I found "The One", 2001 Sport Ed. TRD SC'd

[thezentree]

I broke my rig unexpectedly in a bad way, in a bad place, very far from home, with very little daylight and lots of trail remaining. I was also without one very important tool, and without spare parts because I didn't expect anything too challenging on the trip.

My 4Runner had to spend the night camping by itself with no campfire.

I went back this morning with a little help, more tools, and some creativity and nursed it 240 miles and 4 hours back home. Unfortunately it is only a 2wd 4runner now.

I may post a full trip report, because I gained some valuable knowledge on this one that others could probably use. On the other hand I may not, because I'll probably spend an hour typing it up and for my trouble I'll get exactly zero responses/feedback and maybe a couple of "likes".

I'd not ask you to spend an hour on it, but I would like to hear at least what broke, how it happened, and how you got it driveable again. Maybe it'll help someone else out of a bind down the road.

Hate to hear about your bad luck lately, that sucks a lot.

 

[I'mStock]

I'm guilty of being a "liker" but your thread is one of the few on here that I consider to be extremely worth while because of your content. I'd love to hear what your issue was and how you overcame it.

 

[Dropzone]

breaking stuff is all part of the adventure.

last time I had a snap like that it was a rear pinion. Limped home about 4 hours driving slow

 

[Fishwerks]

I broke my rig unexpectedly in a bad way, in a bad place, very far from home, with very little daylight and lots of trail remaining. I was also without one very important tool, and without spare parts because I didn't expect anything too challenging on the trip.

My 4Runner had to spend the night camping by itself with no campfire.

I went back this morning with a little help, more tools, and some creativity and nursed it 240 miles and 4 hours back home. Unfortunately it is only a 2wd 4runner now.

I may post a full trip report, because I gained some valuable knowledge on this one that others could probably use. On the other hand I may not, because I'll probably spend an hour typing it up and for my trouble I'll get exactly zero responses/feedback and maybe a couple of "likes".

I was just going to comment on the Tacoma looking good and all those snow geese haha.

Curious to see what broke, and was it just due to the wheel spin you had to use since your tires were wet from the creek?

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Ok, here we go...

A friend and I got together to explore a place called Mills Canyon, which is located in the Canadian River Gorge north of Roy, NM. This is a remote and desolate part of the state, and the nearest town with any services, Las Vegas, is two hours away.

The trail in and out of the canyon is for the most part fairly tame, just rocky. There are six river crossings as you work downstream on the canyon bottom, the deepest of which is maybe 2.5 feet, all with stable rocky bottoms. The entrance to the 4th river crossing heading downstream had been severely eroded and was impassible, and there was a newer crossing 20 yards downstream. It required descending a fairly steep bank of sandy soil covered in grass, small cut stumps, and lots of sticks/vegetation. From there you had to bank left and upriver through a riffle about 18 inches deep. No big deal.

We made it to the end of the trail, dead ending at an awesome sandstone bluff, took a break, and turned around. The rig was acting normal, and everything was going well until we got back to that 4th crossing. I had the rig in 4low with the rear end locked and the front open. I hit it nice and easy the first time, but the wet tires just weren’t grabbing on the wet, muddy, grassy slope. So, I give it a little more throttle and try again. I lost forward momentum the second time and backed off the throttle, then BAM!!!

I had a look and could see the inner CV cup dangling off the diff, so I knew right away I had snapped the stub shaft off in the driver side of the front diff. The tulip joint was intact, but had lost the boot and the outer joint was still intact. At this point I had to either reverse back upstream and across the river to dry ground or try and make it up the hill to figure things out. My friend was behind me in his vehicle, across the river, with no way to pass.

Since we had to go across one way or another, I decided to do my best to make it up. At this point I locked the front to give me 3WD again and tried twice to make it up. It just wasn’t happening and I could hear a nasty grinding/popping coming from the broken inner joint with every rotation of the tire. Out came the winch line and I hooked up to the only semi solid vegetation around, a scrubby bushy tree with several trunks about 6 inches in diameter. Fortunately the tree held (although it was nearly pulled over when tension was on the line) and I worked my way up the slope a foot at a time.

