Episode 452 – Don’t Pinch Your Controller Cable!

This episode brought to you in part by, ExtremeTerrain!  ExtremeTerrain has released a new video aimed at helping Jeep Wrangler owners choose the best soft top just in time for their summer adventures. The video is an upgrade to XT’s comprehensive Jeep tops tech guide covering everything needed to help customers shop, swap, maintain and winterize their top with confidence.

 

This Week In Jeep: 

“I fought the law, and the law… LOST!”

What happens when you fight the law? Well as the song goes, the law wins… usually. But there are those (very rare) times, when innocent people stand up to government bullies who use things like civil forfeiture laws to steal their property, and the bullies, unaccustomed to such resistance, fold like a cheap suit. That is the basis behind this harrowing story of a Handyman who nearly lost his Jeep to a crooked city government.  Kevin McBride is a successful handyman and his Jeep, the vehicle he uses to make a living was seized by Tucson Arizona Police, after his girlfriend allegedly used it as transportation during a $25 marijuana sale. Ohhh boy watchout, serious cartel action here people! Until last Friday, the Pima County Attorney’s Office was demanding a $1,900 ransom for the safe return of McBride’s lovingly restored Jeep, saying “an outright return of the vehicle is inappropriate in this case.” But the day after the Goldwater Institute threatened to sue on McBride’s behalf, arguing that Arizona’s civil forfeiture law unconstitutionally requires property owners to prove their innocence, …the prosecutors very quickly changed their tune. “Upon inquiry pursuant to A.R.S. § 13-4309(3)(a) & (b), remission is declared,” says a letter dated August 21st from Deputy County Attorney Kevin Krejci, the same official who told McBride in an August 11th letter that he would have to pay $1,900 under a “mitigation” agreement to get his Jeep back.  “The 2000 JEEP WRANGLER…is released from seizure for forfeiture. The seizing agency and any person holding property for the seizing agency are hereby authorized to arrange the release of the seizure for forfeiture on this property.” Goldwater Institute spokesman Mike Brownfield says there was no explanation given. But I will go out on a limb and suggest that the government’s swift reversal has something to do with the negative publicity and legal risk generated by a case like this. A case in which an innocent man lost his only means of transportation and the basis of his livelihood as a handyman because he let his girlfriend take his Jeep to a convenience store so she could fetch him a cold soda while he was working. The cops claim she then sold marijuana to an undercover officer for $25. Although the charges against her were severe enough at the time to both warrant the arrest AND the seizure of a vehicle, they …..have since been dropped.  (Gee shocking, it’s almost as if they had no case at all, no evidence, and no merit for either arresting this poor girl or impounding the Jeep to begin with”.  Yet for reasons which have not yet been explained to the public by the Tucson city police department, the Jeep remained in custody, accused of participating in criminal activity. What? Were they planning on giving the Jeep its own day in court? It’s ridiculous. Arizona law would have allowed McBride to challenge the forfeiture by arguing that he “did not know and could not reasonably have known” about the alleged illegal use of his property. But the burden would have been on him to prove that, and it would have required months of investigation and evidence collecting, and spending thousands of dollars on a lawyer with no guarantee of winning. If the Goldwater Institute had not agreed to represent him for free Kevin McBride would literally be destitute. Law enforcement agencies now rely on and count on those kinds of barriers as a revenue stream. I mean did you know that Arizona law enforcement agencies, among many other state law enforcement agencies, get to keep 100 percent of the proceeds from the forfeitures they handle? It is basically extortion when innocent property owners like McBride, when faced with the insane financial obligations that are required to fight forfeitures like this, find out it will cost more than what the property (a Jeep in this case)  is likely worth. Average people typically just give up, not being able to afford the costs of fighting, they cut their losses and walk away. If the city government sold McBride’s Jeep for $15,000 (which is what McBride estimates it is worth), local cops and prosecutors would have split the money. Even without risking a legal challenge, they would have gotten $1,900 for the price of a letter if McBride had done the sensible thing by surrendering. Multiply those ill-gotten gains by all the seizures that happen in just the state of Arizona, and you’ve got nearly $30 million to pad law enforcement budgets each year. And if you don’t think that tends to warp policing priorities, you’ve been watching too much TV. While the public safety payoff from seizures like this one are zero, the profit adds up pretty quickly for the crooked agencies operating like this year after year. Goldwater Institute senior attorney Matt Miller said in a press release that ((QUOTE)) “Kevin isn’t the only Jeep owner who’s been targeted by civil asset forfeiture schemes—and unfortunately, he probably won’t be the last. The Goldwater Institute will continue to put pressure on states to reform or repeal these unfair laws—whether through legal action or through state legislatures amending these laws to require a criminal conviction.” So kiddies… What’s the moral of the story here? … DON’T LET ANYONE, ESPECIALLY YOUR SUPER HOT STONER GIRLFRIEND, BORROW YOUR JEEP!

