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Old 06-19-2016, 03:36 AM   #21
bill-e
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The Ecodiesel didn't throw any CEL's so it was not overloaded or overheated or whatever. That engine has had some failures with rods and bolt torque and that's what it sounds like to me, a catastrophic engine failure.

My Ecodiesel Ram pulls 7000+lbs like it wasn't there. The engine has 420pound feet of torque and can easily tow the load. This was mechanical engine failure if I were to bet.

I'd also bet the repair time is way longer than 3 weeks, months has been other's experiences...sometimes months just to get the parts.
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Old 06-19-2016, 11:21 AM   #22
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Well this sucks to hear! I was really looking forward to following your trip
I hope that you can make the time to try it again next year
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Old 06-19-2016, 11:41 AM   #23
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I don't think your trailer had anything to do with your motor blowing up. Sorry you missed your vacation. Not just a vacation but a bucket list trip to Alaska. That's sucks.

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Old 06-19-2016, 01:37 PM   #24
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Advice no matter what you did or do in life. Go weight the trailer and jeep and only use a little math to learn what real weights are for them. Than no guessing and that is all your doing. Keystone says my tongue wt. is 540 as I recall. I weight stuff I travel with and it is easy to do maybe even free. So, my tongue wt was scaled when loaded for camping at 900 lbs. I am not saying weight was any cause for the failure, it may have been a factor, it may have had nothing to do with pulling that trailer. But, using paper listed wt.s on any vehicle weights is only a guess. Knowing each axle wt. on each vehicle is just a extra piece of mind when loading, towing or buying new tires etc.
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Old 06-20-2016, 08:39 AM   #25
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All the truck rental companies we looked at, do not allow towing. We didn't try Enterprise because the nearest one was in Oakland.
I'm sorry about your trip. I really like that EcoDiesel motor, but it sounds like you're not on the lucky side this go around.

Last time I got stranded and had to tow (cargo trailer) - we got a good deal on the rental from the local Ford dealer via a Yukon. I towed with it anyway, largely because I didn't have any other choice short of a U-haul. Big rental agreement violation, but the Yukon had a factory hitch.

I need service on my 3500. I've been calling the local dealer for 2 weeks and can't even get a return call out of the service department. I finally escalated to the service manager today and asked what was going on. My particular dealer can't deal with the "volume" of calls related to the recent recalls and service is very much under-water, so I hope you have better luck...
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Old 06-20-2016, 07:20 PM   #26
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If not for bad luck you had no luck at all. Sounds like you know your numbers and are within ratings. A 10% cushion on the weight too. Probably mechanical failure of some kind. Thankfully you were close to home and have your TT back to bed. No one was hurt so much to be thankful for. Good luck with the repair.
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Old 06-20-2016, 08:51 PM   #27
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Wow! Another guy from the the jeep forum

http://www.jeepgarage.org/f222/motor...les-96778.html

had a similar failure. They're talking about September for a replacement motor! Holy guacamole!
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Old 06-21-2016, 12:54 AM   #28
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Ouch. Very sorry to hear your trip got cancelled. Kinda happy it happened close to home for you, though.
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Old 06-21-2016, 03:06 AM   #29
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Terrible story and sorry to hear of your misfortune.

Look for a commercial rental company, both Enterprise and Hertz offer commercial lines with HD vans and trucks. Any 3/4 ton or better rig can drag that relatively light trailer home the 50 miles on a ball only without WD and Sway control. Might wag a little but when the truck weighs more than the trailer it's manageable.

PS: I've been considering the GoodSam roadside program, sounds like a winner in this example!?
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Old 06-21-2016, 09:57 AM   #30
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Wow! Another guy from the the jeep forum

http://www.jeepgarage.org/f222/motor...les-96778.html

had a similar failure. They're talking about September for a replacement motor! Holy guacamole!
In many states, a September time frame is well into "lemon" territory, so hopefully Chrysler will do something for you in the mean time. Let us know how it sorts out...


If they'd put that Eco-diesel in the Rubicon, I'd buy one tomorrow.. :-)
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Old 06-21-2016, 10:25 AM   #31
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Terrible story and sorry to hear of your misfortune.


