Episode 486 – Rust Belt Jeep Fix
This Week In Jeep
And the crowd goes… mild
Jeep is a brand that has been all about the outdoors since before many of you were driving. And the brand has done a lot over the years to show this. Evidence of this could be found in today’s youtube release by Jeep’s official channel, in celebration of Earth Day, which was April 22nd. The video was lackluster at best. Something I think anyone in elementary school could have produced. Honestly, it was just snippets from the 60 second “Earth Odyssey” commercial released in February. A homage to the movie “2001 Space Odyssey ” a commercial that was largely just short cuts of animal wails turned to more or less match the tone of the song made famous from that movie. All to highlight or announce the arrival of the somehow eco-friendly 4xe Wrangler hybrid. Well, this Earth Day video was a regurgitation of that. And the view counter proves we as Jeepers don’t want to see this crap. Even though it was released across all of the social media platforms simultaneously, it’s gotten less than 1500 views on youtube. Each of the aforementioned snippets was trimmed down even further and resized to resemble a zoom-like conference call between all of these creatures of the wild. Each having its own caption below them as if they typed it in themselves. Some were even having technical issues like leaving their mic on mute or something. All very cutesy, and very plain, and very safe, and completely meaningless. Oh no, wait… I forgot, the meaning of this assault to my intelligence was that they once again highlighted the 4xe hybrid Wrangler, as it this time apologies for being late because it ((QUOTE)) “slept in.” Oh so now the Jeep can talk, at least digitally, to animals, who have somehow grasped the concept of internet video conferencing. Ok, someone needs to be fired. At the end of this 45-second virtue, vomit makes fun of monkeys or gorillas or some sort of primate as it is just utterly stunned and baffled as to the actor in the suit completely overreacts to the Jeep is a plugin. “Electrified?” QUESTION MARK is the caption. I was actually surprised they didn’t go for the McCully Caulkin hands-on face scream from the movie “Home Alone.” The camera pulls back to reveal, you guessed it, a monolith in the middle of nowhere with the Jeep plugged into it – allegedly charging itself from an electric grid of which ⅔ of it is powered by coal or natural gas-fired power plants. Wind and solar get you less than 10 percent and are only around when the sun is shining or the wind is blowing. Jeep claims that SOME of the proprietary charging stations (that by the way won’t look anything like this) they’re putting in trailheads around the nation will be solar-powered. That infrastructure isn’t here yet, nor is the truth about electric vehicles to warrant the super eco-friendly stance Jeep is taking with these messages as it relates to the 4xe hybrid Wrangler. If you want to give away two minutes of your life that you will never get back, we will have the links to these videos on the show notes for this episode at Jeeptalkshow.com. And join me in a crusade for the return of offensive commercials.
Jeep Commercial “Earth Odyssey” (60 sec)
Jeep Earth Day Video
A 6×6 Gladiator available at Jeep dealers soon
Behold the Jeep Gladiator 6×6. It’s the work of a company called Next Level. And yes, they are a third-party company. Meaning they are not the manufacturer, nor are they the seller of this vehicle, they are the creators. What makes this a big deal is that unlike every single six-figure or crazy custom Jeep ever built that we’ve talked about… the Gladiator 6×6 will actually be sold at authorized Jeep dealers around the nation.
The Gladiator’s big sell is its extra axle and new eight-foot bed. It has a permanent four-wheel drive and on-demand six-wheel drive, with Fox suspension throughout. The wheels are 20in with 37in off-road tires, and you’ve got a choice of three engines: 270bhp 4cyl turbo, which I would have to say would still be anemic for this thing. You could step up to the 285bhp V6, or go with what I imagine most would opt for which is the 375bhp V6 diesel. The latter sounds most appealing given the extra mass you’re hauling around. But whoever is buying these (which by the way start at $132K) would probably opt for no engine, save some money and find someone to drop a Hemi V8 into it. Wouldn’t you?
