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However, this mode of operation is intended for use off-road, or for long periods of low traction on-road, i.e. driving around your snow bound neighborhood, or for miles of unploughed highway. It's not designed to be engaged and disengaged as you hit patches of snow here and there. In the off ramp scenario you posed, if the ramp and the surrounding area are deep in snow the by all means engage 4WD and slow down. If it's just the ramp that's slick, stay in 2WD and slow down.
Remember, 4WD will only assist with propulsion traction and engine braking, it won't help with regular braking at all (which is why you see so many new SUVs in the ditch at the beginning of snow season!). Tires and, as Tom mentioned, vehicle speed play the biggest role in maintaining vehicle control.
Finally, the bang you hear when 4WD disengages on a hard surface is the release of driveline tension as a wheel eventually slips. It's not good practice as it can break driveline components and/or cause loss of control. The best way to disengage 4WD is to stop first, then drive gently forward to feel if you're in 2WD. If not, then reverse while zig-zagging gently. Doing this effectively 'unwinds' the stress in the system until the transfer case can disengage the front propshaft.
The very things that make our Jeeps so fun to drive and so capable off road are the things that make them harder to control on slick roads.
Jeeps have a high center of gravity, a narrow track, and a short wheel base. Each of these things independently would make for less stable handling, but put all three of these factors together and add slick roads to the mix, and you have to be VERY careful.
No, Jeeps are not more dangerous than other vehicles IF THEY ARE DRIVEN PROPERLY AND ARE DRIVEN AT THE APPROPRIATE SPEEDS FOR THE CONDITIONS.
OK, I'll get off my soapbox now.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
tidester, host
I'll let you know how they hold up.
Ryan
It was great to finally meet you and Hank! I also enjoyed meeting your winch :P
Wish you could have gone...it was a blast! I think I am just going to get the Rubicon Express 2 inch BB to clear 31x10.5 tires (not sure which ones yet). Probably won't be until this summer or fall though, but I am still having fun driving it stock right now
It's good to start off wheelin' with a stock Jeep. You will develop your driving skills better that way, since you will be forced to pick the right line and use the right throttle, brake, and steering inputs to get through obstacles, whereas a more capable Jeep would allow the driver more room for error.
Also, you get a chance to see first hand what the various mods are doing for your fellow Jeepers, and you can get opinions from these folks as to which mods would be best.
Only as your skills increase and the Jeep becomes the limiting factor should you enhance its capabilities.
Sure enjoyed having you with us, Rob. Come back when you can. Next time, we have to get that sway bar disconnected. You won't believe how much difference that makes!
I like your idea of the BB and 31 x 10.50 tires. That's a fairly cheap way to improve your Jeep's capabilties while still staying very near stock. Probably some good off road tires would make more difference than the lift itself, but if you are getting tires, you might as well get the 31 x 10.50's and that little bit of lift to give them some room when you are flexing your suspension. (A stock Jeep with no lift at all can run 31 x 10.50 tires, but if you disconnect the front sway bar, you are going to rub the flares with your tires at full flex, if the steering wheel is turned.)
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
Thanks very much to all who helped and supplied great information to this board!
last night was a good example. here in upstate NY we had some wet icy snow falling hard during the night. roads didnt have any snow cover, it was too wet. just a thin layer of slush. these are the kinds of nights that most cars go off the road. but i kept it in 2WD and took it nice and easy.
around here, it is often the case that the main roads are fairly clear while the backroads are not plowed. in those times, i'd like to use the 4WD on the snowy hills, but it is not needed once on the maindrag. i guess it will just take some time and judgement as to when to engage and disengage it to cause least stress to the system.
happy new year and safe winter driving to all.
Michael
My next wheeling trip probably won't be until the weekend after Valentine's. Hopefully, I'll have my belly up and some more armor installed. Not sure about the 33's and the regear, but the tummy tuck will hopefully be done.
-Paul
-Rob
<img src=http://img345.imageshack.us/img345/9822/dscn25688uj.jpg
Quick question for the pros. I'm wondering if it's a quick fix or if I need to take my 01 TJ to the dealership. All of the features on my steering console stopped working -- horn, cruise control, and the airbag light on the dash is lit. Could this be a fuse (where's the box)? Complications from having an alarm installed? Any pointers (including telling me to just take it in) are appreciated. Thanks!
