Bush Mechanics

[switched Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close switched]

I though I'd dedicate a thread for bush mechanic stories, whether it happen to you or to people you know. This isn't about the comedy show "bush mechanics", there is another thread on that
This also might help some members plan trips and get a few extra ideas on items that can be packed in the toolkit to make roadside repairs possible

So, what broke, and how did you fix it :?:

Also, I though we could use this thread for some good instructional videos.

So i'll get started. Here is a video explaining how to emergency weld with a couple of batteries and jumper leads and a few extras

[lc120_man Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close lc120_man]

Re: Bush Mechanics

Same stuff here but using text and pictures

http://www.lcool.org/technical/80_serie ... lding.html

[lc120_man Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close lc120_man]

Re: Bush Mechanics

And I like this one as well - Simple Bead Breaker

http://www.lcool.org/technical/90_serie ... eaker.html

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Re: Bush Mechanics

This seems like a good idea for a thread so here is my contribution, this happened to me after arriving at Halls Creek in the Kimberly a few years ago after coming across the Tanami.

After filling up with diesel (@ over $2/litre) i noticed diesel running out from under the Prado and onto the ground. At some stage, and it could have been long before i started on this trip, i got a stone jammed between the rear fuel tank and the stone gaurd. This put a dent in the fuel tank about the size of half a golf ball and punctured a small hole. To cut a long story short i removed the stone gaurd and got a self tapping screw, along with a piece of leather removed from a piece of clothing, which i used as a washer. i screwed the self tapper into the hole and this sealed it well enough to then fill the dent and cover the screw with "quick steel" a putty which you can buy from most auto shops.

This repair lasted around 8 months before it started weeping, i then removed the fuel tank buffed away the "quick steel" and brazed the hole up.

now when i do my regular under car inspection whilst travelling, i always check for stones between the tank and the gaurd, i also added tech screws with rubber washers to my assorted bolts container. I think that this repair could be used in lots of other situations.

Cheers Andrew

[Prado BB Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Prado BB]

Re: Bush Mechanics

The lads on Monday night chat, put me onto this in the event of a minor radiator leak:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2086630_tempora ... leaks.html

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Re: Bush Mechanics

And I like this one as well - Simple Bead Breaker

http://www.lcool.org/technical/90_serie ... eaker.html

I made a similar but different bead breaker a few years ago



Cheers Andrew

[MDS69 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close MDS69]

Re: Bush Mechanics

After our recent trip around the Corner Country I have two items.
My mates 80 series punctured his rear drivers side shock by rocks about an inch or so up from the bottom. Basically all the oil leaked but as we still had a thousand or so Km's to go we sealed the hole with a hex drive screw. This wasn't necessarily to stop the remaining oil from leaking but to stop the shock from sucking air on rebound and compressing to quick when it hit bumps.
Also the weld for the front shackle on his leaf spring broke. We hacksawed the bottom bar from his gas bottle holder on the CT which was a piece of flat bar about 25mm x 3mm that for some reason had holes drilled in it. It just so happened that the distance between the bolt on the leaf spring and the bolt on the leading edge of his mudguard was the same distance as the pre-drilled holes in the flat bar. We just had to ream out the holes a bit bigger and viola a temp fix until we could get it re-welded.

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

Re: Bush Mechanics

Last year when we crossed the desert, one of the vehicles, a lifted 120, broke the bottom retaining shaft from the front drivers strut the rendered the vehcile pretty much undrivable. Fortunatley one of the team had a standard height Toyota badged 90 series strut that fit but was shorter than the borken one. We didn't have spring compressors but we supported the axel stubwith the spring and strut loaded in place and the bottom mount fixed. We then loaded up the heaviest blokes in our group onto the bullbar on the drivers side. This pushed the chassis down and allowed the top reatining bush, cap and nut to be attached altough the nut was only on by a bear minimum but enough that a spanner helped it to bit in and continue the compression of the spring.


The biggest concerns we had was removing the retaining nut from the top cap to release the spring from the broken strut as well as afterwards the other strut on the passanger side didn't give way as we had no more spares.

The driver was able to continue across the desert into Birdsville, then down the Birdsville track and the bitumen to Adelaide. The reason for the failure was the original TJM gear had leaked oil from the struts after about 7000kms. He had had these replaced but didn't want the TJM gear after a bad experience so went for the EFS but kept the TJM springs. These had a different ride height and the taller TJM springs pulled the EFS strut apart after about 7000kms of travel.

Lessons learnt are:
1. Ensure you have good matched suspension
2. Carry a suitable array of spares which does not mean everyone in a group carries the same. Share the load of the less likely to fail parts
3. Ensure you have adequate tools for any repair scenario or if not can think laterally enough to come up with a plan to work around any obsticles to success.

[ozwapet2 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close ozwapet2]

Re: Bush Mechanics

This thread is a great idea. Entertaining plus might also help someone out of a bad situation one day.

