Emergency Replacement Fluids. What to carry.

I know that with our Cherokees we are apt to be off the well traveled road AND we pride ourselves being able to get back to civilization on our own, so this question;

What are the MINIMUM number of fluids needed to "top off" in an EMERGENCY situation?
They will need to mix with whatever is used and last until they can be changed/replaced.

The radiator is easiest, plain water and a tube of sealer (& duct tape) should get you home.

Engine, Transfer Case, Manual (& auto?) Transmission, Axles? Maybe a quality synthetic engine oil?

Pressure fluids; Brake, Power Steering, Hydraulic (clutch)?

This is not a "What should I bring to the trail?" or "What's in your tool box?" there are threads for that already. My question is for Emergency Replacement Fluids Only.

I carry 4 liters atf, 2 gallons water, 4 liters engine oil, 3 liters 80w90, brake fluid and vise grips on every trip. as well as a suction gun- for the diff/t/case fluids


and yes, it makes a mess outta your jeep when it leaks/spills

You can use the Dexron auto trans fluid in the tcase. 6 qts for the auto trans, or 2 for the tcase. don't forget diff fluid and some duct tape and rtv to seal any holes that made the diff fluid leak out. 2 pts of 70w90 should be enough.

I've heard of water being used in the brake system for a low speed fluid replacement. It boils when it gets hot but crawling shouldnt produce that much heat.

ghost had a huge valve cover leak one crawl and we used every petro based fluid we could find to keep the engine lubed.

The beer of your choice. Good for you, and you can recycle it in the radiator.

Distilled/RO-filtered water. Use in the radiator, in the battery (if you have a "top-off" battery,) and in you.

Dexron ATF. Can be used in the transmission (manual or auto, for emergencies,) transfer case, power steering, or engine (for emergencies.)

Gear oil. I wouldn't trust ATF in the axles, so you do need to cover that.

Brake fluid. For clutch and brake. Carry a small factory sealed bottle. Brake fluid is hygroscopic - soaks up moisture in the air. Yes, you can use water as a "low speed" replacement - but be ready to flush the system out entirely when you get home!

I usually keep a couple of small bottles of everything in my "road kit" (large British military fuse box - think "ammo can," but rather larger and squarish) and one or two 10L water jugs are filled up. If the trip is more than a half-day's drive, I'll fill up at least on 5-gallon jerry can of fuel as well - two if it's more than a couple states away (I'll carry ten gallons of fuel back and forth to Indiana if all goes according to plan. If it doesn't? I'm pretty damned glad to have that fuel!)

On the road I carry only 1 qt oil, 1 qt. Dex, small brake fluid...and a AAA card.

In my "fuse box" (see above post) for trail runs, "out there" camping etc.

4 qts Dex
2 qts. oil
1 qt. gear oil
1 sealed gallon RTU coolant (pre-mix)
Same small brake fluid.

That and the metal box weighs about 25-30 lbs. If I have my gear trailer it bolts to the tongue, otherwise it's ballast.