For more information on the clockspring and what it does, type 'clockspring' into the 'Search This Discussion' box.
Here's the link in Edmunds Headlines.
Come to think of it, I bought an unwind. I wonder if I'll get notified even if it is part of the reacall. Will there be any easy way to find out?
Sorry that your first post had to be about damage, but glad you have broken the ice and posted.
Welcome to Edmunds Jeep Wrangler, but something tells me you might have been around a while in the lurking mode.
Hope you get that damage repaired to your satisfaction.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
Seriously, you can get replacement pontoons from eBay for only a few bucks if you wanna repair the cosmetic damage.
Hope you get that lift and armor you want!
-Paul
That is the ONLY reason I'd take it to a dealer - for warranty or recall work. Since my warranty is LONG since gone... only recalls will force me to a dealer.
-Paul
I've been getting some interference with my CB, and based on your post, I may now know why. I grounded mine to a spot underneath my seat...ensuring I had good metal contact (no paint interference).
You said you connected yours directly to the negative battery post? I wasn't sure that was needed/necessary, but if you did it....?
By the way, I'm using a magnet-mount antenna on my hood, and my SWR reading is where it's supposed to be.
Thanks..Randy
Y'all know me (sighhh), and the fact that I'm basically limited with the knowledge that gasoline makes cars go "vroom vroom".
This was an excellent "caution", if you will, to those who have not yet driven a vehicle with characteristics of a Jeep that you mentioned. Having a been a pickup truck guy for the past many years, the higher center of gravity/shorter-narrower wheelbase of my Jeep has made me more cognizant of turning speeds, etc.
Not that I'm a lead-foot (those days are long since past!), but it helps to keep that in mind in the event your path is interferred with, i.e., deer running in front of you, inattentive drivers at intersections, etc.
Evasive action(s) in a Jeep may not bring the same, safe results it would in a vehicle with a wider wheel base, lower center of gravity, etc.
So, it's particularly critical to use expanded defensive driving techniques when Jeepin'. My philosophy has always been to expect the unexpected.
Now...I'm off MY soapbox! Guess your post got me thinking about all the redlight runners here in Tuscaloosa, and how that just irritates me to no end.
Randy
As I was heading downtown this morning some clown in a pickup saw me apply my brakes as a stoplight turned yellow and took that as a signal to floor his truck and run the light.
I caught up with him a mile down the road, broken down and blocking traffic at a light. I thought it was a bit of poetic justice. :P
Steve, Host
Much as I hate to say it, my sentiments exactly!! What goes around.....
Greg
Tom, you are right...I've been lurking (and enjoying) around the site for some time. My family of dog lovers was truly touched by your love for RA and can understand your sorrow. They were glad to see that you had adopted Hank. They think he's cute. How do you sense that someone is a lurker???
Eric, we have some things in common other than Wranglers. I'm an OK State grad but I was there from 80-85. My dad is from the Enid area...Aline and Cleo Springs to be exact.
Drew, thanks for the generous pontoon offer but the replacement is already here. It looks like the metal portion of my bumper survived so I won't be getting any bumper credit. I've already got the Jeep in the shop and I think I may get it back tomorrow!!! It was ready for primer and paint late yesterday.
I'll try to not be so shy and join in more often.
Dennis (highdesert refers to my home city of Albuquerque)
I am using a fixed antenna mounted to the spare tire holder at the rear... doubt that has much if anything to do with your issue, but that is a difference between our configurations.
Also, some CB units have interference cancellation features built-in; so if the interference you're experiencing is quite annoying, then you may be able to mitigate it wih a better radio, etc.
Glad your TJ is getting taken care of. If you go with an OME, you'll love it. I've been running one for about 9 months now and have enjoyed it both on and off road.
-Paul
The MIL indicator is throwing code 0030 (if I remember correctly), and when I looked it up, it said multiple cylinder misfire. Well, DUH! I knew that.
Could vapor lock possibly be a factor, Mac? Guess it wouldn't throw the misfire code, if that were the case, right?
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
P.S. For those who don't already know, Thelma Jane is an 01 Sport, so she has the 4.0L inline six with distributorless ignition. She has about 60K miles on her with the orginal spark plugs.
If it still happens after that, I dunno. Maybe fuel delivery?
-Paul
She has about 60K miles on her with the orginal spark plugs.
