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Off Road Jeep Maintainence and Prep - Casualties Of WarDamage Avoidance From the July, 2009 issue of Jp By Christian Hazel
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You ever watch those old war movies where the hero's buddy gets hit andthrough gritted teeth manages to squeak out the words, "just leave me, save yourself." It can sometimes feel like that when you're wheeling. Most times you're the hero who makes it out unscathed, but sometimes you're the unlucky buddy who gets nailed by a sniper and slows the whole group to a crawl. When your Jeep breaks down on the trail, it not only affects you, it affects everybody you're wheeling with. If it's an honest break then everybody is usually gung-ho to lend a hand, patch you up, and get you moving on down the trail. But if it's a stupid break caused by apathetic maintenance or careless upkeep on your part, then your buddies may be tempted to leave you for the enemy. So here are a few areas that may cause your Jeep troubles on the trail and what you can do to minimize the chances you'll become a casualty of the trail.  If you're carrying a spare,...  If you're carrying a spare, a broken hub should only slow you for a few minutes. But your day is going to get crappy real fast if you sheer off a mounting bolt in an external body hub. Replacing the bolts with studs can help prevent loosening of the fasteners and will help ensure the hub's longevity. And in the event of a catastrophic failure like this, a stud usually leaves more of a shoulder to make removal easier.  You're gonna grind your driveshaft...  You're gonna grind your driveshaft on rocks. If you've dented or creased your shaft you're much more likely to suffer a catastrophic shaft failure. To avoid completely pretzeling your shaft after denting it, replace it with a spare, weld a sleeve or gusset around the damage portion, or limp gently off the trail. If you do a lot of trails with heavy rock, invest in a rear shaft with at least 0.120-wall thickness. They suck a little more power and require more balance work, but their survivability rate is way better than a regular thin-wall automotive shaft.  We've wheeled with more than...  We've wheeled with more than one clown who tossed on new springs without giving a thought to the rest of his suspension geometry. Give your suspension a once-over and make sure your suspension doesn't experience any binding. Too short a shackle will bind the spring and could cause a bent or broken leaf. Coil spring guys should also give their suspension a flex to make sure the coils don't bind or pop out as the suspension cycles.  Many CJs came with Dana or...  Many CJs came with Dana or Model 20 rear axles that used two-piece axleshafts employing a Woodruff key, hub, and axleshaft nut. When the nut loosens, the hub can walk off the shaft, allowing the Woodruff key to shear more easily. If you haven't upgraded to aftermarket one-piece shafts keep an eye on the nut to make sure it's not coming loose. It's good practice to give it a tightening at every stop. Or, you can gun the snot out of it and then tack weld the nut to the shaft to prevent it from loosening.  No matter if you're running...  No matter if you're running modern injection or an old-school carburetor, don't neglect the cleanliness of your fuel system. Check your fuel filters at least once a season and pop off the top of your carb to make sure there's no varnish, grit, or nasties that can come loose and lodge in a passage and kill your engine. If you've ever had your engine cut out and lose power during a crucial climb you'll appreciate a powerplant that won't die and leave you stranded in the middle of a potential rollover situation.  Most of us have snapped axleshafts...  Most of us have snapped axleshafts at one point or another. But if you're one of those geeks who hits the trail with a short stack of replacements because you know with certainty you you'll break something every trail (yours truly has been guilty of this one) you should really consider an axle upgrade. Match components wisely. Don't expect a Dana 25 to live with a locker, small V-8, and 35s or a Dana 44 to survive with 37s and compound Low gearing.  Like a dented driveshaft,...  Like a dented driveshaft, if you put a kink in a suspension link or track bar it's way more likely to bend or snap. Before the failure can grow from a minor bother to a major problem, stop and remove the damaged component so a sleeve, gusset, or reinforcement can be welded on to help prevent further damage. If you don't have a welder, carry along a supply of 7018 welding rod and two sets of jumper cables so you can use two batteries to weld. Go Negative of Battery 1 to work piece ground, Positive of Battery 1 to Negative on Battery 2, then Positive of Battery 2 to welding rod.  Ignition components are one...  Ignition components are one of the items few Jeepers bring along with them, so you'll probably have poor luck trying to bum a spare cap and rotor or coil if yours goes bad. Give your ignition parts a look every few months if you use your Jeep hard off-road. Water intrusion, mud, dust, and any number of off-road contaminants can cause your zappity parts to live a much shorter life than your standard passenger car.  We're sometimes amazed at...  