My rig was stopped in a sand pit, now across the river, unable to make forward progress. My friend was driving a regular cab 1st gen Tacoma. He came across the river and hit the hill with a fair amount of speed, and lots of wheel spin, and thankfully made it up on the first try. Once across he pulled me out of the sand to solid ground and we started to evaluate the situation.

The first problem we identified was that I had no spare CV axles on board. Remember, I wasn’t expecting this to be a very challenging trail. No matter, with the stub shaft stuck in the diff, there was no way I could install a new CV axle anyway. Unfortunately, I could not keep driving with the inner cup wedged against the diff, grinding metal on metal with each tire rotation. We still had three river crossings and the canyon exit in front of us, for a total of 8-9 miles of trail. There was about an hour of daylight remaining at this point.

Next problem… I left my 35mm CV axle nut socket at home, in my CV kit with my spare axles. So now I had no way to pull what was left of the axle from the spindle. I cut the boot off the outer joint and tried to drive the axle shaft out of the rzeppa joint with no luck. There was no way to apply enough force to overcome the c-clip inside the outer joint. After some thought, I pulled the four LBJ mounting bolts, which gave me enough room to remove the inner cup and what was left of the stub shaft, leaving just the outer joint, axle shaft, and the now naked tulip joint still connected to the rig. This would allow the axle and the tulip to rotate with the wheel without the cup grinding away at the diff. We used bungee cords to secure the axle shaft into the “V” of the LCA so that it wouldn’t flop around and tear up the power steering line, coilover, and LCA.

I was able to limp the rig the rest of the way out of the canyon, and through the remaining river crossings, in 2WD with the axle shaft clanking around on the LCA the whole time. The sad part of the drive out was that my front diff was now completely lacking a seal on the driver side, and I submerged it in muddy river water three times, effectively filling the diff with sediment and water.

At the top of the canyon we found some campers and asked their permission to leave the rig with them at their camp overnight. They obliged and were happy to keep an eye on it for me until morning. My friend gave me ride back to my in-laws house near Las Vegas, two hours away, then headed back to ABQ.

Day 2

I did some research overnight about how to separate and dismantle a rzeppa joint, which looked fairly difficult given the hidden c-clip. My only chance of getting the rig back home was to separate the outer cup and axle stub from the axle shaft, making a “2wd kit”, which would necessitate separating the axle from the rzeppa joint. I could then use the outer cup and axle stub to hold the wheel bearing together for the drive home. The ADD would separate the passenger side CV axle from the diff, and last I would have to pull the front driveshaft to fully isolate the diff.

To add insult to injury, I had a full “2wd kit” ready to go… at home, in my garage. I was able to contact [MENTION=67615]Dirtco[/MENTION] to get his take on separating the outer joint from the shaft. He confirmed that it would be a fight, and suggested several methods of cutting the bearing cage apart to allow for disassembly of the joint. I was not encouraged hearing this from someone who knows broken CVs better than anyone.

My father in law and I gathered some cutting tools and supplies, and went into Las Vegas to buy a 35mm socket. The plan was to get back to the rig and try to disassemble the outer joint on site. If the plan failed, I would have to drive back to ABQ to either pick up my existing 2WD kit, or work on the remains of the broken axle to make another at my in laws house.

On arrival, the rig was still in one piece, for which I was thankful. Using my new 35mm socket, I quickly got the remains of the axle pulled off the rig. I had one idea on how to secure the axle such that we could beat the rzeppa joint off the axle shaft, if it didn’t work we would be out of luck. I flipped one of the D-rings on my rear bumper outward, then used a second D-ring to collar the axle below the tulip joint and connected the second D-ring to the first, capturing the axle with the rzeppa hanging downward. We bent the outer joint to one side to expose the cage/star of the rzeppa joint, crossed my fingers, and wailed on it with a 2lb sledge. On the third strike, the c-clip shattered and the joint and outer cup fell to the ground. WHEW!

After that, it was a matter of working the bearings out of the rzeppa, removing the cage & race, and then putting the truck back together in 2WD mode. The only other concern was the bearing in the ADD tube at the other end where the passenger side CV axle is inserted. That bearing was now riding in contaminated gear oil, and there was a chance that it would become unhappy, overheat, and seize. To account for this, I kept the speed down and pulled over every 10 miles at first, then every 20-25 miles afterward to check the temperature of the ADD tube where the pass side bearing resides. To my relief, the bearing did not get hot or make any noise the whole way home. The ADD tube got warm to the touch, but never hot.

