BajaNomad

el imposible: THE CARNAGE FILES

Ken Cooke - 2-19-2019 at 11:27 AM

Pole Line Road

Ken
1. New RGB rocklights stopped working.
2. HAM radio antenna snapped/broken. Receives but doesn't transmit.

David
1. BFG KM3s badly chipped. One tire rotated to spare carrier lugs were cut so badly possibly due to incorrect bumpstop length.

Ru KinKong
1. Control arm mount stripped/welded and reinforced in San Felipe.

Saturnino
1. Sidewall puncture on Basketball Hill.
2. Blown front hub
3. Punctured exhaust

Daryl
1. (Bakersfield area) Front driveshaft removed to make it down to Baja. Separated CV shaft. Repaired in Palm Springs.

Harvey
1. Supercharger caused engine problems. 'Oil blowing out the back'. Did. It make the run.

Paul W
1.

Chloe
1. Distributor cap and rotor - had to return to Hwy 2.

StuckSucks - 2-19-2019 at 01:05 PM

Photos of carnage?

TMW - 2-19-2019 at 04:29 PM

Sorry about the problems but you must have had fun doing it.

John Harper - 2-19-2019 at 05:22 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Ken Cooke  

Chloe
1. Distributor cap and rotor - had to return to Hwy 2.


Someone had an older vehicle? I can't say I really miss points and condenser sets. I still have a tach/dwell meter and strobe timing light in the shop. You never know.

John

[Edited on 2-20-2019 by John Harper]

David K - 2-19-2019 at 05:33 PM

2015, it was the two Fords that both had fails...
What brand(s) were these...?
Hope the rest of the mission goes well!
I see on the inReach that you made it to the San Felipe area.

bajamedic - 2-19-2019 at 05:49 PM

Hmmm, I am thinking that my wife is not going to look to favorable in my request to take her Shinny Pavement Pounder Jeep up the Pole Line Road, just a guess. :biggrin::biggrin: JH

David K - 2-19-2019 at 06:22 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bajamedic  
Hmmm, I am thinking that my wife is not going to look to favorable in my request to take her Shinny Pavement Pounder Jeep up the Pole Line Road, just a guess. :biggrin::biggrin: JH


You may get more of an idea about the Pole Line Road from my article (photos and map included) when I went on Ken's 2015 run: https://www.bajabound.com/bajaadventures/bajatravel/pole_lin...

ehall - 2-20-2019 at 05:12 AM

No problems for me thankfully. Just a little more pinstriping.

bajatrailrider - 2-21-2019 at 02:05 PM

Ok question for Ed would my Nissan have made it. Or made it half wrecked 😂

PaulW - 2-21-2019 at 05:14 PM

I am not Ed, but I did the run twice with the new route. IMPO, your Nissan would do fine. Our new route will deliver pinstripes, but not physical damage. The carnage you have read about would have happened any place.

David K - 2-21-2019 at 05:59 PM

Do we have mileages/ log/ or waypoints from the main Cohabuzo Jcn. north/south road, to the new route junction., to the white tank on the PLR?

ehall - 2-21-2019 at 06:33 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bajatrailrider  
Ok question for Ed would my Nissan have made it. Or made it half wrecked 😂


No worse than the first trip we went on . No problems.

David K - 2-21-2019 at 07:06 PM

Did any Fords need to be pulled? Larry and TW rule that department!

bajatrailrider - 2-21-2019 at 07:37 PM

Thanks Ed and Paul . David I will never forget Will face with the Nissan pulling him at speed. I hope all have a good time

PaulW - 2-21-2019 at 10:12 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
Did any Fords need to be pulled? Larry and TW rule that department!

==
The Bronco guy was back with a different Bronco. Rich gave everyone a lesson on plugging the Bronco tire at the top of BB hill.
What Ed said. PLR was real easy compared to previous years. No rocks were stacked or moved. No deep erosion trenches, and no off camber ramps.

David K - 2-21-2019 at 10:58 PM

That was Will with the soft top Bronco in 2015... bad coil.

TW went back a few miles to the wrecked Suzuki to salvage its coil, but that didn't help. Here is TW presenting Bronco Will with then salvaged coil on top of Bad Hill down grade >>>

Ken Cooke - 2-22-2019 at 08:16 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Ken Cooke  
Pole Line Road

Ken
1. New RGB rocklights stopped working.
2. HAM radio antenna snapped/broken. Receives but doesn't transmit.

David
1. BFG KM3s badly chipped. One tire rotated to spare carrier lugs were cut so badly possibly due to incorrect bumpstop length.

Ru KinKong
1. Control arm mount stripped/welded and reinforced in San Felipe.

