Episode 478 – Is This The End Of The Cherokee Saga?
This Week In Jeep
Jeeper Gets Ingenuity Award of The Year!
It’s been said that where there’s a will, there’s a way. While bored at home on a rare snowy day, JJ decided that he was going to plow the snow in front of his house — but not in the way that it’s typically done. So how, did JJ the Jeeper do it you ask? With a home-built plow consisting of a foldable table, metal poles, and some 2x4s! JJ’s wife posted a video of him in action with the jeep and the homemade plow on TikTok.
It of course went viral in no time. I seriously can’t believe how well this ingenious invention worked! I mean there’s no chance in hell it will see another thanksgiving dinner, but at least the concept was proven out and who knows, maybe this will spur on some other inventors out there to make a stowable, more heavy-duty version of this folding table snowplow design. For his ingenuity, I hereby award JJ of Washington DC the Jeep Talk Show Ingenuity Award of The Year!
DUI Charges Dropped Against Springsteen – Jeep Bring Ad Back
Federal prosecutors said they could not prove drunk and reckless driving charges against him connected to his arrest on Nov. 14 at Gateway National Recreation Area in New Jersey. Springsteen did, however, admit during a court hearing that he had ((QUOTE)) “two small shots of tequila” and pleaded guilty to consuming alcohol in an enclosed area in New Jersey, which comes with a 450 dollar fine. To which he replied to the judge, “I think I can take care of all of that right now your honor.”
A statement from Jeep later in the day said that “as we stated previously, we paused the commercial until the facts were established. Now, that the matter has been resolved, we are unpausing the commercial. Its message of community and unity is as relevant as ever. As is the message that drinking and driving can never be condoned.”
Uhhh, hey Jeep, have you ever heard of a little concept called innocent until PROVEN guilty? … I stand by my earlier statements that Jeep had a premature knee-jerk reaction to a story and made drastic if not desperate decisions based on a story before all of the facts were out. The excuse I’m sure was uttered in some conference room somewhere that “we need to get ahead of this” …so cancel culture wins and we all lose. Whatever. At the end of the day, it’s still just a commercial.
Production stops are extended at Jeep plant due to lack of computer chips
A production freeze has been extended at a Stellantis factory that builds Jeep and Fiat models. Stellantis said in a statement it had decided to completely suspend activity at the plant on Monday and Tuesday and on Feb. 22-23. The production halt followed a last-minute notification from a supplier last week that it could not provide certain electronic devices due to the lack of semiconductors. Jeep released a statement regarding this saying “This confirms the current phase of pandemic uncertainty at a global level, with the consequent need to adjust production programs on a daily basis.”
This particular plant was halted over the whole of the last week, while production at another facility was frozen for two days the week before. Stellantis has asked for flexible furlough schemes until the end of March for the affected plant, which would allow the company to cut production in the coming weeks based on the demand outlook and parts supply status. What this will mean for the average consumer is nothing, unless this goes on for much longer than what the current supply of Jeeps can account for. If what my research is showing is correct, that means Stellantis has less than a 100 day supply of Jeeps for the entire worldwide market. That is not a lot considering Jeep has typically operated at a 50 plus day margin for the US market alone. It doesn’t sound like this supply chain issue is going to extend beyond the automakers’ capabilities to overcome it, but it may start to drive sticker prices up slightly in the weeks to come. So if you were about to go out and buy a brand new Jeep, I would suggest holding off for about a month or two for things to stabilize further or look at a certified pre-owned model that may provide more attractive financing options.
Newbie Nuggets
I want to tell you a story about a little jeep…
OK, it’s not that kind of story. I want to share that I have noticed the jeep wanders from side-to-side when driving it daily or on paved roads. It was happening when we first got the jeep but Bill always sort of “fixed” it with one of the “while you’re in there” moments or “You know if I replace this with that…or, maybe this will do it.” comments. Well, it never really got resolved. Last year, after installing the PSC hydro-assist steering it got to the point where I just didn’t trust driving it on the pavement. It felt like I was not in control of the vehicle. I am used to responsive steering on the Chevy and this just seemed to be getting worse as time went on. It was great on the trails, but driving on the pavement at 40 MPH was becoming a real challenge. When we got the jeep it was pre-dented and had about 65,000 miles on it. Almost everything was good but Bill never could identify what brand the parts were which is why he slowly upgraded suspension parts over time. Now you may recall me discussing in a previous Fireside chat that at around 38-41 mph there was a strange
vibration/wobble that we could NEVER figure out and no, it wasn’t “Death Wobble.” We swapped out so many things to see if we could nail it down until we just decided it was a part of THIS jeep and let it be and when it finally broke we’d know what it was. And now the wandering would be added to that list. Well Bill is not one to “give up” and he made it his goal to figure out why our jeep wanders and other jeeps he has driven do not. In the beginning (before we were fully immersed in all things jeep) we did take it to a few shops but no one could really help us. So Bill made it his mission to solve the mystery. He changed springs, shocks, control arms, caster, pinion angle, hubs, driveshafts, etc. to try and “fix” the problem. Nothing seemed to work.
