Squeaks and Basc Maintenance
So I have a 2012 Xterra Pro 4X and OK, I treat it almost better than I do myself (I think). That being said, don't get the impression that I don't hit the trails with it. However since it "already" has 7,000 miles, I've started to notice a few squeaks and other minor (I hope) noises here and there. Typically I wash it with extra attention paid behind the tires, on the shocks, etc. and the noises generally go away. By no means do I expect a perfectly quiet vehicle, especially given what we put ours through. But now I've started thinking about what other preventive maint. I need/should do to keep things in good shape. I found this article from a few years ago (below) but I think it was too old to respond to. So read as much as you would like, but I'm curious about the following:
1) Is it true that off-roading is like double the mileage on your vehicle in terms of wear and tear? Even if it's a jeep or (like my Xterra) built on a truck chassis?
2) What should I be looking for under my truck if I'm not exactly a mechanic? Granted, I installed my skids, sliders, and have changed my own oil and checked fluids. That's about it. This article gives lots of good info but at the same time, what the heck is a ball joint and where do I find one? What other kinds of joints, etc. need to be lubed up and how do I find where they are?
3) After reading this article I picture myself squirting grease everywhere and accomplishing nothing. Any suggestions?
4) Where do I find 'wheel bearings' and at what point does noise suggest a more serious problem? My truck only has 7K miles on it so I doubt I'm there yet. Thoughts?
Thanks!
Preventive Maintenance..A Good Thing To Do
I don't know how many people here actual practice preventive maintenance, but it is a really good thing to do unless you really like doing trail fixes and hanging everyone on the run up. Most of this is simple common sense. You have to understand that when you actually wheel a rig, no matter the make or model, that you are adding a lot of stresses that the manufacturer didn't plan on, especially if you are running larger tires, a lift, big hp, etc. When you wheel, you are more than doubling the actual mileage you put on your rig in terms of wear and tear. Add dust, mud, water and vibration to this...
Here is a very simple list of things to do either before or after a trail run:
Fluids:
Check ALL of your basic fluid levels: oil, brake clutch, windshield washer, anti freeze, automatic transmission. This takes only a minute and suffices for most of the close by runs if you follow standard maintenance procedures for your vehicle.
If you are going on a trail run that is a multi day run and requires a lot of driving, check all of your differential, transfer case and standard transmission fluid levels. I don't care if you did it the week before or not. Double checking these will save grief.
Change your oil religiously, every 3,000 -5,000 miles. Use a good quality oil and a good quality oil filter. Amsoil makes some of the best, but you pay for the quality. I try to use the best quality the budget will allow for.
Grease:
Get a simple grease gun, small or large, that uses standard cartridges. When you are under your rig, grease every damn thing with a grease zerk fitting. Most owner's manuals (or online resources) will show all the zerk fittings on your vehicle. Don't be surprised if you have to go down and get a special grease fitting or two for the tight spots or needle fittings. Use whatever grease you can get your hands on. It is nicer to have a waterproof marine grease or straight synthetic, but not critical. They all work.
After any water crossings, grease everything. It will force the water out of the joint and keep it lubed up.
Note: Early on I had some bad experiences with "Jiffy Lube" and Quick Lube" places. I don't trust any of them and think that, for the most part, they hire some real clowns and are run by assholes who are out to rip you off. This is not only my opinion. I have found that sometimes they will simply use their marking pen on the oil pan nut or differential, and not have done any fluid changes to it at all. They also have a very bad habit of cross threading the oil pan bolts and diff drain plugs and/or rattle wrenching them in with huge amounts of needless torque. If you have someone else do this for you, verify the that the fluids really got changed.
Nuts and Bolts:
Crawl under your rig and take a close look at all of the nuts and bolts. Get familiar with the sizes you need and tighten EVERYTHING that you can get your hands on. Pay special attention to all of your suspension and steering components.
Tighten all of the U bolt axle/spring bolts.
Tighten everything that involves any steering linkages: tie rods, Pitman arm nut, drag link, shocks, steering knuckle nuts, etc. Check for missing cotter pins and if they are missing, either safety wire the castle nut or replace the cotter pin.
Tighten all of the transmission, motor and transfer case nuts and bolts, both the frame mounts and the ones on the units.
