This Week In Jeep: 

I’ll Give Them an “A” For Effort…

Just what on earth would cause a Wrangler, a Raptor and a $300K sport boat all to sink in one afternoon? …”hold muh beer – I got this” In all seriousness it was a scene straight out of a Disney Goofy movie or perhaps a modern day remake of the three stooges. In any case, Cedar Lake, Indianna was the place to be to catch this S-show as it unfolded. They say the road to hell is paved with best intentions, and I’m sure it was in the best of intentions when Cedar Lake suddenly found itself to be more of a parking lot than a body of water. Apparently a rather rich but not too bright family attempted to rescue their sinking boat by using the family vehicles according to emergency personnel Saturday evening. We are told the owner did not bring his helicopter out to assist. That may prove to have been the biggest mistake of all, and there’s plenty to go around. The owner of the vehicles and boat is now in deep trouble with the Indiana Conservation Police and The Cedar Lake Fire Department Marine Unit too. While their insurance company isn’t likely too happy either, it’s also possible that the state of Indiana may have a word or two for them as well.  Cedar Lake is a state-owned body of water, and driving one vehicle (let alone two) into it is a no-go. Pair that with the potential for oil pollution and you’ve got an even stickier situation than what you see on the surface. …which is two floating trucks and a sinking boat.  You see, when you’re too rich to have enough smarts to remember the transom plug for your super expensive high performance super boat as you put it into the water, I can honestly say that it doesn’t take millions of dollars to have two brain cells to rub together to realize that maybe driving your tricked out ford raptor down the boat ramp and into the water to save said boat, now karmically sinking into the lake it was so haphazardly launched into, isn’t the brightest of ideas… and you got what you deserved. I would even go WAY out on a limb and venture to say that any number of you listening right now wouldn’t need a seven figure income or a bottomless trust fund to realize that it might also be a bad idea to then grab your even more tricked out Jeep Wrangler and drive IT into the water to attempt to save either the boat or the raptor because there’s no way in hell you’re stupid enough to think that you honestly had a chance at saving both… did you?…oh god you were! Maybe I’m missing something. I personally happen to have it on good authority that installing a lift kit and large off road tires, does not make your Jeep float like a boat, or turn your ford raptor into a marine recovery vehicle. But perhaps I installed mine wrong, I dunno. It seems I’m seeing more and more stupidity of this level these days, as more and more trust fund babies are becoming YouTube stars by doing stupid shit. Or to them it’s acting normal on a Tuesday. Yes, please, take this one of a kind six figure Jeep and then jump it off a motocross ramp, bounce the engine of the rev limiter until you see smoke spewing out the tailpipe, and burn out that transfer case as you do endless 4 wheel burnouts before laughing hysterically as the engine that you spent tens of thousands of dollars on seize up like bear trap on a deer leg. I don’t know about you, but that’s going to be a no good very bad day when my Jeep sinks into a lake, but for people like this who have more money than sense, it just goes to show that even owning a Jeep doesn’t make you smart enough to know how to use one. Unfortunately it’s people like this that give Jeepers and off road enthusiasts alike a bad name. What’s more unfortunate is that despite what is likely a half million dollar insurance claim, and who knows what sort of environmental fines, these people will be back at this kind of douchebaggery in no time with nary a lesson learned. I guess for the rest of us, people like you and me, it’s just more entertainment and a reason to shake our head and not give these idiots the attention they are so desperate to receive.

Want To Be The Creator Of The Next Jeep Easter Egg?

