Jeep Enthusiast Forums banner

what are you most common ON road failure ?

2K views 35 replies 29 participants last post by  gosupes 
#1 ·
what are your most common ON road failure ?

Hi Guys..

I have seen a lot of 4x4´s parked on the side of the road the last weeks..
it got me thinking.. what are the most common faults that you have experienced
on your jeeps ?
Knowing what create most failures , should give us the possibility, to at-least
prepare for those problems....and with a bit luck avoid most of the "common"
road failures :)

Rgds Kasper
 
#7 ·
Almost daily since 1991 and several CJs :

All on road that I had to limp home
3 spun hubs
2 Failed ignition modules
3 nails in tires
1 tire disintegration on interstate
2 carb issues with debris in needle seat

All on road that I had to tow it or get a ride.
Melted pulse air valve (of course it started when I returned with a friend)
Broken rear axle shaft (wheel almost fell off)
Engine fire (rigged a few wires and drove it home the next day)
Toyama Carola pulled out and hit me head on. (Jeep was almost totaled, her car was)
Failed ignition points

I'm sure there's more but that's at least 3 jeeps over 26 years. Some of it was my fault. I still consider them reliable in the big picture
 
#11 ·
got towed twice for chinese ignition parts (i then removed everything and installed a msd6al, coil, wires, etc not a problem since then)

once i ran out of gas; the needle marked half tank then suddenly it drop to 0 and engine stutter and that was it; a tow truck gave me around 5 liters of gasoline, enough to get to a gas station..

Old alternator belt, it broke going home but the battery got me all the way to my garage

Other than that.. no problems ever; always start/runs fine and it take me home every time (knock on wood :grin2:)

1.- DONT BUY CHINESE CRAP NO MATTER WHAT IT IS
2.- CHECK YOUR JEEP AND FIX IN YOUR HOME, NOT ON THE ROAD.. WAY BETTER TRUST ME :laugh2:
 
#12 ·
2006 LJ

U-joints.....

Front one let go on the highway....

1972 CJ *Owned four months* Suprises are beign fixed as discovered and through thourogh inspection.

Faulty wiring, engine quit at a light... had to push it off to the side and do the jiggle thing... drove home.
 
#13 ·
Common?

Failed headlights due to bad grounding issues; requires adding RELAYS.
Gas Gauge stops reading; requiring a NEW sending unit inside the tank.
Fan belt squeals like a pig at start only to realize you need a NEW one or to TIGHTEN the alternator.
Running like CRAP: requiring a good ole fashion TUNE-UP.
Battery NOT recharging; alternator issue & GROUND problem!
 
#15 ·
Not sure if this has ever happened to anyone else but just 2 days ago mine died while driving and I has to be towed home.
I knew I wasn't getting spark and feared the worst but after investigation I found that my hei distributor rotor somehow blew up......


Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk
 
#16 ·
My current CJ has been my daily driver for 6 years or so. It has never left me completely stranded, or needed a tow. But I always keep a basic set of tools and common parts under the rear seat.

But some common breakdowns I had:
Lots of carb/fuel issues, like a stuck choke or clogged jet. Nothing as fun as rebuilding a carb, or cleaning plugs on the side of the road. It was years before I worked all those bugs out. Had a fuel pump fail, so I ran my jerry can on the hood, gravity fed. Ran out of fuel more times that I can count.

Lots of ignition issues. I had a Prestolite that the PO swapped in. I fought with that system for years chasing gremlins, randomly killing the engine. Eventually gave up and did the HEI route. I still have a "backup" ignition button that bypassed the prestolite harness, and added extra grounds everywhere.

A few drivetrain issues. I've blow a few ujoints, which is pretty scary. It makes a hell of a noise, but generally no big deal. I carry spares, and driven with just the front driveshaft before. Blown a rear wheel bearing, but drove home (5 miles) making a skreech that probobly woke the dead. Had a tranny fail, it was stuck in 3rd gear! Drove 15 miles home... oddly, not as hard as you might think.

I've had 3 different clutch failures. (throwout, master cylinder, and hose). Every jeep owner should be able to drive indefinetly without a clutch though i think its a lost skill with the younger generation. Likewise, I've had a few total brake failures. Fortunetly, I've always kept my e-brake in working order, so I was able to get home... though I stuck to backroads.

Lots of coolant issues: Lost of the fan belt a couple times. I'd drive a mile, pull over to cool down, drive a mile, etc until I could get to a parts store. I carry a spare now. One winter, I had too much water in the radiator and it would not circulate right, causing violent overheats. Its crazy to have STEAM flood the cab in sub-zero weather. I've also overheated from an intake leak, and a head gasket fail.

