What An Australia Day.

[Esses Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Esses]

On Australia Day we (myself, Wife & 4 kids) usually do a day-trip down to the coast. This year we decided to do something a little different & went out 4WDriving for a full day. The 2 mates who were supposed to be coming with their vehicles piked out (working & had to visit the ex in country NSW) so it was just us in the Prado.
We took off for the Bendethra Valley in the Deua Nat. Park early Sat. morning. All went well until I missed a turn after Braidwood which meant that we approached the Park from the East rather than the West. No drama, except that the kids started whinging about being bored 1/2-way down the Araluen Rd, so I turned off onto the Dry Ck Fire-Trail, which is great fun cutting due west across a couple of very steep ranges & the first of 7 river-crossings & then onto the Merricumbene F/T which is also very entertaining.
By lunchtime we were descending the Bendethra F/T into the valley itself. The Prado had been going great, very impressive on the steep climbs, 2nd-low being the gear of choice & I only had to use 1st-low on a couple of precipitous drops.
We were bowling along the valley floor looking for a nice lunch-spot (away from the big-boy goannas) when trouble struck. I hit a large pot-hole at about 40kmh & the engine cut out. Nothing, just stopped. It turned over happily but wouldn't even kick on either LPG or Petrol. Shoot! Told Wife to take kids down to the river & have lunch while I sweated over it. Finally found the in-line LPG fuse blown AND the main EFI fuse also blown. Odd. Replaced both fuses & she fired up straight away on Petrol. Switched to Gas & phut! Stopped again. Very odd. EFI fuse blown again. Replaced it again, switched back to Petrol & again she started straight away.
Ok, drove out & home on Petrol. Had half-a-tank at Batemans Bay so didn't fill up at exorbitant coast prices. Drove home with Prado now going gang-busters. Just passing our home Town-Centre when she surged, hesitated & stopped dead again. No, not fuses, we're out've petrol, with the gauge showing 1/4 of a tank!
Then right at that moment, monster thunder-storms hit. And hit. And hit. After half-an-hour I bite the bullet & walk the 6 km home through constant storms to get Wife's Territory & a Jerry-can. Eventually get back, pour 20 litres into the Prado & again, she fires straight up.
We finally got home about 8:30pm.
Wife took Prado into the LPG Fitters on Tuesday (still under warranty) & he found an LPG power-wire chafed & earthing on metal, which was my guess but I hadn't been able to find anything when underneath it.
Moral: NEVER go alone. I suppose.:lol:

[williade Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close williade]

Moral: NEVER go alone. I suppose.:lol:

And always carry some spare fuses!

Quite a tale there Esses. Lucky you were able to get the Prado going again.

I guess there's something to be said for the reliability of the old pure mechanical Diesel engines for solo touring.

[Snoopy22 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Snoopy22]

My Australia Day was quite the opposite, had heaps of fun at Beachport, weather was great and had freinds around to share in the fun.
It was great to see wat the car could and couldn't do. I think the 95s biggest limitation was the guy behind the wheel :-)

[glen_ep Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close glen_ep]

Hey Esses,
Sounds like you had a great adventure. I know from experience how testing it can be when things go wrong, especially alone, but you made it back home, so good on you My worst day out involved a snapped axle and 4 hours of hand winching; in that case I arrived home around 1am

[Esses Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Esses]

Yeah, I've only ever been badly bogged twice. Once up in the NT trying to cross the Gregory Ck & the other vehicle in our group was able to pull me out & once here in our Brindabellas where my trusty Tirfor saved the day. My only mechanical drama involved my old V8 'Cruiser on Fraser Is. where the siphon-feed on the LR tank played up. I was able to fix that too.
In this case Wifey was just freaking (as you would with 4 kids) but we probably had enough food for lunch & dinner. At worst I would've hitched out to Moruya & rented a 4WD. The kicker was that the monster thunderstorms went straight down the Bendethra Valley that night, which would've made river crossings REALLY interesting.

[Esses Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Esses]

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[GTX Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close GTX]

Shame your trip was not quite as serene as you had planned, but in the whole scheme of things it turned out 'ok'

[Esses Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Esses]

Yes, as I pointed out to my darling Wife, when it snuffed at least it did it in a good spot - the flat, level, grassy valley floor with room to pull off the track, not half-way up a mountain or crossing the river! Likewise when we ran out've petrol, at least it was in town within walking distance of home & was actually even closer to 2 servos, but I wasn't going to buy another jerry when I had THREE at home AND my bag of spare fuses - in the other car, of course!