Have no idea what this is, so I'll try my best to explain in text form.

I drove home (almost all the way) yesterday evening and all was fine till I got about a mile from my house, so about 45 minutes of driving with no issues. Stopped at a red light, light turned green, started to go forward, and the Jeep started lurching and grinding. I limped it across the intersection and it went no further. It felt like something mechanical or gear related, like something with "teeth" wasn't aligning properly. And also like there was some sort of strong resistance, like when you try to drive with the E-brake on. The engine runs fine, the shifter runs through the gears just fine, and...it reverses just fine. Any ideas?

It's a 2012 JKUR, manual transmission, with 2809 miles on it, a 4" EVO lift, Coast front drive shaft, and 35"s. I took it off road last week and everything has been working absolutely fine since then, and has only been on pavement since then, so I can't relate it to a trail issue. My girlfriend listened underneath while I tried to move it forward and said it sounds like its coming from the front axle or yoke area.

It's at the dealer now, and I'm really hoping its covered under warranty.

 

I am an executive of one of the largest providers of extended warranties in the world. NOTE: We Dont underwrite auto related warranties for reasons I am going to state below.

That being said you should read the terms and conditions of the warranty that came with your truck.
I can comfortably tell you this. Your lift, and tires could be blamed as the proximate cause for damage to driveshaft and parts connected to the suspension. Here the dealer has a leg to stand on. Since you replaced your driveshaft you have in effect increased the amount of items that the dealer / manufacturer can blame as the proximate cause for failure.

The dealer and the manufacturer however have no legal basis for completely voiding the warranty such voiding engine related problems because of a lift and tires alone.

Every company who sells a warranty must file the language in most states prior to selling the coverage. No state that requires this prior approval would ever accept language that terminates all coverage because of something that was not the proximate cause for failure.

If the dealer / manufacturer voids the warranty for an item that was not the proximate cause for failure get an attorney, file a complain with the department of consumer affairs, applicable State Attorney General, applicable state Department of Insurance, and Better Business Bureau.

Also, have your attorney communicate to the dealer / manufacturer that they will be seeking class action status.

 

Thx. I'm actually not to concerned about the arrant issue yet. I'm more concerned about what the actual issue is.

 

If it sounds like it in the front diff then I would guess you chipped a tooth on the ring or pinon gear while your offroading. Then it got wedged between the ring gear and pinion gear the other day when you where driving. I'm sure you'll know soon enough when Jeep calls you.

 

i used to be a tech for lexus and well you should have tryed to find out what was the problem before hand. Put it back to stock then took it in and been like .

i would have disconnected the front driveshaft jacked up the front axle and rotated the pinion flange to feel/hear if there was binding/grinding. if you find nothing and moves freely front axle √.

same on the rear and if you find nothing and moves freely rear axle √.

note: disconnecting the drive shaft isolates the axle


with the drive shafts off the t case i would start it and go thought the gears.

note: i dont think its the trans because when a gear fails the usually explode being aluminum case in all.

you would have isolated the problem and pin pointed it

hope it works out and keep us updated

good luck

 

So the dealer called me yesterday and told me that the nut that held the yoke on, was miss installed with the aftermarket drive shaft, and had backed itself all the way off causing a seperation and that my front differential would need to be completely redone, costing me somewhere around $2500!!!

So, after I cleaned that sh!t up that ran down both legs, I called the guy who did the install for me, and thankfully he said "let me get this figured out for you"!

Then, a couple hours later I get a call back from the dealer, who informs me that the tech decided to take another look at it after his lunch and put it all back together. He tightened that loose nut, took it for a road test, and all was fine. Thier only suggestion was for me to do a diff service to make sure there are no metal bits floating around in there that could cause damage. And that will be done complimentary by the installer today.

I cannot even describe how happy I was to pick up my Jeep without having to pay anything for it.

 

Sorry to hear about your trouble and that it was resolved.

How do you like the lift? I lost track after I saw you looking for an installer.

 

Yeah, like everything else with a Jeep, it's just a speedbump.

I do love the lift a lot! Thank you so much for the recomendation, it turned out awesome. I took it out to Brown's Camp last week and it handled a couple of the double black diamonds like butter. Now, I just need to get it out a bit more.