Northbound - Ep. 08 - Broken Down on the Dalton Hwy - Eventually Vanlife Goes South
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- Опубліковано 24 лип 2024
- The Dalton Road ends at one of North America's most remote and odd places, Just a few miles shy of the Arctic Ocean in the Northern Slope oil town of Deadhorse, Alaska. This is a place only the most adventurous vanlifers will ever dare to visit. There isn't much besides massive oil company dormitories for workers to stay on their three-week shifts and vast work yards full of drilling equipment and heavy machinery.
For this trip to the top of North America to happen, all Famagogo needed to know were two things. 1) Deadhorse, Alaska, was the most northern point you can drive to in North America. 2) It's the northern terminus of the Pan-American highway. The Pan-Am is said to be the most incredible road trip in the world. An Overlanding challenge to not be lightly accepted going from Deadhorse, AK, to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost point of South America. But Peter and Kathy Holcombe are on this path and had to visit Prudhoe Bay to start this journey South. And what a rough start it's become. Just minutes after arriving at the Northernmost point. Vanlife hits a low point. They hear a catastrophic grinding sound from the rear of their Sprinter van. This could be one of the worst places in the world to break down... With no assistance from the Oil companies for a mechanic to fix the van. And a towing estimate of $6000 for the 850 miles to the nearest dealership service center in Anchorage. They decide to roll up their sleeves, call some friends for help, and see if they can fix this themselves. A major repair. Especially in a muddy gravel roadside spot with cold and rain in the forecast.
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It really helps us buy more axles... :-)
Famagogo website:
www.famagogo.com
Instagram:
Peter- / peterholcombe
Winnebago Revel 4x4 Sprinter Van
www.winnebago.com/models/prod...
Agile Offroad:
agileoffroad.com
Mercedes Benz of Oklahoma City:
www.mercedesbenzofokc.com
Inhabit Design Works:
www.inhabitdesignworks.com
Mercedes Benz of Anchorage
www.mercedesbenzofokc.com
Mercedes Sprinter:
www.mbvans.com/en/sprinter
Deadhorse Alaska:
www.travelalaska.com/Destinat...
Dalton Highway:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalton_...
the Aurora Hotel:
theaurorahotel.net
Pan American Highway:
wikioverland.org/Pan_American_...
That's how all customer service should be.
Hats off to MB Anchorage
I'm glad it all worked out for you guys.
Awsome positive attitude thru out. Good for you.
Thank you. Yes, MB Anchorage was very helpful!
Amazing story. I about fell over when the credit card got lost (planes trains and automobiles 2). Anyone who has lived for a while can just sympathize with you here. Amazing how effective it can be to isolate the issues, deal with them one at a time, minimize your losses, keep your attitude, and let God take the parts you can't handle. People gradually warmed to your situation there.
Thanks, Yes, it was a quite the ordeal but we grew so much looking back on it.
“It’s not an adventure until something goes wrong” - Yvon Chouinard.
Good old YC knows this better than anyone…
Way to keep a good attitude. This video is "triggering " for me. Had a head gasket blow in our 1995 Rialta at Yellowstone. Camped in old faithful service station for 3 days until it could be towed out to west Yellowstone MT.. Decided to ship it back east where I had parts and tools. Figured we'd rent a mini van, rough it and continue the trip to Idaho. 2 days later wife got covid so we hightailed it home. 20 hour drive to get home and I got covid after testing negative 3 times the previous days.
Somehow we were laughing the whole time. As Dickens said "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times". Good to show its not all sunsets and bikini models on the road.
Wow, what an ordeal. It is more fun looking back on it... Thanks for watching!
If there's one thing I learned from watching this is that attitude is everything! You sir are awesome! All the best.
Much thanks!
So glad you guys got it fixed- love this channel for the storytelling, the video work and your natural ability to narrate the adventure. Have fun on the panamerica trip, we’ll be following along!
Thank you so much, that is really appreciated!
Great video(s)...Awesome adventure! I drove to Prudhoe in 2007 in my GMC 2500HD with a truck camper. Was at the general store talking to a driller and he asked me how the ride up the Haul Road was. Brutal was my answer! Told him my 2 yr old truck would never be the same...he laughed and said...youre right, she'll be better off for having made the journey! Then as we chatted more he told me if my GMC 2500HD truck blew into a million pieces in the parking lot that afternoon they could have her back on the road by morning! But if it were a Subaru that needed a rim it'd be two weeks before it was fixed! Resources indeed....but only for the big stuff! LOL Interesting place...