After seeing some "bush" repairs done by others way more experienced than me, I put together a basic "bush mechanic" kit comprising some of the materials I've seen used. This is small enough to fit in the side pocket in the back of the Prado.
1. Couple of metres of hoop iron or brickies strapping. The stuff with the pre-drilled holes in it. This can be used to strap all sort of things together, make emergency brackets etc.
2. Small roll thick tie wire.
3. Cloth reinforced gaffer tape. ( rather than the more common plastic duct tape). If you'd been waching Mythbusters lately you'll know how strong this stuff can be.
4. Old battery drill re-fitted with wires and Anderson plug to run off the car battery. Set of drills for same.
5. Various sized coach, machine bolts & nuts and jubilee clips.
7. Epoxy glues suitable for both petrol and metal tank repairs.
8. Small roll of aluminium flashing. This is like a very thick tinfoil and can be used to reinforce repairs in hoses etc.
9. Some of that super self amalgamating tape ( "rescue" tape I think they call it ). I've seen this used to repair radiator hoses and even make emergency O-rings

This in addition to the normal tools and spare fuses etc of course.

I've used the little modified battery drill and the hoop iron a few times - more for camping gear repairs than car repairs.

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Re: Bush Mechanics

I've used the little modified battery drill and the hoop iron a few times - more for camping gear repairs than car repairs.

Good list there, I carry a cordless drill which i can recharge with the inverter. Another use for the drill, when the ground gets so hard that you are bending tent pegs you can drill a pilot hole using a masonary bit. I used the drill numerous times on my last trip, as usual though more for fixing other peoples stuff than my own.

Cheers Andrew

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

Last year when we crossed the desert, one of the vehicles, a lifted 120, broke the bottom retaining shaft from the front drivers strut the rendered the vehcile pretty much undrivable. Fortunatley one of the team had a standard height Toyota badged 90 series strut that fit but was shorter than the borken one. We didn't have spring compressors but we supported the axel stubwith the spring and strut loaded in place and the bottom mount fixed. We then loaded up the heaviest blokes in our group onto the bullbar on the drivers side. This pushed the chassis down and allowed the top reatining bush, cap and nut to be attached altough the nut was only on by a bear minimum but enough that a spanner helped it to bit in and continue the compression of the spring.


The biggest concerns we had was removing the retaining nut from the top cap to release the spring from the broken strut as well as afterwards the other strut on the passanger side didn't give way as we had no more spares.

The driver was able to continue across the desert into Birdsville, then down the Birdsville track and the bitumen to Adelaide. The reason for the failure was the original TJM gear had leaked oil from the struts after about 7000kms. He had had these replaced but didn't want the TJM gear after a bad experience so went for the EFS but kept the TJM springs. These had a different ride height and the taller TJM springs pulled the EFS strut apart after about 7000kms of travel.

Lessons learnt are:
1. Ensure you have good matched suspension
2. Carry a suitable array of spares which does not mean everyone in a group carries the same. Share the load of the less likely to fail parts
3. Ensure you have adequate tools for any repair scenario or if not can think laterally enough to come up with a plan to work around any obsticles to success.

Nice write up about a true bush repair job there, but I think the reason for this failure is misunderstood. After speaking with suspension specialists, I have concluded that this type of failure is probably due to a failure of the lower suspension bush and has nothing to do with the length of the spring itself.

If a front spring is too long and doesn't allow enough droop at full extension, it will allow the strut to top out constantly and eventually cause an internal failure. This is not what has occured here.

If a lower bush fails and causes binding at the pivot point, then one of the lower welds will eventually snap, which is exactly what happened.

This is also why it is so important for the lower suspension mount to be tightened when it's on the ground and not when at full droop on a hoist, where the subsequent distortion of the bush will lead to a failure. Apparently a re-design of the lower bush has also reduced the chance of this type of failure. The new design also produces a squeaking sound in the front suspension to warn of failure.

[Rusty62 Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Rusty62]

2004 we did a double crossing of the Simpson in our 80 series.
Failure 1 - Cracked front fuel cell. Transfered the fuel to the rear 180 lt tank.
Failure 2 - Broke the dump pipe from the turbo. Drove with drink cans covering all the good bits, hired Mt Dare's welder and put back together.
Failure 3 - Could not pickup the bottom 90 lts of deisel from the rear tank. After replacing the filter, re routing the fuel lines around the valves, eventually put a fitting into the drain plug to get the fuel. Turned out to be a fractured flex line from the tank to body. Crack fine enough to leak air into line but small enough to not seap fuel.
Failure 4 - Headlight relay overheated at 4am on dirt road east of Birdsville. Lights just went out at 100 kph on gravel road when we crossed a grid, exciting. Removed relay, filed points and refitted.

Sold this car about 2 years after this when we bought our first Prado.

I was able to fix these problems (other than the weld) on the side of the road with the help of my wife, and a bloody good toolkit.

Rusty.