At this point I need to pull the diff and figure out whether or not the housing is trashed to the point that it will no longer seal on the driver side. Either way, it will be going back to ECGS for a rebuild as it has been filled with water and sediment and I would not trust any number of drain and fills to get it back into running condition. Hopefully there is no damage to the gears or the ARB air locker and they can just clean it and re-assemble, which might require a new housing if mine is too far gone.

That’s the story for now. Good times.

 

[theesotericone]

That’s the story for now. Good times.

You got a like just for taking the time to write it up. Breaking stuff is part of the game. Also it's a great reminder for folks to always carry the needed gear. I've been guilty more then a few times of leaving stuff in the garage for "easier" trails. Reading your woes will motivate me to find proper storage for everything. Whether I'm 30 minutes from home or 500 miles.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Sounds like it was more than a broke CV from your YouTube description. In a super unfortunate place as well... Gonna have to replace the entire diff housing?

I'd be interested in the story on it. I read all your trip reports/posts, I don't comment on all of them though because I feel like I'm a nuisance constantly commenting on your thread.

But, you got a steal on the timing belt labor, all my quotes for the job were $1,000-$1,200 and they all told me they either didn't want to or I didn't need to replace the tensioner, idlers, and another place said I don't even need to replace the water pump...

And I still love your Tacoma, feel free to continue posting pictures of it :biggrin1:

I also referenced your windshield replacement post from a few months back. Safelite cracked my windshield trying to repair a crack on Friday so I'll be replacing my windshield as well now.

Don't feel like a nuisance, man. Nobody likes "playing to an empty room" and I tell you, sometimes I think I'm just talking to myself here.

I've been using the same mechanic for 17 years, so they take care of me really well. Same owner and same four guys have been turning wrenches there the whole time.

I'll go ahead with the Tacoma pics as long as I own it... finding a nice Tundra has been tougher than I thought it would be.

On the windshield stuff, and in general, I post reference links/material to save others some time searching and its always nice to know I've done that. Without the feedback it seems like I'm just wasting my time, because I'm not posting this stuff for myself to read.

Was front diff locked?

Looking forward to reading your trip report

Nope, it was unlocked for this one.

Ugh.. That AT LEAST sounded like a broken CV. Helpful trail repair tips are always welcome. I hope I never need them, but they are worth their weight in gold when you are out in the cold and you are beyond the reach of helpful hints of the interwebs.

If you could even do a basic run down of what to do after you notice damage. Obviously it would seem that you lose your 4WD. But is it best to put it 2WD to try to get it to a better spot to fix? I replaced mine a long time ago, but more preventative maintenance and not a fix of a broken CV. So, I for one would dig a bit of a write up if you are so inclined.

I've only broken two, but I've played with them enough now that I could (and might) put together a pretty good thread on how to handle various types of CV breakage and workarounds that can be employed in an emergency. I have all the parts in my garage to layout an exploded view of a CV from end to end as well.

Never fun to break bad far from home. Glad you limped it home. I once had to drive home on my front driveshaft from Moab because I had broken a rear gear carrier. I hope you post up at least a summary of what happened.

Nope, but its a calculated risk that we take to have the kind of fun we like to have, right? At least folks around here understand. I was telling a friend about this situation and he looked at me like I was an idiot for putting myself in such a predicament.

Driving home in FWD would suck. I always carry a spare rear 3rd when I go to Moab so I know I can get home.

Come on man. Do you ever break things a mile from home? Lots of us have been there.

Glad you got it back. I listened to that vid about 15 times. Snap. "That ain't good"

What let loose?

Nope. Three hours from home or less is the safe zone. Beyond that is the breakage zone.

My buddy said it perfect in the video... it made me laugh when I heard it.

Sorry to read about the break in and 4wd troubles. That snap sounded a good bit like the one I heard in Moab when a Tacoma snapped a rear axel shaft. A pretty serious break if one is alone on the trail.

My own most serious break was a spindle failure which is definitely a bummer for anyone it happens to. BC of that break I rarely do trail runs alone anymore. If I hadn't have been with a 2nd truck I might not have been able to get my rig back to the hwy in one piece, period.

