Jeep destroyed by flat tow in 4Lo

[AZCooWhip]

“Honey, do you smell AND/OR hear something?”

Expensive lesson indeed. Check and triple check everything. Insurance most likely won’t do diddly. Not sure they even should unless More details are provided.

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[Terry]

Cautionary video to remember to flat tow your Jeep in neutral (and not 4Lo + 1st gear)!

You can fix the Jeep, but there is no fixing STUPID

 

[Terry]

Cautionary video to remember to flat tow your Jeep in neutral (and not 4Lo + 1st gear)!

Cautionary video to remember to flat tow your Jeep in neutral (and not 4Lo + 1st gear)!

Somehow I am reminded of the Chevy Chase Movie Vacation where he left the dog tied to the rear bumper. "poor little pooch probably kept up with you for a mile or two".......

 

[bentrod]

i dont believe $30k in parts damaged. 3.6 crate engine is like $4k. where is the other $26k?

Well I took a look... that crate engine is just a long block, not fully complete ready to run engine. This guy will have to buy the farm with that kind of catastrophic damage. He's got no rebuildable cores ( extra charges ) and will need EVERYTHING to bring that back to life. Wiring harnesses for sure. Perhaps the charging system got roasted too and will also need ECUs & PCMs as well. Body work damage with all that flying around??

 

[guarnibl]

Well I took a look... that crate engine is just a long block, not fully complete ready to run engine. This guy will have to buy the farm with that kind of catastrophic damage. He's got no rebuildable cores ( extra charges ) and will need EVERYTHING to bring that back to life. Wiring harnesses for sure. Perhaps the charging system got roasted too and will also need ECUs & PCMs as well. Body work damage with all that flying around??

This. $30k didn’t sound crazy to me. Might as well hemi swap it with Dana 60’s at this point— everything related to driveline wiring and driveline probably has to come out at this point based on that price. It does add up pretty quick

 

[Sorbs]

I’m surprised the owner isn’t a forum member complaining that FCA won’t warranty the fix or that Jeep doesn’t offer an “IPM” button (Idiot Prevention Mode) as standard equipment.

 

[5JeepsAz]

Jeepers it's the MODERN 4Lo, with PCM and ESS etc. It goes 40mph. What's all the fuss? Now, if it was an earlier vintage, and a jeep truck, say an Original Gladiator, well. Then it would have stopped whatever was towing it because old times 4 Lol meant granny gear for everybody, tow truck upfront included.

Speaking of that, I once was in an old jeep which drove straight up a tree in 4Lo. No kidding!!!

 

[Munkey Boy]

Saw this in my news feed this morning. This thing reminds me of a generator I saw at the Onan plant. The entire bell housing was flowered away and there was barely enough left of the engine to identify it as one. Story was that some guy was powering up his house during an outage and forgot to throw the main off. When the power came back on, apparently his little 4.5K unit couldn't compete against Pacific Gas and Electric. I cannot even imagine the sound it made or this guys Rubi for that matter.

If his insurance covers it, I WANT HIS INSURANCE.

 

[Shaqeroni]

I'd keep what is left of that engine. What a conversation piece!

New floor lamp project? Lol

 

[DBravo]

He flat towed his Jeep at highway speeds... with the vehicle in 1st gear... in 4-Low!

Wonder what kind of gas mileage he got on the RV that trip?!?

 

[Munkey Boy]

I’m surprised the owner isn’t a forum member complaining that FCA won’t warranty the fix or that Jeep doesn’t offer an “IPM” button (Idiot Prevention Mode) as standard equipment.

I don't know, this kinda prevents him from Jeepin'; so, I guess this would be Idiot Prevention Mode for the entire off-road world. God bless natural selection.

In that respect, I see this guy like that one wildebeest that got singled out by the pride of lions. Us hyenas get to watch it in slo-mo thinking that we shouldn't look but we can't turn away even though we know he's just another "refrigerator of the Serengeti" and those wheels still look alright, wonder if he'll take a couple hundred for 'em. What other parts survived? Electronic sway bar disconnect? Asking for a friend, I'm certainly not that insensitive. Is that 4.10 in good shape? No, no, just curious. 8.4?

 

[AmishMike]

IF 1st gear redline = 30mph
1st gear 4Lo redline = 7.5 mph
so-
7.5 mph= 6,500 rpm
15 mph = 13,000 rpm
22.5 mph = 19,500 rpm
30 mph =26,000 rpm
60 mph = 52,000 rpm
?mph = BFK

 

[AmishMike]

@Munkey Boy Unfortunately insurance covers stupidity. In most cases as long as the incident was 'sudden and unexpected', it's covered. Check with your agent. I actually sat with my insurance agent and watched a brand new RAM sit on the beach while the tide came in and eventually over the hood. His comment was 'yup, we would have to cover that'.

This Jeep would be perfect for a shop build. The body and interior look like new!

 

[Munkey Boy]

On the plus side, the transfer case, rear end, and transmission were able to throw all that torque back at the engine. Pretty amazing drivetrain when you think about it. And, if he managed to get up to 60, if it took 52,000 rpm as @AmishMike calculated to grenade the engine, and knowing Formula 1 V-10s of old could ONLY do 19,000, I think I have to applaud Jeep for making this show possible. This guy was obviously oblivious to everything, but I REALLY want to know at what speed this poor fella finally detonated, I'd have to assume it didn't wait until 60 to let go. Might be something to advertise, 'cause I'm sorta impressed.

 

[Snowcavemike]

You would think the sound of the engine exploding would have alerted the driver something was wrong.

You can't hear anything back there. We have a camera focused on the jeep and it is the navigators job to watch the jeep. Part of our laminated check list is to make sure the transfer case is in neutral. We had a wheel bearing seize and did not feel in on our commando. Our buddy radioed us and said white smoke was coming out. Holly Molly. The wheel stayed on down a mountain pass that way.

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