The parent company to Jeep, FCA is giving Jeep owners and fans alike the opportunity to create the next “Easter Egg” to hide on a future Jeep model. As if bragging rights like that aren’t enough, along with your idea going to the production line, you will also get the chance to win a new Jeep vehicle. For those who have been living under a rock for the last 75 years, “Easter Eggs” in the automotive context are unpublicized style elements hidden on vehicles, and have been around since Willy’s was on the battlefield. So for all you thinking you just discovered the lost treasure of Atlantis by finding a pair of flip flops, a gecko, or spider web…. you need to calm your neglected and overly sheltered ass down. You’re not special and most of us have known about many of these for several years. Hell, even I reported on the easter eggs on the new Cherokee before it even came out, and that was like 6 years ago. From little images of Jeep grilles to the three digits “419,” or a 1941 Jeep Willys driving up a mountain, Jeep fans around the world are discovering the Easter eggs hidden on their vehicles, then posting their finds on social media like they are the first ever. It’s comical and to this seasoned Jeeper a little sad. But, If you think you have the right idea, the right design or uniquely clever concept for the next generation of Jeep Easter Eggs, then you need to hurry up, slacker. The contest runs through July 2 (thats a week from when this was recorded) and ideas can be submitted at www.TheNextJeepEasterEgg.com The judging panel includes Jeep brand executives and designers but oddly enough no one from The Jeep Talk Show made it to the Judging panel. And we’re pretty sure they got the memo. The winner will be announced July 31 and will receive a new Jeep vehicle of their choice as the grand prize. And for those who grew up thinking that everyone is a winner…? Well they’re not. There’s only one winner in this contest, and if you don’t get the Jeep, guess what, you lost. So suck it up buttercup, put on your big kid pants and join the rest of us in embracing mediocrity. In the meantime if you want to see all the Jeep Easter Eggs for yourself, just look for the millennial in a parking lot or driveway holding their phone the wrong way in front of their jeep acting like they just won the lottery.

Tech Talk With Jeep Talk:

What is that Flappy-Buzzing-Popping Sound Coming From My Speakers?

