Episode 539 – Roll Bars, Roll Cages, And Red Exhausts

This Week In Jeep

Electric Gladiator Will Have To Wait

Jeep has vowed to offer an all-electric version of every model by 2025, but it seems the Gladiator will be last on the list for any electrification at all. Whether that’s due to the chip shortage or whether Jeep wants to focus on the release of the Grand Cherokee 4xe in 2022 is anyone’s guess. You would think with all this electrification going on, and with the popularity of the Wrangler 4xe, that it would be simple for the Gladiator to have its turn right now. Especially with the way the electric truck market is heating up. Unfortunately for many, Jeep may not offer a Gladiator 4xe until 2024, just ahead of the time it’s supposed to have an electric version of every model. It’s important to note, while the current 4xe models are PHEVs or PArtial Hybrid Electric Vehicles, we are likely going to see full-electric versions of all the SUVs in Jeeps lineup, or at least according to Jeeps own statements. There is some debate going on right now as to what exactly Jeep’s Brand CEO Christian Meunier meant when he said in July of 2021, that ((QUOTE)) “We are fully committed towards a vision of a zero-emission future, and by 2025 we will be offering a zero-emission fully electric Jeep 4xe in every SUV segment.” To me, that does NOT mean that the ONLY SUV’s that Jeep will be selling in 2025 will be fully electric and that the last model year for the gasoline-powered Jeep will be 2024, just 2 years and one month from now… Yeah, doesn’t make sense to me either, but there are a lot of greenies out there that are trying too damn hard to read between the lines. We’ll have to wait and see how it all plays out, but I think we all know what’s going to happen. In the meantime, a few other Jeep models are joining the Wrangler 4xe soon as PHEVs, starting with the Grand Cherokee L. The Wrangler and Gladiator may see a mid-cycle refresh for the 2023 model year according to some rumors, and the next generation of Easter Jeep Safari concepts are just 5 months away. I bet they’re already being built as we record this.  

“it’s running a little rich”

As we all know, not everything that goes viral deserves it.

But there is a short clip that has gone viral this week, and I think its popularity is at least somewhat well deserved. In the 15-second clip, the owner, Mikko Jylhä of Finland, pans away from the tailpipe and reveals that his entire exhaust is burning hot, literally glowing red and easily melting the snow below. The video has amassed 1.7 million views and more than 11,000 comments on TikTok, many of which were looking to help the owner out by answering the caption on the video:  “What’s wrong with my Jeep?”

So just what the heck is wrong with Mikko’s Jeep that is making it breathe fire out of its tailpipe?  I had my bets on Chipotle, but according to the comments, it’s working as intended. Here’s how. The flames are caused by unburnt fuel making its way into the exhaust and igniting. This caused car-savvy TikTokers to jump into the comments and diagnose it, mostly coming to the conclusion of a clogged catalytic converter that became extremely hot and began igniting the fuel. However, the owner says the Jeep doesn’t even have a cat installed. Mikko later revealed that he wired up an ignition cut to the Jeep. This allows for fuel to still enter the engine’s cylinders, but instead of combusting with the help of a spark plug, an ultra-rich condition is created instead. 

The unburnt fuel is dumped into the exhaust and eventually ignited. But the Jeep didn’t just blip the throttle for a few seconds to pop some fireballs. Instead, the repeated dumping of fuel resulted in spitting hot fire and lighting up the ground with the entire exhaust’s bright orange glow. Great for the laughs and likes, not so good for the Jeep.

Despite there being no catalytic converter in the Jeep, the amount of heat generated would be enough to melt the carpet inside the Jeep. Forget about the undercoating or anything near the exhaust like brake lines, a few red hot cycles like this, and there’s going to be a lot more than the o2 sensors not working on that Jeep.  Either way, hats off to Mikko from Finland, it’s a cool mod, just not one I’d show off too often. 

@mikidi88 🤔 #jeep #cherokeexj #offroad #fyp #flamethrower #mekanik #whatswrong #what #flames #antilag ♬ original sound – Mikko Jylhä

Lone Jeeper Saved By Hunters

Amanda and Dustin Davis weren’t expecting to spend the past Thanksgiving in the hospital but that’s how their holiday plans ended after a terrifying incident that happened on Veterans Day. Amanda told KTVB in an exclusive interview on Wednesday that she was driving her Jeep with a friend on some of the roads around Bogus Basin.

Since the accident, she remembers nothing of that day past the point where she got up that morning. An avid offroader, wheeling her whole life, she knew those roads, and knew what to expect, having driven much of these same trails in 2 wheel drive.

What Amanda did not expect, and what her husband Dustin later confirmed is that a recent snowfall is what affected her drive the most. The Boise County Sheriff’s Office said the area where Amanda’s Jeep rolled received four inches of snow overnight. The weather had turned on Amanda pretty quickly that morning however, starting the trail with a minimal amount of snow, the storm that had set in that morning ended up dropping a bunch more snow on her the further out she got. The Jeep eventually lost traction, and gravity took over, taking the Jeep off the side of the trail, and that’s when she went over the edge. According to the sheriff’s office, Amanda was luckily thrown from the Jeep before it landed 150 some odd feet down the mountain. The last thing Amanda remembers is telling her friend to grab the dog and jump out before it went over the edge. 

The couple doesn’t know if she would still be alive if it weren’t for the two hunters who discovered the Jeep’s tracks that went down the mountain. The sheriff’s office said Lonnie Laursen and Austin Lane found the crash and immediately called for help.

