I'm looking for some advice about staying mentally strong with regards to the possibility/probability of mechanical breakdowns far from home. I'm the 2nd owner of an '07 Rubicon that i picked up in 2011, got it with 40k miles, and am just a tick over 88,000 as of yesterday. It's not my primary vehicle, so it sits in the garage most of the time, except for when I commute to work during the summer with doors-off-top-off. I picked it up with an extended warranty (that is now expired), and during those first 4 years, I've had the rear axles/seals replaced, front-left axle/u-joint replaced, and just this summer i had the right-front u-joint, ball joints, and shocks replaced. I keep-up with routine general maintenance, and other mods, like patching a cracked exhaust manifold, etc. But more-involved stuff is a tad out of my league.

During the time I've had it, I've taken it to the Black Hills about a dozen times, Moab twice and Ouray 3 times. Each of these trips is about 1500-2000 miles round-trip back home, so clearly the majority of my miles are interstate miles. Because of a worry-wart/what-if personality, I feel like I'm always worried about what would happen if things break down. We just got back from a week-long road trip last week to the Black Hills and Ouray, CO. On this trip I felt like all I was doing was worrying about what could break down. I have 5:13 gears and 35" Duratracs, and always hear this constant whoosing/rubbing sound when driving alongside a wall or barrier. It's been going on for several years, and nothing seems/smells like it's ever going bad, but it just doesn't sound like a normal sound. Are 5:13s "loud"? It's definitely not a whining or gear-mesh sound, it kinda sounds-like brake pads slightly rubbing or something (i had rear-brakes/e-brakes replaced in 2014, and put PowerStop brakes on the front last month.)

The other thing that was happening towards the end of this trip last week was a strong transmission fluid/gear oil smell INSIDE the jeep, after a long/hard day of heavy traffic mountainy highway driving back to Denver. While searching for information online, I did find someone say that you can maybe smell that trans fluid smell if you've recently added fluid. I did top off the trans fluid prior to leaving, but didn't smell anything the previous days after off-roading. I don't think I smelled it after arriving home yesterday (7 hour interstate drive back to Nebraska). Maybe this smell was just from heavy-usage in the mountains? Some other transmission weirdness: my transmission also will make a loud snapping sound sometimes when you go from Park to reverse or reverse to drive, etc. Plus, the transmission really slips in below-freezing temps when you first start out in 1st gear. I just don't know if it's on its last leg or not.

With that said, I guess I've never had an interstate breakdown before, nor have been broken down far from home. If you break down on the highway, and can't "trail fix" the problem, I suppose you just find cell service and call roadside assistance/tow truck? What if you break down somewhere remote on a 4x4 trail? Hope someone comes by that can help with a "trail fix" if i can't do it myself? Then what? Rent a car and drive home while your rig is being fixed 1000 miles away from home? Some of these questions, I'm sure, are amusing to those of you that are highly-mechanical, but I'm just hoping to get a little piece of mind by having a vague plan when things go wrong someday.

-Jeff

 

You have a couple of options here. One look into an extended warr. from a REAL warr. company. Two just drive that lovely Jeep locally. Three, trade it or sell it and get a NEW or NEWER Jeep with a warr.

 

4.88 5.13 etc etc can make a little gear whine. as for the whoosh sound it may just be wind resistance from your box on wheels or just road noise from the tires. i wouldent stress over it till it starts to give you a reason to.

 

I say get a tow rig for your Jeep. Make the truck your commuter vehicle get a trailer for your beloved Jeep. This way you can trailer your Jeep to camp or the trailhead then Be worry free about how your going to get to work on Monday.

Take it from me I had to get my rig towed out of a OHV park and get a rental to get home one weekend. Now my wife is all about the tow rig. I told her when we get the cash I'm going to buy one outright. I can't stand payments or owing someone money. So it's going to be a couple years before I get my diesel tow rig.

 

Also Rule #1 of wheeling. Never wheel alone. Have at least 2 vheicles on any trail. 3 is preferred but 2 is bare minimum. one gets stuck you use the other to get you out. Or you get through, but type friend can't,you pull him through and keep moving. Worst case you can't fix it you can go get help with the other vehicle or you can Rig/fix it to be pulled to the trail head.