Winter Time Jeep Wrenching - Down Time

Spark Saver After a long winter nap, the chances are your battery is gonna be dead by spring. At the very least, disconnect the battery terminals to eliminate any parasitic draw that may be in the system. The best thing you can do is hook up a dedicated battery charger/minder like this Auto Meter Battery Extender (autometer.com). It not only charges until the battery comes up to 12 volts, but also switches to minder mode to keep a token charge trickling to the battery preventing the plates from sulfating. It's just the thing to ensure your battery will be fresh and ready to go when you are.

Fluid FolliesBe honest, when was the last time you changed your power steering fluid? Aside from auto tranny fluid, there's probably not a lube in an off-road vehicle that's worked as brutally hard as power steering fluid. We'll tell you to swap it out every year, but to be honest this is the first time we've swapped the fluid in our orange flattie in over five years. Take a power steering fluid change as a chance to add a cooler in the low pressure line. This one is a Derale unit we obtained from PSC Motorsports (pscmotorsports.com).

Oil's WellIt's hard to know when to change the oil in a trail machine because you're not gonna rack up that many miles, but the miles you do turn will punish the engine, tranny, t-case, and axle lube much worse than normal street driving. A good rule of thumb is to change the engine oil every 50 hours, or when it looks nasty or gets low. For the rest of the drivetrain fluids, we normally change the 90W every other year. Automatic transmissions would do well with a fluid and filter change every year just to be on the safe side.

All Cracked UpIt's a good idea to give your axle housings and diff covers (if applicable) a good once over. Check for leaks coming from where the tubes press into the centersections, covers that have peeled back, or other trail damage. The front axle on our flattie has taken more rock hits than Marion Barry and as a result the weld between the skidplate and housing had begun to weep slightly. We cleaned it up with a wire wheel and brake cleaner and laid another weld bead over the hairline crack as a fix.

Bead BustingIf your tires won't hold air or bleed down after sitting a few days, chances are there is sand, rocks, mud, dirt, or other foreign debris between the tire's bead surface and the wheel. We removed our tires, pulled the valve cores, and used a Hi-Lift jack and one of our other Jeeps to unseat the beads so we could clean the rim and tire. If you actually balance your tires, it's probably better to just take them into a tire shop to have this done for you.

Rubber DubberGive your tires a good looking over on both the inner and outer sidewalls as well as the tread surface. On a thick, gnarly tire like this BFG Krawler some rubber chunked away and some superficial cracking from running at extremely low pressure isn't anything to worry about. However, anything that goes down to the bead bundles or shows the radial or nylon cording should be cause for concern.

Locked UpRock contact and just wheeling in general can cause your beadlock bolts to loosen. Now is the time to break out the torque wrench and make sure they're all snugged down. It's a good idea pull the valve cores when working with beadlock wheels as a safety precaution. If you run bolt savers, such as these OMF Domes, break out the flathead screwdriver and chip away any of the sacrificial aluminum so you can get the torque wrench on the bolt heads. When finished, pump up your tires to at least 10-15 psi for winter storage. It's not good to leave a tire sitting flat or at very low pressure for long periods.

Brake And Axle OverviewWhile you've got your wheels off, it's a perfect time to dig a little deeper. Check how much brake pad material you have left and replace them if needed. Look over your steering linkages, ball joints or kingpins, and make sure your hub bolts are all tight. Check your spindle bearing preload and maybe crack open and lube your axle bearings. Finally, if you're running two-piece rotors, give the bolts that hold the rotors to the hats a going over. It's rare, but they can loosen.

Thump BumpsWith the tires removed you'll also have great access to the shocks and other suspension components. Check for any leaking fluid from the shocks and make sure the bushings aren't hammered or squeezing out the shock eyes. Check for any cracks in the suspension and shock mounts. Bumpstops can take a beating, so grab 'em and give them a twist even if they look okay. Poly can hide imperfections, but a big crack may lie just under the surface. You've got all winter to save up for replacements.

ShaftedFinally, the two components that should never be overlooked are your front and rear driveshafts. It may seem overkill, but we have no qualms about yanking both shafts, removing the U-joint cups, and carefully removing and cleaning the needle bearings before lubing them and reassembling everything - or just replace them if you're not a cheap bastard. Replace any broken or missing Zerk fittings. You should also look for dents in the driveshafts and signs of binding in the yokes. If the shafts bind, find out why and either add limit straps or build a traction bar to control axle wrap. Once the shafts are back in place, lube them with high quality grease until it purges past the seals. There's nothing worse than an old, rusty U-joint that lets go and destroys a $300 driveshaft.

Righty TightyGive your axle U-bolts, suspension links, and spring bushing, shackle, and other undercarriage bolts a twist to make sure everything is still tight. Wriggling down twisty trails will do wonders for loosening bolts you never think about. Put a wrench on anything and everything from the crossmember to the fuel tank mounts. And don't forget to give the frame a once over for cracks just to be sure.

Just A TouchSometimes even if a drivetrain component is weeping just a little a full gasket or resealing procedure can be staved off by simply tightening a bolt or two. Conversely, overtightening can cause rubbery or cracked gaskets to squeeze out, making a leak worse. Still, tight is better than loose, so go for it. For us, we've found the need to tighten our 9-inch centersection bolts once or twice every year.