2015 WAYALIFE Newbie Run / Camping Trip : March 7-8

wayoflife said:

Oh man, what happened??

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K.D.C.H said:

Finally made it home from this weekends run. I can't even begin to explain how much fun I had. Got to meet lots of new people and finally had the chance to put faces to screen names.

Huge thanks to Eddie and Cindy for everything. You both and your team of helpers really made this weekend a great time. Looking forward to getting back out there again for some ore fun.

I got a butch of pictures so I'll make sure to start posting them up asap. Thanks again to everyone there and I look forward to seeing you all again soon

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nelsone said:

Ditto! Despite where I am now. Had a blast. And my adventure continues!

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nelsone said:

Ditto! Despite where I am now. Had a blast. And my adventure continues!

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nelsone said:

1. This is a long story.
2. It's rated PG13
3. The break had nothing to do with the trip.

--------------------------------------------

Ok. Finally made it to a hotel. The good news is my adventure continues. The bad news is that it's not in my jeep.

So one time after coming back to Ca from Mt I got a check engine light. Took it to the dealer and they were like 'oh it's a piston issue. It's under warranty we'll take care of it. Give us 3 days.' Called in three days and 'oh it's taking longer than we thought. Called back in 5 days and 'oh it was not the piston we thought.' Got called back a week later that it was ready.

Since then, it's been getting hot. A little over midline but it would come back to normal once the fan kicked in. I took it back to the dealer for an oil change and explained the heating issue (and a burning smell) and they said it was nothing.

Then one day while in hollister hills, it actually redlined and screamed at me. So I shut it down and waited and it's been fine ever since. But it was all street driving. Occasionally it would creep up a little but then normal.

Anyway... It was heating up this weekend on the newbie trip. Nothing I hadn't seen before. In fact Eddie gave me some tips to keep it cool and it was all working. No excessive over heating except for on small portion coming out where we saw coolant dripping.

Ovrlander had a look with us and we agreed it was just coming out the resoviour. Not problems.


Made it out the canyon, aired up and started driving home. It got a little hot but always went back down. Until I hit Bakersfield. Then it hit the H and yelled at me. I turned off my ac and rolled down the windows and it went back down. So I thought 'ok no ac. Fine.' Until I hit the middle of nowhere on I-5.

Here is where it decided to go to H and stay. So I pulled over. I heard the fan was on but it wasn't going down so I turned it off. It was here my nerves started to kick in. I wanted to go home to my wife and dog. wtf. My stomach replied with its usual 'panic response.' Where as I explained to it that we were in the middle of nowhere, please don't do this here.

So anyway, I waited about an hour and started it up again and it seemed fine. That lasted about 5 miles. It heated up again but all the way to H. My stomach said 'how about now?!?!?' in which case I told it to shut the duck up, I did not have the time and this was not the place.

I should mention at each of the stops I checked and filled coolant. I saw leaks but res seemed ok each time. It was never empty.

So I called towing assist from Chrysler. The guy said 'where are you?' I said 'middle of nowhere in California.' He said 'what businesses or buildings do you see around you?' And I said dirt and sand.

View attachment 129395

Finally after giving GPS coordinates he was able to sort of figure out my location. (Somewhere north of Avelon). So he said he would call the towing company who would tow me to the nearest dealer which was 50 miles away in Hanford. It was at this time my phone started bitching about low battery. (About 10% at this point).

So after all that my stomach was like 'ok!!! Now!!!' And I was like "ugh. I'm starting to think so. I'll think of options and get back to you. Settle down for now."

Wait another 30 minutes and I get an incoming call from Ontario,ca. It was Chrysler. Asking me to verify my location because it seems the previous request was put in wrong. I asked what that meant. I didn't get an answer really. Only the same scripted questions and that a tow company will be called to take me to the nearest dealer.

Wait another 20 minutes. The tow company calls. I'm paraphrasing now but not too much "uhhhh.... So since I don't know where you are in going to cancel the call. I need your exact location. So we aren't coming out. Just dial 911 and ask them to come out." I offered gps coordinates but he said those aren't always accurate so he wouldn't even take them. No longer having the energy or patience to deal with Stupid I just ok I'll call 911.

So at this time my stomach said "DUDE! It's now or now. No time for never! Make this happen! Or I will!" So it was at this time I demonstrated some ingenuity and the versatility of the jeep (that is not advertised). Without giving away all the details but painting enough of the picture for you to do so, it involved the hanging of a bed sheet over the frame inside the hard top and what used to be my lunch box. I'm sure many a Overlander would have been proud. I'm not proud of what I did but did what I had to do. And sadly I'm no longer able to use my lunch box. EVER.