Many of us (who are now a little hard of hearing) have been there. Too many times, judging by the ringing in my ear. You know what I’m talking about. The sun was out, you got off early on a friday and you just got a raise. You’re driving down the road, and all the lights are green when suddenly one of your favorite songs comes on, and you just HAVE to crank it to 11. The problem is that we all HAVE been there too many times, and for some of us, our stereo’s don’t sound the same anymore. Maybe there was a big “POP” ..and now nothing in the audio system works. Maybe it’s just that one speaker that is constantly making noise now, or the sound bar quit on you. Any number of issues can arise when a speaker blows and sometimes it’s a lot more than a voice coil that just fried. Speakers are a wonderful invention and the technology behind them is still making advancements 144 years after their invention. Speakers can blow for any number of reasons, and there are all sorts of states of  a blown speaker. Just because a speaker blows doesn’t mean it stops working. If this has happened to you, don’t worry, its not the end of the world, but if you have a speaker making noise, it may not necessarily be blown either. It’s been a little while since we’ve touched bases on the audio side of the electronics of our Jeeps. Oh sure we spend plenty of time talking about double din head units, alarms, and auxiliary lighting with cool switches. But we’ve been neglecting the one thing that gets used almost as much as the ignition in our Jeeps and that’s the audio system. I’m going to focus on the speakers for today though, and talk about some of the things that can cause a speaker to make a funny noise and what to do about it. If the system is shut down completely, meaning there’s not even a display on the stereo, then chances are it’s a power supply issue and you should probably check the fuse panel.  If the display is on, but no sound is coming out, then things start to get a little tricky. You could have a completely shorted out speaker and the system is in a protection mode to keep the amp that drives the speakers from incurring damage. The amp in the system itself could be bad. (external for premium system and internal for standard equipment.) It could also be the stereo itself, but we’ll check the speakers first to verify. Testing a speaker is as easy as grabbing an ohm meter, or a digital multimeter or DMM. With the meter set to OHMS (that’s the little omega symbol or horse shoe shape icon) you will measure the resistance of the speaker across the voice coil. The voice coil is the heart of a speaker, and is essentially a thin tube with very small wire wrapped around it like a coil. When the voltage from the stereo is sent down the speaker wire, this voltage passing through this coil creates a magnetic field which reacts to the stationary magnet on the back of the speaker basket. The oscillation of this signal through the magnetic field forces the coil back and forth, and with the cone of the speaker attached to one end, the result is motive force turned into audible sound waves. Almost every automotive speaker should have a nominal resistance of 4 ohms. If you see more than a half ohm one way or the other on a calibrated meter then you know the speaker is bad or at least going bad.  To determine if your meter is calibrated to a zero ohm resistance, touch the two probes together and your meter should read 0.0, if it doesn’t then the number displayed is your resistance offset and you’ll need to do some math. The closer to zero a speaker measures, the closer to a dead short that is. And you don’t need electrical certifications to know that a short in a stereo system is a bad thing that you don’t want. Speaker resistance can be measured from the back of the stereo at the plug with it disconnected from the stereo. Or they can be measured from the back of the speaker itself. Pulling the door panel and inspecting the speaker is a good way to tell what condition the system as a whole is. If you have an older Jeep that still has the original system, then chances are those speakers are shot. A speaker doesn’t have to have a blown voice coil to be bad either. The surround the part that attaches the cone of the speaker to it’s frame or basket or the cone itself can deteriorate causing a severe lack in sound quality and output. This happens from excessive exposure to moisture and UV damage from the sun or exposure to petroleum based chemicals. Too much sun can even make plastic cone speakers brittle over time, and their cones can crack from merely closing the door too hard. So even if the Jeep has aftermarket speakers, they could be due for a refreshing.  A trained ear can oftentimes pick up the slightest issue in a system, so don’t be afraid to get the opinion of a tech from the stereo shop. These guys go through extensive training and have the ears to pick up on things that you may be used to or just taken for granted as a part of owning a noisy Jeep. And this is where I say the old Russian proverb comes into play – TRUST BUT VERIFY – You don’t have to take the stereo techs advice as gospel, so have a buddy with more tools than you help you out with some testing and inspecting. You may find that you were being sold, or you may find the tech was right and you have some audio repairs ahead of you. This can be as simple as reconnecting a loose wire, repairing a broken wire, or simply remounting a speaker that came loose. Of course you could be in a situation where replacing the speakers is necessary because of physical damage to the cone or voice coil. Or from electrical damage from excessive volume or too much wattage from a poorly tuned amp or system. Honestly there are a hundred reasons why your speaker just started making noise, and I could spend two episodes just talking about it. But if you are in the market for a new set of speakers, know that there are great sources online to find what speaker size is in what location for what vehicle. They are standardized, so don’t worry that you’ll be forced to buy a specialty Jeep speaker of some kind. As to WHAT you should buy, well that’s a topic for another episode.

Newbie Nuggets:

