Episode 540 – He Still Hasn’t Brought The Jeep Back

This Week In Jeep

Civil Rights Complaint Against Michigan For Jeep Plant Permit

So this Jeep plant fumes debacle just seems to be snowballing. Just when we thought that the problem was identified, a solution was being worked out, a deadline was in place, and everything looked to be wrapping up, well… Residents living along the perimeter of the new Jeep assembly plant in Detroit have filed a civil rights complaint with the Environmental Protection Agency. In it, they are arguing the state of Michigan discriminated against the low-income, mostly-Black neighborhood when it approved an emissions permit for the facility. The residents filing the suit argue that The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy failed to do its diligence by not conducting a cumulative impact analysis of the plant owned by Jeep’s parent company Stellantis NV prior to approving its permit. The result, they say, is discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in violation of federal law.

The residents are demanding assistance for people wishing to leave the neighborhood, more money for home repairs, and are insisting on a requirement that the EGLE conduct a cumulative impact analysis during the permitting process of any plant in the state. Now, according to a news release on the complaint, if EGLE IS found to have discriminated and cannot address the discrimination voluntarily, the EPA could move to terminate funds or refer the matter to the Justice Department for legal action. What they mean for Jeep is anyone’s guess, as the state could potentially take a second look into tax allowances or incentives that were given to Jeep to open that plant there, to begin with. 

Six-Figure STOCK Jeep

The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 was unveiled exactly one year ago, as a V8-powered off-roader destined for the US market. Emission regulations didn’t allow Jeep to ship it to the other side of the Atlantic, but the London-based Clive Sutton dealership has just started accepting orders in the UK. As you would expect, the Wrangler Rubicon 392 doesn’t come cheap for Brits with an eye-watering price tag of £105,000 ($141,131). This is almost double the US MSRP of $74,995 which is a hefty price tag for a Wrangler as it is. For the sake of comparison, the regular Jeep Wrangler starts around £48,850 ($65,735) in the UK, with a full-specced Wrangler 1941 Edition costing £58,050 ($78,117). Aside from a ridiculously high price tag, another issue is that since Jeep is not officially importing this specific variant to the UK market, the vehicles will be left-hand-drive. The dealership will handle all shipping and import arrangements while preparing the off-roader for the UK roads and offering a two-year or 30k-mile warranty – which somehow explains the six-digit price. The Rubicon 392 is the most powerful variant of the Wrangler thanks to the 6.4-liter Hemi V8 that produces 470 hp (351 kW / 477 PS) and 637 Nm (470 lb-ft) of torque. Despite its shape and size, it can accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 4.5 seconds and has a quarter-mile time of 13 seconds.

Besides being the quickest, it is also the most capable Wrangler coming out of the factory. Fitted with 33-inch BFGoodrich A/T tires, it rides 2 inches (50 mm) higher than the lesser models.

Yes, He STILL Hasn’t Returned From The Test Drive…

Just wanted to give you an update, as of the time of this recording, the week after  Thanksgiving, the man who is currently due to take the award for the world’s longest test drive, is STILL wanted by the Sumter County Sheriff’s dept. 45-year-old Eugene Nedd is wanted on the charges of breach of trust with fraudulent intent. Why might some of you who haven’t gotten it yet ask? Because on October 18th Nedd test drove a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee and never returned it, or himself back to the lot. So yeah, he’s got a Guinness Book of World’s Record award to accept and a shiny new pair of bracelets that the authorities would probably like to bestow upon him as well. Obviously, if you see Nedd, and we’ve got his pic up on the website, call 911, or reach out to the Sumter County Sheriff Department directly. 

Tech Talk with Jeep Talk

Jeep Fuel Systems (multi-part series)

In the last Tech Talk, we started a multi-part series on the different types of fuel systems found in Jeeps. We started it all off with the kind of system that you’d find in a YJ. 

Why the YJ? Because the YJ’s were the first Wrangler, and they carried a little of the carburetor technology from the decades of Jeeps that came before them. So we covered what a carburetor or carb is, and a little of how they work, but since most Jeeps still on the trail are fuel-injected, that’s the primary focus of this whole series.

So the choice of the YJ Wrangler to start was good, because it also had the first generation of Jeep fuel injection in it too, which paved the way for the future generations of Jeep fuel systems. So as the 95 model year YJ ceased production, we saw a new Jeep come to be, the 1997 TJ Wrangler. 

