Spare parts bag

[TomsBeast]

Originally Posted by DerPo

Ya just a lot of desert and mountain stuff. I'd hate for a weekend / week to get ruined waiting on parts if my rig breaks down! So I was just looking for input from the 5.4L guys on what they recommend to have as spares.

Since I don't own a 5.4, I haven't looked at what usually goes wrong with them. I'd talk to a Ford line mechanic, or a service writer at an independent shop that works on a lot of Ford vans. Better, yet, a fleet manager for a delivery company. Get his take on what failures they typically see at their shop. Like the spare new cam sensor I carry for my 7.3... I've never had to change one, but I always have a new spare in my van, based on my asking a Ford mechanic that same question.

When I used to regularly do the SST rally, (old VW bus road rally, offroad 2-day trip) my buddies and I would carry a spare carburetor and distributor (that had recently been set up and run on that particular engine), spare plugs and wires, fuel filters, a brake hose or two, a gasket kit, throttle and clutch cable, axle seal kit, snow chains and link repair kit. But that was what I'd call a 'high maintenance vehicle' with lots of weak links. Fun never-the-less, but we had to be prepared to fix our junk, but typically we'd be fixing others rigs.

The nice thing with modern vehicles is there isn't a lot of things that got wrong, even if you don't keep up on the maintenance.

For desert and mountain spares, non-engine specific, I always carry a 'possibles' bag. Some of my friends call it a 'crash bag'. My experience has been "stuff is going to rattle loose and fall off, or I'm going to have a tire issue". A new tire plug kit got me out of a jam more than once, puncture. Hose clamps, baling wire, duct tape, fuses, electrical wire, can of fix-o-flat. I've got radiator hoses for my 7.3 on-board, but a splice kit for my hose size might do just as well.

[BrianW]

Starter solenoid if yours has any age to it. Last year I updated my serpentine belt to a Goodyear/Continental Gatorback belt. Before this I had recurring belt squeal/squeaks. After installing this belt I've had silence for nearly 10,000 miles. Well worth sourcing one IMO.

[arctictraveller]

Starters are heavy to carry, but pretty easy to get going. Often times a couple whacks with a hammer will get you going temporally. If the solenoid gives out, you can jump it with a screwdriver, and make it to an auto parts store.

[rallypanam]

Originally Posted by arctictraveller

Lowering a full tank will be a challenge. I'm on my third one, and know I could get the tank down if I had no choice. Lots of wood blocks, a good jack, ratchet straps and a few choice words will do it, but it won't be fun.

You're doing it all wrong. You're supposed to run the tank really
low before the fuel pump dies! Then it's super easy.

[arctictraveller]

Originally Posted by rallypanam

You're doing it all wrong. You're supposed to run the tank really
low before the fuel pump dies! Then it's super easy.

And when was the last time YOU had to change a fuel pump? (with the tank full OR empty). Never you say? I think you might be mistaken about your " super easy" comment, but I'll call you next time I have to do it and you can show me.

[86Scotty]

Originally Posted by rallypanam

You're doing it all wrong. You're supposed to run the tank really
low before the fuel pump dies! Then it's super easy.

Why didn't I think of that in Monument Valley this summer Rob? Super easy!



Actually, no one has mentioned this specifically but I carry certain spare parts for an SMB always that I wouldn't have to carry with a regular vehicle. I worry more about my 'camper' systems malfunctioning than the van when I'm on a 'camping' trip, so I carry a couple of sections (1' maybe) of PEX pipe, a few plugs and couplers and the PEX pliers, a battery charger and I carry all the fuses specific to the camper side of things. This is also why I carry a Honda 2000 generator around though I don't really need it. When you do you do. Example: This past summer we had a battery wire go south on us late at night somewhere in maybe, um, Oklahoma? I never noticed the gauge, I just saw the lights getting dimmer and then I eventually noticed the battery gauge. We really had a goal for that night so I fired up my generator on the back bumper and ran an extension cord along the top of my awning to under the hood, powering the battery charger and keeping the lights and van running until we could get to a town to sleep and hit the auto parts store first thing in the morning. Appalachian engineering at it's finest but it worked like a charm!

[daveb]

I got held up in Ely with a U-Joint going out. Couldn't find one ...limped home. Not sure having one would have made mattered.