brocktice
New member
Hi all, I've read around a little bit and searched but can't find what I'm looking for. Hopefully you can help me sort this out. Just today I bought a used 1994 4runner with the 3.0 and manual transmission. It has 10.5x31 AT tires, no lift. The rest appears to be stock. I bought it with the intent of handling tough roads with lots of big rocks and occasional muddy spots for a new business endeavor involving communications towers.
On the way home from buying it I decided to go over to the BLM lands by my house where the arroyos have been running and it's pretty bumpy. I got over some bumps my SUV could never handle due to low clearance, things were going great, and I made to come home. Keep in mind most of this area is fine for passenger vehicles most of the time.
There's a spot where the road out gets a little rutted and muddy. Normally I drive around it in my Traverse. I figure, hey, I've got this great new off-road vehicle, I know these ruts aren't too deep, I'll drive on the high part to be safe. I make sure it's in 4-HI and roll through. About halfway through (probably about 2 of 4 car lengths) I start to slide into the ruts. Uh oh. I try to keep plowing on and get stuck.
Now, I have basically never off-roaded, and I haven't driven a stick in a while. After trying to move forward and back a bit, trying to rock, I determine I'm pretty stuck. I get out and have a look, and to my surprise the tires don't look stuck at all. I was afraid I'd dug myself in down to the frame or something. One or two of the tires have largeish 'ramps' to go up, but no reason (in my uneducated thinking) the car shouldn't be able to push itself up on all four wheels. However, most of the time the wheels don't even spin (as I'd expect) despite the engine revving.
After a bunch of back and forth and not much actual motion, I realize at least some of the time I've not properly been putting the stick in 1st gear/reverse. Again I literally just got this car and was expecting to ease into this sort of stuff after some reading.
Anyway, finally I got out, much to my relief, after about 30 minutes. Everything seems ok, drive the 5min home on the highway alright.
Now, a few questions:
1) Aside from tackling mud I apparently wasn't ready for, what did I do wrong?
2) Could there be something with the engine/transmission/differential? Shouldn't the wheels have spun? Shouldn't the wheels turn as long as the engine is turning or it would die on a manual? Was it just me not actually putting the car in gear?
Thanks in advance and please don't treat me too rough, I realize I made some dumb mistakes, hopefully I didn't make dumb mistakes I *don't* realize!
On the way home from buying it I decided to go over to the BLM lands by my house where the arroyos have been running and it's pretty bumpy. I got over some bumps my SUV could never handle due to low clearance, things were going great, and I made to come home. Keep in mind most of this area is fine for passenger vehicles most of the time.
There's a spot where the road out gets a little rutted and muddy. Normally I drive around it in my Traverse. I figure, hey, I've got this great new off-road vehicle, I know these ruts aren't too deep, I'll drive on the high part to be safe. I make sure it's in 4-HI and roll through. About halfway through (probably about 2 of 4 car lengths) I start to slide into the ruts. Uh oh. I try to keep plowing on and get stuck.
Now, I have basically never off-roaded, and I haven't driven a stick in a while. After trying to move forward and back a bit, trying to rock, I determine I'm pretty stuck. I get out and have a look, and to my surprise the tires don't look stuck at all. I was afraid I'd dug myself in down to the frame or something. One or two of the tires have largeish 'ramps' to go up, but no reason (in my uneducated thinking) the car shouldn't be able to push itself up on all four wheels. However, most of the time the wheels don't even spin (as I'd expect) despite the engine revving.
After a bunch of back and forth and not much actual motion, I realize at least some of the time I've not properly been putting the stick in 1st gear/reverse. Again I literally just got this car and was expecting to ease into this sort of stuff after some reading.
Anyway, finally I got out, much to my relief, after about 30 minutes. Everything seems ok, drive the 5min home on the highway alright.
Now, a few questions:
1) Aside from tackling mud I apparently wasn't ready for, what did I do wrong?
2) Could there be something with the engine/transmission/differential? Shouldn't the wheels have spun? Shouldn't the wheels turn as long as the engine is turning or it would die on a manual? Was it just me not actually putting the car in gear?
Thanks in advance and please don't treat me too rough, I realize I made some dumb mistakes, hopefully I didn't make dumb mistakes I *don't* realize!
