COMPILING OUTBACK/OVERLANDING CHECKLIST

OGrid said:

Did you find out what the issue was?

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4x4Brick #1561 said:

Took it to the dealer and they flushed the system and refilled but no explanation. Apparently the high altitude affecting the temperature and Offroad menu issues has been noted before by others in Colorado - again according to the dealership. I believe a high pitched intermittent 'whistle' I was hearing while slow driving on the trails, which I wrongly associated with the known noisy A/C, was the 'hot' side evaporating. The whistle wasn't consistent and I couldn't find a pattern while driving and wasn't very loud. If I hear it again I will definitely stop to check engine coolant. I had checked it a the start of the trip in Houston at basically sea level. I didn't check again until 5 days later when I got the 'hot' code. I don't often get to high ( 8,000+ ft ) altitudes but when I get back to them I plan on keeping an eye on coolant levels. AND travel with a gallon of coolant. The water worked but necessitated the flush.

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DenisM said:

There's also the possibility that the system hadn't ever been properly bled (of air pockets) in the first place (a not uncommon occurrence which has been reported elsewhere) and that this didn't become obvious until the vehicle encountered reduced atmospheric pressure....

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globalgregors said:

Yes, much easier to do a quick walk around/visual inspection. Obviously most helpful in corrugated areas and on the days following a service. Not a lot of washboard in Virginia so far…

View attachment 7876256

The other good idea from the Mining sector on a trip like this (for shipping & security purposes) would be a lockable remote battery/dual isolator.

View attachment 7876266

Thought about it, didn’t bother, then realised how much of a pfaff it is for shippers to access the primary battery (in many cases, you cannot do this yourself when you drop the vehicle as the shipper needs to move it around their storage facility).

Depending on the shipper, any remotely challenging effort (accessing the battery, pulling the delivery fuse) just won’t get done and one will need to deal with the depleted battery and associated error codes on pickup.

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Ovrland Bill said:

For the purpose of ordering, what size “Wheel Nut Indicators” fit the 17” steel wheels on the Grenadier?

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TheDocAUS said:

I am working on a draft checklist with @Rok_Dr when traveling remote or overlanding. Anyone think of more points? Feel free to suggest some.

Some suggested checks to help with preventive maintenance when travelling remote.

1. If you are going on a long trip, a pre-trip inspection by your mechanic is helpful, especially if the mechanic services off-road vehicles. Get the car serviced if needed;
2. Monitor the TEMPERATURE Menu when driving. Keep an eye on oil temps, water temps, and tyre pressures and temps;
3. Manually check the tyre pressure on your spare tyre;
4. Take a close look at any alarms raised by the Grenadier’s warning system;
5. Check wheel nuts, tighten nuts to the correct torque setting (160 NM). Check weekly or after severe corrugations (washboard);
6. Set tyre pressures for the road surface being driven. Pressures should be varied between bitumen, gravel, sand, mud, corrugations and towing (XREF pressures);
7. Each day look for tyre damage like nicks, cuts, screws, spikes, and check for slow air leaks (the Grenadier’s TPMS should show slow leaks);
8. Check your roof-rack/bars are secure (I check during each stop);
9. Check your restraining straps, loads and awnings are secure;
10. Look for oil or water leaks under the car;
11. Check for spinifex/grass build up under the car, remove the buildup;
12. Every morning check under the car for loose nuts, missing bolts, broken gear, leaking hoses, etc A ground mat, safety glasses and a torch come in handy.
13. Check your drinking water containers are not leaking. Take more than one drinking water container.
14. Take a Personal locator beacon (PLB), satellite phone or Starlink for really remote travel. Test your equipment before leaving home. As I often travel alone I take a Spot On tracker (set to leave breadcrumbs) and a PBL.