Yes, it's not the best place to have an import. Good on ya’ for making that trip. Thanks for watching and sharing!
I know this is old but just wanted for any other viewers in this situation too know. If you break an axel or lose a rear driveshaft and you have 4 WHEEL DRIVE you can just shift into 4 high and you can still drive. If it's a bent driveshaft take it off , or tie it up if it has a slip joint at the trans. If it's a broken axel and a one ton you can take it out and tape a plastic bag in the hole. And for stripped ring gear drain out the oil and take off the drive shaft. You can drive 1000 miles on the front axel just don't be hard on it as it is usually not as strong as the rear diff. Over the years doing this has got me home from many backwoods trips and will keep you mobile and safe Tull you can get too where you can safely fix your rig. CHEERS AND SAFE TRAVELS Steve h.
Thanks these are great things to try. The Mercedes computer wouldent let me drive in 4WD once the axle broke. I was hoping I could limp in back to Fairbanks that way. But when I put it into 4WD the computer sut down the accelerator and locked me out of driving. This was pretty disappointing... It then led to the story you saw of fixing it for real on the arctic roadside.
A very uplifting video. I would never guess you could do that! What a GO!!!
Thanks, It's amazing what you can do when you have to.
Some valuable information in this episode. We are a couple weeks from starting this journey in our Revel. Every bit of insight is helpful. Thank you and best of luck on your trek.
Hi Larry, Glad it was helpful! It's a wonderful journey, have a great trip.
I'll also add that we have Alaska Field Guides available on our Patron. They cover Alaska Highway, Cassiar Highway, Dempster, Dalton and soon to be a SE Alaska via the Alaska Marine Highway system. Here is a link: ua-cam.com/video/0R46dBulKLk/v-deo.htmlsi=q0wiFXhyYnQGLo1e
“I’ve never done it before but I’m willing to figure it out.” Best parts guy ever! Zac is a hero!
Really great adventure, great attitude, great perseverance, and a great story! Look forward to following along as you head south.
Any thoughts on what led to the failure of the axle? I’ve seen another commentator reference the beefed up Owl axel/locking diff as a potentially more robust option, but wonder if that would have made a difference.
Yes, parts guy of the year award goes to Zac!
I think it was just one of those mechanical things that will eventually fail and mine decided to in Prudhoe...
Owl makes amazing stuff and I'm sure it would be great peace of mind. I'll be checking it out.
Can’t wait for an update. Hope the parts don’t take forever to be shipped out and arrive. Fingers crossed!
Thanks, for the good vibes! New video will launch tomorrow, Friday at 5pm.
You guys are really went through it. Even though I knew what happened in a sense, to see you in action was nerve-racking - you had everything you had grizzly Bearss you had truckers you had the end of the Dalton Highway you had wrenching. It was pins and needles I think most of us are relieved to know you’re back on the road and continuing to take us on the adventure - safe travels and things will be looking up.
Thanks so much Denny. Yes, it was a true test. This was maybe our toughest week on the road with loosing Tucker Dog too. But, it was a good test and we learned a lot in the process. We also got a much better understanding of what Prudhoe is all about from this. Funny how that works. Sometimes lessons are taught if you want them or not. If I break another axle I'll know just what to do. I'm glad you liked it. Thanks so much for your support!
Holy Hannah 😢 I can’t imagine how things would have gone if you weren’t able to fix your own vehicle 👏
Yes, it would have been much more expensive...
What amazing adventure, I always dig your workstation area.
Thank you very much! I'm still loving the workstation. It's served me quite well.
What a great series, and what an adventure. Impressive recovery, thanks for posting!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for watching!
Awesome video Peter! Way a persevere! That has to make you feel really good that you're able to repair your van in such difficult circumstances. Can't wait to see the rest of this adventure!
Thanks Scott! Yes, I'm really happy it worked out this time. Certainly more adventures coming, hopefully less wrench turning.
Hi..
It was nice to meet you in Glacier Bay National Park last Monday, got a sticker from you...
Hope your staying in this part of Alaska pleasant and joyful and memorable..
I hope I can meet you again in the future...
Hi Simon, It was great to meet you! You sure do live in an amazing place. We loved it there. I too hope we meet up again! Maybe in Glacier Bay... Thanks so much for watching!
Bravo à vous.
Un rêve pour moi cette route.
Salut de France.
Merci!