Saturnino
1. Sidewall puncture on Basketball Hill.
2. Blown front hub
3. Punctured exhaust

Daryl
1. (Bakersfield area) Front driveshaft removed to make it down to Baja. Separated CV shaft. Repaired in Palm Springs.

Harvey
1. Supercharger caused engine problems. 'Oil blowing out the back'. Did. It make the run.

Paul W
1.

Chloe
1. Distributor cap and rotor - had to return to Hwy 2.


Add to the list:

Ken:
1. Twisted front bumpstop
2. Cut Falken AT3W sidewall (holding air)
3. Garvin Wilderness Rack gerry can strap

Victor/Ru KinKon:
1. Entire cooling system

Ken Cooke - 2-23-2019 at 06:31 AM

New entries into THE CARNAGE FILES

1. David - REAR STOCK TOYOTA AXLE HOUSING. David needs to depart early today due to rear bearing noise becoming more noticeable.

2. Richard - Rear shock mount and rear limiting strap. Shock removed. We will take it easy into San Felipe today.

3. Victor - DOMETIC FRIDGE wiring completely inoperable. Food became the casualty. Buy some ice??

4. Victor - interior rack mount broken. Another must be fabricated.

Hook - 2-23-2019 at 07:52 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Ken Cooke  
New entries into THE CARNAGE FILES

1. David - REAR STOCK TOYOTA AXLE HOUSING. David needs to depart early today due to rear bearing noise becoming more noticeable.

2. Richard - Rear shock mount and rear limiting strap. Shock removed. We will take it easy into San Felipe today.

3. Victor - DOMETIC FRIDGE wiring completely inoperable. Food became the casualty. Buy some ice??

4. Victor - interior rack mount broken. Another must be fabricated.



Is this a built-in Dometic fridge? 12/120v and/or propane powered?

Even if it is not a three-way fridge that can operate the cooling process on 12v, the control board needs 12v to operate. Check to make sure there is no blown fuse leading to the fridge. There is also often fuses on the control board itself. Some have a spade type 12v fuse.

Are the panel lights lighting, at least? Just not cooling?

Or are you guys basically headed home and it is no longer a priority?







PaulW - 2-23-2019 at 08:22 AM

On the way home from the 2nd Pole line run this season I had a complete failure in the rear. It is still in the shop in San Diego getting new housing, gears, locker, and bearings. Getting all the needed parts accounts for the long delay. Parts order error created the delay.

Ken Cooke - 2-23-2019 at 09:17 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Hook  
Quote: Originally posted by Ken Cooke  
New entries into THE CARNAGE FILES

1. David - REAR STOCK TOYOTA AXLE HOUSING. David needs to depart early today due to rear bearing noise becoming more noticeable.

2. Richard - Rear shock mount and rear limiting strap. Shock removed. We will take it easy into San Felipe today.

3. Victor - DOMETIC FRIDGE wiring completely inoperable. Food became the casualty. Buy some ice??

4. Victor - interior rack mount broken. Another must be fabricated.



Is this a built-in Dometic fridge? 12/120v and/or propane powered?

Even if it is not a three-way fridge that can operate the cooling process on 12v, the control board needs 12v to operate. Check to make sure there is no blown fuse leading to the fridge. There is also often fuses on the control board itself. Some have a spade type 12v fuse.

Are the panel lights lighting, at least? Just not cooling?

Or are you guys basically headed home and it is no longer a priority?




Fuse was checked. I'd say it's no longer a priority, but would have been nice for Victor and his wife to had chilled foods.

ehall - 2-24-2019 at 05:43 AM

Glad David is swapping to a bigger axle. Must be a lot of weight on that thing.

mtgoat666 - 2-24-2019 at 07:19 AM

Tips for how to avoid carnage:
Don’t buy bad parts (undersized, poor quality, incompatible, etc.)
Do better maintenance
Don’t push vehicle to do what vehicle/equipment not designed to do
Learn how to drive better

PaulW - 2-24-2019 at 07:49 AM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
Do we have mileages/ log/ or waypoints from the main Cohabuzo Jcn. north/south road, to the new route junction., to the white tank on the PLR?

============== =
GPS miles From San Felipe:
My route--SF PMEX - La Ventana - PLR - Cahobuzo - km87 - SF PMEX

Pmex km178 to La Ventana @ Hwy 5 km106.5 = 44.7 Mi
Hwy 5 km106.6 to White Tank = 42.4
White Tank to Fence gate = 17.5
Fence Gate to Cahobuzo = 8.6
Cahobuzo to km 87 = 32.3
km 87 to PMEX = 56.8

Total 202.3
Highway miles 101.5
4x4 miles 100.8
Small missing details:
Mano Junction to Fence gate about a mile. Camp spot about 1/2 mile south of Mano Jct.
White tank above is not the tank, but is the intersection of the "Pipeline, road" and "the Pole Line Road".
Your mileage will vary.

