EgulAye's mild hunting build (is it an overland build?)

[EgulAye]

9/24/2022
The reason that I needed a new winch line:
While on a side road near dusk we came upon a group in a GMC Denali HD that had slipped off the edge of the road while trying to avoid a fallen tree. The challenge for the Denali owner was the weight of his vehicle, the softness of the shoulder, and a small bridge abutment immediately behind his truck.

There's a short video on my YouTube channel, though filming wasn't our primary objective (the footage is more happenstance than intent).

Interesting tidbit from OSHA guidelines for a crane (not quite the same, but yeah):
If you see any of these conditions, remove the running rope from service immediately.

• Six randomly distributed broken wires in one lay, or three broken wires in one strand in one lay
• Wear of one-third the original diameter of outside individual wires
• Kinking, crushing, bird caging, or any other damage resulting in distortion of the rope structure

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[Browning]

Great choice in a hunting rig!

 

[EgulAye]

2/7/2023
The transmission slipping issues have been getting slowly more pronounced. The slipping / engagement issues are predominantly shifting between 3rd and 4th, and is more noticeable in cold weather before the transmission has warmed up.
(ie: winter in Maine for the first 20 minutes of every trip)

Last night after being parked for several hours in below freezing temps the transmission wouldn't shift above 3rd gear. This became evident as I entered a highway and attempted to get up to 65mph. Attempting to shift manually was ineffective. The shift indicator showed M1 blinking and it would not shift. At about 4,000 rpm max speed was 40'ish mph.

I pulled over and shut the truck off. Then started it again. Shifting occurred normally from there. I didn't get video or photographs of any of this. It was snowing at the time and I was between snow plows on the highway - so my focus was on staying out of their way.

Also of note, the check engine light came on and stayed lit for the entire drive, even after restarting.

 

[EgulAye]

4/5/2023
A couple of weeks ago I decided to call the dealership and set up a service appointment for them to look at the transmission again. That appointment was today. The dealer found burn fluid and metal debris in the transmission. Their prognosis is that I need a new transmission, which they'll have to order in, and which will be covered under warranty.

The Jeep has 45,000 miles +/- right now, but the problem has existed for a long time.

I was on vacation last week (just as well that the dealer didn't have any appointment available then). When I returned this weekend I found that the Jeep wouldn't start. Putting a charger on the battery, the amp draw nearly pegged my charger's output (15A). It stayed like that for three hours, after which I was able to start the Jeep. The next day I experienced the same story, needing to put the charger on it for a good length of time, during which the current draw was pretty high. This morning before going to the dealer I had to again charge the battery before it would start.

The dealer checked it out and says the battery has a dead cell. This would explain the high draw on the charger and the poor performance. They can replace the battery today for $375 parts and labor (no longer under warranty). Or I could replace it with an aftermarket battery myself. I'm going to have them do the work this time.

2/7/2023
The transmission slipping issues have been getting slowly more pronounced. The slipping / engagement issues are predominantly shifting between 3rd and 4th, and is more noticeable in cold weather before the transmission has warmed up.
(ie: winter in Maine for the first 20 minutes of every trip)

Last night after being parked for several hours in below freezing temps the transmission wouldn't shift above 3rd gear. This became evident as I entered a highway and attempted to get up to 65mph. Attempting to shift manually was ineffective. The shift indicator showed M1 blinking and it would not shift. At about 4,000 rpm max speed was 40'ish mph.

I pulled over and shut the truck off. Then started it again. Shifting occurred normally from there. I didn't get video or photographs of any of this. It was snowing at the time and I was between snow plows on the highway - so my focus was on staying out of their way.

Also of note, the check engine light came on and stayed lit for the entire drive, even after restarting.

 

[EgulAye]

4/6/2023
I removed the Tazer from the Jeep yesterday before bringing it to the dealership. While I had it out I decided to update the firmware. I now have the option to turn off the Halo lights any time I want. This is awesome!

This was a real problem last fall while we were on a moose hunting trip. There was at least one definite occasion where my truck spooked a moose in a way that seemed abnormal. I think it was because the halo's were lit. Another time we were waiting for the legal start of hunting time. It was cold and some people wanted the heat running. The halo's being lit was a problem. I ended up covering both lights with ball-caps. The jeep looked pretty ridiculous for the rest of that trip...

 

[ATL_Rubi]

2/7/2023
The transmission slipping issues have been getting slowly more pronounced. The slipping / engagement issues are predominantly shifting between 3rd and 4th, and is more noticeable in cold weather before the transmission has warmed up.
(ie: winter in Maine for the first 20 minutes of every trip)

Last night after being parked for several hours in below freezing temps the transmission wouldn't shift above 3rd gear. This became evident as I entered a highway and attempted to get up to 65mph. Attempting to shift manually was ineffective. The shift indicator showed M1 blinking and it would not shift. At about 4,000 rpm max speed was 40'ish mph.

