Hello everyone,
I recently had a small issue with my rig (06 Wrangler) which caused me give some additional thought to solo adventures, as well as potential equipment purchases. Here are the abbreviated circumstances and my thoughts:
Start Jeep and all is well, as usual. 1 mile trip to drop child at school and then work. Forget headlights on and one hour later, have co worker advise me of the oversight. Waddle out to said red funmobile and see a shiny pool of something underneath the engine bay. Turn off lights and investigate the scale model of the Exxon Valdez incident. Lift hood and instantly think something akin to a Dr. Seuss verse...oil oil in the air, engine oil everywhere.... Filler cap, check! Dipstick, check! Filter rupture? Doesn't appear so.... Start engine....looks like a chocolate fountain at a buffet, coming from behind the damper..... Go back inside to work.
Lunch: Limp Jeep home, check oil, clean engine area. Hmmmm same leak area. Order pan gasket set, front main seal and new timing belt, since I will have it apart. Confirm the driveway is clean and leak started after I left for work. Fill oil and return to work.
Get parts on the way home (on my way) and proceed to replace the timing belt and front main seal after work. At the wee hours of the morning, I finish the re-assembly, clean everything and test fire. All is great for about 30 seconds, then Exxon Valdez part Deaux. This time is almost appears to be coming from the cam seals (DOHC) Grrrrrr! frustrated and time for bed....
Next day: order and pick up cam seals
Get home from work: replace cam seals, which also requires the removal in re-installation of the timing belt. Having much fun at this point, but things are going at 45rpm, instead of 33 1/3, as the were the first night. Done much quicker and feeling pretty proud of myself, I clean everything and test fire. Jeep looks like a bad prom date and instantly proceeds to start vomiting oil yet agin. I concede defeat and tap out.
Friday (11-10-17) call local independent mechanic and Jeep enthusiast to confirm their business is open. I advise him I am en-route and to have ample kitty litter on hand. I double check the oil and cross my fingers for the two lights in the 1/4 mile journey to both be green.....
I arrive without incident and said mechanic sees it. Clearly he thinks my description of the issue is a gross exaggeration of reality. Much head shaking and beard scratching follows....
Disassembly and triage starts. After several unsuccessful attempts to recreate the leak with the motor off, only the timing belt is re installed and the motor fired up. Ahhhh clearly the leak is the main seal. Which I had replaced. Hmmmmm
A check of the of the pcv system shows all is good.
A check of the oil pressure sending unit shows it to be operational but not long for this world.
Hmmmm.....
Let's throw a mechanical gauge in there and see what kind of pressure we really have....( OEM gauge just reads L I I I H)
Wait for it........70 psi at idle on a warm motor and warm oil. Ultimately the oil pressure bypass/relief in the oil pump had stuck and was like a pressure washer, blowing the seals out. Soooo.....new seals, new oil pump and housing, new sending unit and a new belt. Problem fixed and no additional issues.
Where this leads....
I am extremely thankful that all of this occurred within a roughly 1/2 mile radius of my home, work, parts store and mechanic.
Just a few weeks prior, I had been in Poker Flat (Near Downieville,CA) as a solo vehicle trip and although I advised others of my location and estimated return, it would have definitely changed my trip. As a hiker /backpacker, I am afforded the luxury of being overpacked by comparison, when in the Jeep. Multiple days of supplies and gear for foul weather. As such, a hike back to civilization would have not been desirable, however very doable.
In a nutshell, I do not have a CB, Do have GMRS hand held radios which I will be getting license, and a cell (AT&T) has no signal there. I am interested in the vehicle mounted GMRS that Midland makes. Repairs in the field would have clearly taken a couple of trips in and out and that is if I was lucky enough to have caught the over pressure issue...
Stay safe, have fun, be prepared and always adventure.
I recently had a small issue with my rig (06 Wrangler) which caused me give some additional thought to solo adventures, as well as potential equipment purchases. Here are the abbreviated circumstances and my thoughts:
Start Jeep and all is well, as usual. 1 mile trip to drop child at school and then work. Forget headlights on and one hour later, have co worker advise me of the oversight. Waddle out to said red funmobile and see a shiny pool of something underneath the engine bay. Turn off lights and investigate the scale model of the Exxon Valdez incident. Lift hood and instantly think something akin to a Dr. Seuss verse...oil oil in the air, engine oil everywhere.... Filler cap, check! Dipstick, check! Filter rupture? Doesn't appear so.... Start engine....looks like a chocolate fountain at a buffet, coming from behind the damper..... Go back inside to work.
Lunch: Limp Jeep home, check oil, clean engine area. Hmmmm same leak area. Order pan gasket set, front main seal and new timing belt, since I will have it apart. Confirm the driveway is clean and leak started after I left for work. Fill oil and return to work.
Get parts on the way home (on my way) and proceed to replace the timing belt and front main seal after work. At the wee hours of the morning, I finish the re-assembly, clean everything and test fire. All is great for about 30 seconds, then Exxon Valdez part Deaux. This time is almost appears to be coming from the cam seals (DOHC) Grrrrrr! frustrated and time for bed....
Next day: order and pick up cam seals
Get home from work: replace cam seals, which also requires the removal in re-installation of the timing belt. Having much fun at this point, but things are going at 45rpm, instead of 33 1/3, as the were the first night. Done much quicker and feeling pretty proud of myself, I clean everything and test fire. Jeep looks like a bad prom date and instantly proceeds to start vomiting oil yet agin. I concede defeat and tap out.
Friday (11-10-17) call local independent mechanic and Jeep enthusiast to confirm their business is open. I advise him I am en-route and to have ample kitty litter on hand. I double check the oil and cross my fingers for the two lights in the 1/4 mile journey to both be green.....
I arrive without incident and said mechanic sees it. Clearly he thinks my description of the issue is a gross exaggeration of reality. Much head shaking and beard scratching follows....
Disassembly and triage starts. After several unsuccessful attempts to recreate the leak with the motor off, only the timing belt is re installed and the motor fired up. Ahhhh clearly the leak is the main seal. Which I had replaced. Hmmmmm
A check of the of the pcv system shows all is good.
A check of the oil pressure sending unit shows it to be operational but not long for this world.
Hmmmm.....
Let's throw a mechanical gauge in there and see what kind of pressure we really have....( OEM gauge just reads L I I I H)
Wait for it........70 psi at idle on a warm motor and warm oil. Ultimately the oil pressure bypass/relief in the oil pump had stuck and was like a pressure washer, blowing the seals out. Soooo.....new seals, new oil pump and housing, new sending unit and a new belt. Problem fixed and no additional issues.
Where this leads....
I am extremely thankful that all of this occurred within a roughly 1/2 mile radius of my home, work, parts store and mechanic.
Just a few weeks prior, I had been in Poker Flat (Near Downieville,CA) as a solo vehicle trip and although I advised others of my location and estimated return, it would have definitely changed my trip. As a hiker /backpacker, I am afforded the luxury of being overpacked by comparison, when in the Jeep. Multiple days of supplies and gear for foul weather. As such, a hike back to civilization would have not been desirable, however very doable.
In a nutshell, I do not have a CB, Do have GMRS hand held radios which I will be getting license, and a cell (AT&T) has no signal there. I am interested in the vehicle mounted GMRS that Midland makes. Repairs in the field would have clearly taken a couple of trips in and out and that is if I was lucky enough to have caught the over pressure issue...
Stay safe, have fun, be prepared and always adventure.