Jeep’s Top Canine Winner Announced!

National Dog Day was Wednesday, August 26th. And this year’s 16th annual celebration of all that is dog was emphasized by a very special tribute from Jeep. You may remember back on episode 447, that we talked about Jeeps national search for a new furry representative for the Jeep brand. One that would proudly take center stage in all of the brands Social Media advertising and marketing. Dubbed as Jeep’s Top Canine Search, and using hashtag #topcanine, Jeep set out to find the perfect Jeep pooch. Applicants were asked to submit pictures, and people could go onto the site portal and vote on their favorites. We of course posted up that link, in that episode, and we sincerely hoped you supported the brand by voting. Well, the numbers are in, and this week, the results were announced. The top 7 finalists in the Jeep Top Canine Contest are: Louis from Edwards, Illinois. Stark from Ivy land, Pennsylvania. Luna from Pflugerville, Texas. Rollo from Columbus, Ohio Floyd from San Diego California. Macy from Edmeston, New York Peaches from Madison, Virginia. All cute and very much Jeeping dogs. Jeep waves and milk-bones for all… for all you Jeepers who submitted your own dog and helped out the Jeep brand by voting for your favorite. But despite what the grade schools are teaching our kids, there can be only one winner. And that pooch, picked from thousands of other Jeep dogs, Man’s AND Jeep’s best friend, crowned king of all doggies, and now proudly with the official title of Jeep’s Top Canine, The Ultimate Jeep Dog… and undisputed winner is: Bear from North borough, Massachusetts! Bear looks to be a mostly all black Australian shepherd and lab mix perhaps. His winning picture has him standing in the back of his Jeep Wrangler, his paws are draped over the spare tire, as a US flag handkerchief sits comfortably around his neck, and another hangs off the corner of the Jeep in the foreground. Bear’s smile and tongue hanging out adds a perfect touch to the charm of this Jeep dog. Chief marketing officer for FCA Olivier Francois, noted that ((QUOTE))  “it’s almost an unwritten law that if you take your Jeep out, your dog is coming with you.” We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Bear will retain his title for one year, until National Dog Day of 2021, when a new Top Canine will be picked. Congratulations from all of us here at The Jeep Talk Show to Bear and his humans.

Tech Talk With Jeep Talk: 

