In your Jeep Creep questions, please list your first and last names, your hometown, and your state/province/country, so that we can publish that information here. If you don’t provide this information, we may not be able to publish your question and answer. Don’t forget to be as complete as possible with the description of your Jeep and its problems, too. Send your Jeep questions to editor@off-road.com, Attn: Jeep Creep.

Previous Jeep Creep Columns:
June 2014

May 2014

April 2014

Jeep recalls from NHTSA this month:
14V-154: Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2011~2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles manufactured from January 5, 2010, through September 8, 2013. The subject vehicles have a brake booster with a center shell that may corrode and allow water to get inside. The water inside could freeze and limit the braking ability of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash. Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will add a water diverter shield to the booster after the booster has been tested to confirm it can hold an acceptable amount of vacuum pressure. If the booster inspection confirms an unacceptable loss of vacuum pressure, the booster will be replaced. Repairs will be made free of charge. Owners may contact Chrysler at 800-853-1403. Chrysler’s recall campaign number is P14.

Dipstick Foam
My ’06 TJ’s 4.0L six started overheating on the last trip (it has 124,500 miles on the clock). It’s never overheated before, but I noticed it first on the freeway on the way to our campsite. Once the engine cooled down I checked the radiator and it was still full, so it wasn’t a leaky radiator. I checked the tranny fluid level and it was full too. Then I pulled the engine’s dipstick to see if it was low on oil, it wasn’t. But there were some bubbles or foam on it. What does this mean? Does it have anything to do with the overheating?
Bill Simpson
Las Vegas, NV

I’m afraid I have some bad news for you, Bill, depending on how much of a mechanic you are. I believe you have a blown or cracked head gasket. That’s the gasket between the engine block and the cylinder head. It sounds like it’s cracked between a water jacket and an oil passage, allowing the higher pressurized water to be injected into the oil. That’s what is causing the bubbles on the dipstick. You’ll have to pull the head to replace the gasket. You may want to do a few other things while the head is off due to the amount of mileage you have on the Jeep. Do a compression test before removing the head to determine if you want to replace the rings on the pistons—if one (or more) of the cylinders has a lot lower compression, you’ll probably want to replace the rings. While the head is off, you should do a valve job and perhaps resurface the head itself. Discuss this with the shop where you’ll be taking the head; they can determine its needs from examining it.

Slow Leak in Tires
I do a lot of exploring in the desert down here in my Grand Cherokee. Since I don’t do any rock crawling and I mostly drive on back roads and dirt roads and some ranch roads, I don’t run aggressive off-road tires. I’m still on the tires that came with my GC but they’re starting to leak down slowly. I can’t find any slices, cuts or nails in the two tires that seem to be losing air. In other words, I don’t see any obvious damage to the tires. Can you figure out what’s wrong?
Matt Guthrie
Las Cruces, NM

Matt, have you tried brushing soapy water onto and all over the tires (I’m assuming you don’t have a dunk tank such as the tire shops have)? Soapy water should show bubbles where the air is seeping out. If the air is seeping out very slowly, however, bubbles may not show. Also, living in New Mexico, I’m assuming you do a lot of desert exploring. This could result in an accumulation of cactus spines in your tires, which will cause slow leaks. In addition, like Arizona, the dryness of the air rots the rubber valve stems and makes them very brittle, which causes many minute cracks. Here in Arizona, we’ve learned to replace the valve stems every two to three years, even if they don’t start leaking. If you haven’t done so already, I’d have all the valve stems replaced. If you still have the problem, buy a can of Spare Tire for each leaking tire and apply the contents using the instructions on the can. This will seal any cactus spine leaks but not cracked valve stems.

More Tire Repair
I was running up a wet and rocky canyon last Saturday when I heard a loud pop and a whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. I pulled off the trail and stopped and discovered a fairly large hole in my front right-side tire. I grabbed my High Lift Jack and put on my spare, but my MT/Rs are only about three months old so I really don’t want to have to buy another one. Is there something I can do to save this tire?
Doug Mehan
Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho

Years ago I was told by engineers from several different tire manufacturers that wet tires slice easier than dry tires. I don’t know if that is still valid with today’s tire compounds, but I still try to be more careful during stream crossings. I always carry a Saf-T-Tire repair kit in my Jeep, along with my new 2-Way Air system, to repair and refill a damaged tire. The kit includes everything you’ll need to repair hole after hole—up to about a ¼-inch—in many different tires. I bought my kits—I have one in each Jeep, plus I gave them as gifts last Christmas—at Amazon (several different kits are offered).

