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Off-Road and Random Open Hole in Engine

garand_guy

garand_guy

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As anyone else had their power steering fluid reservoir cap just come off on it's own? Granted I was beating the crap out of my truck driving too fast on dirt roads when I encountered some hellacious ruts I didn't see... Older Silverado in case anyone is wondering.

Heard this low whirring noise (oddly it's not your classic whine when turning the wheels). Popped the hood and low and behold, there's an open hole in my engine! I figure Jiffy Lube didn't tighten it properly. Now I gotta get a cap overnighted and pray nothing is screwed up.

I think I'll learn to change my own oil now.

Kinda makes me wonder what happens when you off-road seriously. I hope Jeeps and newer trucks don't succumb to vibrations that easily. Oh, and thoughts on a pickup vs. a Wrangler for a single vehicle to own, please.
 
Guessing it wasn't tightened all the way. But not sure why jiffy screw would even bother to touch it.
If it was tight and loosened up on the dirt road then other caps should be loose too.
 
Gullwing said:
Guessing it wasn't tightened all the way. But not sure why jiffy screw would even bother to touch it.
If it was tight and loosened up on the dirt road then other caps should be loose too.
Click to expand...

What other caps? Lol. Guess I know why stuff gets wired down now.

LASCHRIS said:
duct tape
Click to expand...

Actually got a suggestion to use tinfoil. Secured it with a zip tie and added some fluid. Works much better.

And really; should I get a 4WD truck or a Jeep? Having a pickup is nice, but I really want a Wrangler.
 
Power steering caps should lock on the last thread so I don’t see how this happened unless it was not fully tightened. I own a Jeep and seriously off road it and have never had any fluid caps come loose.
 
I've never heard anyone complain about owning a jeep!
 
garand_guy said:
What other caps? Lol. Guess I know why stuff gets wired down now.



Actually got a suggestion to use tinfoil. Secured it with a zip tie and added some fluid. Works much better.

And really; should I get a 4WD truck or a Jeep? Having a pickup is nice, but I really want a Wrangler.
Click to expand...

Rent one and it will cure your wanting one. You're much better off buying an FJ Cruiser, Tacoma, or 4Runner.
 
Dusty said:
I've never heard anyone complain about owning a jeep!
Click to expand...

My father special ordered a 1986 Jeep CJ7 with custom Dana(don't remember which model) front and rear. It was nothing but trouble for us. Mechanical problem after problem. It was easy to work on so we did most of the work at home. When on the trails my friends had a Toyota pick up and the other one had a 4Runner. Both of them had no problem wheeling with the Jeep. They had better fuel mileage especially when locked in to 4X4. Over the years I've known several people who have bought Jeeps and sold them within a few years due to mechanical issues mainly.
My brother inlaw owns a Dodge/Jeep dealership and they dominate the service department. Between the recalls and all the other stuff going wrong, his guys don't go hungry.

Jeep guys are like Harley guys. They look past the shortcomings and make excuses for inferior vehicles.

There now you've heard someone complain about a Jeep. Oh yeah I owned a 1992 XJ. It was somewhat trouble free but liked to run hot no matter what I did with it.
 
My Dad used to say "You aren't a real off roader until you have come up with solutions for at least half a dozen "I'm stuck until I fix this" issues out in the boondocks, either on your own 4x4 or your buddies. "
Busted leaf springs, busted shackles, busted fan belt, fried coil wire, busted U joint, failing alternator, failing mechanical fuel pump, burst radiator hose or hole in the radiator, stuff like that.
 
Jeep stands for Just Empty Every Pocket!
 
I’ve owned 2 Jeeps in my lifetime. A Cherokee, which was the worse piece of junk I ever owned. And a Wrangler which was better, but still broke down a lot. The Wrangler was kinda fun to drive about the city and off road but on the highway it felt like a box going down the road. Absolutely no aerodynamics in that body shape. Put a soft or bikini top on it and interior noise will make you deaf at 70mph. I know that’s not what it was made for but face it if 90% of your driving is on road then I want a better ride.
 
I own 2 jeeps. A 94 Cherokee with 250k miles and a 97TJ with a 140k miles. Both have been incredibly reliable and have gone places they had no business going. As far as a new one, well that may be a different story. But in my opinion, that straight 6 was 1 of the best engines ever built.
 
As far as the truck versus Jeep thing, you can go either way. Most never really use a truck. If you get a Jeep, you can always get a small trailer to equal the carrying capacity of the truck.
 
I’ve seen Jeeps with the 4.0 bust over 500,000 miles and still keep going. I’d love to see other vehicles come close.
 
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