Ball Joint (and other front end component) Testing

Ball joints are one of those often overlooked components of our Jeeps that we typically don’t pay any attention to. That is until they fail. And a failing ball joint can produce all kinds of problems from poor tire wear, bad alignment, poor steering response, and even (dare i say it) …the condition whose name shall not be spoken ….death wobble.  Ball joints are much like the human hip in the sense that they work just like the ball and socket design of the joint on our body. A ball joint consists of a bearing stud and socket enclosed in a casing. The bearing stud is tapered and threaded, and this is the end that fits into a tapered hole in the steering knuckle. A protective encasing prevents dirt from getting into the joint assembly. Usually, this is a rubber-like boot that allows movement and expansion of lubricant. The joint itself is designed to articulate and provide soft and controlled steering. If the protective boot has ruptured or the grease has leaked out, the joint could be compromised, causing dangerously excessive movement vertically or horizontally. A quick visual inspection will be sufficient in determining the condition of the grease boot if yours is so equipped. So other than looking at the things, how else can we tell if this critical component of our Jeep’s front end is going bad? If you have a dial indicator handy, you can check vertical and horizontal movement that way, but that gets into knowing the specific allowances of that ball joint when compared to the factory tolerances, and these are numbers that most of us don’t have access to.  Ok, so now what? Well another test you can do is with a jack and a friend.  Jack up one front corner of the Jeep until the wheel is off the ground. Have your friend use their super sharp, eagle-eye vision to watch one of the two ball joints at that corner of the Jeep very carefully. Now would be the perfect time to take off and have a nice cold beer. When you get back, thank your friend for keeping an eye on your parts and watch out for the left hook. Next, take a pry bar, a big stick, broom handle, or anything long and strong enough to give you some prying leverage, and place it in between the floor and your tire. Using the pry bar, push up on the tire a couple of times. If your friend sees any slight movement between the ball joint and the steering knuckle then it is likely worn out and should be replaced. Allowable ball joint play is measured in the millimetres, so If there is any “obvious” movement, the ball joint has likely failed.  So long as the knuckle freely rotates, and there is no side to side play, then you are fine. Have your friend watch the other ball joint for that wheel and do the test again to see if the second joint is worn out. After you finish testing both ball joints on that side, move to the other side and repeat the tests. Speaking of tests… “While you’re in there” … you might as well do the test to check your wheel bearings. Good thing you didn’t bail on that friend helping you to go have a beer or something…. Because you’re going to need another set of eyes again. This next test is going to look at the tie rod, or more importantly its ends. This will be as easy as grabbing the tire in the 3 and 9-o-clock positions, and while having your friend watch the tie rod ends, try to wiggle the tire from side to side. If your friend sees the tie-rod end wiggle back and forth, but the tie-rod bar itself is not moving, then the tie-rod end is worn out. If the rod end is worn out or if the rubber boot on the tie-rod end is damaged (or missing altogether) then that rod end should be replaced. Note that on some stock Jeep steering systems, the entire tie rod will need to be replaced, as they were designed with a non-serviceable end, that is actually all one piece with the rod itself. If this is the case, this will be the perfect time for an upgrade! (Cue Wendy’s “uh-huh”)  Repeat this test on each wheel to check the other tie-rods. During these tests, you or your friend should be watching for other signs of front end component wear and excessive movement as well. The track bar ends should be inspected as should the axle and frame side mounts. Those should be checked for excessive play where the bolt goes through the mount itself. This hole can get wallowed out over time, and cause all kinds of steering  and handling issues too. Now just as easy as the last test, and another one of those “While you’re in there” moments, is the wheel bearing test.  The wheel bearings on your Jeep are tested in a manner much like your tie-rod ends. With one of your front wheels off the ground, place your hands on the 6 and 12-o-clock positions of the tire this time. Try to wiggle the wheel from the top and bottom, if you feel movement, your wheel bearing is most likely worn out and should be replaced.  Move to the other side and repeat this test. These three tests I just taught you are the basic critical steps in diagnosing death wobble. So now you can teach this to other Jeepers, and we might just be able to keep this scourge of the solid axle away for good!  As with any time you are working with a vehicle that is jacked up off the ground and has a wheel in the air, be sure to exercise extreme caution and safety.  And as always, if this or any of the topics covered in tech talk are above your skill set or comfort level. Please take the Jeep in to a qualified mechanic.

Newbie Nuggets: 

