Got her stuck in the mud...

[HamHands]

Leave an oscillating sprinkler on and underneath it overnight for starters. That should take care of 70% of the problem... Then proceed with taking the tires off and pressure washing all that much out of the brake calipers/pads/disc...

 

[jarettp]

Yea if I didn't live in an apartment I'd be all over the sprinkler idea. That's not an option though. The pressure washer at the coin-op seems to have done 90% of the trick though. I just couldn't spray on the sides of the undercarriage like I would have wanted to. I got all the drive components more or less clean though. I highly doubt they are going to let me take my wheels off at that same car wash so I'll just make sure and drive in the next rain storm. Or take a bucket to it. That was definitely a learned lesson though. Car does perfectly fine in sand. Mud....not so much.

 

[jmr061]

Yea if I didn't live in an apartment I'd be all over the sprinkler idea. That's not an option though. The pressure washer at the coin-op seems to have done 90% of the trick though. I just couldn't spray on the sides of the undercarriage like I would have wanted to. I got all the drive components more or less clean though. I highly doubt they are going to let me take my wheels off at that same car wash so I'll just make sure and drive in the next rain storm. Or take a bucket to it. That was definitely a learned lesson though. Car does perfectly fine in sand. Mud....not so much.

You will know if you have mud caked on the inside of the wheels as they will be out of balance and you will be able to tell at higher speeds (sometimes as little as 45). This is experience talking. If you don't feel any abnormalities while driving they probably don't have much on them.

 

[jarettp]

I did feel a little vibration over 70mph on the way home but haven't noticed anything after i hosed my car down. ya'll are making me paranoid now. maybe I will pull the wheels off. I'ts just a hassle with the scissor jack in the back.

 

[Halwg]

Just take it to a detail shop and have them do a total undercarriage cleaning, take the wheels off, etc.

 

[HamHands]

I did feel a little vibration over 70mph on the way home but haven't noticed anything after i hosed my car down. ya'll are making me paranoid now. maybe I will pull the wheels off. I'ts just a hassle with the scissor jack in the back.

No need to be paranoid... This is a great time to get a 3 ton floor jack from Home Depot "Husky Brand" or a Sears "Craftsman" branded jack. My Husky one makes life so much easier with the changeable jack head from a fat contact disk or the small one depending on which lift point and which vehicle I'm trying to use it on. If you think the scissor jack sucks you should try a Jeep's telescoping jack and trying to get 35" tires off the ground...

Seriously though, get a floor jack and keep it in your apartment spare closet for just such needs. While you're at it pick up a decent torque wrench ($15-$30) the correct socket sized head, and a 3" socket extension to easily remove the lugs. You will also be able to get the manual recommended precise, (100 ft lbs) of torque to re-tighten the lugs.

 

[peterk9]

I did feel a little vibration over 70mph on the way home but haven't noticed anything after i hosed my car down. ya'll are making me paranoid now. maybe I will pull the wheels off. I'ts just a hassle with the scissor jack in the back.

It could be that you had some mud stuck on one of the wheels that threw it out of balance. I've had that happen a couple times in the Winter time after driving through deep snow where it got stuck in the wheel spokes.

Peter

 

[jarettp]

Took both rear wheels off today and cleaned as best I could inside the rim and throughout the wheel well. There was a LOT of mud back there. The largest portion was stuck in whatever the bowl looking thing the springs sit in. That was a huge PITA to clean out. I used a garden sprayer to get the job done since I dont have access to a hose and didn't want to spend a small fortune at a coin-op again. I kept refilling it using a 5 gallon water cooler. I also sprayed brake cleaner while i had the wheels off. Tomorrow, the front rims!

 

[unclemeat]

When we go mudding, I take an old water type fire extingiser and spray the brakes as soon as I get off the trail. When possible, we set up a cleaning station, ramps and a pressure washer for complete cleanup. Clean up time is also inspection time to make sure you have not lost wheel weights, accumulated mud on the tires or wheel, or damaged things like brake lines.

You only need to buy new brakes one time to pay special attention to keeping the brakes clean.

 

[jarettp]

guys, thanks for pushing me to take the wheels off. There is now a mound of mud below where I worked on it. There's a ton stuck inside the frame that I fear will never come out but I've gotten almost everything that could be gotten. I may bring out the ramps next weekend and see if I can get the mud stuck inside the frame but it's not as high a priority now that I've gotten all the moving parts clean.

 

[unclemeat]

Soapy water will help cut the mud. You may want to use a laundry detergent on unpainted surfaces.

 

[HamHands]

guys, thanks for pushing me to take the wheels off. There is now a mound of mud below where I worked on it. There's a ton stuck inside the frame that I fear will never come out but I've gotten almost everything that could be gotten. I may bring out the ramps next weekend and see if I can get the mud stuck inside the frame but it's not as high a priority now that I've gotten all the moving parts clean.

Definitely get the ramps out. Also, rent or buy a pressure washer. Harbor Freight comes to mind... and blast the crud out of the undercarriage and sub frame assembly. You have to be a bit careful with a pressure washer but nothing common sense won't take care of. I drove a Jeep Wrangler for 11 years with a 3 inch suspension lift and 35 mud terrains. Getting all or most of the crap out of the undercarriage is paramount. I never had to replace anything due to mud because I kept it clean, greased, and maintained...