"Mud Trip" and maybe something wrong

[nirres01]

Took the Jeep in some nice mud last night for the first time. Everything went fine, not really deep mud but enough to have some fun in with my bro. Anyway, while i was doing it i noticed some things.

One, when we started to lose traction and got stuck i noticed that there would be a bang while the wheels were still moving but we weren't. We were in 4HI. A friend of mine told me that 4WD does something to were it engages and disengages (or something) to try to give you traction. I was just wondering if that's what it was doing or is there maybe something wrong with my 4WD? Like i said i've never done with before, by myself or with someone else in a jeep, and am just hoping that's maybe what is supposed to happen.

Another thing: On the highway this morning at about 65 i noticed some vibes which i never noticed before. I still had a good amount of mud caked on the tires and undercarriage (even after spraying it off last night). Could the vibes be from the mud or did i throw the alignment off? Went to a pressure washer this morning and got all the mud off underneath but haven't had a chance to hit the highway again.

And yet another: Got stuck once in the mud, backed up 5 ft, and went forward and got out. Thank god this place was directly across the street from my house because i got some nasty scratching/screeching coming from a wheel. I figured it was maybe a rock got stuck in the wheel and was rubbing against my rotors or something. Went to my house, sprayed the tires down as good as you can with a house hose and the squeek went away. Anyone have this happen before?

Like i said that was the first time in 1-2' mud ever. Had tons of fun and got filthy (which made it even more fun). Still have a warrenty on the jeep, so if there's something wrong with 4WD it gets fixed for free, but only got about 10k more miles til it runs out. I wasn't driving fast at all just enough to keep getting some traction and keep moving forward. Might have hit a couple bumps a little hard but not too hard to where something would definately break. I inspected underneath last night and this morning and nothing seems broken, loose, or out of the ordinary. I don't have any mods on the this yet so everything is stock. Any type of reply would be greatly appreciated.

-Josh

[slab42]

the screeching sound was a rock in your brakes... you got that out, so no problem.

the bang is weird, it is hard to say, unless I heard it, but it was probably not normal! where did it seem to come from? wheel...tranny...etc.

the vibes are probably just mud on your tires, always give your moving parts, and undercarriage a good rinse after muddin! I had the same thing happen last winter, I was traversing some snow banks, and got snow packed in my wheels. Vibes galore!

Oh, and avoid changing gears, even into reverse if you are in mud/water. That is how you get mud/debris in your clutch, it is bad for your clutch, and dealers don't like it! ;D Instead, try to have someone pull you out if you are in fairly deep stuff!

hope this helps!

[nirres01]

the mud wasn't too deep. I could have gotten out with some better tires but i'm running the stock street tires. But good to know.

The banging/noise seemed to come from underneath. I don't think it was the wheels might be the tranny. It wasn't like metal on metal, but like something underneath was trying to "push" me forward. It made the whole jeep kind of shake. Should i bring it to a mechanic and have him check it out? Probably wouldn't hurt right, and hopefully covered under warrenty.

-Josh

[1BadTJ]

Probably not covered by warranty. 3/36 from the factory. You also could have knocked a weight off one of your wheels. That would cause some vibes.

[DGranger]

the "clunk" may have been a chip in a spyder gear. probably in the front. I had the same thing. It could also have been the transfer case not shifted "fully" into gear. Also if the mud was that deep, 4 lo may have been a better choice. Depends on speed. I have been lucky since my best friend is a jeep tech and still warrenties everything i break.
also check your ujoints.

[DGranger]

also it may have been the "trasfer" of power from one tire to the other. Thats how i broke a spyder gear.

[nirres01]

Now that i read this i'm pretty sure it was the transfer of power to the wheels. Any way to prevent this or do i just have to wait til it breaks? And when it finally does how am i going to know that it's broke? Because i don't know i have to ask.... where is the spyder gear?

-Josh

[DGranger]

Your wheel speed was too fast first of all. Second is when one tire is spinning all out and it stops suddenly, the power is transfered to hopefully the other side. if the other side is bound up or stuck, thats when something breaks. The spider gears "float" in the carrier. The ring gear is bolted to the carrier. The pinion gear and ring gear is what tranfers the power from the driveshaft to the axle shaft. Basically it changes the direction of power. The driveshaft turns power forward and backward in the Jeep. The ring and pinion (or diff) changes this power to side to side. There are 4 spider gears "floating" in the carrier.

[DGranger]

By the way, not much you can do to prevent this. It's just the Laws of Motion. Lighten up on the "skinny" pedal. Start off slow and add more power when needed. I have a new member that broken a rear axle shaft on a new TJ in a week. Got stuck in some mud. Jeeps are really made to go slow. They were not made to be "baja" vehicles. Jeeps have a pretty weak driveline if abused hard.

[nirres01]

great advice, thanx. Slow is better. So in that kind of situation i should have it in 4LO because that spins the tires slower, right? It also doesn't allow the tires to move fast so less of a chance to break an axle, right? Man.... is there a good write up online that explains this stuff, i don't want to bother you guys with all my questions.

Stock axles come with limited slip, right? If not what do they come with? Also, kind of off the topic but, do the stock axles require any additives when changing the fluid?

Again thanx for all the replies.

[DGranger]

Slower in mud isn't always better. Mud runners have big engines and big tires, they need to go fast. You on the other hand are stock, so slower is probably better.
Your axle is "open" most likey. If you do have one with a trac-lok, thats great. Limited-slip = posi = trac-loc. All the same thing.
They are better than open, just barely. They do work well in the front end though.

[nirres01]

On my build sheet i have it says

DHNS Command-Trac Part Time 4WD System

Does that mean i have trac lok?

[DGranger]

I would say if Trac-lok. You have just the normal 4x4 system. They just like to give it a fancy name. Better selling technique.

[slab42]

you can break an axle in 4lo pretty easy too, since you have ALOT more torque in 4lo! In mud, it is not fast or slow, but steady speed. You need enough speed to make it through, but your tires need to spin slow enough to maintain traction, and not "peel out" When going into mud, 4lo is a better choice since you wont "peel out" unless you are stuck. I usually say 2nd gear 4lo, for most mud crossings, and tach it up kinda high, and motor through the mud, that way if you start slowing down, you dont have to downshift, which can allow mud into your clutch, etc. In mud, the faster you go, the more mud flies, sometimes into places you don't want it to go! Steady speeds!!! ;D

Oh, are you going to paragon? if you are, you will learn alot there, there are all skill levels going, and we are all friendly people, except for neal, he is kinda mean towards little children, especially when he sells them a redsox hat! JK neal! You will learn more by coming out with us than you will reading!

Don't be afraid to ask questions! remember, there are no stupid questions, just stupid people! -Mr Garrison

[nirres01]

I WISH i could go to Paragon but i'm dead broke. I only have the stock "street" tires could i still use those or do i need something with alittle more "grip"? If not them i'm gonna try to go on the next trip. .... also have to become a member.

Thanx for all the advice though.