Happen Now vs Later

[RSather528]

I have my first elk hunt and have been preparing and planning for all the what ifs as far as vehicle problems. Got to Home Depot yesterday and lost all function as far as Park, Reverse, Neutral, and Drive. A quick internet search saved the day and luckily I was in town. Add a small bushing inconvenience to the list of what could have gone wrong while out in the middle of nowhere. Any other experiences with vehicle showing it’s age before a big trip vs during?

 

[robtattoo]

Not before, unfortunately, but my '97 F250 started acting up during a wyoming trip in 2020. Wouldn't change up out of first & when it did it felt like a jackhammer. Then it wouldn't down shift at all until it was stopped & stationary. I figured it was the speed sensor in the rear diff had taken a shit. Nope. The single freaking wire leading from the sensor, right through the chassis & up to front end had broken. No way at all to trace & fix it in the middle of nowhere.
It made for a very long, fraught drive home to TN.

 

[hunterjmj]

I have my first elk hunt and have been preparing and planning for all the what ifs as far as vehicle problems. Got to Home Depot yesterday and lost all function as far as Park, Reverse, Neutral, and Drive. A quick internet search saved the day and luckily I was in town. Add a small bushing inconvenience to the list of what could have gone wrong while out in the middle of nowhere. Any other experiences with vehicle showing it’s age before a big trip vs during?

View attachment 605756

Had this happen 5 hours from home. I always carry a roll of wire so I just wired it up until I got home and got the part.
It's hard to predict failures but not a bad idea to go through your front end and drive line to make sure everything is tight. Check your battery posts, serpentine belt, and whatever you can lay eyes on or wiggle.

 

[justinspicher]

The only vehicle issue I have had so far was last spring. I was headed to Idaho for a bear hunt and I hit a deer about two hours from home…….put the truck in the shop and flew up two days later.

 

[Stalker69]

Not before, unfortunately, but my '97 F250 started acting up during a wyoming trip in 2020. Wouldn't change up out of first & when it did it felt like a jackhammer. Then it wouldn't down shift at all until it was stopped & stationary. I figured it was the speed sensor in the rear diff had taken a shit. Nope. The single freaking wire leading from the sensor, right through the chassis & up to front end had broken. No way at all to trace & fix it in the middle of nowhere.
It made for a very long, fraught drive home to TN.

Exact same thing happen to me on a pig hunt in texas. ( ford f350) I found 4 " shorts" in the wire between the sensor and where it goes into the frame. Luckily I had a strand of wire and got it going again.

 

[browning2480]

I always check everything out really good a few weeks before leaving. Just got back last week from Colorado. Drove my Tahoe like always that has 335,000 miles on it. No issues at all, until the I had to go back to work on Thursday. Lol Starting miss firing. Figured it was coil packs since I have never changed them and plugs/wires were done recently. Replaced them all this weekend and she is up and running again

 

[MattB]

Many moons ago we ran into friends of friends in the middle of the Gila. They were ~60 miles from the nearest town and their truck was in limp mode/wouldn’t go over 10 mph. Turns out they ran over a stick which flipped up and smashed a wire bundle that was zip tied to the frame. My buddy found the issue, spliced in speaker wire to replace the damaged wires, and had them back in business in under an hour.

Man did Nissan screw the pooch on that aspect of the Titan…

 

[displacedtexan]

The only vehicle issue I have had so far was last spring. I was headed to Idaho for a bear hunt and I hit a deer about two hours from home…….put the truck in the shop and flew up two days later.

I smacked a deer in Wyoming in the middle of a hunt last year.

Ranchhand paid for itself that night.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

I had a starter go out last year in the middle of an elk hunt. We still filled one tag, but the entire ordeal took a remote tow and 3 days so didn’t get to fill the other.

 

[CorbLand]

Replaced a fuel pump on a 70s Bronco in the middle of a desert with very limited tools.

 

[packer58]

I know it's not a vehicle but, i was about 15 miles from my truck when the tie rod end came off the steering shaft of my Honda Rubicon 500. Had one wheel pointing straight and the other pointing hard left, i always carry a few things with me so i was able to get the tie rod end back into the socket on the yoke and wire it all together. Saved me a long hot walk back to the truck ........ A guy should always carry some "possibles" with him no matter what your driving.

 

[browning2480]

I know it's not a vehicle but, i was about 15 miles from my truck when the tie rod end came off the steering shaft of my Honda Rubicon 500. Had one wheel pointing straight and the other pointing hard left, i always carry a few things with me so i was able to get the tie rod end back into the socket on the yoke and wire it all together. Saved me a long hot walk back to the truck ........ A guy should always carry some "possibles" with him no matter what your driving.

Same thing happened to us last year on a Can-Am. Put it back on and secured with a big zip tie and drove it back to camp.