Positive revelations.

[Dr. Marneaus]

So on this last trip towing the RTT trailer through the mountains in Plumas County California, I remarked to my wife

‘You know, as much as I bitch and moan about this thing, and as much frustration it has caused and money it has cost....it really has taken us a ton of places. We really USE IT. We have seen so much of Nevada, driven it across the state, all around around Northern California. We take it on road trips. The past two years we have taken 600 mile weekends out to Boonville and back. We’ve been to national and state parks, towing campers and loaded with gear. We have done miles and miles and miles of back roads just exploring. It took us on the trip when I proposed to you. And even though there have been some troublesome patches with it acting up, it’s always gotten us home. We really have used this jeep and gone a ton of places in it despite its inefficiencies being a 45 year old gas guzzling relic. And on top of all that, these past few months it’s actually running better than it ever has now that the EFI and timing are dialed in....’

I know it’s not a ton but I’ve put over 26,000 miles on this jeep.

We sometimes lose track of the progress we have made and the successes we have had, and focus only on the failures. I don’t really know what made me realize the above. Maybe it was just a serene moment cruising around on a trip I never even knew would be possible 8 years ago when I bought it. Maybe I’m writing this because I am about to do a 300+ mile weekend down to Mammoth Lakes and back. I hopped in the wagon this AM and didn’t even have a second thought or hesitation about the fact I’m gonna run hundreds of miles and up to 10,000’ elevation this weekend.

I dunno. For all the trouble and difficulty and disappointment, there is also good, and it’s those good things and those accomplishments that we commonly lose sight of.


Pic for just because
_DSC8961 Andrew Jeep FINAL Web Optimized by Marn, on Flickr

[jsinajeep]

Really sound like the good old Wagon has done you as much fun that it have to it.

[Dr. Marneaus]

Really sound like the good old Wagon has done you as much fun that it have to it.

Still rockin' your wheels and one of your axles, lol.

[tedlovesjeeps71]

All the issues and trouble, as painful as it can be at the time, honestly endeer these vehicles to us. If we stick with it and get it "right" we gain a sense of accomplishment. Add in the fun and adventures it takes us on while in an "unusual" vehicle that often turns heads, and it all is somehow justified when we take time to reflect upon it.

[jsinajeep]

Really sound like the good old Wagon has done you as much fun that it have to it.

Still rockin' your wheels and one of your axles, lol.

Yes I remember you come down and picked it up.

[dodgerammit]

Same reason I just dropped a few thousand in the paint on mine. We're using it more and more. Now that mechanicals seem reliable, might as well look the part authentically. Gonna redo the woodgrain. Next year, hopefully new Alcans with a 1-2" bump to tow a pop up with.

[Dr. Marneaus]

Lol. Beep jeep.

Blew a transmission line at like 4am in June Lake as we were heading out fishing. Blasted about 5qts of ATF all down the road.

I had premonitions about this. I bought a few quarts as I left reno. So when it happened at least I had a few quarts, enough to drive it the mile back to the cabin.

Sigh.

[yz400e]

That sucks, sorry to hear it.

Such a classic example of "spoke too soon". Did you by chance forget to knock on wood when you wrote the initial post ?

I can sympathize with the burnout and dissapointment you mentioned before as I am going through the same thing and I just got started. Hope the trip was a great one despite the problems.

[fulsizjeep]

They do pretty good for a bucket of bolts and everyone elses left over parts.

I hit burnout before too. I had my 88 for 2 years (1997) when we had tranny problems. Got it rebuilt and ran it for 2 years trouble free. I was driving home from work in a tropical storm, blasting down the interstate in pouring rain and wind. One of the tranny cooling lines popped. About the time I felt a loss of power, I smelled ATF. By then it was too late and the tranny got cooked. That started a pattern of tranny problems every 2 years. If it hadn't been my only vehicle, I may have burned it to the ground by 2005. Glad I didn't. I finally got my hands on another tranny, had it rebuilt and put it in with a fresh rebuilt NP208 in 2007. It has been very user friendly for 11 years now.

[letank]

It is unfortunate, but common for the last 10 years that the hoses that we buy need a little clamps retorking after a few months of driving. This apply to any hose, oil and coolant.
it happened to me as well, on my way to work, one of the rear wheel slipped on a wet sewer cover, the generated pressure popped the hose out of the recently installed trany cooler, dumped 4 quarts of ATF... lost power, pulled over and could see the loose trany cooler hose, but what to do when you cannot reach the clamp with the normal screwdriver... I used the pointy side of the bumper jack lever.
And for the funny part, the oil sprayed on the warm engine and vaporized all over the drivetrain and there was no oil slick on the roadway!

[will e]

I had a newer Ford (2008) pop a tranny cooler line off the radiator. I was on the freeway and looked in my rearview mirror. I wondered who was creating all of the white smoke when I realized it was me! I caught it before any damage was done to the tranny. Lucky! I guess it's good I check the rear view mirrors every few seconds.

I've been having pretty good luck with the Jeep. Except when I take it to Ouray. Last two years I broke down on an Ouray trail. And there was a previous year I had it towed back to camp.

But I am anxious to get it back out on the AZ trails. The weather is going to cool off soon. I have spent some time in the garage the last couple of weekends tinkering with the jeep. I enjoy working on it, as long as it is on MY schedule. Simple fixes are a pleasure. Upgrades are fun. Difficult jobs that need to get done are not my favorite.