Jeep Rolling Down The Drive

If I park in a drive with too much of an incline my jeep just decides it wants to be in the street. It doesn't do it all of the time but it seems to be doing it more and more. The thing is it doesn't burn any oil, its not smoking, and its a little week but not too bad. As to be expected with 170,000 with 4.56's and 35's. So any ideas? Bad compression? Like everyone else I want to build a stroker but would like to get a few more miles out of it. I hope to do a compression test soon if I can find someone with guage.

So I'm guessing it's a standard transmission?

I don't think it takes a compression test to see that lack of said is the problem.

I recomend you use your parking brake when you park your MT Jeep on a hill, any hill.

i would recommend that you use your parking brake period.

Dont want to build a motor? ok. But the manufacturer installed a handy component to prevent your specific situation...

Mudderoy said:

So I'm guessing it's a standard transmission?

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You guessed it!! That is where a good parking brake helps...:twak: As for the motor, high mileage would indicate low compression:laugh3: Get R Done JW.......

Be glad your rolling jeep hasnt killed some little kid or something. Not sure what your driveway situation is like of course. I saw a full size pickup in a parking lot suddenly start rolling backwards, scary site to see with kids around.

Please, tell me this is a joke. If he's serious...




Nominated.

Wheel chocks (sp?)

Hmm, parking brakes in my experience do a very poor job of holding on a hill in reverse, with the back end facing downhill and the more worn they are the less they hold.
As for parking it in gear, my 2.5 TJ's won't hold fully in a steep enough hill in 1st gear, even less in 2nd or 3rd, thats facing up or down. The 4.0 in the XJ will hold in 1st but will creep in 2nd or 3rd, sometimes I'm in 3rd when I pull in the driveway and shut it off, I'll come out later and it will be 4 or 6 feet further back than I parked it.

Try backing up and applying the brakes a few times, thats supposed to work the adjusters and I've had it work on some not on others, depends on how rusted the adjusters are.

Unless you have 4 wheel disc brakes, the Parking Brake is just activating the Rear Drum Brakes.

The Rear Drum Brakes (even manually activated) should be able to hold your vehicle still on the steepest hill.

If it can't, like mentioned, adjust/repair the rear drum brakes and adjust/repair the parking brake cable and lever.

The only vehicle I've owned that couldn't hold a steep hill with just the parking brake, was my '95 just after purchasing it from the P.O. after 12 years of neglect. After I fixed the rear drums and adjusted the cable, it holds still on my very steep driveway with just a normal pull of the lever with or without being in gear.

Also, try putting the gear selector in reverse, often that is a higher ratio than even first, as well its a straight cut gear. Not sure how a straight cut gear effects this, but I've been told because its is a straight cut is why you want to leave your vehicle in that gear while parked.

A vehicle running down hill on its own is not unusal, in fact it is quite common.
As said earlier, the parking break was manufactured and installed for that purpose. maintaining it properly is the duty of the owner/operator. Having said that, Both my '94 XJ that got stolen and the '96 that I have now are lacking in that department no matter how good they hold using the foot breakes especially with the back down the hill. :doh:

If your XJ has a manually shifted gearbox, here are a few things you could do (in addition to maintaining the breaks to the best possible conditions).

Before shutting down the engine push on the foot break hard to expand the shoes in the drum then firmly apply the parking breaks.

Turn the front wheels into the hill verses keeping them straight. eg; If the back is down the hill, turn the front wheels so that as the vehicle rools down hill, the front will swing into an obstacle (I assume there is a curb or something that will chock the wheel) that will cause it to stop. If the front is down the hill, turn the wheels into the hill. I always do this when parked on hills. It is cheap insurance.

Use a wheel chock. Some metal folding ones are sold in auto parts store. They could also be made from blocks of wood (my prefered).

Returning to find your vehicle in the middle of the street or on your neighbour's lawn may be humorous. Dragging the body of a child from under your vehicle is quite a different matter. I would not like to hear this happened to anyone I know and definately not from a fellow member.

Sorry about my long use of the :soapbox: . Safety is everyones buisiness. If one of my suggestions help you or anyone else I would have accomplished some thing good.

Just to ease every ones mind about rolling over a kid. I don't leave it so that it will roll anywhere it would damage property or person. It doesnt roll back like it is in neutral it slowly rolles back 6 to 8 inches every 5 min or so if I leave it and watch it to see how bad it is. I'm not a moron, well not completely anyways. Just trying to figure out why it is doing this, the puzzleing thing is it does not use oil.

Never seen a vehicle with manual trans that wouldn't stay in place while in gear.

I don't think I've ever seen a manual transmission stay in place while in gear.

:flame:

Blaine B. said:

Never seen a vehicle with manual trans that wouldn't stay in place while in gear.

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Evidently they don't have hills in Indiana. I hate to be rude, but you evidently haven't parked many stick shift vehicles on hills. Don't flaunt your ignorance. Do you think all these people are making up these stories ? Believe me it happens, and a lot. Read the owners manual from your jeep. Read the pamphlets that the DMV hands out. This has to be one of the most ignorant posts I have ever read. I have personally had this happen three times over the years, in a GMC pickup, an MGA and a Turbo Saab. Of course I have always lived in states with hills.Remember, it's a PARKING BRAKE, not an emergancy brake!

jwtrapper said:

Just to ease every ones mind about rolling over a kid. I don't leave it so that it will roll anywhere it would damage property or person. It doesnt roll back like it is in neutral it slowly rolles back 6 to 8 inches every 5 min or so if I leave it and watch it to see how bad it is. I'm not a moron, well not completely anyways. Just trying to figure out why it is doing this, the puzzleing thing is it does not use oil.

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Why do you keep saying "it does not use oil"???????? How much oil an engine uses has no impact on the brakes. Quit worring about the engine and focus on your brakes!!!:firedevil

Jess said:

Why do you keep saying "it does not use oil"???????? How much oil an engine uses has no impact on the brakes. Quit worring about the engine and focus on your brakes!!!:firedevil

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Using oil would be a sign a low engine compression? Poor compression would let the motor turn allowing it to roll while in gear? Is what hes thinking I imagine... I agree, focus on the brakes thats what should be holding the jeep in place on a hill not the engine compression.

:twak: Dang I didn't think I would get flamed for asking about low compression. Its not a brake issue my brakes are fine. The engine should be able to hold on a slight incline. So if I got your panties in a wrinkle and you have to throw up some little flaming devils sorry. :twak:

jwtrapper said:

:twak: Dang I didn't think I would get flamed for asking about low compression. Its not a brake issue my brakes are fine. The engine should be able to hold on a slight incline. So if I got your panties in a wrinkle and you have to throw up some little flaming devils sorry. :twak:

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x2- geez guys take it easy.

Just use your parking brake on hills. Don't they teach this in drivers ed any more? When I bought my 95 5 spd, the brake hadn't worked in 2 yrs[ the cable brackets were ripped loose from the floor] The po had just parked in flat places or used a wheel chock. It took about an hour to fix it right. And it did have good compression. If you don't want to use the parking brake, get a rig with an A/T. Of course every time my son who has a stick drives my AW4 he puts the friggin brake on when he parks & that irritates the hell out of me.