S-10CREWCAB.NET

Took the wife and dogs to Lake Hefner today. Brought a lunch and sat on a picnic table and let the dogs run and play in the sand. The lake is extremely low due to lack of rain and the shoreline is about 500 feet from the water now. The dogs ,(both australian
Shephards), run and herd each other on the shoreline and sometimes go for a swim. Meanwhile the wife and I ate lunch. We got through, corralled the dogs and got ready to go. Attempted to go through some sand right next to the picnic table to turn around to leave, went from hard sand to real soft sand and the CC sunk up to the axles. Put it in 4x4. Low or high. Threw sand everywhere and buried the front end up to the bumper and bowed the rear tires out. Took 45 minutes to get a truck with a winch to pull me out. Cost me $100 for about fifteen minutes of winching. Now I wish I had my own winch. Got sand everywhere in and out of the CC. Wife wants to save the sand and use it in the garden. I want to pressure wash it and make sure nothing is severely damaged. Was able to get home without any problems and did 70 on the Interstate. No new noises and handles as before. I do question if there is a problem with the front axle. Sometimes I felt it was not engaged and I was only in 2wd instead of 4wd. When I get time I will check that actuator under the battery. That is really the only thing I have not had the privelege of working on yet.

The wife was extremely unhappy with all this too. The temp was 65 and the wind was blowing 40mph out of the NW over the water and she has Cancer so she already is not in the best of health. Next time I am going to do something stupid like this, she is going to hit me over the head with a sledge hammer and get my attention.

I am like PigPen, sh*t just follows me where ever I go...

Bill

Thanks for the story. You might think about an exhaust jack and a pair of ladders. I carry a Titan exhaust jack and a pair of the fiberglass reinforced grating mats.

If understand right, you didn't try to put it in 4wd till you were stuck? If so you likely weren't in 4wd, the vehicle has to be moving in order for the pin in to engage in the front diff and give ya 4wd.

Though, I thought my 4wd wasn't working and turns out all 3 screws ripped out from the actuator. Replaced with a posi lock cable... Thinking I wanna go back to the actuator system.

Did you call a tow truck, or did someone randomly show up and ask for $100 to pull ya?

Best piece of advice, if you think you need 4wd engage it before. Because if you try to engage it in a situation like you were in, your likely screwed and stuck in 2wd.

I had it in 4wd prior to this. Sometimes I wonder if it is in 4wd. Guess I need to look at the actuator. Mine is probably bad.

As to the tow truck, I called my auto club and they called him. It took about 45 minutes for him to get their and 15 minutes to winch me out. I was only about 100 feet from solid ground so it was not a long pull.

The next time I am off, I am going to look at that actuator. I just feel insecure about it. I have already replaced the left front hub, some of the vacuum hoses, the vacuum transfer case switch. So I am looking at the actuator. I don't use the 4wd very often but when I need it I expect it to be there. Just like now.

It did kick into 4wd because I noticed it was kicking up sand from the from wheels as well as the back. But I think it is intermittent. That is why I think the actuator is the problem. It is what I call consistently inconsistent.

Bill

It's funny, I thought I was in 4wd many times, only later to find out I wasn't... One time in particular. I went down this semi steep moist dirt logging road by accident. It ha a wide curve. Didn't go but 100 yards or less to discover it was blocked. All I did was spine. Front tires didn't do a thing. BFG ATs looked like slicks where they caked with mud. Had my buddy's 700 king quad pull me out. That sucked.

Weird thing though, I tested the 4wd out on a few steep hills later that day. I now know it wasn't working. But in 2wd it just spun on hills, in 4wd it would actually climb! Though 4wd wasn't working! I still have yet to understand that.

But it is kinda impressive knowing where I went in only 2wd looking back.

I have since gotten a Atv so my crew doesn't see dirt. Mainly just fields during hunting season or preparation for hunting season. Which is all year long

Like I mentioned, I think I'm gonn go back to the vacuum system. Ditch the posi lock.