Hey glad you got your van back on the road, not an easy fix in that location, awesome. FYI Brad of TrailRecon now has a Sprinter van. He had an issue with his diff and I think it was ARB that are developing a heavy duty one. Cheers
Thanks! Yes, ARB and Agile Offroad have a Sprinter air locker available.
Oh my goodness, I was so concerned about both of you. What an ordeal. I’m so glad Mercedes Benz had what you needed. Honestly, I would have been a wreck if that happened to me. You guys are truly amazing. I’m so glad it all worked out.
Hey Sadie, It was quite an added adventure to an already huge adventure. I'm really happy it worked out well too. Thanks so much for watching. I hope we see you at Agile Offroad again.
Bravo. Hats off to you guys!!
Thanks so much!
What a video! ❤
You are so kind
So proud of you, Peter! Your videos have been wonderful. You all are in my daily prayers! Stay safe and warm.
Thanks so much, I really appreciate that! I wish all the best to you too.
Well done, cheers!
Thanks so much!
Best episode yet! Glad you got it fixed!❤❤❤❤❤
Yay! Thank you Stace!
What an week you guys will never forget with all that has happened. So happy for you all that it ended well, thanks to your tenacity, determination, and positive outlook even when all isn’t going to plan. Super excited to hear you will be starting your southbound, trans-American journey! Looking forward to following this adventure…
Thanks so much Walter! We are excited to be going southbound now. So many great things on the horizon! Thanks for your support!
You guys are awesome! Great news that you got everything worked out. Wishing you guys a lifetime of happy journeys and looking forward to meeting up with you somewhere out there in the not too distant future.
Thanks so much! Happy travels to you too!
Congrats guys on getting it fixed and NOT getting eaten by bears!! I would suggest that when you get home get your rig fully serviced, buy some spare parts - which in fairness, are to be determined and the ancillary stuff like spare fluids, seals, hoses clamps blah, blah, blah! I'm looking forward to copying much of your journey. God speed my American cousins!!!
That's a good idea! I'm always trying to anticipate future problems and stay ahead of issues. But things do break. I'm just happy I know more about axles and diffs and will know more the next time an issue arrises. Thanks so much for watching!
Wow... non mais quelle aventure... respect and love from Canada ❤
Thank you! We love Canada!
🎉
This video made me a sub, great work.
Welcome aboard! Thanks so much!
Well done .Problems alway make a great story to tell people
Yea, That is true. Thanks so much for watching!
Incredible. I’ve binge watched about 10 of your videos in the last few days. Great storytelling, and this one in particular looked like a difficult but memorable adventure! Thanks for sharing!
Welcome aboard! I'm really glad you are enjoying them. This won't be a trip ever forgotten. Thanks so much for watching!
Well done!
Thanks for watching!
Great job guys. Your patient determination paid off despite the week from hell.
Safe travels south. Looking forward to the next episode (and can’t wait to hear more about your ‘southern Alaska island’ adventure!)
Oh, and sorry about the bad Aurora hotel buffet experience. For us, eating there was an incredible cultural experience although not a culinary one … actually that could be extrapolated for all of Prudhoe bay too. 😂
Thanks Larry! I really enjoyed the Aurora. Not sure if my restless night was from there or something else. I did meet lots of amazing people up there. So many gave us rides while we were walking. I didn't film them as they were in company trucks and I thought there companies wouldn't like being in my video. But it was a great cross section of humanity. This breakdown taught me so much about life on the North Slope. I'm grateful for that. Its a really interesting place. I'd love to return and do more photography up there with the buildings and equipment. Thanks so much for watching!
Молодцы🙂
Thank you!
Nice job.
Thank you! Cheers!
Glad you guys got it fixed. It is incredible to see you smiling throughout. We once had something similar but at a less remote location but we had to ditch our van for a day and sleep in a snow storm.
One thing that stopped us after the parts arrived were bolts with positive torque that could not have been used again after we took off the caliper. We had to wait an extra day for new ones. Glad to see that for you all worked out at the end.
Oh wow! It's never fun breaking down, but especially with bad weather. Thanks for watching!
Well done getting it sorted out. Observation. Your van looks like it carries a full load. Are you at or over the GVW? With skid plates, a full load, 28 gal spare tank full and extra battery, we're really close. I'm thinking about ditching the awning as it's pretty much dead weight for some wiggle room. Cat scales are easy
Last time I weighed it was at 9K. I am really interested to see what it weighs currently and will look for a scale when I make it back down to the lower 48.