Why we air down

We were on a training run helping Don with a student when along came a small Toyota truck, fairly set up for off-roading, but as he passed this one particular hill climb, he stopped, backed up and decided to “climb” this obstacle. Now I wish I had the video camera because I just knew he was going to provide a great video on what not to do. Well he didn’t disappoint. He revved up the engine and “hit it”, climbing the hill on the wrong line, in my opinion, and as he got to the top, there is a huge hole on the right side of the hill that if you don’t pick the right line, and you cannot make it up all the way. Well he took the wrong line and as he “fell into the hole” he got stuck and began to spin his tires – a lot. So much so that the rooster tail of dirt he created was exactly what I was describing to the students that you don’t do in trail climbing. Well he continued to spin and the tires eventually “grabbed” the dirt and pulled him slightly upward, however he was not on the right line and darn near flipped it over backwards. I have no idea how he stayed upright, balancing like a top, back and forth. Since he wasn’t going to make it up, he started to back down the hill and almost flipped it again. He got to the bottom turned around and went on his merry way down the trail. This got me thinking, I wonder if jeepers really know why it is a good idea to air the tires down when off-roading.  Airing down the tires for rock crawling, desert riding, snow and mud offer several advantages for wheeling. We have discussed in previous episodes the types of tools for airing down and airing up, and we have discussed how much to air down which is determined by your tire sidewall stiffness, what vehicle you are driving and the type of terrain or obstacle. 1)  Airing down offers a much smoother ride on the trail. It can smooth out the bumps driving on a fire road and if you have passengers you may want to consider airing down to give them a bit of comfort too. 2)  Airing down allows the tire to grip to the obstacle by allowing more surface area and improved traction. This extra traction can mean the difference of getting over an obstacle or struggling and creating wheel spin that is unnecessary in crawling. 3)  Aired down tires actually tread lightly. This means less erosion to the trail system because you are distributing the weight of the vehicle over a larger contact patch. This reduces the wear and tear on the trails and gives you more traction. 4)  Finally, airing down reduces the possibility of a puncture. Think about puncturing a fully inflated balloon vs a partially deflated balloon. It would be harder to puncture the deflated balloon. Less air means less chance of a puncture. We always recommend airing down when on a trail, even an easy road. It’s amazing when a driver does and then says later, “wow that made a huge difference”. So let’s all try to reduce our footprint on the trails by airing down. It’s easier on the roads and easier on the body. Do you air down and have you noticed the difference by being aired down in crawling or driving on the fire roads?

Example of tread contact pattern when aired down. May be different for your brand tire and vehicle weight.

Must Have Stuff:

Skid Row Off Road – YJ Logo Foot Peg Set – JP-1022 – $58.00 Summer has been hot, it’s no question… in fact many regions have seen record heat waves this year. And one of the best ways to beat the heat is to take the doors off when you drive. Going doorless and topless is one of the best things about owning a Jeep. And nothing makes that open air feeling better than sticking your leg out into the airstream, NO not that large silver trailer in the lane next to you, keep your foot out of that! No what I’m talking about is Wrangler foot pegs. If you need a comfortable spot to place your foot after your doors are removed, then look no further than Skid Row Offroad. They’ve been making amazing armor and accessories for the Jeep community for many years. Their entire line of Foot Pegs install in the lower door hinge on both the driver and passenger side of your Jeep. They’re set at a comfortable angle and have something many of the other manufacturers don’t include…  rubber bumpers to prevent damaging your Jeeps paint. No tools are required to install the Foot Pegs, once your doors are off that is. The ones that we are highlighting this week are specific to YJ Wranglers, in the sense that they have a custom YJ letter logo cut out of the foot rest. They have them for CJ, LJ, TJ, and even JK owners as well. And if you want something a little less on the nose… they even have “his” and “hers” versions as well which have the word his or hers cut out of the foot rest respectively. All are made in the USA from 3/16” steel. They are powder coated with a semi gloss black and come with all the hardware and instructions you need to install them. Another cool line of products from Skid Row. BEWARE OF IMITATORS! https://www.skidrowoffroad.com/product/foot-pegs-for-jeep-wrangler-yj-1987-1995/

Campfire Side Chat:

This episode’s topic was; Accidents happen. Carnage happens. Wear and tear happens. Whatever happened, how long was the longest that your Jeep was down for repairs or modifications? Our list of attendees! Thanks for joining us via the Zoom meeting guys! (Sign up for our newsletter to find out how to join in on our weekly Zoom meeting https://jeeptalkshow.com/newsletter)

Links Mentioned in this Episode: 

Jeep 4-1-1  https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver
Must Have Stuff Pick-of-the-Week for your Jeep! Skid Row Off Road – YJ Logo Foot Peg Set – JP-1022 – $58.00 https://www.skidrowoffroad.com/product/foot-pegs-for-jeep-wrangler-yj-1987-1995/