David K - 2-24-2019 at 01:49 PM

I hope to see your map with the above points listed so I can visualize...
I guess what I am mainly seeking is how to find the road from Cohabuzo or Mano Jcn. to the white tank area on PLR so we can go around the locked gate and detours we used in 2015 from Arroyo Saiz at the bottom of the Summit.

PaulW - 2-24-2019 at 02:29 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  
I hope to see your map with the above points listed so I can visualize...
I guess what I am mainly seeking is how to find the road from Cohabuzo or Mano Jcn. to the white tank area on PLR so we can go around the locked gate and detours we used in 2015 from Arroyo Saiz at the bottom of the Summit.

======= =
I thought I had published teh map? standby

Cut Sidewall on BASKETBALL HILL

Ken Cooke - 3-1-2019 at 10:07 PM



Sorry Saturnino for the misfortune..:no:

Dislocated arm (ouch!)

Ken Cooke - 3-1-2019 at 10:14 PM

Sorry Victor for the misfortune! :no:

This damaged caused by the notorious BAJA POLE LINE ROAD made handling the big 38.5" BFGoodrich tires a real HANDFUL!



Running hot on a cold, rainy day through Calamajue..

Ken Cooke - 3-1-2019 at 10:17 PM

Malfunctioning cooling system


Sorry Victor for the misfortune..

Toyotas weren't immune

Ken Cooke - 3-1-2019 at 10:20 PM

Bent rear Toyota axle housing made the truck go SQUEEK! I'm glad the truck made it back to San Diego without a tow..

Sorry for the misfortune, David..

bajatrailrider - 3-3-2019 at 08:24 AM

This trip must have been more difficult then the one I went on 2015. Many broken parts was there one place more difficult.

PaulW - 3-3-2019 at 09:42 AM

It is a huge stretch to think these trails were so hard as to cause vehicle damage.
Do not judge that the carnage occurred because of the trails they drove.
Damage reasons vary a lot. My take is there were a many pre existing issues there before the trip. Like the broken shock mount that had threaded rod instead of a bolt and a bracket the came off the axle had to exist for a while.

David K - 3-3-2019 at 10:11 AM

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW  
It is a huge stretch to think these trails were so hard as to cause vehicle damage.
Do not judge that the carnage occurred because of the trails they drove.
Damage reasons vary a lot. My take is there were a many pre existing issues there before the trip. Like the broken shock mount that had threaded rod instead of a bolt and a bracket the came off the axle had to exist for a while.


Would it be fair to say "It's a Jeep thing"?

LOL... remember, I am not a hater, just a former Jeep owner.

LukeJobbins - 3-3-2019 at 05:01 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Ken Cooke  
Sorry Victor for the misfortune! :no:

This damaged caused by the notorious BAJA POLE LINE ROAD made handling the big 38.5" BFGoodrich tires a real HANDFUL!





What's the problem? Now it's a 3 link. Now it will flex better.

bajatrailrider - 3-4-2019 at 06:49 PM

Quote: Originally posted by PaulW  
It is a huge stretch to think these trails were so hard as to cause vehicle damage.
Do not judge that the carnage occurred because of the trails they drove.
Damage reasons vary a lot. My take is there were a many pre existing issues there before the trip. Like the broken shock mount that had threaded rod instead of a bolt and a bracket the came off the axle had to exist for a while.
Himmm Paul bent axel housing bent before he left the house?

PaulW - 3-5-2019 at 07:19 AM

Two bent axles might just indicate a basic design flaw. Good solution is an aftermarket housing. Not typical for a Toyota?

mtgoat666 - 3-5-2019 at 07:30 AM

Quote: Originally posted by bajatrailrider  
Quote: Originally posted by PaulW  
It is a huge stretch to think these trails were so hard as to cause vehicle damage.
Do not judge that the carnage occurred because of the trails they drove.
Damage reasons vary a lot. My take is there were a many pre existing issues there before the trip. Like the broken shock mount that had threaded rod instead of a bolt and a bracket the came off the axle had to exist for a while.
Himmm Paul bent axel housing bent before he left the house?


Bent axle Probably due to driving too fast over rough terrain, and perhaps an overloaded vehicle. Driver error.

mtgoat666 - 3-5-2019 at 07:36 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Ken Cooke  
Bent rear Toyota axle housing made the truck go SQUEEK! I'm glad the truck made it back to San Diego without a tow..

Sorry for the misfortune, David..



