Desert madness

[jon gould]

Hi, I`m participating in the Plymouth-Dakar challenge (a charity banger version of the Paris-Dakar rally for people with less money than sense!), via the Sahara desert. Have a gander at www.plymouth-dakar.co.uk if you want a giggle.
I`m on the point of buying a £75 turbo diesel Montego estate for the trip as I`ve heard it has excellent fuel consumption, and it has enough space for all our kit. It`s an MOT failure with a holed sill but I`m told the engine is sound. Half of the trip will be down through Africa`s West coast and I`m trying to work out a list of all the essential spares I need to gather up before we go. I`m thinking of the sorts of things that will be unobtainable or otherwise unfixable at the side of the road such as fuel control electronics modules and the like. Are the injector pumps generally reliable at high mileage? I`m only worried about things that would stop you dead, as everything else will get fixed with gaffer tape and chewing gum !! Can anyone help me compile the list please ?

Thanks
Jon

[E_T_V]

Yes I can give you a good list of things that you'll need to remember, I'll try and post it later.. is is all tarmac roads? If not that changes teh spares quite a lot!

Back later with a list

Dan

[E_T_V]

Things to take that can't be bodged

Fuel filter- the quality of diesel over there might not be too good
Fan belt of course
Maybe carry spare throttle and clutch cables (tape them alongside the originals) They don't often break but might be hard to improvise if they do.
Spare wheels (probably more than one)
Length of copper fuel line
Length of plastic fuel line
Fuses
Wire
Headlamp bulbs
Maybe a water pump if yours looks at all dodgy
Other than that they seem to run and run. The engines are in quite a few things so parts shouldn't be too much of a problem. My non turbo has 200k on the clock and still goes ok.

Also some preparation tips that might help if you've never done any adventuring before.

Drain the antifreeze and just use fresh water (if you get stuck somewhere hot you can at least drink it
Ditto the washer bottle
Check and change gearbox oil
Check and change engine oil
Check all CV joints and gaiter for splits and replace as necessary.
Check the cam belt and change if it even remotely looks dodgy
Check the cooling fan works properly, (they don't often get used on diesels so are prone to siezing)

I'm sure I'll think of other things but is this the sort of thing you want?

[jon gould]

Thanks for the replies gents, this is exactly the sort of info I need. Dan, in response to your question, we will be off the tarmac and onto the sand for a day or two if that alters your list.

Cheers
Jon

[Maria]

Good luck! Please send us plenty of pictures and updates!

Have you heard of the Cape To Cape Challenge Montego?

[E_T_V]

erm well if you are taking it in the sand I'd suggest:

1. A very long tow rope!
2. Footpump (you might need to run your tyres almost flat to avoid getting stuck in the sand
3. Sand mats - to get you off of deep sand. they can be secured to the roof rack if they are the metal type.
4. Long bits of string to tie to sand mats so you don't have to stop to pick them up, you just drag them behind until it is safe to stop and retrieve them
5. Spare air filter - it'll get clogged with sand in no time
6. Decent jack - to lift you out if you get bogged down
7. 12ft square sheet/tarpaulin and pegs/poles. Turn your car into a shelter roll up the sheet and secure it to the long roof bars on monty estate. when you stop for lunch when it is hot or raining simply unfurl it (leaving one end on the roofrack still) and peg the other end down to form a nice simple shelter.
8. Jerry cans. For water and diesel.

Hope this all makes sense..

[tony]

etv you could take your own team you seem clued up on it do u fancy running a mmoc team?

[E_T_V]

I'd love to, the only problem would be that you have to give your car away at the end of the event and I couldn't bear to part with any of mine!

Most of the survival advice is just common sense and things I've picked up over the years or stuff I've used as I grew up on a farm and also used to do off road trail riding a little, the AA aren't too good at getting to the back of beyond up a mud track!

[tony]

i wonder if you would be better with a four drive anyway,end of the day its the skill of the driver as well as the car,be a differnt kind of hoilday thought :)

[jon gould]

I don`t think I`ve ever participated in a forum with so many helpful people...CHEERS. My desert Monty is on the point of purchase. It has holes throughout the sills but me and uncle MIG will soon patch that up for the MOT. It judders under braking - warped disks or just worn pads ? And does anyone know of cheap spares to be had near Norwich please ?

PS. Maria, I`ll keep you informed of our progress.

Jon

[Maria]

Hmm... near Norwich, eh? Well, I don't know of anywhere offhand, but if you're up that way anyway and fancy a chat, my other half will be racing an MG Maestro with a load of others in the MG Owners Club championship at Snetterton on Sunday, so drop me a line if you fancy coming along :)

[J199 HHG]

I would stick with antifreeze - the corrosion inhibitor will ensure the head gasket lasts a bit longer.

Check the electric fan works - in these climates, they often don't come on for months. Over there, you might need it, and if it's siezed up - oh dear.

You can also fit two electric fans onto the radiator. If the radiator is too narrow, get a wider one from a different Monty. A tour of the scrappy will show you the variety of rads in Maestros and Montegos. I had two fans on my Turbo Diesel.

Spare sump and oil filter - they are very vunerable on unmade roads. I ripped my oil filter off twice, and holed the sump eventually. Or make a sump guard.

Spare fuel lift pump. Spare stop solenoid. If the electrics fail, remove the stop solenoid, take out the valve part and refit. Bump start the car and continue your journey.

A sawn off con-rod, so if you break one or a piston, you can fit this thing to keep the oil pressure up to enable you to run on three.
Spare sump gasket.

Don't overfill with oil - it will run to destruction.

[Mariocart]

Hi Jon,

I'd also say you would be better off running anti-freeze in the cooling system as it also raises cooling efficiency by quite a significant margin. In addition, I can remember a friend mentioning something a little while back called 'water-wetter' or something similar, I believe it was an additive for the cooling system water to maximise the cooling efficiency of the coolant still further, not too sure though, might be worth asking a few motor factors about any such additives, and if available, compatibility.

Good luck on your travels, would be great if u could take some pix if you have time!

Chris

:)

[Maria]

Water Wetter/Greased Lightning has been proven to work in our race cars, so might be a good way to go.