We're sometimes amazed at the steering setups we see. For starters, take your Jeep out before hitting the trail and make sure the linkage doesn't bind or hang up on any suspension or frame components. Give your tie rod ends or rod ends a check to make sure they're not loose or sloppy. You can sometimes spot a rod end that's going bad even before the ball cracks by a presence of rust around the bolt hole. Also check for wallowed mounting holes, which can quickly be spotted by a rust outline on the mounting surface where the rod end has been moving around.  If you're C-clipping it, especially...  If you're C-clipping it, especially with a Dana 35, it's a good idea to periodically pull your shafts and check for twisted splines or other signs of damage. Use a straight edge and draw or paint a line down your shafts so you can tell if they're twisting along their length. When a '90-up Dana 35 shaft breaks, unless it's got a disc brake caliper bracket, there's nothing to hold the wheel/tire/brake assembly to the vehicle. At the very least, carry an extra set of shafts or some ingenuity and a Hi-Lift.  Of all the rollovers we've...  Of all the rollovers we've been witness to, a fair number were caused by tires at low pressure becoming unseated from regular non-beadlock wheels. When a tire loses its bead on a sidehill or difficult climb, the whole Jeep can be violently thrown to the downhill side, sometimes resulting in a violent tumble. And believe it or not, we've even seen one or two caused by beadlock ring bolts that weren't tightened to spec. If you run at very low pressures, it's a good idea to invest in some beadlock wheels for safety. And if you're running beadlocks, make sure your ring bolts are tightened to the manufacturer's recommended torque specs to prevent the tire bead from squirming out.  If you're C-clipping it, especially...  If you're C-clipping it, especially with a Dana 35, it's a good idea to periodically pull your shafts and check for twisted splines or other signs of damage. Use a straight edge and draw or paint a line down your shafts so you can tell if they're twisting along their length. When a '90-up Dana 35 shaft breaks, unless it's got a disc brake caliper bracket, there's nothing to hold the wheel/tire/brake assembly to the vehicle. At the very least, carry an extra set of shafts or some ingenuity and a Hi-Lift.  Driveshaft U-joint failures...  Driveshaft U-joint failures most commonly happen from loose U-joint bolts and binding. The loose bolts are an easy fix. Just tighten them before you hit the trail. However, several factors may cause the binding. With your suspension at full droop, spin the driveshaft and check for binding. You can use shocks or straps to limit the downtravel. If your spring U-bolts are loose, the pinions can wrap more easily, so break out the wrench and check for tightness. Finally, give the driveshaft U-joints a check. Engage the parking brake, put the tranny in Neutral, and crawl underneath to check for any rotational or lateral play in the U-joint cups. If you find any, replace 'em before you lose a driveshaft. If it happens on a sketchy climb it can be a long, hard way down.  Axleshafts can and do snap,...  Axleshafts can and do snap, but more front axle troubles are caused by steering U-joint failures. And of these U-joint failures, most happen when the caps spin or start to come loose in their bores. For stock shafts, you can carefully grind the U-joint C-clip shoulder to allow the use of full-circle snap ring clips. It's also a good idea to mark the caps with a straight line or an X so you can tell at a glance if the caps are spinning in their bores. If so, a small tack weld will keep the caps in place and lengthen shaft and U-joint life. If nothing else, it should help get you off the trail without pulling the front axle apart.  It's pretty rare, but some...  It's pretty rare, but some cheaper aftermarket caliper mounts can develop cracks that can lead to a complete brake failure. Regardless of the mounts, don't neglect your brakes. Give 'em a going over a couple times a year to make sure you've got enough meat on your shoes or pads, your fluid level is where it should be, and that your drums (if applicable) are properly adjusted. You may even find a deserted area to try some emergency panic stops to make sure your proportioning valve is functioning properly and allows the rears to lock up just before the fronts and that your braking performance is up to snuff.  Early Jeep frames can be rife...  Early Jeep frames can be rife with cracks. Even if they're not very visible in your garage, the minute you twist up your Jeep in the rocks, they can open up into huge, gaping fissures. Check your framerails before heading out with a flashlight and a spray bottle of liquid to help make the cracks more visible. Drill small holes at the ends of any cracks you find, then grind a V-groove along the crack body before welding it up. You may consider plating any problem areas to avoid future failures.  This Jeep owner found out...  This Jeep owner found out the hard way that there's more than one advantage to having a slip-yoke eliminator kit with a heavy-duty 32-spline output shaft. While the factory NP231 output is adequate for most wheeling, factors like big tires, big power, and hard climbing can be more than the factory output shaft can take. If you run 35s or bigger at low air pressure and do a lot of hardcore wheeling, consider a T-case output shaft upgrade.
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