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Post Your Strange Trail fixes That Work!

Metrodps

Metrodps

Strange but nice guy
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OK guy/gals I lost all my data on computer due to hard drive failure (yea should of made back ups). I had started working on a guide for strange and weired off road fixes. I had put some in a post a few months back but couldn't find. PLEASE add yours!

Tire bead won't seat:
Take some either and spray inside tire. Stand back and toss a match at it. *POOF* Bead pops up to rim and you can get air into it now.

Wet wires:
Spray some WD40 on them it will displace moisture from distrub and wires.

Radiator quick fix:
(egg whites) if you are camping and have some eggs. Separate the yokes from the whites and add to your radiator. It typically will take 3 or 4 eggs worth

(pepper) You can fix a small leak with about a half a pepper shakers worth to fix a leak.

Hole in hose:
Duct tape works fine or a inner tube patch works also.

Gas tank leak:
Use an ordinary bar of soap rubbed generously over the spot of the leak.

How about posting any you have used to get you out of the rough and back to where you can fix it right. This might make a good sticky thread also.
 
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Twice I have welded broken c-clip axleshafts together by using the 2 battery stick welding method. On both ocasions the axleshafts were welded and the reardriveshaft was disconnected to not apply any torque to the welded shaft. On both ocasions the vehicles were able to drive out(several hours) with only front wheel drive. It takes a couple of hours but it beats leaving the truck on the trial.
 
bajaviking said:
Twice I have welded broken c-clip axleshafts together by using the 2 battery stick welding method. On both ocasions the axleshafts were welded and the reardriveshaft was disconnected to not apply any torque to the welded shaft. On both ocasions the vehicles were able to drive out(several hours) with only front wheel drive. It takes a couple of hours but it beats leaving the truck on the trial.
Click to expand...

OK so for us with Alzheimer's. Explain the method of doing this welding on the trail. What did you use beside two batteries.....
 
I'm curious as to how you control the heat input with this method. I realize it's not like using a real welder, but there's got to be some way.
 
no control!..

My experince with batteries as welders is limited..but I didn't find amperage control a problem..just pull the rod away ,and let the weld cool if its getting too hot!..I had no troubles,in fact,the batteries weakened so fast I hardly got what I was welding finished before they were about dead!...

Another "getcha home" trick is to use a pair of panty hose as a fan belt!--getting your girlfriend or wife to remove them is the hardest part!..tie them tight around the pulleys,and keep the revs below 2500 rpm,and you'll get home OK..

I've used a peice of tailpipe to splice a ruptured radiator hose up with 2 hose clamps once,when it blew miles from home!--and one time when a heater hose popped,I used a tree branch to plug it up so I could get home!..

Also used a peice of my radio antenna as a temporary gas line,when a rubber fuel line rubbed a hole in itself on the air cleaner!...my friend used a ball point pen(with the "guts" removed!) when his truck had a similar dilema!

Wire Ties make decent emergency hose clamps--I try to keep some and a roll of duct tape with me wherever I go!..but REAL clamps are much better,and dont cost much...

I used a couple of muffler clamps to put my "rag joint" on the steering shaft back together on one truck I had,when it broke on a snowy sunday--got me the 3 miles home,but I wouldn't reccomend this for on road use!--it fell apart again just as I turned into my driveway!..:eek1: :crazy:
 
one time i was out wheeling with a couple buds of mine out in the middle of nowhere..... fuel line plugged up... couldnt blow or suck it out of the fuel line...

i had a 1 gallon fuel jug in the back, and about 3 or 4 feet of 3/8 fuel line, so i siphened the fuel out of my gas tank, into the jug. then i put part of my 3.5 ft of fuel line into the jug, and electrical taped it in, as a gasket, hooked the other end of the fuel line to the fuel pump, and off we went,

of course we had to siphen gas out of my tank 3 or 4 times to get all the way home, but it got us there.
 
another trick!..

My friends Ford F-150 pickup had a dead fuel pump one day about 10 miles from his house...he pondered what to do,then an idea made his eyes light up like a bulb!..

He dumps out the windshield washer bottle,and he puts gas in it from the can he always keeps in the bed of his truck..then he yanks the hose off the wiper nozzle on one side,and plugs it onto one of the vent tubes of the carb!--gets in the truck,and hits the "wash" button,and fills the carb bowl up!..then he fires it up and proceeded to drive it home,with me following behind!--he said he had to hit the washer button about 5 times on the way home,when it started to bog out again!..

I expected the pump to seize up,but to my suprise it lived,and still pumped washer fluid after we hooked it back up again!..it ran a bit funky until all the washer fluid washed out of the carb--he forgot to "purge" the line of washer fluid before hooking it on the vent tube..but no real harm was done..:crazy:

We used a lawnmower tank to run engines at the junkyard in cars with no gas tanks left in them...you can use "gravity feed" if the fuel pump is junk,just hold or strap the tank or can higher than the carb is,and no fuel pump is needed..unless you climb a steep hill!..then you'll have to BACK UP the hill in reverse,just like our grandfathers used to in the 30's in their model T's!..
 