Oh, and lots of crashes. I drive it year-round, and despite the "4wd" sticker, its not awesome to drive in a heavy snow or icestorm. 3 different times I've skidded into guard rails, or trees, or rocks. In all the cases, the battery violently busted its bracket, and smashed the heater coolant hoses. Fortunetly, those are easy to bypass with minimal tools. I've lucky the battery never bashed the distro, or alternator. it has a beefier bracket now though the frame itself is pretty warped from the crashes.

But never been stranded at least.
 
#17 ·
My current CJ has been my daily driver for 6 years or so. It has never left me completely stranded, or needed a tow. But I always keep a basic set of tools and common parts under the rear seat.

But some common breakdowns I had:
Lots of carb/fuel issues, like a stuck choke or clogged jet. Nothing as fun as rebuilding a carb, or cleaning plugs on the side of the road. It was years before I worked all those bugs out. Had a fuel pump fail, so I ran my jerry can on the hood, gravity fed. Ran out of fuel more times that I can count.

Lots of ignition issues. I had a Prestolite that the PO swapped in. I fought with that system for years chasing gremlins, randomly killing the engine. Eventually gave up and did the HEI route. I still have a "backup" ignition button that bypassed the prestolite harness, and added extra grounds everywhere.

A few drivetrain issues. I've blow a few ujoints, which is pretty scary. It makes a hell of a noise, but generally no big deal. I carry spares, and driven with just the front driveshaft before. Blown a rear wheel bearing, but drove home (5 miles) making a skreech that probobly woke the dead. Had a tranny fail, it was stuck in 3rd gear! Drove 15 miles home... oddly, not as hard as you might think.

I've had 3 different clutch failures. (throwout, master cylinder, and hose). Every jeep owner should be able to drive indefinetly without a clutch though i think its a lost skill with the younger generation. Likewise, I've had a few total brake failures. Fortunetly, I've always kept my e-brake in working order, so I was able to get home... though I stuck to backroads.

Lots of coolant issues: Lost of the fan belt a couple times. I'd drive a mile, pull over to cool down, drive a mile, etc until I could get to a parts store. I carry a spare now. One winter, I had too much water in the radiator and it would not circulate right, causing violent overheats. Its crazy to have STEAM flood the cab in sub-zero weather. I've also overheated from an intake leak, and a head gasket fail.

Oh, and lots of crashes. I drive it year-round, and despite the "4wd" sticker, its not awesome to drive in a heavy snow or icestorm. 3 different times I've skidded into guard rails, or trees, or rocks. In all the cases, the battery violently busted its bracket, and smashed the heater coolant hoses. Fortunetly, those are easy to bypass with minimal tools. I've lucky the battery never bashed the distro, or alternator. it has a beefier bracket now though the frame itself is pretty warped from the crashes.

But never been stranded at least.
Genuine "E" ticket on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. :nerd:
 
#19 ·
I do worry about my steel hardtop. I only have 4 bolts holding it on, but it rarely ever goes about 35mph. I've only once been on the highway and it was a scary experience.

My previous 2 jeeps both had there share of "hood flip ups" where I forgot the side latches and the inner latch simply did not work. One of those times, the Jeep had no windshield, so the hood smashed right on the steering wheel. Awesome times!

For my current jeep, I added a large piece of metal where the hood latches inside... that damn thing should never fail. Lesson learned
 
#20 ·
Besides running out of gas because of a faulty fuel gauge... a starter, an alternator, and an alternator wire were the only things that have left me stranded on the road.

But those are not the only items that I have had to repair or replace in the 17 years I've had my current jeep.
 
#21 ·
Not all mine, wheel with a few other CJ owners.

Out of fuel on the highway.....holy f bomb the backfires. Faulty gauge
Fat tire. Plug kit and onboard air.
Water in the distributor. Cleaned it out and put the missing piece on the vac adv
Spun a rear axle. Sat around laughing. Used 4x4 to limp out.
Plugged idle jets (BBD). Brake cleaner got him home.

Im sure the saga will continue. We start every trip with a coffee bet on who will break down.
 
#23 ·
you guys make me laugh reading your stories ..:laugh2:

at least there are no complete brake failure stories.. :)
there is many electrical issues relating to the fuelgauge and U-joints..

i will make sure my wiring is working as good as can be.. good grounds sounds like a very important thing..
U joints is already on the shelf ready to be installed..
 
#24 ·
at least there are no complete brake failure stories.. :)
That reminds me...
I had my front wheel rub through the caliper hose. It burst as I was coming to a traffic signal on my way home from work. Luckily, there was no one in front and I was able to downshift and pull into a parking lot. I drove the rest of the way home (10 miles or so) with no brakes.
 
#27 ·
Although not recent, one of my favorite CJ failures (1971 CJ5) was a failure of the bracket which held the radiator in place while driving down the highway in Maryland. The radiator came completely off and fell into the fan - which promptly drilled a 15" hole all the way through the core. Definitely had to be towed home after that one.

Jeff
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top