Inspecting your jeep AFTER a run

After a great day of wheeling it’s always a good idea to take a few minutes to look around and under your Jeep.  You just put it through some rough roads, maybe some 4 wheel drive, maybe even some extreme rock crawling. Double check things to make sure your jeep is in good working order before you hit the road back home. Here are some things to look for. Once off the trial and while airing up, take a look at your tires. Are there chunks missing from the tread or sidewalls? Is there a tree branch stuck in one of your tires that are just barely leaking but you may not want to drive home on it? It’s good to do a once over visibly to make sure there are no issues. Once you are aired up, do a quick check of some basic things to make sure you didn’t bang it too hard while on the trial and something isn’t broken or bent. 1)  Check the shocks – Check to see if they got bent while you were dancing through that rock garden. Are they leaking fluid? Do the bolts at both top and bottom seem to be tight? 2)  Check for any oil or fluid leaks. This is somewhat important. You need oil to keep things like engines and transmissions functioning. You may have kicked something up on the road. Maybe while crawling over a rock you may have peeled your diff cover off. Maybe a well-placed rock poked a hole in your gas tank and you have a slow leak. 3)  Check that your mirrors are back to normal. You may have adjusted them to back out of that obstacle you decided not to take, or you may have pulled them in to get through that tight squeeze. Once at home it’s a good idea to do a more thorough inspection. Depending on what type of terrain you put your Jeep through determines how much inspecting may be necessary. Bill uses a power washer and always does a complete inspection of our jeep top to bottom. Mostly bottom. Although it’s always nice to have a clean and shiny Jeep to drive around town or back and forth to work, it a really good idea to “detail” the bottom side as well. Bill has found things that way and avoided several larger issues, or worse, trail break-downs. He calls himself a little OCD but as he cleans the suspension, hose, brake lines, springs, shocks, drive shafts, etc. he says it’s a great way to find fatigue, stress cracks, and loose or missing bolts. And just for those owners of 2007 to 2011 JKUs that decided to rock crawl, he once found a cracked evap canister and now the “Gascap” alert appears in the display. Yes, he has one ordered – Should be here today. So make sure you create a consistent habit in your inspections and who knows what you may find. Some things to check for; 1)  Check the undercarriage, especially if you don’t have body armor. Check for upper and lower control arm rubber bushings. They tend to get destroyed when you flex the suspension a lot. 2)  Check the oil pan/gas tank 3)  Check for loose connections with wires. Or maybe they are wearing on the frame or springs. A fist full of zip ties goes a long way toward preventing failures on the road or trail. 4)  Check for loose connections with bolts. You don’t need to do a re-torque after every run but just do a visual. Sometimes it’s just enough to catch something that could become a real problem. The old saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” really hits home when you’re the one not breaking down on the trail and you get to help your buddy with his breakdown. Just don’t start in with “You know, if you’d just do a little preventive maintenance you wouldn’t have had this problem.” You may find yourself looking for a new trail buddy. Josh, Tammy & Tony, what type of after trail inspection do you do on your jeep?

Interview with:

Dave Gutwillig – owner/fabricator – Brave Motorsports

Dave has been involved in the automotive industry for 16 years, working in a variety of different areas to develop his skill sets.  While working at Skip Barber Racing School, he learned the fundamentals of chassis repair, race prep, and race vehicle maintenance.  To enhance his understanding of drive line mechanics, he worked at Longview Driveshaft & 4×4 for several years.  Dave was able to strengthen his fabrication skills as well as build his reputation while working at Javier’s Gulf coast crawl shop, a leading offroad shop in Houston. Dave began racing offroad in 2010 and went on to win the first race that he ever competed in, M.O.R.O.C. at Brazos Valley Offroad Ranch.  He has finished in the top 5 twice at the King of the Canyons Endurance race at canyons offroad park in Fredericksburg, TX.  Dave raced the King of the Hammers in 2011, finishing 37th out of 100 racers, of which only 47 vehicles finished the race.  He has raced the Baja Racing of Texas Texana 250 multiple times and was an extra driver for our friends at Krawltex in the chupacabra 300, also in Texana.  Dave and his team came in second place in his class at the texas desert racing “twin 150s”, a 300 mile race in the west Texas desert.  From 101 classes and rock crawling with friends, rock races and obstacle courses, weekends of driving down a 130 mile long 4wd-only beach, to powering through the desert in the hardest offroad race in the USA, Dave has done it.  with this experience and the prep that comes with it, he has gained the first hand knowledge it takes to build and maintain the proper offroad vehicle for any activity. https://bravemotorsports.com/

Campfire Side Chat:

Chris, Greg, Travis, Josh, Tammy, and Tony, meet around the campfire to talk about…  “Would you be willing to sacrifice modding your Jeep to have a tow rig and trailer?”  You can join us around the campfire each Thursday night.  Follow us on Facebook to find out how you can join via Zoom conference call!