A broken rear shaft, or any major damage to the rear really, is definitely a worse situation than breakage up front. At least you can isolate the front fairly easily.

I keep a spare set of spindles with good bearings in my garage for just such a day as you had. I never carry them along when I'm out because I think that is a fairly preventable failure if you are careful with your driving style and bottoming out the suspension. It's definitely a break that won't be easy to drive away from.

9/10 times I am by myself on trail runs, so I have a spare available for pretty much everything.

I'd not ask you to spend an hour on it, but I would like to hear at least what broke, how it happened, and how you got it driveable again. Maybe it'll help someone else out of a bind down the road.

Hate to hear about your bad luck lately, that sucks a lot.

It actually took a little better than an hour, but it's all good. Its windy as heck outside and I need a break from working on the rig. The bad luck sucks, but levity is the key. You have to laugh at some of it, and try to find the lessons buried in the situation that will help prevent repeats in the future.

I'm guilty of being a "liker" but your thread is one of the few on here that I consider to be extremely worth while because of your content. I'd love to hear what your issue was and how you overcame it.

Well, thanks for saying that. The "like" thing damn near killed this forum for me, because nobody responds in words anymore, its always just a "like". If you check my profile I have zero likes given, as a show of my disdain for the practice of "liking".

breaking stuff is all part of the adventure.

last time I had a snap like that it was a rear pinion. Limped home about 4 hours driving slow

Truth be told! These things happen. Having been through it a few times now, I think one of the most important chapters of knowledge one can gain when participating in this hobby is on how to deal with the situations as they come.

These anecdotes about rear diff failure stress me out a little and they are not even mine.

I was just going to comment on the Tacoma looking good and all those snow geese haha.

Curious to see what broke, and was it just due to the wheel spin you had to use since your tires were wet from the creek?

The geese and cranes were insane. It reminded me of the old Hitchcock film "The Birds".

I think the CV axle in question may have had existing damage and decided to finally quit at that spot. When it snapped I had actually let OFF the throttle and the wheels were slowing to a stop. It was not a situation that should have caused a broken CV.

 

[theesotericone]

Well, thanks for saying that. The "like" thing damn near killed this forum for me, because nobody responds in words anymore, its always just a "like". If you check my profile I have zero likes given, as a show of my disdain for the practice of "liking". .

OK. In light of this I have removed my "like" from your post and will bombard this thread with words instead. lol

I get what your saying. I would rather have people respond to posts in my thread as well. I use the like button because sometimes I just don't have time to respond with a type written post. I also have a shitty memory. Half the time I mean to go back and respond when I have time but forget. So the "like" button acts as a "I've read your post" button as well.

 

[owyheerat]

Thanks

BFAD, thanks so much for taking the time to post this. I am one of the guilty parties. I have learned so much from this forum and specifically your posts over the years. I truly appreciate the time you take to post all this info. Your threads are ones I never pass by.

If this has been asked or if I missed it, I appologize. Are you running stock OEM CV's or aftermarket?

In hindsight, what would you have done differently? I ask, because I have never broken a CV (I hope I didn't just jinx myself), and I would like to hear what (as far as driving) you learned from this.

I've only broken two, but I've played with them enough now that I could (and might) put together a pretty good thread on how to handle various types of CV breakage and workarounds that can be employed in an emergency. I have all the parts in my garage to layout an exploded view of a CV from end to end as well.

Please do this ^^^. I would find it very helpful.

Durwin

 

[Black798]

[MENTION=44220]BigFishAllDay[/MENTION] sorry to hear about your bad luck but that was a great read, this has always been one of my favorite threads. I totally get where you're coming from with the whole "like" thing. Its annoying to go to the work of taking pictures and putting together a write-up and getting no responses or only ever having that select 1 or 2 respond, thanks [MENTION=118730]AssBurns[/MENTION].

That's an interesting break you had though, I cant say I have seen the inner joint break like that. Was it a OEM CV or aftermarket?

It's kind of a wake-up call for me too because 90% of the time I'm wheeling alone and lately have gotten pretty lazy about the spares and tools I bring. I need to blow all my gear open and get it organized better and add some things because its always the "easy" trails that break stuff.

 

[Unner]

Man, that was an all around unlucky situation. Stories like that are why I carry too many spare parts, and too many tools when I go deep into the backcountry. Not that any of that would have helped in your situation really... At least at the end of the day, the truck is back home and everything that broke can be fairly easily replaced.

