What did you do TO your Gladiator today? [ADMIN WARNING: NO POLITICS, NO GUN TALK]

[Bandit’s Lair]

**Edit to add - the Genesis set up as designed is an under the rear seat set up for the diesel version of the gladiator. Fully compatible with the gas version by the way. It just didn't fit under the rear seat delete the way I wanted so it got moved up top by me.

https://www.genesisoffroad.com/products/gen3-diesel-jt-dual-battery-kit

This I did not know!!! Thanks for pointing it out! Not having a diesel I didn’t think to even look at this option. I may still be able to run the Genesis then. This makes me very very hoppy!!!!
Wonder if I can run a few batteries off that battery with a dc-dc charger and everything will fit under the seat. I’m thinking of the Renogy flat batteries. If I could stack a couple under there that would be awesome!!!

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[madesicc88]

Installed the Teraflex adjustable shocks, should be fun to mess around with the adjustments

 

[Jaxmax]

This I did not know!!! Thanks for pointing it out! Not having a diesel I didn’t think to even look at this option. I may still be able to run the Genesis then. This makes me very very hoppy!!!!
Wonder if I can run a few batteries off that battery with a dc-dc charger and everything will fit under the seat. I’m thinking of the Renogy flat batteries. If I could stack a couple under there that would be awesome!!!

Jason depends what you are powering off system but you can go with the Genesis Omega system which has DC / DC charger and lets you use the AGM for starting and lithium for your aux power and put sizable battery under the hood , you could run from hood to a second battery under seat if needed.
Figure out what you need to run when engine is off before you do anything . I have the Genesis gen three system under my hood with AGM batteries, and also have a Zamp 100watt Solar panel on my cap , supporting a large fridge that draws a good amount , I use it a lot fishing and use to plug it in at campsite every night but for last two years , it goes through the night easily and it is almost a forgotten thing right now. If I was buying today I would go with the Omega DC/DC charger although my Jeep sits for a couple weeks at a time in the winter and it is cold enough in PA. to possibly be a problem with lithium batteries.
Also most fridges run on 120V AC as priority and done some guys plug the fridge into their inverter outlet so when driving it is running in AC and when stopped it flips to battery….Jack

 

[drewcnit]

Jason depends what you are powering off system but you can go with the Genesis Omega system which has DC / DC charger and lets you use the AGM for starting and lithium for your aux power and put sizable battery under the hood , you could run from hood to a second battery under seat if needed.
Figure out what you need to run when engine is off before you do anything . I have the Genesis gen three system under my hood with AGM batteries, and also have a Zamp 100watt Solar panel on my cap , supporting a large fridge that draws a good amount , I use it a lot fishing and use to plug it in at campsite every night but for last two years , it goes through the night easily and it is almost a forgotten thing right now. If I was buying today I would go with the Omega DC/DC charger although my Jeep sits for a couple weeks at a time in the winter and it is cold enough in PA. to possibly be a problem with lithium batteries.
Also most fridges run on 120V AC as priority and done some guys plug the fridge into their inverter outlet so when driving it is running in AC and when stopped it flips to battery….Jack

Great explanation. Do you have a build thread? I'd like to take a look at some of your setup so I can get ideas.

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

Jason depends what you are powering off system but you can go with the Genesis Omega system

Jack, Ive been eyeing them pretty hard. My only sticking point was I wanted to run an AmFib snorkel and the dual battery system for the 3.6 with both batteries under the hood wouldn’t allow room for that. Long term plans are to be all electric when camping. So lights, fridge, and cook top. I think with a 90w Cascadia 4x4 hood solar panel and 200Ah of battery I could get everything done. I have MANY small scale power stations for charging phones and stuff like that but nothing that I’d want to run in the Jeep to power cooking set ups or even a full blown 12v system. When I saw the earlier post I was thinking second battery under the seat and then dc—dc to a pair of Renogy flat batteries connected into a 12v panel that would live on the front wall of my bed cap. Would make it way easier to run an AuxBeam or something of that sort in the cap as my “camping” power and have the main drive batteries there for winch off road lights air horn and all the stupid things I see on Amazon that I want to run. This is all about a year or 2 into the future anyway as I want to get lockers, steering components, and off-road lighting buttoned up before then.

 

[SaiintNick]

Best practice would be to replace both at the same time but being a 2024, I would not say it is critical and let it ride.

Bypassing was so easy thats what I decided to do. Didn't want to wait weeks to get in to the dealership and wait a few days for them to test it. I will keep an eye out on the health of the main battery. I'm just hoping the little hiccups my Jeep was having are done. It was easy to do. No warning lights. Not permanent if I need to go back to stock.

 

[Mojave20]

Barnes rear truss welded in.

 

[Jteakus]

After looking at the pile of parts I acquired over a year ago I took my Jt to a shop to have the work done. I hate paying someone else to do work I can do but sometimes life gets in the way and camping season is right around the corner. Very happy with the outcome and the shop.
4.56 gears, Dana rear shafts, RCV fronts, Artec trusses, MC ball joints, Reid Knuckles, MC 4.5 springs, Fox bumps.

 

[Jteakus]

Bump stop adjustments.

 

[HooliganActual]

Easiest way to explain it is to just copy/paste this:

The name "Rocinante" doesn't really mean anything, it's just a laughable attempt by don quixote (who is very much out of touch with reality) to make his old and malnourished horse sound spectacular. In don quixote's mind, rocinante is a mighty horse, equal to those of legendary knights, but everybody else sees the same tired old poor excuse of a horse as before.

The name implies a common trope in literature. It is that out of the common, the old, the broken down, the disregarded, the washed-up, can arise greatness.