When we added the PSC steering, which by the way is AWESOME when crawling on rocks, the ‘wandering” was even worse. The PSC steering was so easy and smooth to drive and effortless that there isn’t much feedback on the steering wheel. The wandering got so bad I stopped driving it as a daily driver last year. It was like driving bumper cars (remember those) I was sure it was going to bounce off someone else. Anyway, just by luck, when Bill was helping Don Alexander in his Sahara build-out, Bill got to meet and work with John Currie from Rock Jock. When Don and Bill were installing the new JL Suspension on Don’s jeep, Bill got a firsthand look (training as he calls it) into how suspensions work and the proper way to install them and align the axles. Bill took that info back to our jeep and discovered that the axles were slightly out of alignment from each other AND offset to one side of the Jeep.
Once Bill adjusted the front end he could see that the back axle was not in the same alignment. Turns out the rear was off by about 1-1/2”. Probably just enough to cause the wandering. He adjusted the front lower and upper control arms properly. Then he swapped out the rear springs and installed an adjustable track bar to get the rear axles centered in the frame. And what do you know? It drives like a brand new jeep. So after proper and precise alignment of the axles, you can’t’ believe how awesome this jeep drives now. No more wandering. Bill thinks it may have been the two axles fighting each other. It even drives great with aired down tires. Which we drive sometimes living so close to Gold Mountain; we air up at home – no sense in using the Power tank on the trail if we don’t have to.
I am telling you it’s like night and day. So I am back to LOVING driving the jeep daily and want to remind newbies that sometimes you have to be persistent and never give up on finding a solution to a funky problem. And BTW: that funny vibration is GONE. Probably the axles being off, or who the heck really knows. Now I no longer have that strange sensation of wandering or vibrating…. OK Tony, get your mind out of the gutter.
Tech Talk with Jeep Talk
Crooked Steering Wheel? Lights On In The Dash?
If you’re a Jeeper like me, then you find yourself spending some time on the rocks, and despite your best efforts, there is still a missed line or a miss throttle that has you wondering if there was any carnage. it’s bound to happen to any rock crawler sooner or later — you get off the trail and onto flat ground and notice that your ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System), BAS (Brake Assist System) and ESP (Electronic Steering Program) lights are on. As you continue driving on pavement, you notice your steering wheel isn’t quite centered — even in a straight line the Jeep logo is at an angle rather than straight across. Your Jeep’s steering wheel only needs to be off by 5 degrees to trigger the ABS and ESP lights, because your Jeep thinks the vehicle isn’t moving in the direction you’re steering. If knocked far enough out of whack, you may not even be able to drive on the pavement because the ABS is locked up. Your Jeep’s computer thinks the Jeep is in a slide, and it’s using the brake system to try to bring it back under control. If that happens, you’ll also notice that your brakes aren’t working properly because the ABS system is already applying the brakes. Technology is a great thing until it’s not. Hence my endless rants on “drivers assist technology” MEH! It’s the bane of Jeepers worldwide. But if you play in the rocks and your steering gets bumped out of whack, well… there’s no way you can drive that Jeep home safely. The first time it happens you might panic, thinking your Jeep isn’t drivable — especially if you don’t have much in the way of mechanical skills, have no tools, and are a long way from home. Fear not — there is a very simple trail fix to get you back on the road that even an absolute beginner can handle. BUT, you will need some tools, so here is where all that preparedness we are always preaching about pays for itself many times over. Ok, the first step is going to be to loosen the Drag Link Adjustment Sleeve Bolts.