Hopefully you have some good luck coming your way now after the recent incidents.

Don't feel like a nuisance, man. Nobody likes "playing to an empty room" and I tell you, sometimes I think I'm just talking to myself here.

I've been using the same mechanic for 17 years, so they take care of me really well. Same owner and same four guys have been turning wrenches there the whole time.

I'll go ahead with the Tacoma pics as long as I own it... finding a nice Tundra has been tougher than I thought it would be.

On the windshield stuff, and in general, I post reference links/material to save others some time searching and its always nice to know I've done that. Without the feedback it seems like I'm just wasting my time, because I'm not posting this stuff for myself to read.

Fair enough, I don't like posting and not getting some sort of response either. I'll be commenting in here more often.

Your posts have saved me so many hours over the last 4 years. TBU, transmission cooler, transfer case seal, big 3, plus all the times I've referenced this thread for some little detail I remember seeing in here. It's definitely appreciated.

 

[thezentree]

That sounds like an awful couple of days.

Thank you for taking the time to write all that out. I now realize that I need to find some scrap CVs and make a "2wd" kit, because I didn't realize what was involved with dismantling them. Jesus.

Please do this ^^^. I would find it very helpful.

Durwin

Seconded.

 

[JBurt]

I'll second what theesotericone said and never like one of your posts agian. Thanks for taking the time to write that up. I've gained so much from your posts and really appreciate your logic approach, attention to detail, and willingness to help others to gain from your experience.

I'm glad you got it home. I'm also glad you had the winch to get up out of the water. That repair would've sucked way more getting on your back in the water to get under your rig.

 

[habanero]

Okay, you asked for it, though I have things of very little use to say.

Thanks for taking the time to write that all up. It's very interesting to me and informative to see how a problem is puzzled out.

I can't imagine the stomach crawling sensation of leaving my rig behind, so glad you were able to find some amiable people. Also glad you had company to get you where you needed to be. I like that.

Love all the pics and trip reports and information in your thread. I hear you about crickets, am so glad for the few people who do take the time to say something, anything, even when what I said wasn't all that interesting.

I'm ornery and liked your post. It's my way of saying sweet, awesome, cool, and I'm paying attention without posting the place up.
Sometimes it's just because I agree with what somebody said and don't think I need to add .02 more cents to the big pile.

Anyhow, carry on, please keep writing and posting pics. You have great stuff to share and I'm learning from it and I bet I'm not the only one by far.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Now for the fun pictures, before all the broken 4Runner stuff…

First view of the canyon, looking north toward an orchard planted in the late 1800's. Some pear, apple, apricot, mulberry, walnut, pecan, plum, and osage orange trees are still alive and well.

This was once a fine two story hotel… It was destroyed by a flood in 1904.

(Full history of the area for those interested, here > https://www.newmexico.org/nmmagazine/articles/post/found-lost-93375/)

Just checkin’ on the folks over in the bunkhouse…

My friend, getting some depth at the second crossing…

The 4th crossing as it looked on the way in…

5th and 6th crossings… Greg says “Look ma, no hands!”

We climbed the sandstone cliff at the end of the trail to find nice vantage point and take a break…

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Things were going great on the way out. We were even thinking of taking the more remote and challenging west exit…

Until…

 

[theesotericone]

Things were going great on the way out. We were even thinking of taking the more remote and challenging west exit…

That canyon looks like a lot of fun. You keep posting pics and I'll start thinking of taking a week or so this fall to come out and play. I've haven't climbed at all in the Sandia Mountains. Combining some of that with some wheeling wold make the drive worth it. If you ever get out to Cali let me know.

 

[BrianSD_42]

I'll second what theesotericone said and never like one of your posts agian.

I guess I'll be the first to admit that imo I don't take likes all that seriously and I give them away without too much thought. If I am glad I read the post vs not having read it then I'll probably give a like, especially if there are pics. We always need mooore pics.

I am thankful for the pics of remote NM. I doubt I would have ever seen it without T4R. Hopefully someday I can get out there (at least somewhere cool in NM) myself.