Newbie Nuggets with Wendy
A JTS listener and Zoom member come to Southern California to wheel
Wanted to share a fun run we did a few weeks back. Larry from JeepinMo and a member of the Zoom People each week was in So. Calif. and reached out to see if we could do a run. Larry had never been to our So. Cal Mountains and certainly not on these two black diamond trails. Well, you don’t have to ask me twice. Mike “Zen”, also from the Zoom People and in So Calif, arranged to pick Larry up and brought him up to Big Bear. There were four jeeps in all, ours, Mike’s, Don Alexander, and another JTS listener, Scott, and Becky. We started on Gold Mountain and proceeded to little John Bull and Big John Bull. I remember Larry’s comments on the scenery, Tony, you remember the view from atop Gold Mountain, Larry was amazed at the beauty and the views. There was even snow still on Mt. San Gorgonio, the highest peak in Southern California at 11,503 feet. Larry was shooting a video and posted it on his channel JeepinMo if you want to check out the footage. He did a great job of capturing the day and the obstacles. He had a huge smile from ear to ear.
After Gold Mountain, we made our way to Little John Bull. I haven’t talked much about this trail because we tend to focus on the black diamond trails, but this trail is no slouch. It’s sort of a warm-up to Big John Bull. Full of challenging obstacles, with some steep declines and off-camber climbing that get you ready for the bigger obstacles and challenges ahead. Traveling through the area, Larry commented that in Missouri they mostly wheel in mud. Well, you know how I feel about mud – I hate it and the harsh clean-up afterward. Lucky for us the snow had mostly melted and there were very few mud holes and we were able to go around them and stay dry. Larry said they don’t have these kinds of rocks to wheel over and the entire experience was awesome.
Once at the gatekeeper at John Bull, the fun began. We approach the gatekeeper and just wheel on up. No issues and I love when other off-roaders watch us go through a difficult obstacle…. We hardly say a word, it’s a silent choreographed routine with hand signals and everyone gets through with ease. Their faces show their expression, in almost disbelief we could get through the first time, without any yelling or body damage. Priceless! Becky was wheeling her new set-up rig and did a flawless job navigating and learning to pick her lines. I’m still amazed that Mike can get through John Bull with a clutch. I told him he needs to save for the center force clutch – it would be life-changing for his wheeling. John Bull offers quite a few challenges with rocks, slippery surfaces, and lines you need to pick correctly or end up with scrapes and dents or getting hung up on rocks. We had lunch at a spot on John Bull that offers views of the desert below. If you look closely you can see the mountains where King of the Hammers is held – you kind of need to know where you are looking, but we know where it is. The day continued with lots of fun and surprisingly not a lot of other jeepers on the trails. It was the Saturday before Easter and I was shocked there weren’t more people out. Better for us, we didn’t get stuck behind someone and we also didn’t have anyone behind us either.
Larry was a great passenger and we had a whole lot of fun. Getting to know one of our listeners and sharing our beautiful trails is all part of the journey. Larry, anytime you want to visit us again, let me know and we will get out on the trails. There are some incredible trails in the desert and several other trails up here in Big Bear you still need to explore.
I have an idea that rattled around in my head a bit. Want to see what you guys think and also to hear from our listeners. We discussed in a previous episode in the bonus section of the show – you know the part of the show you get when you download the app? Anyway, there was discussion about all the hosts convening in a central place and possibly wheeling together with some of the listeners. Well, what if the listeners came to us in each of our areas and wheeled with us. The listener would earn a “Badge of Honor” type JTS sticker specific to that region that you earned for wheeling with one of the hosts. Between me in Big Bear/Deserts, Josh in Oregon, Tammy in Colorado/Moab, and Tony with his new Gladiator in Texas there would be lots of opportunities to earn badges/stickers. It’s an idea for now but what do you think? Would you wheel in one of these areas with us? If you think it would be a good or a bad idea, let us know, call in or email. And Larry, if we get a sticker made, you will be the first one to get one from my area.
Tech Talk with Jeep Talk
Door won’t Unlock Or Open – Is It Rust?
If you live in the salt belt or drive a Jeep that once did, chances are, you have rust.
