Bedford MK repair report Africa

[garry taylor]

Hi

i just spent the last 6 months driving from Iceland to SouthAfrica , via the west coast and central of Africa

 

I was in a Bedford MK 1977 (like the MJ but no turbo)

 

it was a very hard road but i knew the ex army truck could make it.....everything that broke on the truck in the 6 months of hard hard roads was able to be fixed on the road by African bush mechanics...and we only ever needed 1 part in all the time, we managed to get that in sierra leone...there were Bedfords in around half of all countrys we went to...not many but a few...probley Nigeria had the most then Morocco

 

ive used this site often when i was prepering the truck for the trip, so i thought i would write a report of all the mechanical issues and fixes that i had along the way,it may be of help to others in the future

 

 

 

 

1. Problem- Window wipers stoped working,

Fix- Turned off, left wiper motor to cool down, then when ever we needed to use again we just turned it on for a few seconds each time ( also used turtal wax window spray)

 

 

2. Problem- Engine leaked oil on the floor

Fix- we had a Morroccan guy re-seal the engine, which only worked for a day, then we put some fake blue devil sealent in the engine, which worked perfect for a few months, it did start to leak again after, but we were in to remote areas to find any more blue devil

 

 

3. Problem- flat tyre, we had only 2 in 6 months, Fix- easy change of wheels, only problem was not realy having good tools,

 

 

4. Problem- Tyre getting low ( slow punchtre) , Fix- could not be bothered to get it properly fixed as it was near the end of the trip, so sprayed in tempory fixer ( emptyed out and re aired a few times)

 

 

5. Problem- Stuck in low gear ( transfer box broke), Fix- we had to wait 5 nights in a local truckers motel/brothel in Gueina while a mechanic went looking for a spare part in seara leone, this was our only major problem in the 6 months and was fixed as soon as we got the part

 

 

6. Problem- Engine stalled when idal, Fix-The idal control had lost a screw or something, we had it fixed by a local taxi driver and his mate ( his mate turned out to be the local imigration officer who 20 mins latter stamped our passports out of Congo)

 

 

7. Problem- Diff leaking oil, Fix- re seal and re oil

 

 

8. Problem- UJ joint worn out, Fix- went to the scrap yard in liberville, found one that almost fit and welded it on

 

 

9. Problem- Bald tyres, Fix- it was the end of the trip, so we just kept them,we could drive faster with the raceing tyres in Namibia..bar grip was so shaky before

 

 

10. Problem- Cab leaking in rain from observation hole in roof, Fix- put plastic bags ontop of all electonics and waited until we were in a place with a dry season

 

 

11. Problem- Dash board electronics not working, circit board shacken to peaces, Fix- rewired it

 

 

12. Problem- Fuel guage not working, the controler in the tank was screwed, Fix- used a stick to check the fuel level for the next 3 months, worked perfect

 

 

13. Problem- Fuel tank to small for Africa, Fix- straped a barrel to the side and sucked and spat the fuel with a peace of tubing

 

 

14. Problem- Sound from the axel at high speed, Fix- stick some more oil in the axel and sell the truck

 

 

15. Problem- Hand brake not working, Fix- adjust a bolt ( with brake OFF) on the bottom of the back axel

 

 

16. Problem- Found some bits of a broaken touth inside the gearbox and silver oil, Fix-replaced the gear oil 3 times and took it gental on changing to 4th gear

 

17. Problem- Air break pressure kept going all the way up, too high Fix- took the air control box apart, oiled it and resealed it

 

hope this helps for others in the future, the Bedfords are good trucks, but getting less comon in Africa now ( althought there are still some from the 50s and 60s around still being working trucks), possabley if i was doing it in a big truck again i would use the leyland dafs as there are tons of dafs around in africa

 

always remember if its a old British truck....if its not leaking oil....then you have no oil in the truck

Edited August 18, 2013 by garry taylor

[Desert Rat]

Thanks for making me smile :-D

Sounds like you had a great time.

[Snapper]

Post a few snaps! That would make your report even more special, please....

 

Cheers

 

Mark

[garry taylor]

[ploughman]

Very well done to all involved.

 

Was the fault on the wiper a common thing?

I remember on my Mk at Iserlohn I could have the wipers on for about 30 minutes then put them on intermittant

for a few minutes then another 30 mins.

This was in about 1983 on a 2 - 3 year old Bedford.

[N.O.S.]

Anyone who has had to change a M type wiper motor will quite understand why people put up with these cooling off procedures for so long.....

 

:whistle:

[Snapper]

Cheers for the snaps!