 

[Rockdawg84]

Hey I have your broken CV's cousin. LOL I was fortunate that I "simply" had to drop the diff, remove the ADD tube, drive the broken piece out from the opposite side, replace the seal, put it all back together. I hope ECGS can get you back in action quickly. You're right, it's the price we pay to have the fun and see the things we see. I've gotten that same look from people. LOL

Smokey 69 by Sam Wright, on FlickrSmokey 67 by Sam Wright, on FlickrSmokey 68 by Sam Wright, on Flickr

 

[BigFishAllDay]

OK. In light of this I have removed my "like" from your post and will bombard this thread with words instead. lol

I get what your saying. I would rather have people respond to posts in my thread as well. I use the like button because sometimes I just don't have time to respond with a type written post. I also have a shitty memory. Half the time I mean to go back and respond when I have time but forget. So the "like" button acts as a "I've read your post" button as well.

Thank you for not liking. Your cooperation is appreciated.

People are busy, I understand that too. Before the like button, though, we all had to actually reply with a comment if we wanted to participate on the forum. That resulted in a more active forum, more discussion, more debates, people getting to know each other, etc., which is what we all come here for in the first place.

I guess I'm just getting old, sitting here talking about "the way things used to be on the interwebs."

BFAD, thanks so much for taking the time to post this. I am one of the guilty parties. I have learned so much from this forum and specifically your posts over the years. I truly appreciate the time you take to post all this info. Your threads are ones I never pass by.

If this has been asked or if I missed it, I appologize. Are you running stock OEM CV's or aftermarket?

In hindsight, what would you have done differently? I ask, because I have never broken a CV (I hope I didn't just jinx myself), and I would like to hear what (as far as driving) you learned from this.

Please do this ^^^. I would find it very helpful.

Durwin

You're welcome, Durwin. Thanks for making it worth the time.

The CVs are OEM that I have collected over the years. I keep a set of two with fresh grease/boots on hand at all times. Unfortunately, I don't always keep them IN the 4Runner.

The main thing I WILL do differently is that I'll actually carry my tools and spare parts on all my trips. Having my tools and my pre-made "2WD kit" would have made the trail fix much easier and faster and put me on the road home immediately rather than having to leave the rig overnight.

As far as driving, not much to change there. I was taking it fairly easy on the throttle, the wheels were hardly turned, and the front was unlocked at the time of the break. This wasn't really a situation where I would expect to break a CV. I guess if I had to tackle the same obstacle tomorrow, I would hit it faster coming out of the water and try to maintain more momentum up the incline, rather than try to crawl it. I usually go for the slower, more controlled approach first, though.

I'll photograph some parts during the repair and see what I can put together.

BigFishAllDay sorry to hear about your bad luck but that was a great read, this has always been one of my favorite threads. I totally get where you're coming from with the whole "like" thing. Its annoying to go to the work of taking pictures and putting together a write-up and getting no responses or only ever having that select 1 or 2 respond, thanks AssBurns.

That's an interesting break you had though, I cant say I have seen the inner joint break like that. Was it a OEM CV or aftermarket?

It's kind of a wake-up call for me too because 90% of the time I'm wheeling alone and lately have gotten pretty lazy about the spares and tools I bring. I need to blow all my gear open and get it organized better and add some things because its always the "easy" trails that break stuff.

It turned out to be little bit longer than I wanted, but I was trying to cover the thought process of the incident. Thanks for taking the time to read it.

Your thread is of my favorites as well because you do take the time to write things up, including your thoughts on a given process, your goals, and how you execute. And you fabricate your own parts regularly.

The CV was OEM. I have thought it through a dozen times and I suspect that it was somehow compromised before the trip began. The last time I broke a CV it was on that same side, and that CV was installed on the trail at Chokecherry Canyon. It developed a slow, persistent leak from the diff seal after I installed it and I always suspected that it was not fully seated in the diff, but never got around to checking it. I'm thinking that was the case and that the stub shaft was protruding outward slightly from the diff, exposing it to increased leverage and eventually weakening it over the course of many trips since. That obstacle was not one that should have popped a CV.

When you let your guard down long enough, you end up getting into trouble, that's for sure.

Man, that was an all around unlucky situation. Stories like that are why I carry too many spare parts, and too many tools when I go deep into the backcountry. Not that any of that would have helped in your situation really... At least at the end of the day, the truck is back home and everything that broke can be fairly easily replaced.

