Axle wrap/hop or broken mounts?

Toycrusher

New member
In deep sand is it normal for a JLU to have really bad axle hop? Finally got it out and sandy and noticed pretty violent wheel hop or what seemed like wheel hop in the dunes.

However, I've also noticed the same thing on the street when you get the motor close to stalling. Violent shaking and metallic clack-clack-clack. I've done a visual and can't see any broken motor or transmission mounts. Has anyone else experienced this?
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Not sure what you're referring to on the street but what you're feeling in the sand sounds normal. Basically, the OE shocks are having a hard time keeping up with the axles.
 

Toycrusher

New member
Thanks. On the street, referring to slowing down in a higher gear to the point where the engine start shaking and is about to stall. I get that metallic banging noise when the engine starts shaking. Also does it when trying to pull out stumps... :rolleyes2:
 

Toycrusher

New member
Coming from a 4.0 TJ the power curve of this engine is very disappointing. My TJ was relatively happy lugging under 1k rpm. With the rubbery throttle and clutch engagement at the very start of the pedal travel it's challenging to drive this JL smoothly. I'd love to, at very least, move the engagement point until the clutch pedal gets somewhere near the floor.

Either way, I've got plenty of experience stalling vehicles over the years :doh: and none of my others had the metallic banging when getting close to the stall point. Just curious if it was normal. :thinking:

Eventually I'll stop being lazy and get my wife to stall it with the hand brake on so I can check for excess movement in the motor/transmission mounts.
 

Spack

New member
I don’t know why you’d want to drive like that. I have the 8auto now, but drive my 5sp TJ occasionally. I downshift my gears and always disengage around 1000-1200 rpm and coast into the stop. That’s just all around bad juju to lug the engine like that.


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Toycrusher

New member
I don’t know why you’d want to drive like that. I have the 8auto now, but drive my 5sp TJ occasionally. I downshift my gears and always disengage around 1000-1200 rpm and coast into the stop. That’s just all around bad juju to lug the engine like that.


Sent from my iPhone using JL Wrangler Jeep Forum mobile app

I don't intentionally bog it, but there are times it nice to creep forward slowly, particularly that 5~10 mph range in a parking lot where 1st gear gets buzzy and 2nd is a bit too fast.

I played with it some more (It's my wife's DD) yesterday and the clank is actually more during clutch engagement/disengagement in 1st to 3rd. It May be more of a weird clutch chatter than a sloppy mount. As I'm typing this, I think I may figured it out. The damping springs in the clutch disc might just be really soft and the banging i'm hearing is the two parts of the clutch disc slamming and bouncing off each other. Warranty? Or by design?
 

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