Mudding harmful to Jeep?

[PyrPatriot]

So the folks on the Jeep Gladiator FB groups are telling me all sorts of terrifying things

"The seals on the differentials, transmission, and transfer case are made to keep fluids in, not to prevent fluids from getting inside; such as running through a mud hole or traversing water and these components get submerged. To be on the safe side, I'd drain these fluids, refill, and replace teh differential cover gaskets."

Your all's thoughts?

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[Russler]

Couple snow, ice, dirt, fn paint eating salt and my truck gets that dirty driving to and from work. Wash the heck out of it and move on with your day.

 

[PapaChop83]

I will say if Jeep says you can ford to 30", that kind of implies everything in that range is decently protected, but I'll leave the feedback on the mechanical parts to those with more knowledge and experience.

On the cosmetic side, the more you touch clearcoat, the more it gets damaged. Your best bet is to remove the mud as soon as possible, while it's still soft and relatively easy to remove with a pressure washer. Keep in mind you'll have rocks/gravel mixed into the mud as well, and that can easily get through your clearcoat. If it's dried, ensure you're soaking it down VERY thoroughly to try and soften it up as much as possible before going at it with the pressure washer.

Blog post with some basic info on safe maintenance:

http://www.revitalizeautospa.com/care

 

[Gray_Bison]

So the folks on the Jeep Gladiator FB groups are telling me all sorts of terrifying things

"The seals on the differentials, transmission, and transfer case are made to keep fluids in, not to prevent fluids from getting inside; such as running through a mud hole or traversing water and these components get submerged. To be on the safe side, I'd drain these fluids, refill, and replace teh differential cover gaskets."

Your all's thoughts?

Then whats the point of advertising being able to forge 30" of water? Last time I checked, a seal, especially one made for oil/fluid works in both directions. I feel like your going to get and have already, a bunch of conflicting views on the subject. After completing a fluid check, milky vs caramel colored then you'll know if everything held up. If your concerned about bearings, jack it up, put it neutral and spin everything by hand so you can listen for grinding.

 

[Cape taco12]

Serious mudding will absolutely cause accelerated wear on seals, parts ect. A few inches won’t do much, but submerging parts and flinging poo colored water on every piece of the vehicle will cause small issues. Axles,transmissions, tcase hot from driving will suck air in when they cool down rapidly in water. If the breather is submerged it will take on water. If the breather is clogged it will suck muck through the axle seal. Which will grind the rubber till it eventually starts to leak oil out as well.

If you mud or off-road frequently to the point you submerge axles and drivetrain parts. Drain and inspect the fluid for water annually. This will tell you if you need to address anything clogged breathers ect.

Items that tend to get worn faster by mud.
-pulleys (especially idler pulleys that are low on the motor.)
-electronics
-air intake/filter
-grit gets imbedded in your drive belt
-Ujoints
-any time axle/drivetrainbreather is submerged
-axle bearings
-clutch (I have seen them get cemented open in thick muck)
-interior, carpet, door sensors, electronics.
-potential corrosion issues if it stays caked up in your frame rails for years.

I tend to avoid deep mud holes because I’m tired of replacing parts. I love goofing around in shallow puddles or field mud. I won’t avoid a trail just because there are water crossings or mud obstacles. If your willing to spend a couple extra hours/bucks a year fixing/maintaining stuff go for it.

 

[Incommando]

Serious mudding will absolutely cause accelerated wear on seals, parts ect. A few inches won’t do much, but submerging parts and flinging poo colored water on every piece of the vehicle will cause small issues. Axles,transmissions, tcase hot from driving will suck air in when they cool down rapidly in water. If the breather is submerged it will take on water. If the breather is clogged it will suck muck through the axle seal. Which will grind the rubber till it eventually starts to leak oil out as well.

If you mud or off-road frequently to the point you submerge axles and drivetrain parts. Drain and inspect the fluid for water annually. This will tell you if you need to address anything clogged breathers ect.

Items that tend to get worn faster by mud.
-pulleys (especially idler pulleys that are low on the motor.)
-electronics
-air intake/filter
-grit gets imbedded in your drive belt
-Ujoints
-any time axle/drivetrainbreather is submerged
-axle bearings
-clutch (I have seen them get cemented open in thick muck)
-interior, carpet, door sensors, electronics.
-potential corrosion issues if it stays caked up in your frame rails for years.

I tend to avoid deep mud holes because I’m tired of replacing parts. I love goofing around in shallow puddles or field mud. I won’t avoid a trail just because there are water crossings or mud obstacles. If your willing to spend a couple extra hours/bucks a year fixing/maintaining stuff go for it.