Wheeling Where:

PA Jeeps Inc. – “All Breeds Jeep Show” 

Although CoViD 19 has cancelled the 25th annual All Breeds Jeep Show, PA Jeeps, Inc. wants to still extend our Show Membership Special (18 months of membership for $50.00), to those who had planned on attending the show this year.  PA Jeeps, Inc. has offered this Membership Special for many years and the club felt we should still offer the Membership Special to those Jeep owners that are interested in joining a Jeep club.  The Show Membership Special is for New Members only. The Show Membership Special will only be available on the weekend our show was scheduled.  So, if you would like to become a member of PA Jeeps, Inc., just sign up on the weekend of July 18-19, 2020.  The Special will start at 8:00 am Saturday July 18, 2020 and run through 6:00 pm Sunday July 19, 2020.  At that time, you will receive a membership that is valid until 12/31/2021.  That’s 18 months of fun and frivolity.  Hope you sign up !!! http://pajeeps.org/index.php/membership/

Links Mentioned in this Episode: 

https://www.bravemotorsports.com/
https://www.facebook.com/BraveMotorsports/
https://www.instagram.com/bravemotorsports/
http://pajeeps.org/index.php/membership/

This Week In Jeep: 

Jeep Recall Alert!

There’s nothing quite like the feeling trying to scale a difficult obstacle off-road and succeeding on the first try. And nothing can take that feeling away faster than the engine dying on you halfway through your pull.  Jeepers of yesteryear were plagued frequently by this during the YJ era when JEep was using that pesky Carter brand carburetor on the engines at the time.  Nowadays, losing fuel pressure in the carburetor because you got too off camber is a thing of the past and nary a Jeeper has to worry about such things anymore. That is unless you own a newer model Jeep Cherokee that is. I’m not sure if JEep has a model which has had more recalls than the Cherokee. I’ll have to look that up one of these days, but this newest recall is affecting anywhere between 65k and 95k vehicles depending on who you ask.  If you own a 2014 to 2017 Jeep Cherokee and its not a full on soccer mom grocery getter, then chances are you’re affected. To know if your Jeep is affected, it needs to be a 2014 to 2017 model year, and have a low-range capable transfer case.  I’m sorry I’m using that term loosely here. These vehicles don’t actually have a transfer case.  They instead have what is called a two-speed Power Transfer Unit, which only simulates the sort of two-speed transfer case found in most part-time four-wheel-drive trucks and SUVs which are designed to handle actual off-road use. Jeep brands these systems affected by the recall as “Active Drive II” or “Active Drive Lock.” The former was optional on multiple trims; the latter was standard on all Trailhawk models. It is this sort of lack of a real 4WD system that is the reason behind why we pick on these lesser Jeeps so much. And it is recalls and issues like this that keep popping up that may have many of you wishing you would have sprung for a real Jeep, but i digress. So how serious of an issue is this really, and exactly what is happening? I’m glad you asked. In a recent press release FCA stated that they discovered that a critical driveline connection may, in certain circumstances, slip. Should this occur, it may lead to loss of propulsion while driving, which would obviously suck, especially if you were trying to use a newer model cherokee offroad. This issue can also prevent the transmission from completely engaging into PARK when the vehicle is stationary as well, causing a roll away condition. You may remember something similar happening with the Grand Cherokees back in the middle of 2016 when actor Anton Yelchin was killed when his own Jeep slipped out of park and smashed him against the gate of his driveway. That however was attributed to a problematic gearshift design, which was linked to more than 266 rollaway crashes and 68 injuries, in 2012-14 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300s and 2014-15 Jeep Grand Cherokees. FCA says one accident has been attributed to this issue, but no injuries were associated. Notices will begin going out to owners of the recalled models next month. In the meantime, if you think you’re affected by this, then you can wait for your notice, call  your local dealer, or look up your vehicle information on the NHTSA website to find out what to do next. The fix for this will involve you taking the Jeep to your local dealer  where the service department will install an updated software patch that will alert the driver to the malfunction when it occurs. If the vehicle is in motion, the computer will automatically shunt power to the rear wheels to maintain propulsion. If a malfunction is detected while attempting to shift into park, the system will also apply the parking brake automatically to prevent roll-away. Something you should be doing anyways, but I guess FCA knows best, and we apparently need even more driver assistant technology shoved down our throats because we are obviously too effing stupid to knwo how to park our own vehicles safely. 