So with that out of the way, I thought I could focus on fixing my problem. I ripped off the POS plastic skid plate under the front of the jeep (seriously wtf does that thing do?) and looked under. What i saw was a leak coming from the passenger side of the radiator. You think this story is getting long? Let me tell you why I'm paranoid of radiator leaks. So I said duck it and called 911.

Nice operator. Got me the CHP dep on duty to come out. He showed up. Basically my options were that he would call a tow truck for me but I would have to deal with reimbursement and all that poop later ( ha jokes on him. Little did he know I already dealt with it) or he drive me to town (kettles-something). Think this story is long? Let me tell you why I will never leave my car on the side of the road to pick it up later.

So I told him to call the tow company and he did. He understood that being a jeep owner why I would want to stay with it. After which it felt like the weekend all over again. He talked to me about jeeps and his jeeps and his buddies jeeps and a bunch of jeep stuff I didn't really understand. Then he left. The tow truck came.

View attachment 129405

I had him drive me to the nearest dealer whig, according to Chrysler was in Hanford. So we drove. An hour later we arrived.

View attachment 129396

Well, $650 dollars later. I thought I would just sleep in the car at the dealer and be there first thing. But there were way to many people walking in this neighborhood. Sketchy people. So I thought I spent this much might as well get a hotel. "Siri, where is the nearest hotel in Hanford." To which she replied " there are no hotels near Hanford." Wtf. Anyway I eventually figured out the right way to ask her and found a comfort inn. Only problem was it was the same direction on foot as all the other sketchy people were going! Who's the sketchy one now ducker? The dude who was out camping in the desert and didn't shower during that time. That's who. Anyway, I locked everything up and walked the 6 or so blocks to the hotel where I was able to use a shower and a "not a lunchbox".

I will try to sleep tonight and be at the dealer first thing in the morning where I hope they will tell me it's a simple fix and I can be on my way to my wife and dog tomorrow. Oh and that I won't break down again.

So there you have it. Enjoy.

Click to expand...

nelsone said:

1. This is a long story.
2. It's rated PG13
3. The break had nothing to do with the trip.

--------------------------------------------

Ok. Finally made it to a hotel. The good news is my adventure continues. The bad news is that it's not in my jeep.

So one time after coming back to Ca from Mt I got a check engine light. Took it to the dealer and they were like 'oh it's a piston issue. It's under warranty we'll take care of it. Give us 3 days.' Called in three days and 'oh it's taking longer than we thought. Called back in 5 days and 'oh it was not the piston we thought.' Got called back a week later that it was ready.

Since then, it's been getting hot. A little over midline but it would come back to normal once the fan kicked in. I took it back to the dealer for an oil change and explained the heating issue (and a burning smell) and they said it was nothing.

Then one day while in hollister hills, it actually redlined and screamed at me. So I shut it down and waited and it's been fine ever since. But it was all street driving. Occasionally it would creep up a little but then normal.

Anyway... It was heating up this weekend on the newbie trip. Nothing I hadn't seen before. In fact Eddie gave me some tips to keep it cool and it was all working. No excessive over heating except for on small portion coming out where we saw coolant dripping.

Ovrlander had a look with us and we agreed it was just coming out the resoviour. Not problems.


Made it out the canyon, aired up and started driving home. It got a little hot but always went back down. Until I hit Bakersfield. Then it hit the H and yelled at me. I turned off my ac and rolled down the windows and it went back down. So I thought 'ok no ac. Fine.' Until I hit the middle of nowhere on I-5.

Here is where it decided to go to H and stay. So I pulled over. I heard the fan was on but it wasn't going down so I turned it off. It was here my nerves started to kick in. I wanted to go home to my wife and dog. wtf. My stomach replied with its usual 'panic response.' Where as I explained to it that we were in the middle of nowhere, please don't do this here.

So anyway, I waited about an hour and started it up again and it seemed fine. That lasted about 5 miles. It heated up again but all the way to H. My stomach said 'how about now?!?!?' in which case I told it to shut the duck up, I did not have the time and this was not the place.

I should mention at each of the stops I checked and filled coolant. I saw leaks but res seemed ok each time. It was never empty.

So I called towing assist from Chrysler. The guy said 'where are you?' I said 'middle of nowhere in California.' He said 'what businesses or buildings do you see around you?' And I said dirt and sand.


Finally after giving GPS coordinates he was able to sort of figure out my location. (Somewhere north of Avelon). So he said he would call the towing company who would tow me to the nearest dealer which was 50 miles away in Hanford. It was at this time my phone started bitching about low battery. (About 10% at this point).

So after all that my stomach was like 'ok!!! Now!!!' And I was like "ugh. I'm starting to think so. I'll think of options and get back to you. Settle down for now."