Good job repairing the axel. I hope the southbound journey is uneventful. 👍🏻
I hope so too! Thanks.
Good job managing a difficult situation! Machines can really get at you sometimes!
We have a Revel, I prefer to keep the max weight around 8k
I use 4 wd and turn off traction control , and prox sensors on dirt.
I pull an.enclosed trailer if I need to haul more stuff.
Light is right!
Very true! Great tips. Thanks for watching and I hope we cross paths.
Well done - that is quite an accomplishment! Glad you made it out without having to deal with a bear. Also good to know not to break down there in a Mercedes.
Thanks, I don't think its a good place to break down in anything except a PeterBuilt.... I did look around for a Unimog there. I didn't find one. It would be perfect up there.
love this video so ssorry for your loss. im getting ready to launch on my adventre with my senior dog and cat. ive also wondered about recovery cost wow ....
Thanks so much! It was a wonder but also very hard trip. Saying goodby is the worst part of having pets.
Your biggest advantage is your mechanical skills.
Thanks, it sure helped this day.
@@Famagogo my husband is also the handy kind. It does scare me a little to travel on my own and have to deal with mechanical issues. But I’m armed to the teeth with every possible recovery item you can think of including spare fuses and he put a winch on the front bumper of my minivan so I can get myself out of trouble. Been watching all your videos. Motivating me to rethink and go to the arctic circle. Love the videos.
Well, this has convinced me to not take my Revel to Alaska. I’d be stuck with the 6k tow. I’ll be following your trip south. I’m sure it will be an adventure.
LOL, Don't let this scare you from going to Alaska. Much of southern AK would have some sort of mechanic relatively nearby. I find most Alaskans to be very helpful and ultra resourceful. They are great people to be broken down with. Bad stuff can happen anywhere. Thanks for watching!
Add blast barriers and sandbags and this would look like Camp Taji, Iraq. It was a $hit hole and I walked everywhere too. Glad you guys got your Revel fixed.
Thanks so much for your service! I can only imagine it would be similar. We are happily rolling again Southbound!
Great job on the field repair. Would have liked to see where the issue was with the brake fluid and where you used the torch so I (and others) can keep that in mind if we ever face something like this. Thanks for all the insight.
Great suggestion! It was hard to film it all with Kathy being sick and me trying to do the axle swap.
But I can tell you. The brakes got pushed before I got it back together. This introduced air into the system, and I had to bleed the brakes to get the air out of the system. it was another step but pretty easy compared to what I had already done that day.
The torch was to help loose the lug bolts that were not budging from the lock-tight thread locker. A little heat softens the lock-tight and allows it to be removed. Pretty easy stuff.
Time to upgrade to the Owl Vans axle.
Yea, no kidding!
Peter, great little series. Can't wait to see how the rest of the Pan American trip goes.. One question - how do you like the scheelmann seats?
Thank you! The Scheel Mann seats are amazing. I don't think I'll ever be satisfied with anything else. I'm forever spoiled. Sent sit in them unless you're ready to switch.
I have had many wheel bearings go on my subaru but you can always hear it before it gets too bad. I don't imagine that is an option in a big noisy van though. Other than a little noise would there have been any warning signs you may have had and missed? Great Work!
We didn't notice any sounds as I would have expected. But it was 550 miles of very rough gravel roads to get to the spot where it gave up. I'm about to replace the other side just as prevention. It will be interesting to see how that looks once I pull it out. Thanks for watching!
So impressed with your mechanical skills and knowledge. How did you learn? Previous job or hobby?
My dad taught me a lot and he had some very handy friends that inspired me further. I don't have any formal training just years of tinkering and fixing things that decided to break. UA-cam is the best tool I have. You can learn how to fix nearly anything on here. Thanks so much for watching!
Peter - that was inspirational how you both dealt with this crazy situation - Can you please let us know where/how you leant your amazing automotive repair skills??
I think most van lifers would have thrown in the towel if confronted with swapping out an axle on the side of a road with just basic tools!!
Hey Moondog! Thank you! My dad taught me to do mechanical things as a child and working on motorcycles as a kid/teen. I've always loved working with my hands and fixing things but I have no formal training or professional experience being a mechanic. I did have great support from Agile Offroad John and MB Paul. They really helped get me going in the right direction. Then it was just a matter of getting the part and getting going. Thanks so much for watching!