Tighten everything that you can reach on the motor. Be careful not to over tighten the oil pan nuts and bolts. The easiest way to not over tighten them is to use a 1/4" socket.
Tighten all of the shackle or leaf spring hanger bolts. Don't over tighten these as there needs to be some play to allow for flex.
While you are under your rig, look for fluid leaks, rusted muffler components, loose or dangling wires, abraded wires, wires that need to be sleeved to prevent shorts, worn or damaged spring bushings or shock bushings, bare metal areas that show where something is rubbing, etc.
Torque your wheel lug nuts. Do this for every run.
Check all of your drive shaft bolts and nuts.
Check all of your body mount bolts.
If you have already torqued everything to specifications, then take a metal marking pen or fingernail polish and draw a visible line of the torqued nut or bolt. Looking at the line will give you a very quick read if the nut or bolt had loosened up. Again, pay special attention to steering components. 90% of the rest of the stuff under your rig can simply be tightened without bothering too much with torque specs.
Under Hood, Engine:
Check for loose or cracked vacuum lines. They might not stop your engine, but will certainly cause it to run poorly and maybe flip a CEL (check engine light)
Check all of your rubber hoses, especially around the clamps. Cracking usually starts around the clamps and is a good indication that they will need replacement. Squeeze all of your hoses. If they squeeze too easily, that is also an indication that they are due to be replaced.
Check all of your fan belts. Generally, if there is more than 1/2" play in the belt, it needs tightening. Threads coming off the sides of the belt are both a sign of wear and that there is something misaligned. You can visually check the alignment from the side. Visible cracking on the outside of the belt is also a good indicator that the belt is worn out. Squealing is usually a sign of the belt being loose. Metal squealing is generally a sign of a bearing going out, more than likely an idler bearing, with the second being the alternator bearing. Spray a little WD40 on the idler or suspect part and if the squeal goes away, then you have found the part to replace.
Look at all of your visible electrical wiring. Anchor everything that is loose or dangling, allowing for some flex. Look at the battery and other terminal ends, including the ground wires, starter and alternator wires. Problems here will stop you dead in the water. If there is corrosion, clean it off and apply some dielectric grease to the contact area. In fact, use dielectric grease on any wire connection that may cause problems.
Check your battery fluid level if you do not have a dry cell battery.
Look at and check for looseness all of your plug wires. If they look hashed, they probably are and will need replacement.
Double check your air cleaner.
Check all of your fuses to see if there is any corrosion in the under hood fuse box. If there is, use a special purpose electronic parts cleaner to clean the contacts of all the fuses, add a dab of dielectric grease and reinstall.
Check the top and bottom of your steering box for leakage. Tighten any hoses that need it.
Check your power steering and reservoir for leaks, again tightening as needed. Also check all of the power steering hoses for wear and leaks.
As an aside: don't simply toss out the old rubber hoses or belts, at least not all of them. If they are merely worn, replace them with new ones and stick the worn ones in your trail repair box of junk. They will probably have enough life in them to get you and your rig home.
If you cannot see what you are doing under the hood, you are not going to able to see problem areas. Take your lazy ass down to the car wash with a couple of cans of engine degreaser and clean the engine and engine bay. Bring some WD40 and a couple of dry rags in case your engine didn't like the bath.
Brakes:
When you remove your front tires for any reason, check the brake pads and rotors. If the rotors are grooved (visual without taking the wheel off most of the time) your pads are probably worn. The rotors will probably need to be turned and new brake pads installed.
If your rear emergency brake no longer holds, either the cable needs adjusting or the rear brakes are too worn and need replacing. Fix it.
Look at all of your brake lines. Check to see if there is any leakage. Leakage around the rear inside brakes with drum brakes will usually indicate a brake cylinder that needs replacement. Leaking from the front discs will be visible on the inside of the rotor and inside of the wheel. This indicates that the caliper needs rebuilding or replacement, especially if there is no leaking around the brake line fitting.
Look at the rubber brake lines and check for excessive cracking. If the front of the rear of the rig is up in the air, double check that the brake lines have sufficient length for your travel. Check areas that may show rubbing and other wear.