After verifying that you haven’t actually bent or broken anything, grab a 15 mm socket wrench and park your Jeep on a flat surface with the tires straight ahead. It’s important to make sure they are as straight as possible. If available, have a friend climb into the driver seat to keep an eye on the steering wheel while you crawl under the front of the Jeep. Loosen (but don’t remove) the two bolts on the drag link adjustment sleeve. Next, you’re going to grab the sleeve that is between the two bolts and twist toward the ground to move the steering wheel counterclockwise, or toward the driver side door, or toward the sky to move the steering wheel clockwise, or toward the passenger door. When the steering wheel is straight, tighten up the two bolts. Once everything is tightened back up and the tools are put away, take the Jeep for a test ride. Sometimes it may take a couple of adjustments to get it perfectly centered, but it’s clearly not a hard process, and can be done on the side of the trail or road, or even in a staging area or parking lot. If everything checks out ok, and the lights go out, you can safely drive your Jeep home and check for further problems in the comfort of your own garage. Of course, if problems persist, or you’d like some extra peace of mind, take it to a mechanic, offroad shop, or alignment shop if you prefer. You probably hit your tie rod on a rock, but an off-center steering wheel could be a symptom of a bigger problem. Just to be safe, here are some things you should check once you’re in the garage and have access to mare tools and a safer place to work on the Jeep. Toe-in is important on our Jeeps and a little bit is necessary. Check that toe-in on your Jeep is between 1/16 inch and 1/8 inch.
If you have an adjustable track bar, verify that your front axle is still centered. Using a straight edge, see if you have a bent tie rod. You’ll want to check for any loose track bar bolts, wallowed out bolt holes in any of the mounts both frame side and axle side as well. Take a look to see if your control arm bushings are worn. Look for signs of cracking or missing material. Worn ball joints can cause any number of issues, so get each tire up in the air and check for excessive play. This is done by grabbing the tire at the 12 and 6 ‘o’clock positions and reefing it from top to bottom. If you don’t have the strength to do this, simply jack the wheel up a few inches off the ground, and using a very large pry bar placed underneath the tire, pry upwards to put vertical pressure on the wheel assembly. If there is play, you have a worn ball joint. This steering wheel re-centering adjustment is also part of the procedure for a front-end alignment and is something that all Jeep owners who take their Jeep off-road should learn how to do.
Must-Have Stuff Pick-of-the-Week for your Jeep!
2011-2017 Jeep Wrangler Premium Dash Mounted Phone Holder $64.99
Made in the USA specifically for the 2011 – 2017 Jeep Wrangler.
Instead of taking up valuable storage room in the dash tray, or taking up space in a cup holder, this instead holds any phone in place with rock-solid brackets that install behind the dashboard and put the phone in the ideal position, next to the stereo. The phone literally becomes part of the Jeep. It comes as a complete package that includes all parts – brackets, mount, swivel, and holder. The included heavy-duty swivel feature allows the user to put the phone both in horizontal and vertical positions to best make use of the screen no matter what app you’re using. The holder is adjustable (from 2” to 3.75”) that can fit any modern phone like iPhone XS Max, iPhone X, Samsung S9+, etc.
Camp Fireside Chat
Chief of Cherokee Nation Says ‘It’s Time’ for Jeep to Stop Using Name
Jeep has been using the Cherokee name badge since 1974. So why has it taken over 46 years, nearly five decades to finally come forward with a complaint? Seems like someone is making a problem out of something that isn’t one. So… should Jeep back down or tell the Cherokee Nation that they should have stepped up sooner? Where do YOU stand on this issue? You can join us around the virtual campfire every Thursday night at 9:45 PM (Central Standard Time) when we record the latest episode. Subscribe to our newsletter to get weekly reminders and how to join via Zoom.
Links Mentioned in this Episode:
NEXEN Tires USA https://www.nexentireusa.com/
Jeep 4-1-1 https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver
The 4×4 Radio Network http://4x4radionetwork.com/
Interact With The Show! https://jeeptalkshow.com/contact
Jeep Talk Show on Facebook https://facebook.com/jeeptalkshow
Red Rock 4-Wheelers (Hosts of The Easter Jeep Safari) https://rr4w.com/
PSC Motorsports https://www.pscmotorsports.com/
Rock Jock Axles https://www.rockjock.com/
2011-2017 Jeep Wrangler Premium Dash Mounted Phone Holder
https://www.gtacarkits.com/product/jeep-wrangler-2011-2018-premium-phone-holder-dash-mount-swivel/
Excellent Article About; The Jeep Gladiator’s Ability To Tow A Heavy/Oversized Load
https://news.pickuptrucks.com/2021/02/how-well-does-the-jeep-gladiator-diesel-tow-with-the-wrong-trailer.html