Jeep vs. Mahindra – Winning Verdict!

The battle between Jeep and Mahindra is now several years old. For those who don’t know the name Roxor, it is a little vehicle made by an Indian company who has been authorised to manufacture parts for Jeep and even vehicles resembling Jeeps for decades.The company started selling the vehicles in the U.S. in 2018, prompting Jeep parent Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to take legal action. The Roxor isn’t even a federally approved automobile, but classified as a side-by-side UTV. The bare-bones not-street-legal vehicle is similar in design to the Willys MB, which Mahindra had previously been allowed to build for sale in Asia under license from Jeep. Last week, the International Trade Commission ruled that Mahindra violated the “trade dress” of Jeep’s vehicles, and ordered it to stop selling the Roxor in the U.S. Earlier this year, Mahindra attempted to address the issue by replacing the vertical slats of the front grille with an oval grille which looked almost exactly like the front end of an FJ Cruiser, but the ITC ruling was actually based on six other parts, not just the grille. FCA issued a statement this week saying it was pleased with the decision, while Mahindra is predictably considering an appeal.

A convoy for a cause, Jeep journey in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania to help local cancer patients

A  fairly new organization known as “Blacktop Warriors Jeep Club” is rallying jeep lovers around Pennsylvania to cruise for a cause. And it’s a good cause too! The event helps cancer patients, and any Jeep event or club that is helping beat cancer or live better with it… gets as much attention as I can point their way. Cancer takes so much from those who it inflicts, and the families around them. So the rally happening this weekend is a great way to get out with the Jeep, take your top off, get some fresh air and enjoy life to the fullest! Blacktop Warriors Jeep Club is hosting a convoy for a cause this Saturday, June 20, in Luzerne County. The event benefits the cancer resource and wellness center “Candy’s Place” in Forty Fort Pennsylvania. The convoy takes jeep owners on a one hour drive and ends at Grotto Pizza in Harveys Lake. For more information on this event, links and how to support the cause, check out the show notes for this episode on our website.

Tech Talk With Jeep Talk: 