Mmmm, not exactly been keeping up with routine maintenance have you? You should have new plugs, wires, cap, and rotor by now. I won't say it is an ignition problem but why not replace those items as they're due anyway. That will either fix the problem or eliminate a bunch of possibilities, and it'll help bring your servicing up to date.
It's most likely to be a temperature induced failure, and if it's not in the primary ignition components the next in line would probably be one of the CPS units. Although it should throw a code if one fails, it won't if it's an intermittant fault.
Red Ryder was doing exactly the same thing, plus hard to start, a couple of months back. Finally took it to the dealer. Turns out I had a couple of problems. The hard to start part was due to the fuel pump loosing pressure. This caused it to not get that little initial squirt of fuel at start up. The rough running (and like you said, it was AWFUL) that cleared up after five to ten seconds was caused by two bad oxygen sensors.
New fuel pump and O2 sensors completely fixed both problems. I guess they had to drop the gas tank to fix the pump. Now my fuel gauge is screwed up.
Now for the rest of the story. In my effort to self diagnose and fix the problem, I changed the spark plugs (took about an hour, next time will probably be 30 minutes), cleaned the throttle body and replaced the air filter. While the shop had it, I had them do the auto transmission recommended service. Except for changing the fluids in the diff's and transfer case I am about caught up with the 30k service at 28k.
Terry
PS: Yes, that WAS me yelling in the title; I'm a little pumped!
Ryan
If anyone has 31's with their stock wheels, I would be intrested in seeing a pic(s) if you wouldn't mind. Either post or e-mail me (I'm public).
Also, Tomster informed me that with 31's I "may" have some rubbing on the lower control arms at full steering turn(he didn't with Thelma Jane)with the stock wheel backspacing, but installing a washer someplace or another would be a simple remedy.
Have any of you with 31's and stock wheels experienced any problems?
Appreciate it!
Randy
P.S. Tom, good luck with getting Thelma Jane healthy. I know how you must be agonizing over her sputtering!
Whether or not you'll need to space out the steering stops with a washer or two will entirely depend on the line worker who set up your steering at the factory.
The steering stop is simply a bolt that's screwed into the front carrier. The head of the bolt is the contact point that stops the steering from being turned any further. One it has been adjusted, a nut already threaded onto the bolt is tightened against the carrier, to lock the bolt in place. The nut is then tack welded to the bolt thread to lock it into place. Any adjustment must now be made by removing the now solid bolt/nut and using a washer to space it out a little.
Because of the nature of the steering stop construction, every Wrangler is a little different. In other words, you'll have to suck it and see!
-Paul
However, the stainless centre caps that I ordered came in the wrong size, so I have none on for now. The guy at the tire shop told me the correct size will arrive in a few days, but other than that, very pleased. Can't wait to try 'em out off the road!!
Ryan
PS: Got the 4" backspacing wheels, stick out slightly like Tom said, but no rubbing at full turn.
I meant to tell you the problems I had did not turn on the "check engine" light. I did not ask them if there were any codes.
Terry
Anyhow, this all rather depends on which code it was, but I'd still advise you to replace the overdue ignition components even if it turns out to be the O² heater supply relay at fault.
Edit: To be more accurate, the code description is a fault in the O² sensor heater relay circuit, so it could just be a faulty connection or damaged wire.
Time to get your multimeter out!
Thanks for the information; had to read it 3 times to comprehend it, but I think I do!
Gracias,
Randy
Thanks, Paul..even I can follow this procedure.
Randy
Terry
I'll have to go look again. I can't remember if it was 0300 or 0030.
I'll let ya know.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
It doesn't really matter, since you can run 31 x 10.50's on 7" wheels, but are your standard wheels really 8"? They could be, but I was thinking the Ecco wheels would be 7".
Tomster
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE WHEELS!
When do we get to see some pics? Better wait until your center caps come in.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?
Dennis:
It was just the way you said something in your original post that made it sound to me like you had been around a while. I can't even remember what is was now.
If your family is a dog-loving bunch of people, then you guys rate high in my book.
Thanks for your sympathy concerning my loss of Ross Allen. Three and a half months later, it still hurts a LOT. I know I will have my "moments" as long as I live. You just don't get over losing your soulmate.
Hank is a lot of fun, and my love for him is growing day by day. We're gonna be great buds. He is sure a good Jeep dog.
Tom
Have you hugged your Jeep today?