My and some friends are planning a moab trip for the summer and I want to make sure that I will be able to keep up with the jeeps. I know that my 2001 d2 can handle it but I’m wondering what I should do to get it ready because this will be my first time experiencing any hardcore off roading. I’m used to doing mudding but not as much a big trip out west for some off roading.
Here are my questions:

1. what maintenance should I do?
2. What should I check on to make sure that I can do it?
3. What should I bring spares of?
4. and just in general what should I pack?

im really excited and I just want to make sure that my truck doesn’t die out in Moab.

thanks guys

 

1. what maintenance should I do? everything, look on the sticky page, fluids all the basic mods like pcv etc
2. What should I check on to make sure that I can do it? check on tires first off, do you have cdl ? lift ?
3. What should I bring spares of? tires gas food coolant
4. and just in general what should I pack? food water basic tools

you can read here all day on this, happy searching

 

Any maintenance you plan to do, do it at least a couple weeks before you leave for the trip if not a month before. Sometimes maintenance can make other issues crop up. Don't go wild with the mods; stick to the necessities to minimize your risk of new parts failure on the road.

How is your rig built? How "extreme" of off roading do you plan to do?

Making sure your traction control is working would be a big plus on a trip like this. A good set of tires if you don't already have them would be a big benefit.

Make sure your AC works *well*. Bring a lot of water. I've bring 5 gallons. Three for the truck, two for you. It's not just hot out there, it's very dry. Check your serpentine belt. If it hasn't been changed in a while change it and keep your old for a spare.

In-line thermostat is a good idea if you haven't done it yet. I would also get a mechanical temperature gauge installed so you can keep an eye on temps.

I'd bring an extra crank sensor, a full change of oil, vice grips, brake fluid, a tire plug kit, 12v air compressor, JB Weld, and a set of tools. They're not great quality, but Harbir Freight sells a $40 tool kit that has most everything you should need. I would add a pair of 10" channel locks to the mix. Good jumper cables as well. Rural King sells a 2 gauge 20' set for $20, if you have one local. O'Reilly has also matched that price for me before on a similar set.

In a pinch, motor oil can be used in your power steering or transmission just fine. Just drain and change once you're back to civilization.

Make sure you've got good recovery points. A winch is nice, but a kinetic recovery rope works wonders if you're with friends. I keep both and use the rope much more often. A 7/8" rope is about right. Can be had for around $60 on eBay. Two shackles as well. I like steel shackles because I'm hard on my stuff, but soft shackles work well.

12v fan or battery operated fan is a good idea in case you lose AC.

Good sunglasses, big hat, sunscreen.

On Amazon you can get a 12v cooler for a couple hundred dollars. They are *very* nice to have if it's in the budget. I have this one and like it a lot.


Having your windows tinted, not a bad idea. Pop up canopy is nice to have. Get a white one to reflect more heat if you purchase one. Sam's Club sells a nice one for about $90.

All in all, if your rig is running well the biggest thing is don't sweat it too much. Have a good time. Stay hydrated and take lots of pictures for us.

 

Alex M thanks for your advice. I am thinking that the trip will happen sometime this summer.

I have a 1” lift, and slightly larger tires, in-line 180 thermostat and I did the head gaskets my self 10,000 miles ago.

I need to get the truck into the shop soon to get them to diagnose everything that I need to start fixing

 

I was thinking about getting some Tom woods driveshafts as my next mod after I get all of the warning lights off and then a ultra gauge. And then I would start with getting accessories like the fridge, roof rack and pop up tent. I have an arb bumper, winch, all the recovery gear I’ll need, and almost every tool that Someone can have

 

I'm heading out there in a about a month. I will be able to report back on the experience. These are the things I am doing to prep

1. Put together a spares kit
2. Test & regap plugs
3. BG44 fuel system cleaner
4. Inspect/replace brakes
5. Replace front wheel hubs (mine were making noise)
6. Replace coils (I am having random misfires)
7. Check for exhaust leaks with soap test - tighten/replace gaskets
8. Inline therm mod
9. New radiator and hoses with flush

 

Thats a pretty good list. I need to get new hoses and put together a spare kit

I did everything else when I did my head gaskets

 

You sure you want to go in the middle of summer? 110F is not uncommon, and under 100F is. Everyone has covered- Alex in particular- what you should bring. Keeping the motor cool is going to be the biggest deal if you do choose to go in summer.

Traction is abundant in Moab, but you’ll still want a bit armor I’d think.

In addition to all the spare parts and tools, you’ll want to bring a bit of every fluid as well.

And as mentioned, LOTS of water. The desert is an amazing place, but is extremely short suffering. If you’re going to do stuff like White Rim, the good news is that there is cell phone reception almost throughout, which amazed me (and kind of bummed me out as I grow weary of being “connected”).

 

The trip is still up in the air and not too much is certain. We were talking about the summer but that is a good point about the temps. My boss is the one who invited me and he just got a stock 1993 keep Cherokee and he’ll be modifying it before the trip and I expect that to take a while before he considers it ready. So more likely to be in the fall/late summer

 

Fall is probably some of the best time. Spring is really great with the exception of 2 things:
- The Easter Jeep Safari- it’s a flippin zoo for the month of April
- Surprise storms are prevalent and can wash out trails and make things pretty nuts.

In my opinion, October/November is probably the best time to go. September is pushing a bit as is May for heat.

Hi XJ will take a decent bit of prep depending on what he’s doing to it. His last concern is engine cooling- the biggest one for him is what is going to do with the Dana 35 in the rear…