Sticky or Hard To Shift Manual Trans Fix

Allison M. wrote into the show recently asking a couple technical questions. The first referred to a screenshot from his OBDII code reader, which was running some real time diagnostics at the time. For those who have a bluetooth dongle and something like the Torque App, or have spent more than $40 on a code reader, chances are that it too has the ability to display real time vehicle information. Things like throttle position, air or oil temperatures, voltage and even things like speed, rpm, and other system stats. Allison was asking about a couple of numbers that were displayed and wasn’t sure what they meant or if they were in normal operating parameters or not. For that part i’m going to answer him personally, as the answer isn’t going to mean anything to anyone without that screengrab and the exact same vehicle. Not to mention it’s pretty dry and boring stuff. The other question he had was transmission related, which is always fun…. and he asks the show: “Hey Jeep Talk Show! My Jeep is a 97 TJ with a 4.0 manual transmission and a rear lunchbox locker running 31” tires. My tranny is sticking and is kind of rough going in and out of first gear and sometimes second too. How difficult is it to rebuild a manual transmission and would that fix my issue?” As always, I like to start off with saying thanks for writing into the show. I think in Allison’s case, it’s likely not the transmission itself, but is likely a support system designed to help the transmission operate easier. What I think is happening is that Allison is having an issue with either the master cylinder or the slave cylinder of his transmission, possibly both. A clutch master cylinder is a component found on vehicles equipped with manual transmission, and serves as the pump for the hydraulically operated clutch system. The slave cylinder on a manual transmission works in conjunction with the clutch master cylinder to disengage the clutch when the pedal is pressed so that the transmission can be safely shifted. Since these systems are hydraulic in nature, clutch master cylinders are often prone to issues with leaks that will interfere with its ability to displace fluid. Let’s quickly look at the symptoms of a failing clutch master or slave cylinder, as you may have an issue yourself , and not even know it. One of the first symptoms commonly associated with a potential problem with the clutch master cylinder is low or dirty fluid in the reservoir. If it’s dark, and you’re having to top it off frequently, then you likely have a leak in the system and it’s only a matter of time before things get worse. Another symptom commonly associated with a bad or failing clutch master cylinder is difficulty shifting. If the master cylinder is not able to properly create pressure, it will not be able to disengage the clutch properly when the pedal is pressed. This may lead to grinding the gears when shifting, and possibly even a transmission that pops out of gear. Abnormal pedal pressure is another symptom of a potential problem with a bad or failing master cylinder. If the cylinder develops any internal issues, it will directly affect the feel of the pedal. A leaky cylinder may cause the pedal to feel mushy or spongy, and in more severe cases, will lead to a pedal that will sink to the floor and stay there when depressed. Luckily for Allison, fixing this doesn’t require rebuilding the entire transmission or even replacing the clutch. For the TJ’s the clutch master and slave cylinders come as a complete kit, which typically costs anywhere from $80 to $180 and can be installed with regular hand tools in a couple of hours or less. Chilton or Haynes manuals have the process and there are also some great videos and write-ups online that can give you a step by step guide on how to do this procedure yourself. I will make one note on this job though. This is another one of those “you get what you pay for” moments. From my experience, the cheaper replacement kits not only are a little tight on the hose lengths, but they also sometimes put the Neutral Safety Switch in a slightly different position than the OEM units, which may give you problems when trying to start the Jeep after the repair. This in no way affects the function of the transmission or how the clutch operates, just the switch that tells the Jeep it’s in neutral, or that the clutch is in and the engine is safe to start. With the lesser quality replacement kits, the Jeep may not realize it’s actually in neutral since the switch isn’t picking up the throw of the clutch pedal in the same way as before. Allegedly the OEM and more expensive kits do not have this issue, but this doesn’t mean the cheaper ones won’t work. You may just end up having to uninstall it and make some modifications which typically involve shimming the master cylinder with O-rings which moves the switches position to the correct spot. There are also ways to bypass the neutral safety switch completely, but you didn’t hear that from me. Alison could have other issues, transmissions are fickle things and usually you want to leave the repair or rebuilding of these systems to the professionals, as oftentimes there are specialty tools required for installation or set up that you may not have. But I think the clutch master cylinder is a good place to start, and for less than $200 in parts and materials and a few hours of wrenching, i’d say it’s worth it.

Newbie Nuggets: 

With lots of resources out there for newbies, how do you decide on where or  whom you get your information from. Since there are hundreds of options including websites, YouTube with lots of information (good and bad), Facebook groups, Instagram, Podcasts and, of course, the person who thinks he knows it all because that’s where he went or what he bought. So how do you choose? You have already made a great choice by listening to The Jeep Talk Show, the most downloaded Jeep podcast.  Another valuable resource I discovered are the Jeep Wrangler YJ and JK Performance How–To books, written by Don Alexander and Quinn Thomas (owner, All J Products in Big Bear Calif). For those of you familiar with Don Alexander, he is a friend of the Jeep Talk Show and has been interviewed on a previous episode. Don has over 50 years’ experience driving race cars, setting multiple land speed records at Bonneville, test driver and racer. These days Don teaches people who want to improve their off-road skills driving their jeeps at his Jeep 4×4 School in So. California. His expertise in writing books and magazine articles, like Motor Trend & Hot Rod, and testing for several suspension and tire companies qualifies him as an expert in many areas including jeeps. When he was asked to write a book about the YJ and the JK he was up for the task.  Both books are filled with everything you need to know to upgrade & modify your jeep. Great books for newbies, who may be looking to do some modifications or just want to know how things work. I like the pictures and details presented in the books, it helps my brain “visualize” the descriptions. This book helps me break down and simplify different modifications and upgrades. The books highlight in detail info on wheels/tires, suspensions and lifts, brakes, bumpers and armor protection. It also includes info on drive-lines, axles and lockers, engines, engine swaps and transmissions. The sections on winches, vehicle recovery, gear and trail tools are perfect for getting prepared to head out on the trail. The back of the book lists all the sources they used for the testing and info throughout the book. The books are a relatively inexpensive (around $23-$28 on Amazon) resource guide that may give you additional information OR create a monster because now you’ve learned about an upgrade for your jeep that you just can’t live without. Uh-Huh. Either way, you will find great information in these books.  Resources, like these books, are a great way to learn what modifications are possible and keep you informed. Don is working on a new book for the JL and the JT Gladiator and should be out in about 16 months. So whether you plan to upgrade your jeep from the ground up or just want a guide to improve certain things, the Jeep Wrangler YJ & JK books are a must for anyone’s library. Links for these books are in the show notes.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1613253591/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_al86EbPTKCDKA  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1613254482/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_Ym86EbSGY1TH4  Josh, Tony, do you have any resources you love and recommend for newbies? Same book series from SA designs by Eric Zappe for the XJ Cherokee: Jeep Cherokee Performance Upgrades: 1984–2001 (Performance How-to) By Eric Zappe https://amzn.to/3eigKNV Jeep Cherokee XJ 1984-2001: Advanced Performance Modifications (Performance How-to) https://amzn.to/30X9Nhm  ANY Chilton or Haynes manual for torque specs, recommended fluids, capacities, service intervals, etc. And of course, the world’s largest glossary of Jeep and off road related terminology… The Jeep Talk Show Glossary of Terms – only avail on our website.

