2H to 4H and back...now a hot oil smell

[xenfrog]

HI I drive a 2004 Liberty 3.7L with 45k miles. Just drove 450 miles fine and ran into snow at 7,000 feet. Shifted from 2H to 4H (part time) to make it through the snowy hills. Parked it in 4H (part time). Next day the roads were dry, drove 4 miles in 4H then shifted back to 2H. Drove another 75 miles fine. Now I smell a hot oil smell coming from the rear axle area. Any ideas? I have another 600 miles to go!
thanks for any input!

 

[KeswickDave]

4-HI (part time) on dry roads is a no-no... I'm not sure if you did any damage in those 4 miles or what exactly to look for, other than obvious leaking fluids etc.

Hopefully someone more knowledgable will chime in.

 

[xenfrog]

4-HI (part time) on dry roads is a no-no... I'm not sure if you did any damage in those 4 miles or what exactly to look for, other than obvious leaking fluids etc.

Hopefully someone more knowledgable will chime in.

thanks KeswickDave... i'm thinking i screwed it. going to check tomorrow morning for leaks (didnt see any earlier tonight)
just dont know if its safe to drive or for how far with something amiss. wrong time to be so far from home with no money!

 

[TigerClaws]

Did you hit a lot of curves in that 4 miles on 4H ? Check your oil brake levels under the hood, who knows ... It is simple to check and yet can save your life ... Just in case it wouldnt be a leak in the rear brake line ... I'm figuring at 7000 feet altitude you probably hit a lot of ups and downs ...

 

[valvestem]

HI I drive a 2004 Liberty 3.7L with 45k miles. Just drove 450 miles fine and ran into snow at 7,000 feet. Shifted from 2H to 4H (part time) to make it through the snowy hills. Parked it in 4H (part time). Next day the roads were dry, drove 4 miles in 4H then shifted back to 2H. Drove another 75 miles fine. Now I smell a hot oil smell coming from the rear axle area. Any ideas? I have another 600 miles to go!
thanks for any input!

I am wondering how you determined the hot oily smell is coming from the rear diff and not the T-Case/Trans? Which are the two likely most affected components from driving that distance in 4H.

 

[xenfrog]

I am wondering how you determined the hot oily smell is coming from the rear diff and not the T-Case/Trans? Which are the two likely most affected components from driving that distance in 4H.

thanks for your help!
Sorry just to back up a sec...I am a "noob" in regards to my Jeep /shame

...but the smell seemed to be coming from the rear area of the Jeep.
After the shift from 4H (part time) to 2H I drove about 75 miles on mostly flat roads and stopped many times and there was no smell. The ordor started when I climbed the 4miles (9% grade) back up the mountain to where I am staying.

side note: a jeep "expert" told me "If it is 4H (part-time) this will be ok no damage is done. Part-time means it will allow the transfer case to electronically put it into 4 wheel drive when needed." From what I have read here on the forums, this guy has his info wrong?

 

[xenfrog]

Did you hit a lot of curves in that 4 miles on 4H ? Check your oil brake levels under the hood, who knows ... It is simple to check and yet can save your life ... Just in case it wouldnt be a leak in the rear brake line ... I'm figuring at 7000 feet altitude you probably hit a lot of ups and downs ...

Thanks Tiger! I will check the brake fluid when I venture out in abit. The 4 miles I drove in 4H (part time) was all down hill (9% grade) and twisty. I read somewhere that its best to shift on the level so I was making it down to the level.
Can I shift from 4H to 2H with the Jeep stopped? That would have been so much simplier ;-)

 

[flair1111]

thanks for your help!
Sorry just to back up a sec...I am a "noob" in regards to my Jeep /shame

...but the smell seemed to be coming from the rear area of the Jeep.
After the shift from 4H (part time) to 2H I drove about 75 miles on mostly flat roads and stopped many times and there was no smell. The ordor started when I climbed the 4miles (9% grade) back up the mountain to where I am staying.

side note: a jeep "expert" told me "If it is 4H (part-time) this will be ok no damage is done. Part-time means it will allow the transfer case to electronically put it into 4 wheel drive when needed." From what I have read here on the forums, this guy has his info wrong?

the expert is WRONG. PART TIME means you use it "part of the time when needed" and it locks the drive train on slick or dry roads. dry will kill it if you go far enough.
FULL TIME is the one you can use on any surface wet, slick, or dry.

 

[flair1111]

Thanks Tiger! I will check the brake fluid when I venture out in abit. The 4 miles I drove in 4H (part time) was all down hill (9% grade) and twisty. I read somewhere that its best to shift on the level so I was making it down to the level.
Can I shift from 4H to 2H with the Jeep stopped? That would have been so much simplier ;-)

its best to shift it while going straight, but i usually shift back to 2w when it gets dry reguardless unless i have the wheels turned deep. it only takes a few feet to straighten it out so shift asap when you hit the dry or a few feet before.