Do you need extra spares for the trip like fuses, filters (oil, fuel, air), extra oil, coolant, clamps or belts? On long remote trips a spare front and rear shock absorber maybe needed (like in Central Australia or remote Africa). I needed a shock when crossing Australia. I asked for the shocks to be inspected in a service before my return trip, they found a problem and the shock was replaced with the spare I had with me (Nissan Patrol days). That damaged shock would not have survived the return trip through the centre of Australia, disaster avoided. The shocks thread, near the top attachment point, was being stripped by the severe corrugations.

@globalgregors @Logsplitter

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Annee Grenadier_girl said:

Hi,

I'm rather late to the party on this thread but I'll be taking note as I am off to South Africa in my Gren very soon taking in Botswana and Namibia.
I have a service kit with me so it can be done when I'm there, it'll be due its 4th service soon.

Annee

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Annee Grenadier_girl said:

Hi,

I'm rather late to the party on this thread but I'll be taking note as I am off to South Africa in my Gren very soon taking in Botswana and Namibia.
I have a service kit with me so it can be done when I'm there, it'll be due its 4th service soon.

Annee

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TheDocAUS said:

I am working on a draft checklist with @Rok_Dr when traveling remote or overlanding. Anyone think of more points? Feel free to suggest some.

Some suggested checks to help with preventive maintenance when travelling remote.

1. If you are going on a long trip, a pre-trip inspection by your mechanic is helpful, especially if the mechanic services off-road vehicles. Get the car serviced if needed;
2. Monitor the TEMPERATURE Menu when driving. Keep an eye on oil temps, water temps, and tyre pressures and temps;
3. Manually check the tyre pressure on your spare tyre;
4. Take a close look at any alarms raised by the Grenadier’s warning system;
5. Check wheel nuts, tighten nuts to the correct torque setting (160 NM). Check weekly or after severe corrugations (washboard);
6. Set tyre pressures for the road surface being driven. Pressures should be varied between bitumen, gravel, sand, mud, corrugations and towing (XREF pressures);
7. Each day look for tyre damage like nicks, cuts, screws, spikes, and check for slow air leaks (the Grenadier’s TPMS should show slow leaks);
8. Check your roof-rack/bars are secure (I check during each stop);
9. Check your restraining straps, loads and awnings are secure;
10. Look for oil or water leaks under the car;
11. Check for spinifex/grass build up under the car, remove the buildup;
12. Every morning check under the car for loose nuts, missing bolts, broken gear, leaking hoses, etc A ground mat, safety glasses and a torch come in handy.
13. Check your drinking water containers are not leaking. Take more than one drinking water container.
14. Take a Personal locator beacon (PLB), satellite phone or Starlink for really remote travel. Test your equipment before leaving home. As I often travel alone I take a Spot On tracker (set to leave breadcrumbs) and a PBL.

Do you need extra spares for the trip like fuses, filters (oil, fuel, air), extra oil, coolant, clamps or belts? On long remote trips a spare front and rear shock absorber maybe needed (like in Central Australia or remote Africa). I needed a shock when crossing Australia. I asked for the shocks to be inspected in a service before my return trip, they found a problem and the shock was replaced with the spare I had with me (Nissan Patrol days). That damaged shock would not have survived the return trip through the centre of Australia, disaster avoided. The shocks thread, near the top attachment point, was being stripped by the severe corrugations.

@globalgregors @Logsplitter

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globalgregors said:

Here’s another thing that might be worth comparing notes on… our service spares inventory for South America:
- Air filter x1 (EI-0000008153)
- Oil filter kit x2 (EGRA-1000-012600)
- Diesel Water Separator filter and O-ring kit x1 (GRA-3E12-019770)
- Diesel filter x1 (GRA-3E12-029520)
- Diesel Engine serpentine belt x1 (GRA-1B08-005670)
- 10L engine oil ACEA C2 LL-12FE spec
- Front brake pads kit x1, rear brake pads kit x1

It’s maybe 20,000kms, could be more in which case fly in a care package etc.

Comments welcomed!

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