justinstoffregen

Hi and thx in advance.

2008 JKU, 3.73's, 35's, Manual transmission, 80K miles.

I occasionally drive up some very steep hills in NC and whenever I do lately the Jeep stalls and it sounds like marbles pinging around in the front end. I had to get into 4 Lo today to complete a failed hill climb due to this and gently let off the clutch until I moved forward without stalling. 1st gear would just not hold and it sounded like marbles in a can until it stalled over and over. I expect something to be worn after 13+ years so no biggie. Ps> handbrake needs replacing as well. Thinking about a new upgraded HD clutch and 4.88's. Thoughts?

OscarMlke

Let's find out if you've left anything our of the equation.. Although you say 3.73, 35'' and Manual trans, you've yet to say what lift (if any) has bene installed. Also, where have you been taking your vehicle in for service? Have they been checking the translation fluid or have you even had the fluid changed at any point. I'm under the impression that if you have a lift, it has not been thought out correctly and could be placing components in a bind.

Sv_dude

If the clutch disc was worn then you wouldn’t go anywhere, the clutch disc wouldn’t grab the flywheel and pressure plate well. If the pressure plate is worn then pressing the clutch pedal won’t disengage the engine from the transmission. This doesn’t really sound clutch related to me.

I don’t think it’s a binding issue in your suspension or drive train. If this was the case you would likely have issues all the time and not just on an incline.

out of curiosity, when you press the clutch and start the Jeep, does it feel like the Jeep wants to move like an automatic transmission would? This would be a good indication of a pressure plate wearing out. If you let off the clutch and it doesn’t want to move much then you may have a worn clutch disc. But this will likely be noticeable in all scenarios, not just a hill.

Mark Doiron

Please pardon me if these question insult your experience or intelligence. They are meant for one who has only a little to no experience and understanding of the JK 4WD system and electronics. You may not be that guy, but in the future maybe someone else is. Anyway: First, what mode did you have the ESP in? Are you aware that there are three readily accessible modes for it, full on, partial off and full off? And full off is not really full off, but that's what Jeep calls it. Also, are you aware that it is not necessary to press in the clutch when starting the Jeep in 4WD-low? Usually on steep ascents, that's an easier way to get rolling. The reason I'm asking these question is because if you are in 4WD-high and don't use the ESP function to go to full off, then you will experience symptoms like you describe: The ESP will try to control the wheel speed because it thinks you're in a skid, and cause the vehicle to stall. And a stalling vehicle does jerk around and make pinging sounds.

Kudos to Ronjenx for creating this chart ...


Even experienced people make the mistake of tackling a too steep hill in 4WD-high without properly setting the ESP. Or, better yet, doing it in 4WD-low (where the full on mode is automatically selected) and the added torque reduces the chance of stalling. Me, just a few weeks ago, LOL (18:40 if not forwarded automatically) ...

justinstoffregen

2.5" Skyjacker with OME adjustable lower control arms.

justinstoffregen

Neither of these things happen.

justinstoffregen

Thanks, I didn't know this about 4LO. Also, I will try to repeat this experiment with different ESP settings. Thanks for this info.

justinstoffregen

Cool video. Some of the driveways here are that steep or steeper. It's nuts.

karls10jk

I think 4.88 is too low, you'd be pretty well capped at 70-75 mph. I went 4.56 with 35's, 3.8l, and the six speed and almost wish there was another ratio between it and 4.10 that would work a little better on the highway. Off-road it's good though, I enjoy it. I spent over 200k miles with the 3.73's so it's nice to have a little oomph back with having to dump the clutch.

justinstoffregen

75 mph...good one. 😂