The hunters stayed with Amanda for four hours, covering her with jackets and blankets to keep her warm and clearing away for rescue teams to reach her faster. And if you’re wondering what happened to the friend and the dog… well they managed to make it out ok. She was able to walk away from the crash with no injuries and also went for help with the dog. 

While this Jeeper definitely has a long road (or trail if you will) to recovery ahead of her, Amanda and Dustin wanted to speak out so no one else has to go through a similar situation. Her words to all of you?… DON’T GO ALONE!

This woman is so incredibly lucky to be alive. Had there been another Jeep there to radio for help, or to start a recovery, it would have made all the difference.

This is of course providing that those hunters wouldn’t have been in the area,
and just so happen to stumble across the wreck. The fact those two men just so happen to be in the right place at the right time is just beyond words. With a lot of broken bones and other injuries, doctors say it’s going to be a good four to six months before Amanda will be able to even begin walking again, and she’ll likely have months of rehabilitation after that. She’s in good spirits though, and even got to spend Thanksgiving with family, albeit in the hospital, but still. She’s thankful that everybody lived through it and is fine, and she’s confident she’ll come out of all this and be okay. If you’d like to see some of the pictures from this incident, we’ll have a few of the area, and what remained of the Jeep in the show notes for this episode at Jeeptalkshow.com.

 

Newbie Nuggets with Wendy

Skid plates

If you have listened to my segments for newbies you have heard me refer to having skid plates on your jeep. I wanted to dive into this topic as some people may not understand what that actually means and why we want (or NEED) to have skid plates.

Skid plates are simply heavy gauge steel or aluminum plates that are bolted to your chassis underneath your jeep to help protect against big rocks that might otherwise poke holes in your oil or transmission pans. Sometimes even tree branches or shrubs can get underneath and create havoc with the oil pan, transmission, cables, and more.

Stock jeeps come with two thin, stamped metal plates that protect the gas tank and the transfer case which is great if you are just doing daily driving or mild trails. But, If you decide you want to rock crawl and tackle some more difficult obstacles you may want to consider aftermarket skid plates. These are generally made of a 3/16 inch thick steel plate. This additional coverage helps protect the other exposed areas under the jeep, like the engine, transmission, and oil pan. There are lots of options and brands, so select a brand that fits your budget, however, don’t skimp on the quality. The idea is that the skid plates reduce potential damage while crawling or wheeling over very rough terrain. There are other items to consider covering with body armor, like a cast-iron differential cover, heavy-duty tie-rods, and ball joints you can add. Our skid plate set-up is made by Rock Hard and the three-piece steel system covers the engine, transmission, transmission cross member, transfer case, and gas tank. The stock gas tank skid plate is covered by the heavy-duty Rock Hard skid plate adding a little extra protection.

As a newbie driver, you will at some point slip off a rock and onto another rock that you may have been straddling that could be sharp or be in such a way that it punctures something underneath. It’s part of learning to drive and picking your line. Sometimes it’s the challenge of the trail. Sometimes experienced drivers rely on their skid plates to get them over some of these rocks without worrying about costly damage.

It’s best to have the most coverage from body armor you can afford while you are learning, or as you progress into more extreme crawling, just to reduce the “while you are in there” moments and save your pocketbook from unnecessary repairs. Keep in mind that a good skid plate system will add significant weight to your Jeep so if you can afford aluminum spend the money.

Now there is another benefit to skid plates that I’m not sure Tony or Josh is aware of.  We have had our skid plates for about 4 years. I had no idea they would be a “catch-all” for things like screws, wire, and things you had no idea you needed to store. Seriously! Bill had recently installed a new front driveshaft and as we were returning from a run, we heard clunking as Bill got on and off the gas. We stopped and Bill got underneath on the trail and discovered that 4 of the 8 flange bolts were missing where the driveshaft connected to the transfer case. Apparently, they didn’t get torqued properly. They had fallen out somewhere on the trail. Now, these aren’t just your run-of-the-mill bolts, these have a specific shape and thread and hardness (of course they do) and Bill decided we would make something work just to get us home and order the proper bolts later.  When we finally got to a place off the trail to secure the flange he thought, “gee, I wonder if the bolts could still be laying on top of the skid plate?” He was thrilled to find all four of the bolts inside the skid plate. Yep, hiding in plain sight. Who would have thought our skid plates would have collected those darn bolts. Another time, he found a piece of wire and bolt from some work a shop had done. Yep, found it inside the skid plate. Another time he found the transmission cooling line clip he had lost the week before our 25hr. event. Then the other day he took the plates off to do some maintenance and chassis inspection. Guess what he found? A tiny brass-colored nut. He has NO IDEA what the heck that goes to. Oh boy, now he’s on a mission to figure that out. So glad we have the plates for wheeling and who knows what we may find hanging around inside our plates. 

Now if only we could find money or old coins, or something to help pay for all the upgrades. LOL

Camp Fireside Chat

Is The Factory (OEM) Roll Bar Good Enough?

Or is it in the way? Maybe It Just Needs YOUR Idea To Make It Better! 

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Links Mentioned in this Episode 

NEXEN Tires USA https://www.nexentireusa.com/

Trails 411- POWERING Your Adventure https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver

The 4×4 Radio Network http://4x4radionetwork.com/

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