Bestop Fix
My bad, my JK slid on a muddy trail and banged head-on into a big tree. Luckily, I wasn’t driving very fast so the damage was minimal. About a year and a half ago I’d replaced both factory bumpers with Bestop HighRock steel bumpers, which—thankfully—protected the Jeep’s body. However, somehow, something on the tree poked out one of my fog lights, but it didn’t break the glass, just the plastic mounts. Bestop had included the plastic mounts with the narrow bumper so that I could reuse the factory fog lights and switch. I’ve gone on a bunch of websites but couldn’t find a replacement plastic mount. Do you know where I could find one?
Jason Lauer
Corvallis, OR

I checked with Bestop itself (http://www.bestop.com/) on this question. While Bestop does not sell directly to customers—it sells its products through a number of retail companies—Bestop will replace individual items within product kits; i.e., soft top bows, windows, etc. Bestop calls what you broke, Jason, “molded plastic light cans” and they come in two parts. For those of you who aren’t familiar with what we’re talking about, these “cans” re-aim the factory fog lights—which are mounted vertically in the factory bumper—to accommodate the slant of the Bestop bumper and aim them at the ground in the proper angle to avoid glaring in oncoming drivers’ eyes. Jason, go to Bestop’s website and click into technical support and discuss what you need with a support technician.

Funky Fuel
After a few hours of tinkering and checking, I found that the fuel pump is making a clicking noise and I am not getting fuel even to the filter. When I disconnect the pump I just hear the relays clicking; both the auto shutdown and the fuel relay. I replaced the pump last year, so not sure, ECU, maybe?
Doug Carey
Pittsford, VT

It sounds more simple than an ECU to me, Doug. I believe it's simply a clogged fuel line. Disconnect the fuel line from the filter on the tank side. If fuel doesn't flow out of the tube, have someone blow into the gas tank from the filler tube. Fuel should spray out. If not, you'll have to clean the entire fuel system, starting at the tank.

Weber Woes
I have an aftermarket Weber on my 258 and would appreciate any advice on how to wire/plumb it into the system to be reliable. It’s an off-road rig so smog is not a problem. Any advice?
Steve Wiggles
Redwood Valley, CA

Before exchanging my 258 in my 1982 CJ7 for a Chevy 400 small block, I tried a Weber carburetor. It worked for about two trips then ran like crap. Steve, I suggest you replace it with a Howell EFI unit. The Howell will supply the correct amount of fuel in almost any situation.

Parking Brake Lever
I am getting no resistance when I pull up on my parking brake lever. I went to a dealer and got a parts list, but I am unsure what the problem is. Any ideas?
Maureen Nolan
St. Louis, MO

Well, Maureen, not knowing what year or model Jeep you have, I’d say your cable is broken or the adjustment bolt and nut at the “Y” has become disconnected. Start at the rear wheel brakes and trace both cables to the center Y, then follow the single cable to the bottom of the brake lever. Make sure all parts are there and working properly.

YJ Tires
Will I cut 33x10.5x16 tires on my ‘97 Jeep Wrangler? It’s stock height.
Dan Tanner
Lantana, FL

It depends on the amount of offset you have on your wheels, Dan. If you use OEM wheels, then the tires will rub on the frame during tight turns. With the stock rims, you’ll have to reset the steering stop bolts to keep the tires from rubbing. This will widen your turning radius. If you go with aftermarket wheels with the correct amount of offset—the distance of the wheel’s center disc to the inside rim edge—you may not need to readjust the steering stop bolts.

Maximum Performance Concept
This letter is in regards to the recent article on Jeep’s Wrangler Maximum Performance Concept

I think it would be really cool if Jeep offered those Dana 60 locking axles as an option on models in the future!
Andrew Taylor
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA

You’re right, Andy, a Rubi with Dana 60 differentials would be awesome—however, the price would also likely be awesome. I have another Jeep for you to look at. Back in August 2010 we published an article on a Moparized Jeep Wrangler. At the time—and I’ve been told these Jeep models can still be ordered—these models came with a number of trail-conquering upgrades right off the dealership floor, and all the modifications came with the full factory warranty. They weren’t cheap, but they were highly reliable and somewhat awesome.

I have a request of all the readers out there. Send us your questions. For some reason the questions have fallen off, and I know we haven’t answered all your Jeep technical questions. There are no dumb questions; only unasked questions. Send them in and try to stump us.—Jim Brightly

Previous Jeep Creep Columns:
June 2014

May 2014

April 2014

As usual, each month, I’m shouting out a huge THANK YOU to Paul Schupp at Rock Lizard 4x4 in Kingman, Arizona, for his invaluable assistance in answering many of the Jeep Creep questions.