Kris_K wrote: Sun Jan 20, 2019 9:36 pm
Hey all,
What a day it was. A day I will remember.
...but let’s start from the beginning.
The group was split in two convoys, one lead by @Solmaz and another by @Daggerfall , I was in the 2nd one somewhere in the middle of the group, behind @Rooies .
The drive started pleasantly, the pace was not too fast and I did not find it too difficult. There was a few 2nd tries on the go. It was all relaxing, perhaps too relaxing, until s… happened.
We were all driving like a train of wagons connected with long Viking ropes, jumping forwards and stopping, jumping and stopping, jumping and stopping…. We were all too close to each other. Because of that we did not have enough momentum to tackle the very soft on that day sand. Since I was too close to the car in front of me and had to stop and go, I did not gain enough momentum to climb, an otherwise very small and innocent dune not bigger than 3-4 meters. I did not even try to fight the gravity, the whole climb lasted 2 seconds, the sand was very soft and I did not even had a chance to give up and drive down anticlockwise. In one moment I was stuck in a nasty position with my front right wheel in the air and yes, as @alshamsi_m told us during one of the training sessions, I did hear the suspension making the worrying noise.
The rescue team did act quickly. The front right corner of my car was anchored to a vehicle parked on the other side of the dune crest. Whilst 4 dead-weight colleagues standing on my door step balanced the right side of the vehicle, I reversed on 4L+diff lock with my steering wheel full left.
Lesson learned: keep your distance and tackle obstacles with a sufficient momentum. Do not underestimate the terrain. S… can happen on the easiest dune.
After my stuck another colleague had a very similar stuck in a nasty position just a minute later. After a briefing by @Daggerfall and @JockJKU we moved.
On the way there was an interesting high climb with a balcony in the middle and double change of climb direction. This climb showed us advantage of cars with bigger approach angle like FJ and Jeep over cars like Patrols with longer noses penetrating the slope walls before the wheels start the climb.
We kept driving. Just before another steep climb, on a flat area driving towards blinding sunset, I did not see a small but nasty ditch, which was virtually two widths of the tire to the left of the track. My left wheel was trapped in the depression and I hit the side of the ditch with my left corner of the vehicle. At the first glance, only the bumper was slightly bent and I lost the wheel alignment. After straightening the bumper and a quick inspection, we moved.
Lesson learned: stay on the exact track.
Was it also perhaps a accumulation of bad luck. Sun in my eyes. A ditch very close to the track. I try to excuse myself thinking that it is IMPOSSIBLE to stay exactly on the same track with a tolerance of 50cm, but this time the 50cm was too much and s… happened. It happened to me.
Agalon identified the ditch and he parked his vehicle next to the ditch to warn the incoming ones about the danger just a second before I hit the spot.
During the next break I looked at the vehicle in more detail and realized, that the transmission oil pipe is cut and loosing oil. We tried to stop the leak (thanks @Agalon and @Issa ) without much success. The oil pressure was too high. We tried to check the level of the transmission oil. We were trying to locate the oil dip stick and reading the car’s manual. @Daggerfall and @osman , nothing wrong with us, we could not find the diagrams in the book, because they were not there. Eventually I found a note in the manual, that ‘’to check the oil level, contact your Nissan service’’.
Since I kept losing the transmission oil, the drive has finished for me for the day and with the guidance of @Agalon, I reached the gravel road. From there I headed alone towards tarmac and civilization. I have lost quite a lot of oil and decided not to push the luck further and not to drive to the garage on my wheels. I called a recovery truck and dropped the vehicle at a mechanic.
Now listen to what is the condition of my car, after the encounter with the ‘’innocent ditch’’:
• Bent steering link => replacement
• Cut oil pipe => replacement. It was the bent steering link that damaged the pipe.
• Bent and leaking diff housing => replacement
• Deformed bumper skin => repair
• Destroyed bumper support => replacement
• Deformed skid plate and plate’s support structure => repair
Who said off-roading is a cheap hobby?
I have driven before with Almost 4x4 some more challenging drives, giving me sweat on my neck, crazy heart rate and adrenaline pumping. This drive was not like that.
S... does not happen during these drives. It happens when you expect it least.
This day I almost rolled over on a pixy little dune and a few minutes later I crashed my car in a ditch size of a large fridge.
I heard that off roaders have these days. This day was mine.
You never know, when it comes, but it may come and slap you in your face and make you rethink a few things.
I wish you all, you never have this kind of DAY.
see you in the sand