I pulled over and shut the truck off. Then started it again. Shifting occurred normally from there. I didn't get video or photographs of any of this. It was snowing at the time and I was between snow plows on the highway - so my focus was on staying out of their way.

Also of note, the check engine light came on and stayed lit for the entire drive, even after restarting.

Ah jeez... this is worrying for me.. I have a 23 that has done this since new.. slips then seems to slam the TC closed and jerks the jeep when cold and at random times in 3rd. Glad it's getting fixed for you!

 

[EgulAye]

Ah jeez... this is worrying for me.. I have a 23 that has done this since new.. slips then seems to slam the TC closed and jerks the jeep when cold and at random times in 3rd. Glad it's getting fixed for you!

Good luck with yours, better to get the dealer to acknowledge the problem as soon as possible.

 

[ATL_Rubi]

Good luck with yours, better to get the dealer to acknowledge the problem as soon as possible.

Took it in ~2 weeks ago for a general check and tire rotation, asked them to look at the transmission, said their trans tech was booked a month out but they'll see what they can do. They did a hard re-learn on it, and so far, minimal issues. It still does the "slip" but only on cold mornings, in the same spot every time so i am not as concerned. It's at least documented, and if it gets worse, i can point back to that in the future.

 

[EgulAye]

4/26/23

With about 46,000 miles on the truck the original tires are getting fairly worn. I'll replace them by this fall at the latest and I'm thinking about going up a size with the Nitto Ridge Grapplers (LT35x11.5R17).

https://www.nittotire.com/light-truck-tires/ridge-grappler-light-truck-tire/

The price at Tire Rack seems to be slowly creeping up, so maybe I should pick them up sooner rather than later...

https://m.tirerack.com/tires/tires....del=Ridge+Grappler&partnum=515QR7RIG&i1_Qty=6



At the same time, I'd like to upgrade the rear shocks with the Fox remote reservoir racing series:
https://www.ridefox.com/product.php...ep&model=Gladiator+JT&year=2020&position=Rear

These would be similar to what I've already installed on the front, which have been performing very well.

 

[EgulAye]

5/4/23

I got the Gladiator back from the dealership today. The new transmission is in, it took the technician 16 1/2 hours to perform the replacement.'

The shifting is definitely different with this transmission. Obviously smoother at the points where the old one was failing, but also it seems to shift at different points in the power curve.

USE ONLY CHRYSLER 8 SPEED TRANS FLUID 6815799SAA
PER SERVICE MANUAL USE DIAGNOSTIC TOOL TO DETERMINE
TRANS FLUID TEMPERATURE
ONLY CHECK FILL LEVEL AT FLUID TEMP 86-122°f/30-50°C
OTHERWISE DO NOT OPEN !

 

[exfil offroad]

I built a wooden platform for hunting trips, which hopefully gets used often. In reality it would only be for a few weeks in the fall. When we do hunting trips in northern Maine it helps to be higher up so you can see over slash piles along the sides of the roads etc. The platform is made to lift out easily (I hope, haven't actually tried yet). The saw horse is cargo, not part of the platform.

this is invetive! I would have never thought of doing this, hope it works out.

 

[EgulAye]

this is invetive! I would have never thought of doing this, hope it works out.

Thanks, it's been awesome. It turns out that it's also a good canoe rack.

 

[EgulAye]

5/5/23
I decided to crawl around under the Jeep this evening and check out the dealership's work on replacing the transmission. I'm glad I didn't have to do that job...

While under there I noticed that essentially every weld on the frame is rusting pretty good at this point. I also have a loose steering tie rod, and the power steering system has lost enough fluid to be below the low mark on the reservoir. The bottom of the frame and many other steering components on the passenger side are wet with the fluid that has leaked out. Apparently there is a special Mopar pump fluid that is recommended??

I wonder what is still covered under warranty...

 

[EgulAye]

5/9/23
The dealership had a look at the truck today. The oil leak is apparently from the oil cooler, which they replaced when they did the transmission - "all better now". The exhaust leak is at the flange. They took it apart and put it back together, but it didn't correct the issue. Not covered under warranty. It would cost about $2,400 in parts to replace, or they could attempt to repair it for about four hours labor. And the tie-rod end is a bit loose, but still within specification.

I'll check the fluids and crawl under to have a look. That may be enough for now.

Next up: the winch mount appears to have some interference with the winch line, causing it to chafe slightly every time I use the winch. I'll need to fix this before using the winch again. While I'm doing that I'll inspect the winch line and replace if I need to. Not my preference, of course, but some lessons are learned the hard way.

 

[EgulAye]

5/14/23, 47,000 miles

The new rear shocks were easy to install.

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