Interview with: 

Sean P. Holman
Truck expert and longtime automotive journalist Sean P. Holman (Truck Trend, Four Wheeler, Diesel Power, Truckin, Jp, and Petersen’s 4-Wheel & Off-Road), the Truck Show Podcast brings a unique and entertaining perspective to all things truck, including those lifted, lowered, and everything in between.

Must Have Stuff:

Fabtech FTS24194 Interior Cargo Rack for:

07-18 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited JK 4 Door ($299 w/ free shipping) Suddenly having more storage inside the secured cargo area is on the top of every Jeep Wrangler owner’s list. This week I’m highlighting a solution that not only solves this, but gives you some serious bragging rights too, as this thing looks really cool. The Interior Cargo Rack from Fabtech uses a double-deck design that is located in the cargo area behind the rear seat. This design adds a massive 4.5 square feet of additional storage capacity to the interior of your Jeep. A heavy-duty powder coated steel construction that installs in just three pieces supporting up to 150 lbs of gear with integrated tie-down points for safety. In other words, they’ve covered all the bases, and ensured this thing will add to the appearance of your Jeep, not take away from it. Full steel construction, installation requires no drilling! Limited Lifetime Warranty. The link we’ll have in the show notes for this episode will get you one for your 07-18 JKU Wrangler, but they are available for other model Jeeps as well. Cost is normally over $350! But the link in our show notes will get you one of these for under $300 and will include free shipping too!

https://www.quadratec.com/p/fabtech/interior-cargo-rack-jeep-wrangler-unlimited-jk-4-door

Campfire Side Chat:

“What weird, crazy or outlandish idea have you come up with or actually done to get more money to spend on your Jeep?”

Wheeling Where:

Convoy For a Cause
Saturday, June 20, at 10:30 a.m.
Meetup is at Candy’s Place, 190 Welles Street, Forty Fort
$30.00 per jeep
While admission to the event is free, only jeeps are allowed to cruise in the convoy.
Blacktop Warriors Jeep Club https://www.facebook.com/EatSleepJeepRepeat/
Can’t make the event, but still want to help?
Donate to Candy’s Place here https://cancerwellnessnepa.org/donate/

Links Mentioned in this Episode: 

https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrydriver
https://truckshowpodcast.libsyn.com/
https://www.instagram.com/truckshowpodcast/
https://www.facebook.com/truckshowpodcast/
https://www.quadratec.com/p/fabtech/interior-cargo-rack-jeep-wrangler-unlimited-jk-4-door