Arguably one of the Jeeps that made the industry what it is today. Naturally, as this was the introduction of a whole new generation of Jeep Wranglers, the changes would be more than just a cosmetic makeover. For the TJ, the 4.0-liter engine size would return and a smaller 2.4 liter would be introduced. Despite the engines changing in their design, the fuel system would essentially remain the same. The new fuel system still requires a fuel pump, just like the older systems. Even in the newest of Jeeps, there still has to be something that provides the pressure needed to supply the engine with gas. 

The TJ got a new throttle body and a new generation of an MPI fuel system. MPI stands for multi-point injection.  This dry manifold system uses injectors at each intake valve, delivering consistently metered computer-controlled injections of fuel into each cylinder of the engine. These are fed by a fuel rail. The job of the fuel rail is to ensure all injectors have plenty of fuel, at the same pressure, at all times. Some of you may have heard of TBI fuel systems, which are just different kinds of fuel injection. TBI stands for Throttle Body Injection, where there are typically only one or two larger injectors on the Throttle Body itself, injecting fuel into the air as it is drawn into the intake manifold where the fuel and air are mixed together before entering the cylinders.

Jeeps do NOT use this type of fuel injection, but I put it out there for the sake of education. Whether it’s TBI or MPI they are all EFI, or Electronic Fuel Injection. The new fuel delivery system in the first years of TJ was pretty good, especially compared to the cold-blooded and stall-prone years of carburation in the YJ. That’s not to say it wouldn’t still see some updates. The updates wouldn’t be as radical this time compared to when the carburetor was replaced. Instead, the intake manifold, throttle body, and cam-profile designs would get subtle changes over the years to help the TJ’s engine produce more power and operate smoother than the Renix days of the 4.0L. EPA regulations came into play somewhat over the years too, but those changes were seen more on the exhaust side rather than on the fuel side.

The Jeep TJ is a relatively fuel-efficient Jeep, all things considered, coming in at a respectable 19 miles per gallon combined when it was new. I got an email asking if I was going to get into vapor recovery and all that other stuff, and it may come up in more detail in future episodes, but I will likely touch on it a little in the next tech talk when we get into the current generation of Jeep Fuel systems. 

 

 

Jeep Talk Show Interview

Todd Bacon https://offroading101.com/

We are a small family business that believes in educating people about the abilities of the off-road vehicle and how extremely capable they are right from the factory.  We could not find a single comprehensive source for the novice to start learning what their stock vehicle is capable of so we decided to start Offroading101 as a way to bring people in and make them feel comfortable learning the basics.  Our goal is to share the fun and excitement that we have in our daily off-roading life and help build your confidence level!

Must-Have Stuff Pick-of-the-Week for your Jeep!

DampRid Moisture Absorber (2 pack) 4 lb. ea. Hi-Capacity Buckets

https://amzn.to/2ZLdFnD   $28.00 & Free Shipping

I know there are more than a few of you out there who store your Jeep, or more than one, over the course of the year. Whether it’s all year, or just through the winter, there are always precautions and things to do to make sure you are storing the vehicle properly. One of the things that will kill them inside of a stored Jeep faster than a molotov cocktail is mold. And the best way to keep mold and mildew out of your Jeep is to completely remove all the interior. Since that’s not something 99% of us are prepared to do to store a Jeep, the next best thing is to keep it dry. There are a  few tried and proven methods to go about this, some use electricity, while others use a silicate type of substrate to absorb moisture. DampRid is one company that’s been doing this since 1948. Damp Rid’s key ingredient is calcium chloride, a mineral mixture that absorbs water. And their “Hi-Capacity Moisture Absorber Bucket” attracts and traps excess moisture, eliminating musty odors from damp areas. The hi-capacity design features a unique Moisture Lock spill resistor technology with a sealed safety cover for a mess-free solution. Although this large bucket of moisture-absorbing goodness is Ideal for larger spaces like basements, garages, this is perfect for the inside of a Jeep too. Fast, easy, and effective in spaces up to 1,000 sq. ft so you know it’ll do wonders in the airspace of your Jeep’s cabin. Each of the two 4 lb. Hi-Capacity buckets last up to 6 months, depending on temperature and humidity levels.

Links Mentioned in this Episode

Todd Bacon Off-Roading 101 https://offroading101.com/

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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Rat Bastards Webpage https://ratbastard.lol

Looking for Amazon products we’ve talked about on the show? https://jeeptalkshow.com/amazon

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