over heating and vibration

[brodi715]

I took my 2011 JK unlimited Rubicon out to the off road park today for the first time. It was awesome until I got stuck in a mud puddle/pit. After I was pulled out I let it sit for a bit to dry out. Some mud and water came out the exhaust when I restarted it, but no engine light came on. I wheeled it for another hour or so and then called it a day. Not even 10 minutes after leaving the park it began to over heat. I turned around and went back to the ranger station and used their hose to wash off the radiator. It was a little more caked with mud than I thought. I made it home, sprayed off the engine to get all the mud and crap off it, then took it to a little automatic car wash that had an undercarriage sprayer. After I left that car wash it started to over heat again and it began to vibrate. I got home and popped the hood and saw that it was the radiator that was vibrating. There's still coolant in it and the fan is still turning. I just can't figure out why it's still over heating and vibrating now. I hope it's nothing serious, it's a brand new Rubicon for crying out loud! Help!

[Red02TJ]

mud will get into everything and everywhere. you need to do more than just the undercarriage wash. take it back to the car wash and take your time spraying the underside.

as far as the radiator, did you wash it spraying towards the engine? try popping the hood and spraying the water the other way. once again, take your time trying to get all the mud.

good luck.

[HillBillE]

And check your fan blade (motor off of course!) See if any of the blades are broke or cracked. Very common when hitting mud holes.

If you have an electric fan, be careful as they can kick on if the system is calling for cooling, even if the engine is not running.

X2 on washing the rad from the 'inside out' to push any mud out.

[SavageSun4x4]

Not sure about the vibrating radiator, that one does throw me. Unless yours is different it an electric fan setup. Check as outlined above and be sure to check that the fan will turn freely 360.

When you say its overheating, how are you determining this. Temp gage reading (is it in the red?), light on dash or what? Is it overheating or just running hotter than normal...BIG difference.

INSURE the fan is working when the engine is hot, loose wire, blown fuse????

Muddy water will fill up the radiator fins and leave mud deposits. Use the end of a hose and an adjustable nozzle to blow water STRAIGHT THRU the radiator to dissolve and push mud out.

Auto trans??? This could be the culprit. Is it shifting ok. Transmission cooler? Check the bottom of your radiator for mud.

Finally: Friends don't let friends do Mud...

[HillBillE]

Finally: Friends don't let friends do Mud...

Quoted for Truth!!!

Back in the day, I used to run mud, had a big old 3/4T Ford, shortened up, flatbed, 38's.

Gawd I hated wrenching on tht thing when stuff broke!!

Nowdays, I don't mind slinging a little mud in a wet field, but I never let it get up past the bottom of the wheels anymore!

[JoeySnow70]

After all the good sugestions posted, and if you dont have a snorkel, check the air filter. If it is wet and caked with mud that could be the overheating problem...... Ask me how I know..... I wish I had good friends back then.... They sure let me mud away..........

[brodi715]

Thanks for the help! I cleaned up the radiator and my intake and that pretty much solved the over heating issue. However the next day I went to drive my Jeep and the battery was dead. I got a jump and discovered that the charging system light was on, so my first thought was oh crap the alternator is fried! Then as I began driving it a bit longer it stopped shifting gears and all the console lights started lighting up like a Christmas tree! I slowed down to a stop and it idled pretty erratically. Needless to say I started getting a bit more angry about what was going on. I managed to limp it back to my dealership and wrote a long explanation of what was going on and exactly what I did. I'm figuring at this point the warranty should cover this, seeing as how it's less than 2 months old and I drove it exactly to the specifications in the owners manual about off-roading. After all the owners manual states the Wrangler can go through up to 30in of water. I went through maybe 18-22in. I get a call from the service department the next day saying that the alternator is fried which also caused a short in the Power Control Module and it was going to be $1100 to fix and oh by the way the warranty wasn't going to cover it. I hit the ceiling! The service manager then begins to tell me that I submerged my engine, which is a load of crap and an insult to me! Call me a liar why don't you! I took it above him and talked to the Chrysler area service rep and he wasn't much help as well. He told me right off the bat that the factory was not going to cover it because the parts were not defective and they are not responsible for what the elements cause. I explained to him that the owners manual states that the Jeep can go through 30in of water and that there is about 10-15 pages in there that explains what the Jeep can do off-roading and how to operate it in those conditions. I explained that I did exactly what the owners manual said and that if damage occurs from operating it within the specs of what the factory says it can do, then why should I be held responsible for the damages? He and the service manager both asked me that if I operated it how it says then why was there mud everywhere...I guess these guys have never been off-roading before. Long story short, the service area rep thought he would do me a favor and cover 40% of the cost to fix it, which leaves me with a bill of just over $600. Not even 2 months old, first time out on the trails and I'm already having to dish out $600 in repairs. So much for, as the service area rep calls the wrangler "the ultimate offroad experience"! Yeah he told me that after I told him this whole experience makes me not even want to take this thing off the pavement anymore. So, a letter to Chrysler corporate is in the works and if need be a complaint with the BBB. This whole thing has me totally bummed out! And pissed off! I was completely stoked about my first Jeep and it breaks on me after it's first trip offroading!? And it's not even 2 months old!? RIDICULOUS!!! I beat the piss out of my old Ranger and that thing never broke! No more mud for me! FUBAR!!!

[SavageSun4x4]

WOW and very sorry to hear of your issues. Do keep us informed....

[brodi715]

Will do. As of right now my Rubi is still at the dealership, should be done tomorrow. I've opened a complaint case with Chrysler corporate and am looking at filing a report with the BBB. You'd think a big American car company would stand by their product and do what they can to make things right with their customers. I guess that's just asking too much or is old fashion...

[SavageSun4x4]

That is not how dealers think.

Are they a '5 star' dealer? This is important as they generally will work a lot harder to keep you happy BUT they have a way around it. If they are a 5 star, then you will or SHOULD get a customer feedback call and form to fill out. If you don't then they are cooking the books on feedback. They do that by keeping your copy of the work order and the copy that goes to the outfit that does the feedback reports...