codes are relatively easy to overcome unless of course its something major which I assume is rare!
Is that a fair statement?
Hey there Gait,
OK! well I don't know if I'm that inspired to change vehicles now! haha - kidding of course... I'd like the extra space and load carrying ability - sounds like we have probably driven similar areas of Asia - no broken springs in the Patrol (coil cab), no snapped wheel studs and no electrical fires and a very heavy load for a Patrol! hmmmm... Was the fuse in the factory loom or an add on to the factory loom? Actually I did have the sub fuel transfer switch fail in Kyrgyzstan but thats a given to fail eventually in Patrols...
gait
Explorer
sounds similar,
Malaysia through SE Asia, China, Mongolia, Russia, Ukraine, into Europe, Scandinavia, Morocco, back through Albania, Greece, Turkey, Georgia (no Iran Visa), Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgizstan, Tibet, Nepal, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia. 3 years.
the wheel studs were in southern Spain, after Morocco. The ATW wheel centre was strong enough to not distort. Needed parts diagram from Aussie to overcome Mercedes in Germany not providing info on Aus truck to Fuso dealer in Spain. A couple of front leaves repaired in Hungary on way over. A rear leaf on German Autobahn. Changed to parabolics shipped from Aus - original springs available in UK but same communications problem between UK dealer and German Mercedes bureaucracy meant delivery date not available.
electrical was original interior light fuse in factory fusebox. It melted and wire to interior light got hot, melted a few wires together at a couple of places in the loom. Took out just about everything. Never found the original short. Couldn't find / access all the subsequent shorts at the roadside. A bit like a triple by-pass, first isolated things then slowly added by-passes to get them working. Circuit diagram and colours didn't quite match as built. Three weeks as schedule permitted to get stable. About 3 years later I fixed the oil level indicator switch last week. Only thing left is to link electric windows, heater blower and aircon control circuits to ignition again - I have a note on dashboard says "turn off heater and aircon". Not a big job, just low on the list.
There's a pic of melted wires about halfway down this page and some of the subsequent fault finding. The oil level circuit has a well hidden splice into the interior light power wire deep behind steering wheel/instrument cluster. I didn't know that at the time, its not in the circuit diagram. Extra page provided through this forum. There's a few other melted bits well hidden.
http://epicycles.com/Truck Blog/2014-02-11/2014-02-11.php
Also the saga continued on the following page. Not to dramatise, I'd started suffering from a nasty (at that time undiagnosed) auto-immune thingy, noticeable symptom was screaming pain in upper arms. Made it a bit hard to concentrate and play contortionist, so it all took longer to sort than it normally would. Basically a sod of a job deciphering a logic bomb with multiple related problems, sometimes akin to squeezing jelly.
Cap off the end of the fuel return line on top of the engine in China. Fuel consumption said something wrong. A couple of young lads noticed the flood when it finally leaked lots. Entertaining with half a dozen people trying to stand on top of the engine.
King pin bearing in Norway - it has camber kits fitted which I think means smaller outer diameter bearings. Cause was a bit of water into hub and not sufficient grease so a bit of rust. Mildly amusing as it dawned on me why we had to shunt around right hand hairpins but not left hand.
Radiator cap was in Turkey - steep, hot, lousy fuel, radiator cap failed, engine got hot, stopped in time.
In the scheme of things all manageable. As you no doubt know, when things go wrong there's really only one option. Find a fix.
Sorry about length. Its fun remembering. Mostly good bits, and even the not so good bits are different as memories.
Malaysia through SE Asia, China, Mongolia, Russia, Ukraine, into Europe, Scandinavia, Morocco, back through Albania, Greece, Turkey, Georgia (no Iran Visa), Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgizstan, Tibet, Nepal, India, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia. 3 years.
the wheel studs were in southern Spain, after Morocco. The ATW wheel centre was strong enough to not distort. Needed parts diagram from Aussie to overcome Mercedes in Germany not providing info on Aus truck to Fuso dealer in Spain. A couple of front leaves repaired in Hungary on way over. A rear leaf on German Autobahn. Changed to parabolics shipped from Aus - original springs available in UK but same communications problem between UK dealer and German Mercedes bureaucracy meant delivery date not available.
electrical was original interior light fuse in factory fusebox. It melted and wire to interior light got hot, melted a few wires together at a couple of places in the loom. Took out just about everything. Never found the original short. Couldn't find / access all the subsequent shorts at the roadside. A bit like a triple by-pass, first isolated things then slowly added by-passes to get them working. Circuit diagram and colours didn't quite match as built. Three weeks as schedule permitted to get stable. About 3 years later I fixed the oil level indicator switch last week. Only thing left is to link electric windows, heater blower and aircon control circuits to ignition again - I have a note on dashboard says "turn off heater and aircon". Not a big job, just low on the list.