Wheels and Tires
Rotate them, whatever way blows your skirt up. Run your hand lightly over the top of your front tires, especially on the outer edges. Is it uneven and bumpy to the point where it is noticeable? Then you are due for an alignment, shocks, or, worse case, ball joints. Get these tires on to the back of the rig as soon as you can and the unevenness with eventually wear down.
Tire rotation: If I have the front or rear of my truck in the air for any reason, the tires get rotated all the way around. Large, soft, tires wear very fast. Personally, I don't think these can be rotated often enough, so I simply do it every time I hike one end or the other of my heap up.
When you have your front end up in the air (to rotate the tires, of course) grab the tire at the top and bottom. Try to move it back and forth on a vertical plane. If it moves, then you can be pretty sure that you have something going on related to ball joints.
Rotate the tires when they are up in the air and listen for any noise. Noise will indicate a wheel bearing that needs to be greased and/or replaced. You can hear this driving too, though if it comes to this, figure replacement ASAP. Another good indicator of pre wheel bearing failure and if you are hearing noise from the front, is to place your hand over the hub. If the hub feels hot (hot, not just warm), you are soon going to have serious wheel bearing related issues.
Welds, Cages, Roll Bars, etc.
Metal fatigues over time to some degree. Stresses placed on joints cause cracks. Keeping that in mind, if you have a lot of metal on your heap, sliders, after market bumpers, winch mounts, tow points, check these for cracks. Re weld if necessary. Look around the shock towers or hoops for cracks. Do the same for any link type suspension components. Look in the area where your steering box is attached to the frame rail. Hard off road use causes a lot of stress in this area and stress cracks in the frame rails here is pretty common. The same goes for areas where the spring hangers are attached, especially the rear.
If you have stock IFS components, check the A arm structural support welds. These are usually only factory welded on the outside, using the bare minimum of welds for 'standard' use, not for off roading. Take a look at the rear leaf spring hanger mounts. Notice how the factory has rather casually stitch welded these...again not with hard off road use in mind. Either have some one weld these up fully or, at the very least, check for any stress cracks in the weld areas.
Summary:
This pretty much covers the basic junk. Aside from the tire rotation and checking the diff, T case and tranny fluids, this probably took longer to write than to check and tighten all this crap.
Generally, this takes me about 35-45 minutes, sometimes less. I figure that it has probably saved me countless hours of roadside trail repairs, not to mention frustrating all the rest of the people on the run with you when they realize that it really wasn't trail damage, but sheer laziness and lack of maintenance on your part that is causing the big hold up and problem.
Probably 80% of all trail repairs stem from lack of maintenance. The remaining 20% can be divided between a heavy right foot and excessive throttle (10%) and simple wear and tear of components that you cannot see , usually internal engine, transmission, transfer case, or differential(10%).
The first time that you do this, you will be pretty surprised at the sheer number of nuts and bolts that are loose. The second time usually identifies the ones that loosen up on a regular basis. These may need a little light weight thread lock, Nylocks, lock washers or something similar to prevent them from loosening. Also allow some time the first time you do this. Not only is there what looks to be a huge amount of stuff (technical term for all the crap under your rig), you will have to make a few trips to the tool box to locate all the right tools. Make a short list of what you need to use and refer to it in the future. It saves a lot of time. You will, unless you really like getting really oily and greasy and large chunks of mud and grit in your eyes, want to take the rig to the car wash and clean off the underside. Like under the hood, if you cannot see what you are working on, then you won't see any problem areas.
Again, allow yourself a little time to do this the first time. If you want to do this yourself and are not mechanically inclined, or simply have never spent time under your rig or looking under the hood, just LOOK at stuff without anything else in mind. Under the rig, get comfortable and simply LOOK at at everything, getting familiar with it. Stuff that doesn't LOOK right will stand out: shiny metal, tape hanging off something, loose wires, missing nuts or bolts. It is easier to not LOOK for anything specific at first. Mechanical stuff is very linear for the most part and something that isn't linear is usually pretty noticeable.
Not mechanically inclined? Well, neither is Stephanie (Pathrat), but you know what? She had me go over all the junk I talked about here, picked up a set of tools that she needed, and does all of this stuff herself. Has she had any real breakdowns? No. If you have to ask yourself why, you need to get into shuffleboarding, sell your wheeler, and start driving a Prius or Smart car...
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