It looks like the OP was playing in a muddy field and now some keyboard commandos on FB are screwing with him. From the looks of his Jeep a good spraying off is all that’s needed

 

[Mjolnir]

So the folks on the Jeep Gladiator FB groups are telling me all sorts of terrifying things

"The seals on the differentials, transmission, and transfer case are made to keep fluids in, not to prevent fluids from getting inside; such as running through a mud hole or traversing water and these components get submerged. To be on the safe side, I'd drain these fluids, refill, and replace teh differential cover gaskets."

Your all's thoughts?

I think I know what FB group you're talking about. Most of those guys don't know dick.

Go. Play. In. Mud. Is that not what you bought it for?

Yes, offroading, mud and waterfording will accelerate wear on seals. But it is not a big deal. So you replace them 5-10k miles earlier. If that bothers you and you don't want to deal with the hassle then do it very sporadically, and lightly. Your picture in the OP is NOTHING and will not cause any harm as long as you wash it off.

Don't listen to that FB group. I had a leaking rear main trans seal for about a month before I brought it in on my JK. Had no issues that entire time. Didn't wash the jeep, that's what rain is for. Tech saw it and laughed, then told me how long it would take. Still under warranty.

It is a Jeep, if you want to use it as such then do so. Fixing jeeps are just as much fun as playing/building them. Some things I couldn't do (like the trans seal) but whatever else I can do, I do. And it has saved me a shit ton of money.

Go have fun, research what can happen with mudding and water fording and how to prevent issues, and continue playing.

 

[Cape taco12]

It looks like the OP was playing in a muddy field and now some keyboard commandos on FB are screwing with him. From the looks of his Jeep a good spraying off is all that’s needed

Exactly just trying to explain why and when would need to do the things that he’s hearing.

 

[Klutch]

I would be concerned about any components being fully immersed. For example, if the diffs were underwater, yeah, I would make an effort to drain and refill the lubricant. And I would certainly make every effort to power wash and remove all the mud I could after having some dirty fun.

But no, I wouldn't be too worried about it. Jeeps are supposed to get dirty. Off-road vehicles in African countries traverse waterways and get water up to the doors all the time. Somehow, they keep going. And if it's a Rover or a Land Cruiser, it's not that much different from a Jeep vehicle.

 

[bgenlvtex]

So the folks on the Jeep Gladiator FB groups are telling me all sorts of terrifying things

"The seals on the differentials, transmission, and transfer case are made to keep fluids in, not to prevent fluids from getting inside; such as running through a mud hole or traversing water and these components get submerged. To be on the safe side, I'd drain these fluids, refill, and replace teh differential cover gaskets."

Your all's thoughts?

LOL, Facebook advice?

" Hillary in a landslide! "

There is the entire value of Facebook advice clearly defined in 4 words.

 

[PapaChop83]

LOL, Facebook advice?

" Hillary in a landslide! "

There is the entire value of Facebook advice clearly defined in 4 words.

 

[PyrPatriot]

That said, a friend of mine told me today he ruined his 4Runner engine by going through a puddle. Mud splashed into his air intake and killed the engine. Took a new engine

 

[Cape taco12]

That said, a friend of mine told me today he ruined his 4Runner engine by going through a puddle. Mud splashed into his air intake and killed the engine. Took a new engine

Yea that’s called hydro lock. In my Toyota the intake was in the passenger side fender directly above the front tire. If you submerge the intake your fucked. Or if your spinning the tires fast enough to create a surge that fills up your inner fender to flood the intake.

if you think your intake has gone underwater shut it off immediately. Winch out, check the back of the air filter. If it’s soaked. Tow to shop or pull your spark plugs out and turn your motor over a few times to see if water comes out.

 

[whiteglad]

Best (10): keep it in the garage
9. mall crawl but park away from people who would slam their doors into you
8. drive on clean, dry roads
7 wet roads
6 clean snow
5 clean dirt roads
4 dirt two tracks with no brush scraping your doors and fenders
3. clean rocks that won't scrape anything
2. minimal mud, only on the tires
1. the way most of us drive our Jeeps

 

[PyrPatriot]

Best (10): keep it in the garage
9. mall crawl but park away from people who would slam their doors into you
8. drive on clean, dry roads
7 wet roads
6 clean snow
5 clean dirt roads
4 dirt two tracks with no brush scraping your doors and fenders
3. clean rocks that won't scrape anything
2. minimal mud, only on the tires
1. the way most of us drive our Jeeps

I am comfortable with 4 for now

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