There's a pic of melted wires about halfway down this page and some of the subsequent fault finding. The oil level circuit has a well hidden splice into the interior light power wire deep behind steering wheel/instrument cluster. I didn't know that at the time, its not in the circuit diagram. Extra page provided through this forum. There's a few other melted bits well hidden.
http://epicycles.com/Truck Blog/2014-02-11/2014-02-11.php
Also the saga continued on the following page. Not to dramatise, I'd started suffering from a nasty (at that time undiagnosed) auto-immune thingy, noticeable symptom was screaming pain in upper arms. Made it a bit hard to concentrate and play contortionist, so it all took longer to sort than it normally would. Basically a sod of a job deciphering a logic bomb with multiple related problems, sometimes akin to squeezing jelly.
Cap off the end of the fuel return line on top of the engine in China. Fuel consumption said something wrong. A couple of young lads noticed the flood when it finally leaked lots. Entertaining with half a dozen people trying to stand on top of the engine.
King pin bearing in Norway - it has camber kits fitted which I think means smaller outer diameter bearings. Cause was a bit of water into hub and not sufficient grease so a bit of rust. Mildly amusing as it dawned on me why we had to shunt around right hand hairpins but not left hand.
Radiator cap was in Turkey - steep, hot, lousy fuel, radiator cap failed, engine got hot, stopped in time.
In the scheme of things all manageable. As you no doubt know, when things go wrong there's really only one option. Find a fix.
Sorry about length. Its fun remembering. Mostly good bits, and even the not so good bits are different as memories.
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Awesome journey gait!
Thanks for the extended reply I enjoyed reading it and had me remembering travel tales as well - we started in Vladivostok Mongolia Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Uzbek back through Russia to Estonia - all over Europe and Scandinavia like you - Turkey and Morocco - UK - across to the US, Canada, Alaska and Baja - 3 years as well - India in the future is one I'd like to tick off - I've been there a long time ago and bet that was a challenge overland! We hope to hit South America when we recover from this one! I know what it's like having a crowd of locals overseeing repairs, not an experience easily described really!
I had a manual battery isolator switch that I installed for shipping that failed in an RV park of all places in Poland - corroded out and vehicle wouldn't start! simple and aftermarket fault but took me an hour to find it... long story ahhhh. I have 2 anderson plugs on the solar system - 2 earths through 1 and 2 pos in the other - completely lost solar charge one day - had no continuity through the earth anderson and they were cleaned regularly and filled with electrical grease! gave up in the end and bypassed it... Sounds like most of your issues relate back to that unknown short! who knows where that is... nice pics of the melted loom - pitty you didn't have some marshmallows on hand! comforting hey! Guess the parabolics sorted out the suspension issues and - well water in a hub that will do it every time guaranteed as you know I'm sure! Not being in the best of health must have added to the stress, if it's possible to load up on any more stress when it's going wrong and your totally on your own!
We generally travel solo as well so I need to be on top of the vehicle as you'll definitely understand!
We'd like a little more room for a few more toys next time and a nicer bathroom inside so moving up to a Fuso seems the obvious choice, nice to hear tales of woe from the road however as it happens to us all! Caveat to that is I hope it doesn't happen to me really...
Thanks for the extended reply I enjoyed reading it and had me remembering travel tales as well - we started in Vladivostok Mongolia Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Uzbek back through Russia to Estonia - all over Europe and Scandinavia like you - Turkey and Morocco - UK - across to the US, Canada, Alaska and Baja - 3 years as well - India in the future is one I'd like to tick off - I've been there a long time ago and bet that was a challenge overland! We hope to hit South America when we recover from this one! I know what it's like having a crowd of locals overseeing repairs, not an experience easily described really!
I had a manual battery isolator switch that I installed for shipping that failed in an RV park of all places in Poland - corroded out and vehicle wouldn't start! simple and aftermarket fault but took me an hour to find it... long story ahhhh. I have 2 anderson plugs on the solar system - 2 earths through 1 and 2 pos in the other - completely lost solar charge one day - had no continuity through the earth anderson and they were cleaned regularly and filled with electrical grease! gave up in the end and bypassed it... Sounds like most of your issues relate back to that unknown short! who knows where that is... nice pics of the melted loom - pitty you didn't have some marshmallows on hand! comforting hey! Guess the parabolics sorted out the suspension issues and - well water in a hub that will do it every time guaranteed as you know I'm sure! Not being in the best of health must have added to the stress, if it's possible to load up on any more stress when it's going wrong and your totally on your own!
We generally travel solo as well so I need to be on top of the vehicle as you'll definitely understand!
We'd like a little more room for a few more toys next time and a nicer bathroom inside so moving up to a Fuso seems the obvious choice, nice to hear tales of woe from the road however as it happens to us all! Caveat to that is I hope it doesn't happen to me really...