cleanin up after hittin the mud

[man4ou]

Howdy im a new off roader and just got into my first big mud. I was just wonderin what are the most important things to clean and watch for while and after mudding. I really dont wont to mess up my new X but love to tear up the mud. And i was also wondering the best way to clean out hole your windows does down in. I wasnt thinking and rolled down my window with tones of mud on it. any advice?? thanks for any help

[pnwbeers]

Clean out the insides of your wheels. When you get mud packed in there you can end up w/ a lot of shakes when you get up to highway speeds.

[OffroadX]

You'll have to learn the places mud likes to hide on the X. One of the worst is on the bottom outside of the rear wheel openings, in front of and behind the tire. A lot of crap will accumulate there and if left it's just asking to rust things out. Heck, there's gonna be a lot of mud all through the wheel wells, including up high behind the lip moulding, I spend 2-3 minutes on each alone. Also a good idea to remove the lip mouldings now and then to clear out anything stuck behind them.

Of course pay attention to the front suspension, front and rear, lots of nooks for mud to build up, as well as the backs of the wheels/brakes, but try not to direct the full-pressure spray directly on the area where the CVs meet the wheel hub. Top of the leaf springs, tops of the crossmembers around the transmission and transfer case, the gap between the gas tank and skid plate, as well as the top of the tank, and oh yeah, a couple pounds always ends up on top of the back of the front skidplate/splash guard

After getting more than a bit muddy, I find it takes a good $15 and 20-30 minutes at the D.I.Y. high-pressure carwash to really do a good job of getting all the mud out from under the X.
Also, budget an extra $2-3 to wash down the bay when you're done, they really hate people who leave a few pounds of mud, sand, and pebbles.

Another option is to get a good old-fashioned sweep/arc sprinkler, position it under the X sweeping side to side and let it run under the front a few minutes, move it to the middle a few minutes, then the rear a few minutes, then do it all over again with it turned 90 degrees to sweep front to back. This will loosen everything up pretty well and then you can go after it with a garden hose to knock it out.

Brent

[Schludwiller]

From the back of the rear well flare in towards the bumper (from the inside) a ton of mud will build up. Spray the flare (there is a pocket there) and then continue back through the bumper. You'll see tons of mud fall out. At least once a year, pull off your fender flares, clean out all the dirt, wax the paint, and then reinstall.

One other thing. People who go mudding tend to want to show off how much mud they got on their truck on Monday at work. The best thing to do however is go to the spray and wash and get it off while it's still wet.

I just clean the mud off, then later on I'll hand wash my truck at home. Personally I don't trust those brushes they have there, and would prefer doing it at home for free.

I get my truck clean of mud for about $5-6

Oh, and don't forget that mudding is going to increase the chance your alternator is going to fail as it's so low. After a while you tend to grow out of it after considering the potential mechanical problems from the activity. At least I have. But everyone has different ways to have fun with your truck. Just make sure to tread lightly.

[man4ou]

thanks for all the advice i spent a good 15 dollars washing it haha. But it was well worth it. I went mudding with some friends with trucks with lifts and tires and my X is stock at the moment and i was getting thew just as much mud and holes as they were. Just goes to show u how bad A@@ the X's are haha.