what happens or, better yet, what doesnt.
So 5 days into a 2 week trip from Brizzy to Alice via Sandover Hwy, down to Kulgera, Lamberts Centre, Mt Dare, Dalhouise, then Madigans Line across to Birdsville...this happens just outside Mt Dare
What it doesn't show is the lack of 4 green wheel lights and the now flashing Orange CD light
On arriving at Dalhousie we quickly find that the rear left WS sensor looked thus
It looks like from the witness marks, that during a bit of spirited slightly crossed up travel on the gravel/rocks of the road into Mt Dare, a rock from the front right wheel has come across, bounced off the left rear drum backing plate and then hit the sensor from the top and down towards the centre of the diff.
So what does that mean to the driveability?...well it still works the same as it did beforehand...cept the ABS, ESC and traction control are all out...the big ones are:-
1. Xfer is stuck in what ever mode/range that it was in at the time the sensor gets broken.
2. No rear Diff lock
So we tried a number of hacks, disconnecting the lead in question, both rears, pulled abs fuses, tried measuring resistance of a good sensor and replicating with of all things a welding rod, then soldering the left sensor wires to the right wires...all to no avail. Also tried turning the dial both before startup and while running to see if the ECU might do it's thing even though it was flashing it's head off...but no it was very adamant...ye must have a WS sensor or I do nuss'ink.
So, at this point, we still had approx 6-7 days of the Madigan to do and then 2 days home to Brizzy.
Decision made to order a part at Mt dare and get it sent from Brisbane to Birdsville post office, and to go ahead with doing the crossing. We were a group of three vehicles, so if it got too much could have one in front and rear to drag me across the bigger dunes.
I was just lucky that I had gone from 4H open to 4HLc before the problem struck and I also had an aftermarket Front locker to help out with no 4LLc, traction control or rear diff lock.
As it turned out, it wasn't too difficult, used the Front Locker the most in the life of the vehicle, used less fuel than the other 2 vehicles (late model Navara and Hilux) and got stuck less as well...one for me and 3 and 2 times each for the other vehicles...sometime I led and sometimes I played catch up...so it wasn't that I got the best run at the sand or went subsonic...just idled up most and used the right foot when needed..custom 3-way adjustable suspension also makes a big diff as well
I could have got out of mine under my own power if I had 4LLc...was just that I was leading and hesitated a bit at the lip of a dune and got the wheels buried 1/4 way and when taking off the Torque converter/load limiter cut in and wouldn't spin the wheels to get me going..the 2 Yorkshire boys lent on the rear bar and I drove it out. (Yorkshire born and Yorkshire bred, strong in the arm and weak in the head)
Their words not mine.
Used less fuel in 4HLc than the other guys as well...they selectively used 4L as well...made it from Mt Dare to Birdsville on less than 150ltrs.
Anyways arrived in the Ville and the part had not left Brisbane, so out with the rear tailshaft and drove home in FWD.
Have since got another sensor on loan and shaft is back in and all good. The one that got sent from Brisbane?, aus post tracking hasn't updated since the day it was picked up 9 days ago. I have a redirection in place at the Birdsville PO to my place in Brissie and have to return it to the dealer that helped me out....when it arrives.
Engineer mate, one of the "weak in the heads" and I are looking at making up some WS sensor guards....at $400+ each for a sensor and the fact that they are at the front of the diff FFS, admittedly near the centre of the rim and protected from straight ahead forward travel rocks etc, any time you cross up the wheels there is the chance of this happening.
I was just lucky that it was 4HLc and not 4H, 2H or 4LLc...imagine coming home 2,500k's in FWD at max 55kph...kill me now...
Shawty