Right, so... it was "supposed" to be a mellow day. I drove the Jeep because, well, I felt like it. Then, I thought since I was over that way, I would drive a few extra minutes up to Farmington Canyon Rd. because I was turned back at the creek in my Triumph the other day. Turns out, the road doesn't go any farther anyway. I fiddled around at the creek for a bit, watching water, tossing stones, dipping my feet in.
Then I got the brilliant idea to drive over and find the big B that people talk about here and on another forum. Sure, good idea, pat on back.
Right. Once I found the staging area, I tried to decode what the signs were telling me I could drive on, and what I couldn't, but they blocked off the open road and opened a closed road. :wtf: I suppose this is something that happens often. Left hand, right hand, etc.
I drive down a pleasantly bumpy and rocky trail, which spits me out in a play area above the parking lot. I was going to just pack it in and head back, but I got to talking with another Jeeper, and before you know it, I am following him back up the trail I just drove down.
Only this time, we made a WRONG turn.
On purpose. Roll with it. I had already lost one front differential seal, the one I JUST put in, so I was leaking smelly fluid from one side, but since the trail primarily was off camber to the other side now on the way up, I figured why not. I had spare fluid, if it got too low. :-\ Ryan, the fellow I met in the play area got a little crooked on the first one, so we turned back. He was out fooling around, like I was, seeing how far into trouble he could get. With a stock XJ. With street tires. Amazingly capable though, good show. I told him about this site, and I expect he will pop in at some point.
Back down we go, to find another wrong trail (there might not be a right one), and before you know it, I rip a sidewall on a little piece of tree sticking out under some leaves.
And the fellows who mounted my new tires must have used a ten foot bar to put the lugs on, because the caps broke off most of them, and some were so tight that I used the highlift to break them free. :chris: Before I figured that gem out, I posted this thread, because I thought I really was sunk. Once that discovery was made, I was able to put that spare on there.
Did I mention we bent the four way? Yeah, and destroyed the OEM lugnut tool. It twisted up real fast, and the paint popped off of it.
Also, I ripped my third brake light apart accidentally. It's a little round light in the center of my spare wheel, but my spare holder fell apart, and started smashing the wires. DOH. Toss it in the back. Should have turned around at that point, but I thought we were closer to the top than bottom. Off we go bumbling again!
You can see how lubricated my left front tire is getting.
Notice the stuff on my roof. Soon after, the trail closed in on us. Rubbing both sides, and the roof. SNAP. Wonder what that was. Oh bugger, I left the kayak cradles on the rack. No worry, they are broken now, keep going.
This is getting expensive. :freak:
I did enjoy this little rock ledge, much more than I like sharp bits of tree sticking out into the trail. This is the kind of thing I like more.
We did make it out, many hours later than expected. Along the way, we met some dirt bikers who we helped out as well, they were having some trouble making it up the hill I was just beyond when I tore the sidewall. So, success!
I have a job interview tomorrow, I hope they offer me a position, because I really really need the money now. Heh!
Luckily, I have a non matching same size spare with 40% tread back at the house.
Now, I get to tear the front differential apart again, and replace the seal, again. If anyone has a whiz bang way to seat that SOB, I would love to hear about it. I used a 36mm socket, and a piece of conduit pushed in from the other side. But I think it went in a bit crooked, so I gave it what for. And now the result is a greasy smelly mess. Ugh. Isn't that just the way it goes.
The end. :thumbs:
