SuzieQ update for the mechanically interested

A 1988 Nissan GQ Patrol, SuzieQ’s a tough old girl who has previously survived three trips to the Kimberley. She has no aircon, she’s full of rust, the trip meter doesn't work, the odometer is out by about eight per cent, and there is a major dust leak. 

SuzieQ is doing it tough this time, she doesn't like the heavy load we are carrying and the rough, corrugated roads.  She was happy for the first 2,800 km. From Pomona to Burketown without a problem, however since then she’s been fixed nine times, from simple part replacements to resourceful bush mechanics.

1. Why is the fuel gauge a centimetre below empty?

   

   tyre number one

   Although we’d only encountered a few rough patches along the Gulf Developmental Road, the sender unit inside the fuel tank was shaken to pieces and the float arm dislodged. Two hours of finding a way to access the sender unit (eventually cutting a hole in the floor) and a dive into the MacGyver box for some tie wire and it was fixed.
   
2. Oh sh*t, we’ve done a tyre! The back road from Boodjamulla NP to Doomagee was our first stretch of badly corrugated road covered with sharp rocks. A combination of weight, speed and the state of the road destroyed our back left tyre. The spare went on and we were on our way again.
   
3. Seriously, another one?

   

   tyre number two (the spare)

   On the same day, shortly after Hell’s Gate roadhouse, the spare blew out and then we had none. We had to take the first accommodation we could find – Seven Emu Station. Luckily we were travelling in the same direction as a lovely couple we met at Adel’s Grove and Greg and Meighan stayed with us to make sure we safely arrived in Borroloola the next day where we found two second-hand 31-10.5-15’s matching mud tyres.
   
4. F*ck we have no brakes! Sometime after the second tyre we lost our brakes – quite literally. Two days later, when Jeff removed the wheel to investigate, the brake pads were gone. The rough roads had rattled them out of their callipers.  When we arrived in Katherine to get new ones we’d driven nearly 1000 km without them. Obviously very happy to have brakes again.
   
5. Why are we leaking oil?

   

   getting the new brake line

   Arriving at Seven Emu Station Jeff noticed we were leaking oil – driving over corrugations had cracked the front diff housing. It got a short-term fix thanks to the handyman at the Cape Crawford Caravan Park who lent us his small inverter arc welder and then in Darwin we had two reinforcing plates put on. It’s still a temporary fix and we are always looking out for a discarded Patrol on the side of the road.
   
6. Bugger, the brake line is cracked! While welding the diff housing at Cape Crawford Jeff discovered a cracked steel brake line. Some super sleuthing around the caravan park and a close look at a rusty old Toyota Surf out the back, and we got a replacement made to fit with minimal modifications.
   
7. Why are we losing brake fluid? This was discovered when we arrived in Darwin. New wheel cylinders for the rear brakes and all was well.
   
8. What’s that weird noise?

   

   dead bearing

   Only a bearing needing adjusting, it can wait. However when Jeff took the free wheeling hub off to adjust the bearing at Edith Falls the grease had solidified. He pulled apart the bearing to repack it and the inner bearing fell apart. We were not going anywhere. Thanks to our camp neighbours Baz and Elaine, who drove us into Katherine the and then back out to Edith Falls, we got a bearing kit and were back on the road.
   
9. Why is SuzieQ pissing out diesel? As we were about to leave our free camp on the Mary River between Halls Creek and Fitzroy Crossing Jeff noticed we were losing fuel. Happily it was just the seal on the injector pump which was easily replaced when we got to Fitzroy Crossing for just $2. 

We've made it to Broome and while there is currently nothing on the ‘to fix’ list, Jeff tells me some issues we are looking forward to in the future include the front trailing arm bushes and she’ll probably need a new clutch sooner rather than later.

As Jeff says “at least it’s something new every time and we’re not fixing things twice…”. 

Gotta love his positivity!