Wait another 30 minutes and I get an incoming call from Ontario,ca. It was Chrysler. Asking me to verify my location because it seems the previous request was put in wrong. I asked what that meant. I didn't get an answer really. Only the same scripted questions and that a tow company will be called to take me to the nearest dealer.

Wait another 20 minutes. The tow company calls. I'm paraphrasing now but not too much "uhhhh.... So since I don't know where you are in going to cancel the call. I need your exact location. So we aren't coming out. Just dial 911 and ask them to come out." I offered gps coordinates but he said those aren't always accurate so he wouldn't even take them. No longer having the energy or patience to deal with Stupid I just ok I'll call 911.

So at this time my stomach said "DUDE! It's now or now. No time for never! Make this happen! Or I will!" So it was at this time I demonstrated some ingenuity and the versatility of the jeep (that is not advertised). Without giving away all the details but painting enough of the picture for you to do so, it involved the hanging of a bed sheet over the frame inside the hard top and what used to be my lunch box. I'm sure many a Overlander would have been proud. I'm not proud of what I did but did what I had to do. And sadly I'm no longer able to use my lunch box. EVER.

So with that out of the way, I thought I could focus on fixing my problem. I ripped off the POS plastic skid plate under the front of the jeep (seriously wtf does that thing do?) and looked under. What i saw was a leak coming from the passenger side of the radiator. You think this story is getting long? Let me tell you why I'm paranoid of radiator leaks. So I said duck it and called 911.

Nice operator. Got me the CHP dep on duty to come out. He showed up. Basically my options were that he would call a tow truck for me but I would have to deal with reimbursement and all that poop later ( ha jokes on him. Little did he know I already dealt with it) or he drive me to town (kettles-something). Think this story is long? Let me tell you why I will never leave my car on the side of the road to pick it up later.

So I told him to call the tow company and he did. He understood that being a jeep owner why I would want to stay with it. After which it felt like the weekend all over again. He talked to me about jeeps and his jeeps and his buddies jeeps and a bunch of jeep stuff I didn't really understand. Then he left. The tow truck came.

I had him drive me to the nearest dealer whig, according to Chrysler was in Hanford. So we drove. An hour later we arrived.

Well, $650 dollars later. I thought I would just sleep in the car at the dealer and be there first thing. But there were way to many people walking in this neighborhood. Sketchy people. So I thought I spent this much might as well get a hotel. "Siri, where is the nearest hotel in Hanford." To which she replied " there are no hotels near Hanford." Wtf. Anyway I eventually figured out the right way to ask her and found a comfort inn. Only problem was it was the same direction on foot as all the other sketchy people were going! Who's the sketchy one now ducker? The dude who was out camping in the desert and didn't shower during that time. That's who. Anyway, I locked everything up and walked the 6 or so blocks to the hotel where I was able to use a shower and a "not a lunchbox".

I will try to sleep tonight and be at the dealer first thing in the morning where I hope they will tell me it's a simple fix and I can be on my way to my wife and dog tomorrow. Oh and that I won't break down again.

So there you have it. Enjoy.

Click to expand...

nelsone said:

Ok. So in the train back to the Bay Area. Jeep stays in Hanford. Here is the culprit:

View attachment 129607

What we think happened was the dealer in Dublin dropped it when they did the last warranty work and then didn't find it. So they just replaced it. This nut put a hole in the radiator.

The guys at hanford Chrysler were awesome. Now it's a matter of seeing if stoneridge Chrysler in Dublin will admit to their mistake. It took a few calls just to get someone on the phone and they argued it couldn't be proved.

So it looks like there will be another train ride in the future to pick up the jeep and hopefully this time all will be good. Got a long drive back home in a month.


Special thanks to jkricky for reaching out!

Click to expand...

nelsone said:

Ok. So in the train back to the Bay Area. Jeep stays in Hanford. Here is the culprit:

View attachment 129607

What we think happened was the dealer in Dublin dropped it when they did the last warranty work and then didn't find it. So they just replaced it. This nut put a hole in the radiator.

The guys at hanford Chrysler were awesome. Now it's a matter of seeing if stoneridge Chrysler in Dublin will admit to their mistake. It took a few calls just to get someone on the phone and they argued it couldn't be proved.

So it looks like there will be another train ride in the future to pick up the jeep and hopefully this time all will be good. Got a long drive back home in a month.


Special thanks to jkricky for reaching out!

Click to expand...

BrandonJK said:

The girlfriend and I would like to join, She will drive but im sure I will learn quite a bit!

