Machanical Questions
Thread Starter
JK Newbie
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 1
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From: Palm Bay, FL
Machanical Questions
Questions ; Good morning a Merry Christmas to all. I'm new on this site and I just bought a 2008 Sahara Deluxe 4dr, 3.8 , 6 speed. So far I have had to reseal the rear Dana Differential and now I have noticed that their is a power steering fluid leak coming from somewhere. I've read this is a real problem with jeeps. Also I'm getting a carbon build up in my exhaust tail pipe and assume that it means that I am running rich, gas millage sucks for a v-6. I'm very mechanically inclined and have the tools so does anyone have any suggestions on how to fix my problems without having to sell my first born.
This is my fifth jeep over the many years my first being a CJ-5, 2 Cherokee Chiefs and a 2004 Laredo and now this one. I will try to upload a picture of it. It is a soft top and has a heavy duty Dana differential, mirrors moved forward to remove doors etc...
This is my fifth jeep over the many years my first being a CJ-5, 2 Cherokee Chiefs and a 2004 Laredo and now this one. I will try to upload a picture of it. It is a soft top and has a heavy duty Dana differential, mirrors moved forward to remove doors etc...
JK Jedi Master
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 14,800
Likes: 374
From: Midwest City, OK
Welcome to the forum!
The biggest problem I know of with your Jeep model year's power steering has been the plastic vanes in the pump. They bend easily when the fluid overheats. This happens sometimes when running oversized tires and crawling, especially if the front axle is locked. As for leaks from the PS, haven't really heard much about that. Best advice is to clean it off, then track it down. I would think the fix would be pretty obvious from there, but if not I'm certain someone on this forum can answer your more specific questions.
As for carbon in the tailpipe and gas mileage: What kind of gas mileage are you getting? What mods does your Jeep have that will impact gas mileage? Typical mileages I've experienced in the past nearly seven years are 16-18 stock with SRA tires and no mods, to 13-14 with 2.5" lift and 35s and 4.88 gears. These are accurate measurements--calibrated speedometer, manual calculations and not the crazy Jeep's built-in MPG indicator, average of highway and city street driving (plenty of off-road miles, too, but I'm not including those, LOL), 10% ethanol gas probably 90% of the time (some of the early measurements were on 100% gas back in 2007 when it was more commonly available).
FYI, there's not much that I know of you can do about the air-fuel ratio. That is set by the Jeep's computer, through I'm certain some aftermarket programmers also can change the settings. You may be able to use the Android app Torque Pro to look at some of the Jeep sensor readings, but you'll probably want to compare them to what others are seeing. Again, ask on this forum and I expect folks will do their best to be helpful.
The biggest problem I know of with your Jeep model year's power steering has been the plastic vanes in the pump. They bend easily when the fluid overheats. This happens sometimes when running oversized tires and crawling, especially if the front axle is locked. As for leaks from the PS, haven't really heard much about that. Best advice is to clean it off, then track it down. I would think the fix would be pretty obvious from there, but if not I'm certain someone on this forum can answer your more specific questions.
As for carbon in the tailpipe and gas mileage: What kind of gas mileage are you getting? What mods does your Jeep have that will impact gas mileage? Typical mileages I've experienced in the past nearly seven years are 16-18 stock with SRA tires and no mods, to 13-14 with 2.5" lift and 35s and 4.88 gears. These are accurate measurements--calibrated speedometer, manual calculations and not the crazy Jeep's built-in MPG indicator, average of highway and city street driving (plenty of off-road miles, too, but I'm not including those, LOL), 10% ethanol gas probably 90% of the time (some of the early measurements were on 100% gas back in 2007 when it was more commonly available).
FYI, there's not much that I know of you can do about the air-fuel ratio. That is set by the Jeep's computer, through I'm certain some aftermarket programmers also can change the settings. You may be able to use the Android app Torque Pro to look at some of the Jeep sensor readings, but you'll probably want to compare them to what others are seeing. Again, ask on this forum and I expect folks will do their best to be helpful.