Replacement belts can be made out of duct tape. I have heard of people getting off the trail with broken knuckles by using ~100 zip ties!
 
Metrodps said:
OK so for us with Alzheimer's. Explain the method of doing this welding on the trail. What did you use beside two batteries.....
Click to expand...

You hook the batteries up the following way:

negative on one battery to the area to be welded and the positive on that same battery you connect to the negative on the second battery. The positive on the second battery is used for your "electrode holder" which which could be pliers, wise grips or whatever wrapped in something not conductive.

Personally I carry some thick good quality jumper cables which are used as gound cable and "electrode holder" and finally a piece of welding cable to connect the 2 batteries. I also bought a real electrode holder which I carry in my toolbox with electrodes and of course the welding inspection glass, it's hard to weld if you can't see. The only way to control heat is to weld with short intervals and let the material cool down. Carry thin electrodes, that way you will have to pull less amps from the batteries to get good penetration.

I have never had problems running out of juice before finishing welding, last time I used about 10 sticks before I finished and after putting the batteries back into the vehicles they started with no problems.
 
There you go now we are getting some GREAT Back country fixes. If we get enough of them. I will clean it all up and send it for a tech article for use all. Would make a great thing to have in your glove box for a reference tool.

Kinda like the tools for trail thing.
 
Ive never done it but Ive seen people use zip ties or a pieces of wire and tire plugs to sew a busted sidewall together to get off the trail. also seen a guy use an empty medicine bottle as a plug on his slip yoke to keep the fluid from pouring out of the transfercase when he busted his rear driveshaft. it was the perfect size to pop in the seal without touching the output shaft. still leaked a little but not as bad as leaving it uncovered.
 
when my buddy blew up his rear end, we pulled the shaft and duct taped a mcdonalds cup over the outputshaft. it stopped leaking for a while.
 
these are great guys keep them coming. it sounds a lil redneck but a ball pein hammer can be one of the most useful tools in ur arsenal on the trail. they can be used for ujoints, beating out rubbing fenders, to make starters or fuel pumps work, straightening bent rims enough to hold air, emergency lock out kit...not kidding it works if its got to, and it has a million other uses.
camokrawler
 
It's already been said but when a buddy of mine blew his rear end we duct taped a cut off 20oz pop bott;e and just ran it in 4. The pop bottle worked great no leaks.
 
OK anyone else how about a broke spring?? Tire tricks there has to be more "hillbilly" fixes.
 
Metrodps said:
OK anyone else how about a broke spring??
Click to expand...

my bro once used a block of wood 4X4 inches, dont remember how he attached the axle though... chains i think
 
Some New ones just got over the weekend!

I just got this over the weekend from a guy while I was having coffee during a break from heavy fog. :crazy: I did check this and it seems like it is true!

If your 1982- 1995 Chevy/GMC Truck has the check engine come light come on. Here is to you how to figure out what your truck is telling you. It isn’t hard and only will require a piece of paper, a paper clip and a pen. Yes, it is that simple. Ready? Let’s begin.

On every vehicle you have a diagnostic port underneath the steering wheel column. If you get down you will see little pins sticking out of them, it is almost as though something is meant to slide on. Well there is such a tool but you left yours at home. Make sure your truck is off with key out of ignition. Take the paper clip and open it up. Make the paper clip into the shape of a U with a quarter inch separating the ends apart. While looking at the Diagnostic port, you will see some openings all the way across the top and bottom. The TOP row all the way to the RIGHT. We will use the TOP RIGHT TWO OPENINGS (sorry for the large print, I just want to make sure some people insert the paper clip into the correct holes).

Insert one side of the paper clip into the hole to the top and to the farthest right. The other paper clip should be inserted to the hole directly to the left. So it would be the second to the right. Now, Sit in your trucks seat and get your pen and paper. Be ready to write some numbers. Only do this next step when you are ready. You might want to get a friend to read the code while you write them down. The code will come out like Morse code in a way.

After turning the key the check engine light will Blink "1-2" When I tell you a number, I mean it will blink as so. For 1-2 (which is the beginning code, it is just letting you know that the computer is working and the trouble codes are being brought up) it will blink like this

" 1 " " 1-1" <---12. see it? Now if you were to have a trouble code of....
" 1-1-1-"____"1-1-1-1-1"____________ that would be a trouble code of 35. Get it? Then it will pause for a bit longer and throw out "1-1-1-"____"1-1-1-1-1"_____________. Easy eh!

Here is a list to a few web pages that have GM Trouble Codes.
http://www.troublecodes.net/GM/
http://www.tradervar.com/GM_Codes.htm
*** I would print a sheet and keep in your glove box or inside your tool box taped to lid.***
Once you get the codes, Unhook the battery for about a minute, and then hook it up to get the computer back online. If any new codes appear, the computer will remember it. Now you can fix it and get going again.
 
I can't find it on pirate cuz I can't search, but there was a similar thread over there a long time ago, someone duct taped one of their leaf springs back together to get off the trail. That was TOO funny
 
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