-It's the name of the ship in The Expanse. The main characters in the show salvaged a Martian gunship and kept it as their own, and the name came from Don Quixote literacy. The Expanse is one of my favorite shows and book series.
-Rocinante is thought to mean "old workhorse", and Don Quixote named his horse this (partly as a joke) to show that even an old horse who everyone else would pass up can still be a great horse and a noble steed.
-Everyone likes to hate on the Gladi and say it's nothing but problems, and even more so about the diesel, so this truck is my Rocinante. It's my noble steed.

It's also the name of the ship that is used to fly to Cygnus in the Rush song Hemispheres...

 

[HooliganActual]

I like the compactness and tidy storage of the factory unit. I would like significantly better metallurgy on the loop thingy.

That loop is turdalicious at best.

I also like the compactness and tidy storage of the factory unit. I like scissor jacks in general. After looking at various other scissor jacks, here's what I decided to do:

Since I'm running 37's, the factory jack is too short; so I made a base to elevate the jack. This is two 4x4 blocks about 8" long that are bolted together (which you can't see in this pic). I routed out a "shallow" profile of the jack base so that it will nest on the blocks and added a bolt just to ensure it won't slip; there is a notch on the one end of the jack that slides onto the bolt:

But then to solve the issue with the metal loop thingy (because I HATE those things), I bought this so that I can just run the jack up and down with the impact driver I always carry:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D316WNQ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

I also have a nice long 3/8" drive socket extension that I can use so that I don't have to be underneath when raising and lowering the vehicle. Now here's a neat thing about the socket extension (which I think is 24" long): if you flip the socket extension around, the female end of that extension will slide through the hole on your rear bumper and will fit the nut that operates your spare tire winch. I can then use a socket (off the top of my head, I seem to remember it's 10mm) on my driver to slip over the male end of the extension to run the spare tire up and down.

 

[HooliganActual]

Yeap definitely going to go with RPM, thanks for the review.

FWIW, I've been running a full RPM Steering set up on my Gladiator for over a year now and have had no issues. Luckily for me they are actually located less than a mile from where I live so I was able to visit with the owner and his son....great guys; superior product.

I run SteerSmarts/Yeti on my two Wranglers and am happy with them but If I ever need to replace them, they will get converted over to the RPM Steering stuff.

 

[ChrisNLA]

I may be cheap , but if I thought something was not looking right or gonna work right I still wouldn't buy it even If it seems popular to do. I always been an outlier on stuff. Thats one of the reasons I own a Jeep I was the first & guy in the entire oil and gas system I work to even own a Gladiator and use it in the capacity that I am . There is a guy on the pipeline side an inspector that has a Mojave. To me the lights are just part of what makes it what it is . I like them sticking out it matches the fenders sticking out. It's just Jeep so I hope they work for you but I humbly pass.

I like my stock tail lights because they didn't cost me extra money and use these things called bulbs that most folks don't like anymore, and when a tail light goes out I get two more bulbs from the parts store and get back on the road instead of tossing an entire tail light into the trash can.

The Oracle and similar tail lights do look cool though...

 

[HooliganActual]

The dealerships have a specific specialized battery tester that gives a print out of condition that they have to submit to FCA before getting approval from them before replacing. If the main battery passes this test, it will be on your dime to have it replaced.

You know the funny thing about that? I went through that whole rigamarole when my first Aux Battery died; but unfortunately when mine died, I was 10 miles out in the backcountry. I had to get a ride from someone else into town, buy a new battery and get back to the Jeep and replace it to get home.

I then went to the dealership where I bought all 3 of my Jeeps and told them the situation to which they told me about the testing, etc. and unless I put the battery back in for them to do the testing, it could not be covered under warranty.

Now this is "the funny thing". When I bought the replacement battery at the dealership (I didn't want to buy it from them but none of the parts places had one in the town I was extracted to had one but that town's dealership did), the guy at the Parts counter said "Make sure you keep the receipt. It's got a 2 year warranty. Bring it back with the receipt and we'll replace it; no questions asked."

WTF?!?!? My vehicle was still under warranty and it takes an "act of God" to get a replacement battery but if I bought it separately, over the counter it's no questions asked...?!?!?!

The up side is that I did reach out to FCA/Stellantis/Jeep customer service (whatever they call themselves), explained the situation and was able to email a copy of the receipt and they gave me a refund.

 

[Hootbro]

You know the funny thing about that? I went through that whole rigamarole when my first Aux Battery died but unfortunately when mine died, I was 10 miles out in the backcountry. I had to get a ride from someone else in town, buy a new battery and get back to the Jeep and replace it to get home.

I then went to the dealership where I bought all 3 of my Jeeps and told them the situation to which they told me about the testing, etc. and unless I put the battery back in for them to do the testing, it could not be covered under warranty.

Now this is "the funny thing". When I bought the replacement battery at the dealership (I didn't want to buy it from them but none of the parts places had one in the town I was extracted to had one but that town's dealership did), the guy at the Parts counter said "Make sure you keep the receipt. It's got a 2 year warranty. Bring it back with the receipt and we'll replace it; no questions asked."

WTF?!?!? My vehicle was still under warranty and it takes an "act of God" to get a replacement battery but if I bought it separately, over the counter it's no questions asked...?!?!?!

The up side is that I did reach out to FCA/Stellantis/Jeep customer service (whatever they call themselves), explain the situation and was able to email a copy of the receipt and they gave me a refund.

Yeah, the customer pay MOPAR replacement parts warranty is a different animal than the as built vehicle warranty.

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