 

[kb0nly]

Yeah that guy is no "expert"... The KJ has a purely mechanical transfer case, it doesnt turn on and off as needed, if the lever is in 4HI then its in and thats it, well until something goes wrong or you shift it out.

And to echo what others have already said... Part Time means just that, you turn it on only when needed, and it should only be used when on slippery surfaces so that you have wheel spin. On dry pavement you will get binding and breakage, its all go or no go with the Part Time transfer case. Now if you had one with Full Time then its different as the transfer case functions differently, read the posts on here about the difference between the transfer cases used in the KJ.

You don't have to stop to shift the transfer case, its actually best to do it moving when going from 4HI to 2HI. I usually just take my foot off the gas and let it keep coasting and then shift the transfer case and then back to the gas, simple as that. If you experience problems and it won't pop out take your foot off the gas, shift the trans to neutral while letting it coast, then shift transfer case, then shift back to drive and back on the gas.

 

[TigerClaws]

The 4 miles I drove in 4H (part time) was all down hill (9% grade) and twisty.

Part Time on dry pavement is bad ... but it dont get that bad in a straight line because both wheels on different side spins at same speed... Big problem occurs when you are locked in part time and hitting a curve ... Part time locking both wheels counter the effect of one wheel HAVING to spin faster to get throught the curve ... I believe you can imagine the bending your differential has to deal with ... Dont worry about your noobishness, we cant all be einsteins in every matter ... The less shy you are about asking questions the more youll learn from those who made mistakes or those who simply know ... Just one thing thought, search the forum since a lot and a lot of questions already have been answered, proof your not the only one ...

 

[JeepJeepster]

but it dont get that bad in a straight line because both wheels on different side spins at same speed... Big problem occurs when you are locked in part time and hitting a curve ... .

Not 100% true.. The front and rear wheels will turn at a slightly different speed, even in a straight line.

 

[Midgear]

side note: a jeep "expert" told me "If it is 4H (part-time) this will be ok no damage is done. Part-time means it will allow the transfer case to electronically put it into 4 wheel drive when needed." From what I have read here on the forums, this guy has his info wrong?

(lol) rollinglaugh.gif rollinglaugh.gif rollinglaugh.gif (lol)

your expert fails.

 

[JeepJeepster]

(lol) rollinglaugh.gif rollinglaugh.gif rollinglaugh.gif (lol)

your expert fails.

This is probably one of the main reasons why the KK doesnt even have part time. No one knew how to use it.

 

[xenfrog]

thank you all for your help! one thing is true, I learn from my mistakes!

I had a tranmission specialist (Nevada Transmission Exchange) take a free look see at it when I made it down the mountain. He said all is well and he doesnt believe the hot smell was related to the 4 mile drive in 4H on the dry hill. Seems my transmission heated up on that steep climb. His only explanation for the smell is possibly a small amount of trans fluid blew out the vent? that still doesnt sound healthy! I will get it serviced soon as I am home.

thanks again! glad I found this place, I can learn alot here about my kj"Cherry Bomb"

 

[xenfrog]

(lol) rollinglaugh.gif rollinglaugh.gif rollinglaugh.gif (lol)

your expert fails.

lol i know he fails! i found him on google (justanswer.com) they want a $13-$35 "donation" for answering questions... well i declined to give them a donation since his answer was WRONG. not the first time google has led me down the wrong path ;-)

 

[eyehatetofu]

lol i know he fails! i found him on google (justanswer.com) they want a $13-$35 "donation" for answering questions... well i declined to give them a donation since his answer was WRONG. not the first time google has led me down the wrong path ;-)

How do I become an "expert" on there? I can tell people wrong information all day and would love to get paid for it

Hope everything works out with yer Libby.

 

[ThunderbirdJunkie]

How do I become an "expert" on there? I can tell people wrong information all day and would love to get paid for it

Hope everything works out with yer Libby.

No kidding, dude.
Sounds like the turboencapulator is screwed.

In all seriousness...is this a heavy stinky odor?

 

[Porkchop]

Ok time for you to get under your Jeep take your time and get a little durty. What do smell feel or see for your self.
What do you smell from where
What does it feel like from where
What do you see that does not look correct

 

[JeepJeepster]

Its very possible that the ****** got hot going up the hill. I assume the trans temp light never came on? Not sure why it would spit fluid out of the vent unless it was over full.

Taking it to a Jeep dealership and getting a full flush would be a good idea. You can change out the tcase fluid yourself if you know how to turn an allen wrench.