Bad motor mount issue on driver side

[Xposure]

I had my two oldest boys up on top of a mountain at the beginning of August heading off to do some backpacking when about 3/4 mile from the trail head the passenger side mount snapped off at the block. The engine fell over and pushed the exhaust pipe into the front driveline. The kicker was that I had seen a polished ring around the driveline when I bought the Jeep and was puzzling over what had made it. It all became clear in that moment; so this had happened before. I think I had been driving around on one bolt in the mount to the block for a year and it finally gave up after 10 miles of washboard. I used a borrowed ratchet strap to limp the rest of the way to the trailhead and left it for the night. We just got it back yesterday from the shop that towed it out. He confirmed that it looked like two of the bolts had been broken for a while. I guess I too wonder how common breakages of this nature are and what can be done to stay ahead of the problem short of just going to Brown Dog or the like.

Glad you guys were able to get out of the woods! I think it's fairly common

 

[Xposure]

bolts don't break when they are properly torqued, unless they are heavily corroded.

I think they get heavily corroded over the years then people snap them off. Then I think they try to extract them, and it's easy with these cast iron blocks for a big chunk to just break off when trying to extract them.

 

[Lou]

I think they get heavily corroded over the years then people snap them off. Then I think they try to extract them, and it's easy with these cast iron blocks for a big chunk to just break off when trying to extract them.

Even easier when they don't drill it centered or through the entire bolt.

 

[Xposure]

Even easier when they don't drill it centered or through the entire bolt.

I'm sure that's a lot of it. And not taking the time to drill a small pilot hole and work up to the right size.

My brother and I went to look at a worn out xj with a 4.0 that was $700. Thought it may make a decent woods vehicle. BUT....this same thing had happened except instead of just breaking off the studs/bosses, a huge chunk of the block was gone. A piece about the size of a baseball and maybe .5" deep. The guy bolted a bar going across the strut towers and hung a ratchet strap from it that was holding up the side of the engine......and was driving it that way!

Did I mention we are in Alabama? LOL