For those who don’t know, the salt belt refers to pretty much the entire northeast quadrant of the United States who salt their roads heavily every winter. Salt, steel, and water don’t mix. Well, they do actually and when left alone for any period of time, they create rust. Or iron-oxide if you were paying attention in chemistry. Rust eats metal, that’s what it does. And the build-up of iron oxide can play havoc with everything from electrical terminals, to nuts and bolts, and even the linkages in your doors. Older Jeeps that have spent any of their life in the salt belt are likely seeing issues pop up more and more frequently nowadays, and some of them could be attributed to rust. Sometimes it’s just normal wear and tears, but in the case of Noah H. from Dayton Ohio, his 2001 Jeep Cherokee is having some problems that I think may be the result of rust. He writes:
“Hey Jeep Talk Show, can you help me get my rear doors open. They won’t lock or unlock, and neither one will open. What can I do?”
Well Noah, thanks for listening, and for taking the time to write into the show. Likely what has happened in your case is rust has built upon the door latch mechanism and likely all the linkages too. Things are about to be welded shut if you don’t act soon. Thankfully, the door panels on the Jeep Cherokee XJ’s are easy to remove even with the doors closed. You will want a Phillips screwdriver, and maybe a flat blade too if you can’t get the plugs loose. After removing all the screws, you will start popping the panel loose from the bottom working your way all around and up each side. Once the panel is loose it will pop upwards and outwards from the door. It won’t come all the way out or off until you remove the electrical plug and the linkages. The linkages have clips on them that will release with a flip and a turn, so just use that flat blade screwdriver, or your finger to pry the retainer clip off the linkage at both the lever, and the door lock button. Once that is done the linkage can be pulled from its spot on the door panel. With the door panel out of the way, we can now get to the door latch mechanism.
The mechanism itself is what latches onto the hook or stud in the door jamb, and what facilitates the locking and unlocking of the door. There are three linkages that come off this mechanism. One for the lock button in the door panel, one for the release lever in the door panel, and one for the release button on the outside (in the case of the back doors there is no lock on the outside so no linkage.) Grabbing both inside door linkages, you will start working them back and forth with increasing force until the door pops open. This is the point where we go full chemical warfare on the rust that is binding all the mechanics of this thing from working properly. The mechanism as a whole is pretty much just a series of latches and springs. And when things get gunked up with oxidation, road grime, and years and years of dust and door debris, they just stop working. So it’s up to you to clean it up and get it lubed up to work again. PB blaster is a great chemical that works well to penetrate deep into rust. I go nuts with the stuff. Using the little straw attachment, you get into the very connection and pivot points of the door latch mechanism. Spray the crap out of them while working the living snot out of those linkages. The more you can move them around and the more lube you can get into the workings of it, the more crap you can flush out. It won’t take but a few sprays and a few hundred pushes and pulls of the linkage before it’s working like new again. Test out your luck by shutting the door and trying to lock it and unlock it and open it from both sides. Now you will also need to clean out all that spray lube you just shot into your door by using some brake cleaner the same way. With the little straw attachment, spray down the mechanism and the inside of the door by where you sprayed the lube and clean it all out. This will also help flush more debris and loose rust from the nooks and crannies as the brake cleaner usually comes out with much more force than lube does. Compressed air may also help too to get it all dried out and flushed out the drain holes. Yes, the doors have drains in them and they are at the bottom of the door at the seam. There should be one at each end at the very least. Once everything is cleaned up, it’s time to apply the lube once more, but with more precision this time. You will note there is a small oval window on the end of the door just above where the latch mechanism is. This is for access to the exterior release button adjustment. And it is almost always frozen. Likely you will not be able to adjust this without breaking it or removing the entire mechanism from the door. This will involve removing the three Torx bolts on the end of the door holding the mechanism in place, and then removing the door handle from the outside of the door, and removing the linkage from the outside release button (and lock if it’s a front door.) This will of course (on a salt belt Jeep) involves breaking most of the mounting screws, so be prepared with replacements. Having the mechanism out on a workbench to meticulously clean and adjust as needed is a lot more work, it comes with more risk, but it is ultimately the right way to do this job. But I will let you decide on how far you go with this. This same method can be used for front doors, back doors, rear hatches, Grand Cherokees, Wranglers, and yes even those other Jeeps too. Just know that too much force will bend linkages, and you are dealing with petrochemicals with nasty propellants in many cases, so be sure to do this in a well-ventilated area. If you do break something, don’t worry, virtually every nut, bolt, linkage, clip, and screw in that door can be found on various websites around the internet. If you want less risk, see about going to a wrecking yard, and trying this out on a donor vehicle first to get yourself familiar with the procedure. So Noah H of Dayton, Ohio. I hope this helps and gets you back to having all four doors working once more.