Hopefully you have some good luck coming your way now after the recent incidents.

Fair enough, I don't like posting and not getting some sort of response either. I'll be commenting in here more often.

Your posts have saved me so many hours over the last 4 years. TBU, transmission cooler, transfer case seal, big 3, plus all the times I've referenced this thread for some little detail I remember seeing in here. It's definitely appreciated.

More tools and spare parts would have helped a lot. If I had all my usual long range stuff it would have saved me a 4 hour round trip going back for the rig, and from having to leave it overnight. I dread having to leave my rig alone in the boonies where people can have their way with it, and I'll tell you I didn't sleep well that night. But like you said, it's home and now just a matter of turning wrenches.

Thanks for your cooperation and understanding with my "anti-like" campaign. You have been a regular in this thread for a long time, as I have been in yours, and I'm glad to have helped you along the way.

That sounds like an awful couple of days.

Thank you for taking the time to write all that out. I now realize that I need to find some scrap CVs and make a "2wd" kit, because I didn't realize what was involved with dismantling them. Jesus.

Seconded.

You're welcome. Having a kit prepped and ready is a much better idea than cannibalizing a CV on the trail in the dirt/mud/sand, wind, or dark. I think that if you're going to put yourself in situations where you might break one, you should definitely know them inside and out.

I'll second what theesotericone said and never like one of your posts agian. Thanks for taking the time to write that up. I've gained so much from your posts and really appreciate your logic approach, attention to detail, and willingness to help others to gain from your experience.

I'm glad you got it home. I'm also glad you had the winch to get up out of the water. That repair would've sucked way more getting on your back in the water to get under your rig.

Thank you also, for your cooperation with my "anti-like" agenda. And thank you for reading, Jeff. I apologize that your inquiry happened to provoke my frustration with the "likeyness" of the forum.

The winch definitely helped save the day this time around. Being stuck in that river in the dark would have been an absolute sh!t show. My winch thimble is starting to look fairly well broken in these days...

Okay, you asked for it, though I have things of very little use to say.

Thanks for taking the time to write that all up. It's very interesting to me and informative to see how a problem is puzzled out.

I can't imagine the stomach crawling sensation of leaving my rig behind, so glad you were able to find some amiable people. Also glad you had company to get you where you needed to be. I like that.

Love all the pics and trip reports and information in your thread. I hear you about crickets, am so glad for the few people who do take the time to say something, anything, even when what I said wasn't all that interesting.

I'm ornery and liked your post. It's my way of saying sweet, awesome, cool, and I'm paying attention without posting the place up.
Sometimes it's just because I agree with what somebody said and don't think I need to add .02 more cents to the big pile.

Anyhow, carry on, please keep writing and posting pics. You have great stuff to share and I'm learning from it and I bet I'm not the only one by far.

It's the interweb, say as you please, Hab!

I get the impression you've got an engineers brain, so I'm sure the write-up just piled into that mental hard drive of yours, making you more prepared for your own long range adventures.

Those campers made me feel a million times better about leaving the 4Runner behind. I figured the worse case scenario would be someone drinking too much and sleeping next to it, which wouldn't defile it too badly. As far as company, I try not to wheel with anybody I cannot count on in a pinch. Thankfully, the adversity of these situations seems to bring out the best in people.

These forums are outlets for those of us that use them. I'm sure many of us have no one else to talk to about 4Runners who would give even half a rats bottom. That being said, when you put yourself out there and try to engage others, its nice to get some feedback... even if someone just says "cool story, dude." You make a good point about using the "like" to simply say "I agree" without cluttering a thread.

Thanks, as always, for your post.

That canyon looks like a lot of fun. You keep posting pics and I'll start thinking of taking a week or so this fall to come out and play. I've haven't climbed at all in the Sandia Mountains. Combining some of that with some wheeling wold make the drive worth it. If you ever get out to Cali let me know.

Every other person that we met, including the campers, were climbers. Apparently the canyon has many good opportunities with all the sandstone cliffs. Everyone likes to head to CO when they come this way, even me, but NM really does have a lot to offer as well. The Sandias have some downright scary (IMO) climbing routes... look up climbing "the shield" and nearby outcroppings. I will definitely tag you if I ever make it to your area... your local surroundings look incredible.