4WD Touring Australia – June 2018

094 | 4WDTouringAustralia

PEDDLE POWER

A mechanical checklist for long haul missions.

PAT WILLIAMS

It got me thinking, what are the major mechanical

checks that we should be making before hitting

the highway on a long range trip, and what can

we do mid journey to keep a lid on potential

problems before they boil over? I reached out

to 4WD Touring’s tech guru Adam Adler for

guidance.

Adam’s rst point was to get on top of your

maintenance early. Don’t leave it ‘til the last

minute... Check your batteries and connections,

it’s amazing how many potential electrical issues

can be alleviated this way. Check any suspect

fuse connections. Make sure your wheel bearings

are in good condition and your tyres too.

While you’re at it, there’s no better time to go

through your spare parts and update anything

that’s gone AWOL. You’ll want a pre-prepared

nut and bolt box with tie wires, tyre valves,

maybe even a spare wheel bearing hub and

shocks on hand in case things go pear-shaped.

If you’re travelling solo, it’s not a crazy idea to

carry a spare starter motor and alternator.

THE

BIG

TRIP

There ain’t much worse than running into mechanical trouble on the open road. I should know, I just

narrowly avoided getting stranded in the middle of the NT with a clogged air lter. Managed to make

it to an autoshop on the outskirts of town in limp mode to get the part swapped out before hitting

the highway on a four-day continental crossing.