That’s such a great reply Peter - thank you - will def be watching your future travels.
As a newbie fellow Revel owner, I’m learning so much about DIY RV maintenance over the last year.
I’m seriously looking into taking Sprinter automotive repair/ maintenance classes!
Wow, that was quite the experience! I'm impressed by how you managed to resolve everything. How did the Starlink perform in Deadhorse?
Yes, It was something. Better looking back on it now. Thanks! Starlink was so amazing up there. Especially having to do all the parts research and communications. Starlink is quickly becoming mandatory gear! And it did work great I the arctic. Thanks for watching!
No Prudhoe Bay Uber ?? WTH Alaska ? 🙃
I know.... LOL.
That is a legendary episode! What was the torch used for?
It was something to live through. But looking back on it, It has given us so much confidence in ourselves. It really helped prepare us for the adventure were on now driving to Argentina. The tourch is for loosening sticky bolts. Especially the ones with thread locker compound (LockTight). The heat softens the glue and allows those bolts be break loose much easier.
Great story and a very successful ending. Good that you didn’t let the broken axel get the best of you! We’ll done. Are you going to change the drivers side axel or at least pull it and check it out? 5:30
I was thinking once I get back down in the lower 48 I might pull the other side apart. It would be good to see what's going on in there. But I have no symptoms of anything wrong on that side. Since this issue, I have heard that the right side seems to be something that goes out in some of the Amazon vans. For some reason the left side isn't as prone to issues. Thanks for watching.
What an adventure! Glad your guys found a solution, amazing job! Curious as to why you didn't use the bicycle to get around?
Thank you! That's a great question. The answer is we did when just one of us needed to go somewhere. But when we went together we walked because we only have one bike currently. It was too hard to film while riding and looking for bears, so none of the riding made the video. Hopefully someday we will have two bikes...
@@Famagogo makes sens. :) it's been nice following your adventures. This is Dominique and Adam with the white van, from Quebec. :) we crossed path many times kayaking in ww parks. :)
Ahh yes, awesome! I'm really glad you're here. Let's paddle, it's been too long.
@@Famagogo we'll let you know if we're hitting the road. :)
Hey guys, a lot of people pulling for you down here.
Question, how many miles on your rig when this happened? It seems odd to have a bearing fail on a relatively new van.
Thanks for the good vibes! It's just over 100K miles. So I'm not too shocked to have a bearing go. But a better location would have been nice...
I bet this will be your most viewed video
Peter, I have been trying to figure out why your axle spline died at the hub. I know you have been working with Agile so do you have air lockers on the rear, and have you checked the other side for wear? I have a 2022 on a 2020 chassis and wondering if I have an issue. I do a lot of off-road travel but not to your extent. Have a great trip south, it’s going to be an epic journey.
Hello, No lockers (yet). The rear end was totally stock other than wheels and tires. I think the bearings went and took the axle with it as they are all one fixed assembly. I will check the other side when I get back down to the lower 48.Thanks so much for watching!
How many miles were on the broken axle? I have the same van and just wondering when I might have problems. Thanks
Our Sprinter had about 100K miles at the time of failure.
I just preemptively replaced the other sides rear axle yesterday. It was in pretty good shape but it did have a small catch in the bearings in one spot. I think this is the bearings starting to fail. I'm glad I replaced it now as I think it was on it's way to failing.
Did you happen to try to put it in 4wd to see if you could move the van with just the front axle. I was just wondering like if you had to move it off the road if that would have worked.
The computer detected the lack of wheel speed and shut it down. I was hoping I could pull that off. Maybe with a rear locker it might have worked.
I love my revel, but really have a love hate feeling when it comes to technology sometimes it’s too smart for it’s own good, and don’t get me started on the crosswind assist I left a pair of soiled pants on the side of the road when that happened. 😂
Imagine if you had no idea how to fix it and the mechanics refused to work on it. What would you do?
That would be terrible. I would put the van on a truck to the nearest mechanic that could help.
broooo
I was wondering why you couldn’t drive out by using front wheel drive if your van is 4x4?
I've had many people ask this. I thought I could also. But the modern sensors could detect an issue and kept me from doing that. Great idea through. It might have worked if I had a rear locker. But I don't know that for sure.
I tried that. Nut the computers/sensors detected the issue and wouldn't allow it. I wonder if I had the Agile Rear locker if it would have kept the axle from spinning and then allowed 3x4 motion?
What amazing adventure, I always dig your workstation area.