GAPIS4WD

Halim Rahman, YB Dato' Wan Mohktar dan Nasa.


Nasa dan Halim Rahman sedang berseloroh dengan personnel Sime Tyre.


Nasa bertindak sebagai Ketua Ekspedisi sedang memberi amanat terakhir kepada peserta sebelum berlepas sambil diperhati oleh Halim Rahman.


YB Dato' Wan Mohktar dan Karim Sungai Buloh melepaskan penat sambil menghirup kopi.


Inilah amalan kami bila berada dalam hutan, yang ringan sama dijinjing dan yang berat sama dipikul. Terpaksa ada team work, tidak nanti tak sampai kita!

Kadang-kadang bila sedang memandu 4WD berseorangan, kenangan bersama member meredah hutan rimba dulu kerap muncul dalam ingatan. Seingat saya, rasa-rasanya dah lebih 10 tahun kami tak berjumpa. Dr. Zaini Sharani, Wan Mohktar, Halim Rahman, Nasa, Ghazi, Capt. Mohk Cini, Karim Sg. Buloh, Acik Tg. Malim dan ramai lagi semuanya dah putus hubungan.

Dengar khabar Wan Mohktar kini sudah bergelar YB Dato'. Alhamdulillah semakin teguhlah kedudukkan dia. Halim Rahman dulu kerap baca dalam akhbar bila dia menganjurkan ekspedisi Trans China, Trans Siberia dan macam-macam Trans lagi. Sekarang nampaknya Petronas dah ada lagi ekspedisi2 Trans tu...!

Kalau masuk hutan dulu, Dr. Zaini memang suka bertengkar dengan saya. Tapi apapun dia tetap mahu saya naik kenderaan 4WD dia. Tentang makan minum dalam hutan dia seorang yang cukup sempoi.

Masuk hutan 4 hari, dia beli 10 keping roti canai di kedai mamak. Setiap hari itulah makanan dia selama dalam hutan. Bila roti canai dah naik cendawan, dia hanya jentik-jentik pada bahagian yang ada cendawan tu dan terus makan.

Sifat dia selalu tenang dan sabar. Dalam kami merintasi apa-apa halangan, dia tidak pernah terburu-buru. Tapi sifat adventure dalam diri dia tu kadang2 buat kita seram juga. Apa tidaknya. Ketika sedang memandu di malam hari apabila dia ternampak ada apa-apa yang pelik dan ganjil, dia akan turun dari jip dan mula meninjau berseorangan. Kita yang tinggal sorang-sorang dalam jip mula rasa risau apabila lama baru dia datang balik.

Wan Mohktar (Dato') dan Halim Rahman pula suka memandu laju. Mereka berdua selalu berentap laju dalam hutan. Yalah, kedua mereka memang pernah sama-sama terlibat dalam rally kereta.

Entahlah...! Mungkin di suatu hari nanti kami akan berjumpa dan dapat berkumpul masuk hutan sama-sama lagi. Tapi buat masa ni yang masih menjadi teman saya masuk hanyalah Atan otai 4WD.

Low range should only be selected for extreme off-road condition where progress in high range could not be maintained, or in any situation where low speed manoeuvering is necessary i.e. reversing a trailer or negotiating a boulder strewn river bed.

In addition, when towing a heavy load it is often easier to move off in low range and then change into high range when reasonable road speed has been achived. Before driving through difficult ground conditions select low range, remember to engage diff lock on permanent 4WD vehicles and a suitable gear.

Only experience will tell the driver which is the correct gear for a given section of ground but generally with manual transmission the higher the gear the better. Obviously, if the gear selected is too high the engine will stall and then a lower gear must be selected for another attempt.

Do not change gear while negotiating difficult terrain as the drag at the wheels may cause the vehicle to stop when the clucth is depressed and difficulty may be in re starting.

Exercise care when using the accelerator as suden power surges may induce wheel spin.

As the ground conditions become less difficult high range should be re-selected remembering to remain in 4WD or keep the differential lock engaged where there is risk of losing traction.

All 4WD do not handle like a conventional passenger car. With its higher centre of gravity and heavier vehicle weight the handling cornering and braking are different to a passenger car. The 4WD vehicle should be driven cautiously and use good jeudgement in both on-road and off-road driving.

