The giveaway XJ brokedown

actually, it runs just fine, but it's hard to drive on 3 wheels.

We left Moab this morning and all was well. We made it past Grand Junction on I-70, and right at the Gypsum exit the wheel came off, literally.
It appears that the e-brake on the passenger side was dragging, it generated enough heat to seize the bearing, and the axle shaft stub and wheel passed Josh on I-70 at about 65 MPH.

We've gotten it onto the trailer, and we're going to wrench on it tomorrow. For right now we're at the holiday inn @ Eagle, CO.

People are tracking down parts, and we hope to be back on the road soon.

Just a little update.

Really !?!?

goodburbon said:

Really !?!?

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I couldn't make this up.
Josh said had it been on short arms it probably would have ended up on it's lid.

we are leaving moab around 7 or 8 am monday morning going 70 east...

let me know if you need anything...

mac 'i still have LOTS of beer' gyvr

It is a plot from the Colorado guys. They don't want it to leave the homeland!

So, who's idea was having a raffle Jeep anyway?

macgyvr said:

we are leaving moab around 7 or 8 am monday morning going 70 east...

let me know if you need anything...

mac 'i still have LOTS of beer' gyvr

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will do, PM me your number. I don't have it.

E-brake? Damn safety features will getcha every time!
Glad Josh was able to whoa it down safely.

The pass side parking brake shoe is toast. No lining and looks like it was on fire. Near as I can tell, the inside of the rotor got so hot it toasted the bearing. It was only a matter of time before it seized and the shaft twisted.

It was a pretty hairy there for about 10 seconds. I had both front wheels on the ground the whole time and the second time the rear axle bounced I got it in the median and got it stopped.

Surprisingly, very little damage. The caliper and bracket are intact, the wheel and tire is fine. No noticeable damage to the housing or the bearing retainer. It needs a shaft, a rotor, bearings and the little parking brake pieces.

The worst part is it was driving awesome and getting 16 mpg. Melissa and I are fine.

I can't thank enough the guys who helped on the phones today. Scrappy and Cracker, Yellaheep and Goatman, very appreciated. All I had was scrappy's number and they made the recovery possible. Yellaheep posted on the Colorado4x4 board and one of the local guys (2 miles from the exit ! ) offered up his garage and tools.

We're headed over to his house in the morning to start taking the 8.8 out of my heep. The super 88 kit has a 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern drilled in the axle flanges, so we can swap the axle in, get the driveshaft sorted, hook up and bleed the brakes and try and get it back on the road on the 35's. We'll be a rotor short, but I think we can plug the hole at the distribution block and make it just fine.

Here's to hoping we can get parts sent to Ohio or North Carolina or wherever the jeep ends up :cheers:

What Rd said:

E-brake? Damn safety features will getcha every time!
Glad Josh was able to whoa it down safely.

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yeah, he's apparently related to Ricky Bobby.

87manche said:

yeah, he's apparently related to Ricky Bobby.

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Apparently! And perhaps might even BE Ricky Bobby if he can stuff an 8.8 axle shaft in a 60 and drive it home. Will that work?

87manche said:

will do, PM me your number. I don't have it.

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PM sent

16mpg with a sticking ebrake....wow!!!

mac 'least the gas tank didn't fall out' gyvr

What Rd said:

Apparently! And perhaps might even BE Ricky Bobby if he can stuff an 8.8 axle shaft in a 60 and drive it home. Will that work?

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No it won't.

The plan is to take his entire 8.8 and swap it under the giveaway rig.

His trackbar is toast, so we can't drive his on the highway. THe giveaway rig was the most roadworthy, so we're going to do a complete axle swap. Since his 8.8 has holes in it for 5x5.5 we're going to move the studs so we can put the 35's on it.
Mine won't be leaving th trailer for obvious reasons...:looser:

macgyvr said:

PM sent

16mpg with a sticking ebrake....wow!!!

mac 'least the gas tank didn't fall out' gyvr

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Replied with my #.


and thanks for reminding me.

macgyvr said:

PM sent

16mpg with a sticking ebrake....wow!!!

mac 'least the gas tank didn't fall out' gyvr

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I thought we were doing pretty good for 5.38's on 35's.

Got the thermostat in it last night and checked all the front end bolts. Fixed the turn signals, turned out to be a bad bulb on the passenger side. It was lighting up, but we changed it and solved the electrical problems.

The only really bad thing about swapping the axle over is driving home with a spool.

87manche said:

No it won't.

The plan is to take his entire 8.8 and swap it under the giveaway rig.

His trackbar is toast, so we can't drive his on the highway. THe giveaway rig was the most roadworthy, so we're going to do a complete axle swap. Since his 8.8 has holes in it for 5x5.5 we're going to move the studs so we can put the 35's on it.
Mine won't be leaving th trailer for obvious reasons...:looser:

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Now I feel better and can sleep. :speepin:

Wow! You got a lot further than the last give-away Jeep. I don't think they made it to Thompson Springs.

Curse of the raffle XJ?

logdog said:

Wow! You got a lot further than the last give-away Jeep. I don't think they made it to Thompson Springs.

Curse of the raffle XJ?

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Yep, mine didn't make it out of Utah. It broke a rod about 25 miles from the Colorado border.

Congrats on your new Jeep. Although it is a rough start, its still well worth watcha got into it.

Glad you are okay and good luck with the rest of your trip.

Damn... congrats on winning it though!

Oh, man - I passed the truck sitting on the side of I-70 (sans right rear tire), and thought you were all off getting a tire or two fixed.

Had I seen anyone by the truck I would have stopped, but as I didn't see anyone in or by it, I kept going and called LobsterDMB (but, as he was in Idaho, that didn't really do any good) to at least try to get the word out (I didn't have a number for anyone else).

Now that I know what really happened, I'm relieved that everybody's ok and that there were folks available to ride to the rescue.


Rob

Rob Mayercik said:

Oh, man - I passed the truck sitting on the side of I-70 (sans right rear tire), and thought you were all off getting a tire or two fixed.

Had I seen anyone by the truck I would have stopped, but as I didn't see anyone in or by it, I kept going and called LobsterDMB (but, as he was in Idaho, that didn't really do any good) to at least try to get the word out (I didn't have a number for anyone else).

Now that I know what really happened, I'm relieved that everybody's ok and that there were folks available to ride to the rescue.


Rob

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Don't sweat it. We were up at a little diner making phone calls. The wives needed a break and I didn't see any point hanging around the jeep while big rigs went by at 70 mph.

The shaft broke at 2 and we decided to get it on the trailer at 4, after we had a place to go.