Good excuse to put an AX-15 in there...might as well make a bad situation turn into an excuse for an upgrade!
Screwed up big time towing my Jeep
- Thread starter Bob.Gibson
- Start date
OP
I agree if I had actually been driving the TJ I would have felt and heard this failure happening and perhaps had time to stop prior the the catastrophic detonation. Unfortunately being in the tow vehicle i felt and heard nothing.
rouxbicon
TJ Enthusiast
The mistake, if you're inclined to think of it as such, was not leaving the auto trans in N. That is most most likely completely unrelated to this scenario. I wouldn't even really think of this as a mistake. It was just time, based on age and/or miles/kms, for the centering ball in the front driveshaft to seize up. Failure in this manner is usually, but not always, preceded by a squeaking or chirping noise (referred to as the angry sparrows) from the front driveshaft. As you mentioned, they may not have been audible while towing the TJ. Had you heard them, the thing to do would have been to remove the front driveshaft to (a) confirm that the noise was in fact from the driveshaft, and (b) buy yourself some time by eliminating the potential failure point while considering repair/replacement options.
Edit: In other words I agree with what freedom_in_4low said. I didn't read his reply before I posted
OP
Here are some more pics. I wont be able to access the hoist for another four hours to get better pics Looks like the Auto Trans is damaged. See image 3772
All uJoints and Double Cardan are all intact and appear undamaged.
All uJoints and Double Cardan are all intact and appear undamaged.
OP
Here are pics of front and rear shafts.
Rear is still intact and looks normal.
Front uJoint at the diff is missing rear Double Cardan is intact and seems undamaged.
Hard to know if the front uJoint caused the failure or was damaged a a result of it.
Rear is still intact and looks normal.
Front uJoint at the diff is missing rear Double Cardan is intact and seems undamaged.
Hard to know if the front uJoint caused the failure or was damaged a a result of it.
I'm still not seeing where you're seeing damage to the transmission. I added a red line to your photo - the trans is to the left of this line. The transfer case is to the right. What you're looking at in the opening is the range fork in the front of the case (which engages the planetary gear assembly to switch between high and low range).
OP
Thanks You are correct. Its only the Tranfer case. I guess I'm in panic mode at the moment.
Never really owning an auto anything for very long I would have thought it would have to be in Neutral to tow as well?
When they towed my hire car from a carpark at the Tijuana border they broke in and stretched the cable forcing it from P into N to tow it to the compound.
When they towed my hire car from a carpark at the Tijuana border they broke in and stretched the cable forcing it from P into N to tow it to the compound.
Lets look at the diff side of the front drive shaft. If that joint failed the imbalance of the shaft could have shook it apart, or it hit something in the road and shoved back on the transfer case. Either way sorry you had to experience this. Curious what the findings will be on cause.
OP
Brianj5600
TJ Expert
OP
Brianj5600
TJ Expert
OP
Apology not needed. It did make me smile in my hour of doom
Possible but unlikely. The centering ball starts squeaking and then shortly after it locks up and does exactly what the pics show, explodes the left side of the case off. I don't see much if any damage to the trans.
Neither the auto or the manual go in neutral, one in park (all the way forward for the auto illiterate) other in gear, both with t-case in neutral.
Transmissions aren't really made for the output to freewheel for extended time with the engine off. We can do it with the TJ because it has a suitable transfer case with an output-driven oil pump. Most vehicles you can't flat tow, and if you use a dolly, the drive axle is on the dolly and the non drive axle is on the ground.