This looks like a vehicle close to max load. Look at all that crap hanging on the roof and back. Probably another 500 lbs hanging on the front bumper too.
What ever happened to the simple life on a camping trip, a sleeping bag and pad on the ground? Looks like that rig has a roll-out awning on it, what a silly gadget.

chuckie - 3-5-2019 at 08:52 AM

Most of these things actually sound pretty trivial...NOT "Carnage Class" I mean really , busted antenna and non working frig?

David K - 3-5-2019 at 09:29 AM

Ken loves his fridge!

Bajazly - 3-5-2019 at 10:44 AM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666  



This looks like a vehicle close to max load. Look at all that crap hanging on the roof and back. Probably another 500 lbs hanging on the front bumper too.
What ever happened to the simple life on a camping trip, a sleeping bag and pad on the ground? Looks like that rig has a roll-out awning on it, what a silly gadget.



It's an overlanding thing!

TMW - 3-5-2019 at 11:55 AM

Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666  
Quote: Originally posted by Ken Cooke  
Bent rear Toyota axle housing made the truck go SQUEEK! I'm glad the truck made it back to San Diego without a tow..

Sorry for the misfortune, David..



This looks like a vehicle close to max load. Look at all that crap hanging on the roof and back. Probably another 500 lbs hanging on the front bumper too.
What ever happened to the simple life on a camping trip, a sleeping bag and pad on the ground? Looks like that rig has a roll-out awning on it, what a silly gadget.


Yea only sissies sleep in a tent.

chuckie - 3-5-2019 at 01:26 PM

Nekkid in a Cholla patch for Duro hombres...

Ken Cooke - 3-5-2019 at 09:54 PM

Cut sidewall, but tire holds air! Falken Wildpeak AT3W just after Mission Santa Maria "Mission Impossible" run.



Ken Cooke - 3-5-2019 at 09:58 PM

Oval tailpipe now looks like a Catfish's mouth! On the Tweaked Toyota! :lol:

Ken Cooke - 3-5-2019 at 10:01 PM

Impossible breakage! Rolling down the trail at a high rate of speed, look at what happened!?! Not due to Jeep's original design, David K. Bumpstop length didn't jibe well with final shock compression - or maybe, hit with a big rock. Let's just call it, "Trail Carnage." Yeah! That's what we live for when running a weeks worth of 'el imposible' 4WD trails!.. Haha..

6WHEELN - 3-5-2019 at 10:01 PM

Quote: Originally posted by chuckie  
Most of these things actually sound pretty trivial...NOT "Carnage Class" I mean really , busted antenna and non working frig?


Should be apparent to most, but this thread of Ken's called "THE CARNAGE FILES" is tongue-in-cheek and written with a spirit of humor and good fun. Considering the many many miles of off-roading we did over the course of a week, our mechanical problems were indeed trivial.

Ken Cooke - 3-5-2019 at 10:04 PM

Don't blame the engineers at BFGoodrich for the damage to these fine, new tires. The BFGoodrich KM3 is a fine Mud-Terrain tire - one of the best there is! But, when you run a week-long worth of black diamond trails in Baja, damage is likely going to happen! Not on a stock Jeep vehicle, David K. This happened while housed on a TOYOTA axle! Once again, bumpstop length wasn't set properly. Those sheetmetal rear fenders came into contact with these KM3 lugs, and now you have a modified Mud-Terrain! Hahahaha!!!

Ken Cooke - 3-5-2019 at 10:54 PM

Quote: Originally posted by David K  

Would it be fair to say "It's a Jeep thing"?

LOL... remember, I am not a hater, just a former Jeep owner.


All but one vehicle on 'el imposible' were Jeeps. Breakdowns were consistent with sample size. Just my take for a former Jeep owner. ;)

David K - 3-6-2019 at 07:44 AM

True that...
On our Mission Impossible (Santa María) run of 2010, we had no Jeeps and of the six 4x4 vehicles (3 Tacomas, 1 4Runner, 1 Dakota, 1 custom van) two had tire issues (one rock cut on a new tire and one popped off the bead twice), one needed a pull in the bog (he had no locker), and one blew up his differential (Neal Johns) and required a pull out.

I hope a Nomad buys one of the new 2020 Jeep Gladiator trucks and gives it the full Nomad test! https://www.jeep.com/gladiator.html

new..from the CARNAGE FILES

Ken Cooke - 3-6-2019 at 09:31 PM

Ken Cooke - 3-6-2019 at 09:38 PM

NOT Baja-related

Ken Cooke - 3-6-2019 at 09:43 PM

File under: THIS TOYOTA DON'T GET BABIED:o

David K - 3-7-2019 at 05:27 AM

The Hummer Eliminator!

Ken Cooke - 4-16-2019 at 04:57 PM

Add to the list: Winch controller mount. Either the washboard or the rough Hwy 5 north out of Laguna Chapala destroyed one of the corners holding down the winch controller. I will include a photograph for better illustration.