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Made a costly mistake this week

394 views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  GeeAea 
#1 ·
This is just an FYI to all. I went Elk hunting this past week end. After 5 years of trying to get drawn, I finaly did...YEA!!!! Well I got every thing ready. Packed the motor home and checked everything 2 or 3 times. made sure I had guns and ammo, 2 important things needed to get Elk. On the morning I was to leave I pulled the motorhome out and then hooked the Jeep up behind. This is where things get sticky. I have recently replaced the 5 speed with an auto tranny and rebuilt the t-case. I pulled the tranny in neutral and took off. After driving 155 miles nonstop, I pulled to a stop to make a left hand turn and felt a jolt as the rear wheels on the Jeep locked up and I started dragging the Jeep. I stopped and checked out the problem and found tranny fluid all under the jeep's frame everywhere. I then pulled the drive shaft, (something that I should have done first) The Jeep has not been checked out completely yet as I just got back from hunting, sans Jeep. But not a total bust as my dad did bring his very capable Toyota pick up to get us where we wanted to go. I know I blew all the tranny fluid out and may have screwed up the x-case as well. This sucks because it all just had about 200 miles on a complete rebuild. Well I guess I wasn't quite as finished with it as I thought I was. Oh yeah!!! after all that, there were so many hunters in the woods I don't think the Elk had any problem knowing where to stay away from,,,,,
GP'n
 
#2 ·
Hey GP'n, sorry to hear about the mistake. Was it a mistake? There's a lot of conjecture on towning with an Automatic.

You hear:

1. It's OK, just put the transmissiona and transfer case in Neutral.
2. Just don't tow it over 35mph.
3. It's OK if you use friction modifiers.
4. Whatt's ammteru anyway? You ain't got the %#@% to tow it like a MAN!
5. No You have to pull the Drive Line!

Well, in this case you found out that:

1. The driveline was spun by the tires.
2. The transfer case was spun by the driveline.
3. The transmission output shaft was spun by the transfer case.
4. The output shaft, clutches, bearings, and associted metal parts overheated.
5. The overheating caused the fluid to boil and froth.
6. The boiling and frothing caused the fulid to expell.

Yep, it's an exepensive lesson. When you listen to bum advise, you get a bum steer and usually go down the blissful garden path to disaster. So:

1. Be careful who you listen to.
2. Don't accept an ansewer to a question if if "Feels" good or 'cuz you like it.
3. Always, always test an answer for a complete content of truth.

In this case when towning a Jeep with an Automatic transmission.... PULL THE REAR DRIVELINE. You won't ever be disapointed by the results untill one day you get a bit careless/lazy and say to yourself: "Self, I've heard (isert items 1 - 4 above), so I guess it won't hurt just this once."

It only takes an occurance once to learn a lesson. So Fellow Jeepers, listen up and take a lesson and learn from an other Fellow Jeepers Mistake.

There's no bright side to this story except it a chance to rebuild the transmission again, only this time the transfer case may be included. I suspect when you open it up you're going to see lots and lots of blue non-scientifically heat treated metal parts.

GP'n, when you do get to start on this project, Please take LOTS of pictures to document the tear-down and repair so that the results can be posted and others can see that Urban Legends are just that, Legends.

 
#3 ·
I've flat-towed my jeep quite a bit in the last few years. I put the trans in park and the transfer case in neutral (quadratrac). If you have a dana 300 behind an auto though, drop the rear driveshaft; dana 18 and 20 are ok though.

 
#5 ·
That is a bum break. I hope it all gets fixed soon. I always tow my jeep behind my pickup. At first i pulled the driveshaft. I just don't trust the tranny and transfercase in "nuetral". I bought that full float kit. I am in a dream world of towing. Never again will i have to lay under the jeep pulling off the old driveshaft. Thing to remember with full floater kits is to set the stop screw. They will loosen. and while you are driving the jeep. It makes nasty noises. It is an expensive purchase, but if you flat tow alot, this is a great kit. But damn it has gotten expensive.
I hope everything works out for you.

Dan Stewart 1963 CJ5 "Caloosa Jeepers" member

 
#6 ·
Not to argue here...but your recommendations conflict with my owners manual ...at least in regard to the 231. The owners manual, aside from a certain ritual for puting the auto back in park (turning off the motor in drive BEFORE puting it into park to stop any moving items), merely states to put the t-case in neutral. No mph restrictions were noted.

Please correct me if I'm wrong here...

The t-case has no pump driven lubicaton, unlike the auto trans (and certain foreign manual trans-jaguar for one). Hence the only lubrication that it receives is from motion which always involves driveshaft movement(unless the t-case is in neutral and the trans is in gear and the motor is running which is limited to the input shaft). If the drive shaft(s) is(are) moving ...the t-case is getting all the lubrication that it possibly can or ever does. That is, the only things in motion are lubricated.

Or am I missing something here?

Not that any and all the fore mentioned precautions are waste of time...one can never be too careful and if I'm under some false assumption/impression...I definitly want to know where I'm going wrong.

GeeAea

Now that I've quit smoking my doctor informs me that I'll die in much better health!!!
 
#7 ·
I guess I stuck foot in own mouth!

Well, I guess I owe some type of apology here to you gentlemen. I was wrong ...shame on me(visions of a man with his arm over his eyes hiding his tears of shame)...I stated something wrong here. There does appear to be a pump in the NP231.
http://4xshaft.com/np231sye.html

.......I don't know what's worse ...gettin' slapped around by someone else ...or findin' out for yourself that you're just not as smart as you thought. Kickin' yourself in the a$$ feels a little worse.

All lessons of maturity ...or some of us never really grown up I guess.

GeeAea

Now that I've quit smoking my doctor informs me that I'll die in much better health!!!
 
#8 ·
I guess I stuck foot in own mouth!

Well, I guess I owe some type of apology here to you gentlemen. I was wrong ...shame on me(visions of a man with his arm over his eyes hiding his tears of shame)...I stated something wrong here. There does appear to be a pump in the NP231.
http://4xshaft.com/np231sye.html

.......I don't know what's worse ...gettin' slapped around by someone else ...or findin' out for yourself that you're just not as smart as you thought. Kickin' yourself in the a$$ feels a little worse.

All lessons of maturity ...or some of us never really grown up I guess.

GeeAea

Now that I've quit smoking my doctor informs me that I'll die in much better health!!!
 
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