Secondly, there are different controls in a 4WD compared to a passenger car. The major difference is the transfer case control lever that is in 4 wheel drives. A conventional passenger car has only two wheels driving (either front or rear) whilst a 4WD has the ability to have all four wheels driving.

Power from the engine is transmitted to a gearbox in the normal manner and from here to a coupled transfer case. From this point, the drive is divided to supply power to both front and rear differentials, which in turn drives all four wheels. The transfer case also allows the driver to select a wider range of gear ratios to suit different operating conditions.

To negotiate steep upgrades and soft ground and to move at a minimum stable speed on hard surface before roads change to the low range in advance. Do that only after bringing the car to a complete stop.

To negotiate difficult sections of the road, lock the differential and unlock after negotiating such sections of the road.

Remember when 4WD is engage all the wheels are being forced to turn at the same time and revolution. Driving dead straight on a dry, firm surface will cause no problem. The moment the steering wheel is turned, say to left, the wheels on the right-hand side of the vehicle are having to travel a greater distance around the arc than those on the left.

This will tighten up the transmission considerably as both axles and all the wheels are forced to rotate at differing speeds. That is transmission wind-up. Long term, this will lead to severe tyre wear and eventually damage to the gearbox. Changing gear is difficult with transmission wind-up. This situation does not arise off road because of the type terrain. Muddy, wet or stony surfaces will allow wheel slip without the driver knowing and this will cancel out any potential wind-up.

The design of permanent 4WD vehicles therefore needed careful consideration of transmission wind-up. The problem was delat with installing a third differential. Whilst the other two are located, respectively, on front and rear axles this additional one is inside the gearbox. It allow both axle to rotate at different speeds.

However, if one axle's wheel revolves faster than the other while driving off-road in slippery conditions this center differential will permit the drive to go the easiest route - the power will go to the axle that can spin its wheels most freely. This is the last thing you want because if you have one wheel on a slippery surface and the other three wheels on firmer ground everything transfer to that one wheel.

Thus, all permanent 4WD vehicles are equipped with a centre differential lock on that central differential. This has the effect of stopping the centre differential working so that drive will be equalised between the front and rear axles. This lock should be in the 'lock' position when on slippery surfaces and off-road but unlocked whenever driving on dry, hard surfaces.

One of the first jobs that should be done after a 4WD trip is to thoroughly clean and inspect your vehicle. I f the last trip was a through any muddy terrain there will be lumps of hardened mud around the wheels arches and underneath most other part of the vehicle. Unless this mud is removed, corrosion will eventually occur at these places.

To get rid of this mud you need plenty of water under a good hose pressure. Alternatively, if you have a local garage with one of those "Do It Yourself" pressure car wash units, you can clean the underside at very little cost.



One the underside is clean, it is very easy to check and make sure that everything else is O.K. Items that need special checking are:

1. Brake hoses - for cracks or cuts in the rubber.

2. Brake lines - check to make sure that no wiring have been crushed.

3. Wiring - check to see that no wiring has been broken (ot torn out) particularly around tail lights and front lights.

4. Tyre - inspect the wall of the tyres for any sign of cracks in the casings.

5. Oil leaks - check around the engine, gearbox, transfer case and differentials for any signs of oil leaks. Check all oil levels and top up if necessary.

6. General - do a very careful inspection underneath to make sure that sticks have not wedged in around the chassis and body or up in around the gearbox area.

7. Tie rods - make sure that the tie rod are not bent.

8. Bolts - check all bolts to make sure that they are done up tightly.

9. Rubber bushes - check and see whether all the rubber bushes are still intact on the spring hangers.

10. Grease vehicle - whilst you are still underneath it wouldn't hurt to give it a grease.

11. Brakes - clean out the brake drums and around brake shoes. Check level of brake fluid. Adjust brakes if necessary.

12. Radiator - remove bugs and other matter from the radiator core.

13. Battery - maintain clean, tighten connections to battery. Check electrolyte level.

14. Air cleaner - remove excess dust and grit from element. Replace element if necessary.

Any item that needs fixing should be attended to as possible so that your 4WD is quickly back in a ready condition to be able to undertake the next trip away.