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wayoflife said:

If you live in the SoCal area, are new to the sport of off-roading and/or would just like to learn how to use your Jeep on the trail, we will be planning a newbie run out in the Mojave Desert on, March 7, 2015 and we would love to have you join us. Please note that this run IS FOR NEWBIES and we would be grateful if you DID NOT sign up unless you are a newbie or will be having a newbie drive your Jeep. As much as we would love to have everyone come, we will need to limit the amount of people who can attend and we would prefer that a majority of them be newbies. If you are an experienced Jeeper and would like to help out, we'd be grateful if you could let us know but please note that we will only be taking on as many helpers as is needed for the run. As the title states, we will be camping after the run but it is OPTIONAL and not required. I would however encourage you to join us as it's a great way to get to know people better and I think you'll have a great time.

Minimum Requirements
While the trail we will be running is easy enough for any stock JK to make it through, we will be requiring that all participants have at least front and rear tow points. We strongly encourage you have rocker guards and CB radio as well but, for all intents and purposes, they will not be required.

Helper Requirements
If you are coming to help out, you will be REQUIRED to have recovery gear, tools, CB radio and an air compressor all ready to use. You will be REQUIRED to get your hands dirty and assist newbies with things like airing down, disconnecting and spotting.

Itinerary
Due to the large group we normally have for a run like this and the fact that people will be coming from multiple directions, we will be skipping our traditional breakfast meet-up and will just go straight to the Last Chance Canyon trail head and meet there at 8:30 AM. For those of you coming from the L.A. area, simply head north on I-5, take Highway 14 north and then just before you get to Red Rock State Park, make a right turn onto Redrock Randsburg Rd. From there, go exactly 6 miles and turn left onto the gravel road. While the trail is marked, it is quite hard to see from the road so you might want to set your GPS if you have one or reset your odometer once you've made your turn onto Redrock Randsburg Rd. Below is a Google map showing the location of the trailhead:

View attachment 125829

Last Chance Canyon Trailhead
N35 21.735 W117 53.904

So you all know, some of the things we will cover on this trip include instructions on the following topics:

1. Airing down your tires
2. Disconnecting your sway bar links
3. How to use your transfer case
4. How to use your lockers (if applicable)
5. How to pick a good line
6. Throttle control
7. General off-roading safety, tips and tricks

It's a little too far out to know what the weather will be like but, for this time of year, you should come prepared to see temps temps in the high 80's and lows in the low 40's so please come dressed accordingly, bring additional layers just in case, bring a hat and bring sun screen. Due to the warm weather we have been seeing, snakes may be out now so boots are a good idea to wear and if you are bringing kids, please make sure they are aware of the dangers of them as well. Of course, this is the desert and so WATER is critial. The general rule of thumb is a gallon per person per day and in my book, you know you have enough water when you come home with extra left over. If you are just coming for the day, please make sure to pack a lunch as well as some extra snacks just in case the day goes longer than expected. If you plan to camp with us, please provide for your own dinner and breakfast for the next day. Fires are allowed so be sure to bring some wood. There are NO trash facilities so be prepared to pack out what you pack in and there are NO toilets on the trail so please be prepared to BURY your toilet paper.

Once again, I need to remind everyone that this is a NEWBIE run so we will be going slow, we will be making a lot of stops to take in the scenery/take photos and we will be spending time hanging out just to hang out. If you are looking for a hard core run that you can blow through, this will not be the run for you. Also, I would like to remind everyone that while a cold one is something that a lot of us enjoy at the end of the day, drinking alcohol while on the trail is NOT something we encourage. Also, most of the trail that we will be wheeling on is located within the boundries of a State Park and we will be asking you to please stay ON the trail.

If you'll be joining us, please post up on this thread to let us know and please indicate if you will be camping with us as well. Also, let me know if you have any questions by posting them here on this thread.

OFFICIAL WHO'S GOING LIST:
1. Jeephooligan (camping)
2. RubiX1
3. Mrs. Irish JK
4. Lar
5. mendigo
6. hoop (camping)
7. Clem319's brother-n-law (camping)
8. K.D.C.H. (camping)
9. jesse3638's girlfriend (camping)
10. IBeHeWhoIsJoshua's mom
11. Limpinlobster (camping)
12. BlueThunder & dickpadgett (camping)
13. Tree squirrel
14. nelson (camping)
15. DMF (camping)
16. Sola_Christos
18. Mrs. BitBucket

Maybe:
1. Sunshine

HELPERS:
CarsonCindy & wayoflife
JeepFan & GemHunter
Moochie
OverlanderJK
Honey Badger


I look forward to seeing you on the trail.

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Al Bundy said:

Please count me in

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Moochie said:

Hey Al, this run was from March of this year. It's already taken place. No newbie runs for next year (2016) have been posted up yet.

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