Author Topic: Another scary experience...  (Read 1465 times)

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Offline jfrabat

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Another scary experience...
« on: July 21, 2008, 09:30:19 AM »
Well, it seems my hood popping open while driving was not enough of a scary experience for me in my Jeep, so yesterday, destiny (or rather a screw-up by a mechanic) decided to scare me again...

When I did the lift, I went to the local ORC to see who I could take my rig to get the perches off my D35 and get new perches welded on to correct the angle for the CV shaft.  I went to the guy they recommended, and he did a nice job except for the fact that the axle was off-center (by about an inch), so the Jeep had been rolling down the highway at an angle.  Not very noticeable, but you could see it if you looked for it (my wife was the one that noticed it first when she was driving behind me).

Anyway, I took the Jeep yesterday to him for him to correct this, and he did so (and before you ask, yes, new perches were used).  So I pick up the Jeep about 2 or 3 hours later, and as I am driving, I feel a new vibration.  I start thinking that maybe the angle was set wrong and it was the driveshaft that was vibrating, but I decide to get off the highway to check anyway.  As I am turning off the highway, I hear my tires screeching and the jeep is handling weird, so I stop at the first parking lot I find after I get off the off ramp. 

I look at the angle, and it seems good; I think "maybe it is something running into the DS?" and check for that, but no.  So I decide to rock the axle a bit and see if there is anything loose.  So I grab the rear driver side tire and rock it back and forth, and I feel it move A LOT!  I take a look, and notice that NONE of the lug nuts are in!!!  I was SO LUCKY that the tire did not come off the Jeep!  So I call the guy, and he brings the lug nuts.  Reinstall them, and no more vibration. 

Thank God that nothing hapenned and that the wheel was not damaged in the process (I only drove about 3 or 4 miles).  But this one could have been catastrophic and expensive to fix!

Anyway, I thought I'd share it with you, since not so long ago we were checking about lug nuts coming loose...

Felipe
'94 YJ 2.5L with 4" RE lift, Superwinch EPi9.0, FoMoCo e-Fan, SD30 and SD35 w/ARB-5.13, 165A alt., 33" BFG KM2 on 15" AR wheels, Sony sound system, Pavement Ends Hardtop, Hydroboost

jcsanders79

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Re: Another scary experience...
« Reply #1 on: July 21, 2008, 10:25:27 AM »
 :yikes: Sounds like you need a new mechanic!!!

Offline jagular7

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Re: Another scary experience...
« Reply #2 on: July 21, 2008, 10:45:17 AM »
Go back to the recommenders and tell them, they are full of   :crap:.

About where are you? There has to be another way.
Jagular7
97 SE - Rubbered and locked for fun
94 SE - stock, collecting parts for 37s

Offline jfrabat

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Re: Another scary experience...
« Reply #3 on: July 21, 2008, 12:15:30 PM »
:yikes: Sounds like you need a new mechanic!!!

Yeah, I think I am about done with that, as I had also found some stuff not done right the last time around (he did the rear brakes for me, and one of them was installed backwards, so I had to replace the drums later on).  The only reason I took it back to him was that this was fixing something he had already done, so taking it somewhere else would have cost me (this one almost did cost me ven more, but thank God I got out of that OK!).

Go back to the recommenders and tell them, they are full of   :crap:.

About where are you? There has to be another way.

Well, I really did not join the local 4wheel club, so I cannot tell them (I actually ran into them because they were having a meeting in a gas station near my house).  But I am in Miami, FL.  I am sure there are other options, but I think I'll start doing myself as much as possible (I got to get me a welder!).

Felipe
'94 YJ 2.5L with 4" RE lift, Superwinch EPi9.0, FoMoCo e-Fan, SD30 and SD35 w/ARB-5.13, 165A alt., 33" BFG KM2 on 15" AR wheels, Sony sound system, Pavement Ends Hardtop, Hydroboost

Offline oldjeep

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Re: Another scary experience...
« Reply #4 on: July 21, 2008, 12:22:41 PM »
Yeah, I think I am about done with that, as I had also found some stuff not done right the last time around (he did the rear brakes for me, and one of them was installed backwards, so I had to replace the drums later on).  The only reason I took it back to him was that this was fixing something he had already done, so taking it somewhere else would have cost me (this one almost did cost me ven more, but thank God I got out of that OK!).

Well, I really did not join the local 4wheel club, so I cannot tell them (I actually ran into them because they were having a meeting in a gas station near my house).  But I am in Miami, FL.  I am sure there are other options, but I think I'll start doing myself as much as possible (I got to get me a welder!).

Felipe

Arn't most florida offroad clubs scary looking swamp buggy stuff?   My folks live in Naples and I see lots of "offroad" vehicles, never seen one that looked like a trail rig.
Chuck P
The clowns'? Oh, yeah, the clowns. We fight them too — entire armies, spilling out of Volkswagons. We do our best to fight them off, but they keep sending 'em in!
94 YJ - gone
98 ZJ - sons truck
97 TJ - daughters project

www.oldjeep.com

Offline jfrabat

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Re: Another scary experience...
« Reply #5 on: July 21, 2008, 02:45:31 PM »
Yes, generalizing, rigs are made to cross swamps, not hit trails...    Its all about tire size and HP; nobody cares about flexing.
'94 YJ 2.5L with 4" RE lift, Superwinch EPi9.0, FoMoCo e-Fan, SD30 and SD35 w/ARB-5.13, 165A alt., 33" BFG KM2 on 15" AR wheels, Sony sound system, Pavement Ends Hardtop, Hydroboost

Offline aw12345

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Re: Another scary experience...
« Reply #6 on: July 21, 2008, 03:29:54 PM »
If somebody works on your jeep always check their work, for lugnuts when they come of rob one of every other wheel that gives you 3 lug nuts or for if the spare tire uses the same lug nuts that is enough to drive on safely
2006 Jeep Wrangler TJ SE
2004 Jeep Wrangler TJ SE

rroadkilll

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Re: Another scary experience...
« Reply #7 on: July 21, 2008, 05:30:54 PM »
I have found a few of mine loose just from normal use... That's something we should check often.... or at least when we check out tire pressure...

Glad to hear nothing was damaged and no one was hurt...

95yjman

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Re: Another scary experience...
« Reply #8 on: July 21, 2008, 07:46:41 PM »
dude you are lucky, that could of been bad.  Glad everything work out though

Offline neale_rs

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Re: Another scary experience...
« Reply #9 on: July 21, 2008, 08:09:01 PM »
Glad it came out OK.  More often than not I end up redoing at least part of almost any job done by a mechanic.  Usually it is setting the torque correctly.
'95 YJ, 33 x 12.5 mud tires, RE 4.5 ED lift, Atlas 4 speed, rear D44, ARBs front and rear, 4.56 gears, 8000# winch

Bikerjr1

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Re: Another scary experience...
« Reply #10 on: July 22, 2008, 08:09:38 AM »
Glad your safe, that could of been nasty.  i'v gotten to where I don't trust anybody working on the Jeeps or the Harleys.  Last mechanic installed the lift on the wifes XJ and about a month or so latter I was tracking down front end vibration and it took a 4 foot cheater bar and a 3/4" breakover bar to get the lugs off.  If my wife had a a flat some where nobody would of been able to get them off. 
In both of our jeeps there are 5 extra lug nots in the tool kit.  The lug nut farrie stole a couple of them one time on the side of the road.
ride & drive safe,
JR