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Gladiator Talk – Deadpool
Jeep Life – With Jeep Momma
RTI Ramps and Scores – What Are They For?
Hi Tony Josh Wendy and the Zoom people. I finally have my computer back. My old computer was infected with the blue screen of death. My ex… yes I am officially divorced now… was kind enough to save my pictures and videos from my old computer and set me up with one of his used computers. I did get it back a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, he put the video flash card in the slot where the plug for the monitor goes. So I had to find another plug. Then the computer wasn’t wifi compatible so I had to get another part. So now I am good to go. We have been pretty busy at Colorado 4×4. There are more Jeeps and 4×4 vehicles to fix than we have time so we are at the shop 12 hours a day pretty much 7 days a week. Plus trying to work on our own Jeeps and project Jeeps. I am getting an education in the garage for sure. We had our Grand Opening on April 10th. I would have to say it was a great success. We had an RTI challenge… which by the way we have the only RTI ramp in the San Luis Valley. What is an RTI ramp… Ramp travel index or RTI, is a way of measuring a vehicle’s ability to flex its suspension, a property also known as axle articulation. The RTI rating is used mainly in the off-roading industry to test and describe the chassis limits of modified vehicles.
The ramps vary between 15 and 30 degrees of angle for the vehicle to ride up. “Ramping” a vehicle involves putting one front tire on the ramp and driving up slowly until one of the other three tires (usually the rear one on the same side as the tire driving the ramp) begins to leave the ground. The measurement is only taken when the other three tires are still on the ground. The distance traveled up the ramp is then measured and is divided by the vehicle’s wheelbase and finally multiplied by 1000 to give a final RTI score.[1] Most stock SUVs have RTI values from 400 to 550;[1] vehicles modified for off-road competition have the ability to exceed 1000. We had an RTI Ramp Challenge. My score was 550… not to good but typical for the longer wheelbase Jeeps. The winner I am happy to announce was a Jeep Talk Show Podcast listener. Ron rolled up the ramp with a 52 Willy’s Jeep and scored 1056. The only one to break 1000. I wheeled with Ron and that little Willy’s sure can perform. We had a lot of excited Jeepers show up. There really isn’t a Jeep community here in the valley and Jeepers are excited to have a place to go and meet other Jeepers. We are hoping we started something good. I also had some other friends show up. Mike from SoCal. Another JTS fan. He has wheeled with Wendy and me. Angela from Arizona. And the biggest surprise. Another JTS fan. It was a big surprise and I was so touched I started crying. This Jeep Community is so amazing. This past year has been an emotional ride for me. I have lost a lot of my friends but the Jeep Community has stuck with me through it all and that means so much to me. So when Jerry and his wife Coral showed up to support our opening the tears of happiness started flowing. Jerry is Willy Wagin a long-time JTS Listener. I have wheeled with him at Rausch Creek and Uwharrie. He and Nicky G played a practical joke on me in Uwharrie. The next day a bunch of us went up into the San Juans and found a cool trail with amazing views. It was up by Bishops Rock. The rock formation looked like a praying Bishop. Every day this Jeep Community amazes me. Next week on Jeep Life… Suspension Fails. I have seen a lot of Jeeps come in and out of the garage these past months and learned a lot about the suspension systems. So next week my Top 5 Suspension Fails in the Jeep. Actually, after last night and find issues on my Jeep it will be Top 6.
Campfire Side Chat
It could be those drop-down steps, maybe it’s a pair of fake eyelashes or those 4-inch lift blocks you saw that one time on a YJ.
What’s the worst mod you’ve seen done to a Jeep?
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Links Mentioned in this Episode
NEXEN Tires USA
Jeep 4-1-1
https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver
The 4×4 Radio Network
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