A Cautionary Tale: "A Lesson Learned On The Roads to Tuk"

We take responsibility for the unexpected repairs that occurred ...

A couple of photos of what LOAF looked like after our return drive on the Dempster and Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk highways in 2018. Your rig will take a beating ... washboard gravel roads will pound all suspension components; from tires through to the shock absorbers. Flying gravel from passing tractor trailers and other vehicles will pummel windshields, headlights and body panels.

Just outside Tuk ... heading south

 

But, what may go unnoticed is the damage being done to your vehicle's under-body ... 

In Canada's northern Territories, Calcium chloride is used to control dust on dirt/gravel roadways. Apparently?, this greatly improves the longevity and overall drive-ability of remote northern roads. What it also does is 'build up and stick like glue' to just about every under-body surface, cables, hoses, plates, shields, bolts; every nook and cranny ... it's nearly impossible to remove once combined with wet, greasy mud. And, once it's attached itself, it works to slowly deteriorate and wear down just about any metal, plastic, vinyl or rubber component it encounters.

Floor / Inner rocker panel

Exhaust

Catalytic Converter

Front Differential

Inner rocker / Running board

Transmission pan / Cross member

Our rig got several washes during and after the return trip from Tuktoyaktuk to remove 'the worst' of the dirt from the exterior. We did use a high pressure spray wash, in an attempt to clean the under-body, but without the vehicle being lifted it was difficult to thoroughly clean.  We hoped that rain and wet driving would clean the rest off during our return drive to Ontario; it didn't! Typically, when we return from our final road trip of the season, we thoroughly clean both the truck and camper inside and outside, address any necessary repairs and complete any required service before storing at an inside, heated and monitored nearby storage facility. This usually happens around early November for us. 

This year, we neglected to complete that thorough cleaning of the trucks under-body and chassis, before moving it to the storage facility ... and there it 'rested' for about 6 months. The rig was Krown'd the following July, but a large amount of mud still remained on many under-body components, including all brake assemblies. Consequently, the Krown liquids were unable to creep sufficiently and the application was probably not as effective as it could have been. 

Brake rotor cooling vanes plugged

Cooling vanes on new rotor

New zinc coated rotors, calipers and pads

Seized caliper

What owners often neglect to consider when cleaning a vehicle after being driven through heavy muddy conditions, are the difficult to access locations that you cannot see.  A truck’s under-body basically has it’s own frame.  It has plates and cross-members that provide it strength, apart from the actual frame of the vehicle.  This creates a chamber under the floor and inside the rocker panels, fenders, at almost every body part of the vehicle. These plates and body members are generally full of holes, these holes are there for many different purposes.  Some are used for manufacturing purposes, some are intended to reduce weight and materials used, but for the most part, they provide ventilation and drainage; much like roof vents and soffit in a house. When these chambers become plugged with mud, it usually gets left there, out of sight, out of mind.  Unfortunately, this can be the most damaging mud.  It plugs the drainage holes, and it sits there, with salt and moisture and other minerals rotting it’s way from the inside out.  Ever wonder why trucks always seem to rot out cab corners and rocker panels from the inside out?  This is why.

When it comes to brakes, there are a number of items that people generally don’t tend to think about and even many mechanics miss.  For example, when a front brake consistently causes problems, many continue to scratch their head as to what might be wrong with that brake.  Many times, that is actually the brake that is working the most. The brakes on a vehicle work as a system; the biggest enemy is heat, especially on a truck carrying a massive load.  If you have one or more wheels not braking equally, well, you’re still going to stop that truck, so the brakes that are performing as they should have to pick up that extra load. Often, this will cause the brakes that are performing, to overheat and begin to fail.  In this case, the mud plugging up the cooling vanes on LOAF's rear rotors caused the rotors to overheat; when rotors overheat, they lose their coefficient of friction causing poor rear brake performance.  With the rear brakes not helping as they should, the front brakes were forced to pick up that extra load.  The front cooling vanes did not plug however the rapid heating and cooling caused the front rotors to warp and this all led to ... a leaking caliper, a seized caliper, warped rotors and fractured brake pads on the front.  All said and done, the only caliper that was left working properly was the left rear, probably because the camper slide out is on the right hand side and that makes the left rear the least hardest working brake on LOAF.  Mud in brakes can also cause many other issues such as seized pads and slides, parking brake malfunctions, and just general noise. Tip: Always make sure you give your brakes time to cool before hitting them with a pressure washer or a garden hose.  LOAF’s new brakes are zinc coated to help prevent corrosion and clean and cool better.

Before LOAF goes into hibernation this year, he will be getting a thorough cleaning underneath with the aid of a technician to ensure every crevice is cleaned.  After the bath, a good oil treatment to protect during storage, which is when the corrosion happens most rapidly, and to allow the oil to set up before next year’s adventure.  

B E W A R E   of   M U D!

Contributing technical author, Shane Hanthorn, has been LOAF's passionate, lead mechanic since June of 2015. You can find him at Cannifton Garage.