PS: I've been considering the GoodSam roadside program, sounds like a winner in this example!?
They were very helpful in getting the truck and trailer off the freeway. Be aware though that they tow to the nearest repair facility, although since the dealership was about the same, they towed it there. For the trailer, they just get it off the freeway to a safe place, not all the way home.
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Old 06-22-2016, 09:13 AM   #32
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We have triple A +RV and it provides free towing for up to 100 miles.

Our van caught fire, 125 miles from home and we only had to pay for the last 25 miles to get both the camper and the van towed back to the house.

There was 5 of of us in the cab, + the driver

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Old 06-22-2016, 01:45 PM   #33
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Bumala - the listed weight for your trailer is over 7500lbs. gvw. Over the weight for your Jeep. Tongue weight could be maybe 1000 lbs. Is the Jeep rated for that?? I hope you have good luck with the insurance; if it were me, I would dump the Jeep and get something that could tow the trailer OR dump the trailer and get something the Jeep could tow. One blown engine on any of my vehicles trying to pull a trailer warrants a "right now" change.
So out of curiosity I bought a trailer tongue scale and measured the tongue weight. It's probably high, since the trailer is backed into a hill, and more weight is on the back wheels, which equals more weight on the tongue. It measured a little less than 700 lbs. I would guess that on flat ground it's probably 650 or so. That's the best I can do until I get my tow vehicle back. The trailer is fully loaded, with full propane, all my gear on board.
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Old 06-22-2016, 02:05 PM   #34
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Bob,
What's Chrysler's policy on a warranty repair that runs well into the months time-frame? Can they provide you with a vehicle of similar capabilities that would allow you to continue your trip?

Surely, they don't make the thing unavailable for months....

You're in California, looks your state's lemon law protects you from repairs that take more than 30 days:
"... the vehicle is out of service because of the repair of any number of problems by the manufacturer or its agents for a cumulative total of more than 30 days since delivery of the vehicle."

Personally, if your trailer is 53 miles from home, I'd ask the dealer for a 1/2 ton loaner with a tow package capable of 8000lbs. Not a rental, a loaner.
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Old 06-22-2016, 02:18 PM   #35
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So Chrysler authorized a new motor and they ordered it today. They claim delivery in 5 to 7 days. I should get my Jeep back in a week or two. I hope it's true. I hope the guy from the JeepGarage forum is wrong. The trailer is home, everyone is safe.
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Old 06-22-2016, 03:31 PM   #36
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So out of curiosity I bought a trailer tongue scale and measured the tongue weight. It's probably high, since the trailer is backed into a hill, and more weight is on the back wheels, which equals more weight on the tongue. It measured a little less than 700 lbs. I would guess that on flat ground it's probably 650 or so. That's the best I can do until I get my tow vehicle back. The trailer is fully loaded, with full propane, all my gear on board.
Bob.
It's great to hear that they think they can get the new engine to you so soon. Hope they can get it in just as quickly.

I'm not trying to be the weight police or harp at you. I'm just worried because the numbers don't sound right to me. I'm staying at a resort in FL this week and I was out walking around a new JGC today in the parking lot just looking it over thinking about your situation.

Why do I worry? Primarily because you're going to AK and pulling your trailer with a Jeep. Pulling up and down mountains isn't like flatlanding and puts a big strain on the suspension, brakes etc. The EcoDiesel, if it stays together, should be more than enough engine for that trailer. The Jeep on the other hand is pretty small.

The dry weight of the trailer is 5385 with a cargo capacity over 2000 lbs. Usually, in my experience, you need to have a tongue weight that is in the vicinity of 12 - 15% of the trailer weight for stable driving; that is my concern for you when you hit long, steep downgrades or other difficult situations. A tongue weight of 650 would indicate, to me, that your full trailer weight would be around 5500 or less (at 12%). That says you have about 100 lbs of cargo in the trailer which can't be right - the propane tanks alone will add more than 60 lbs. I've got a few hundred pounds of "stuff" in my pass through alone, it would appear you have nothing.

Looking at the layout of your trailer it appears it will load heavy to the rear. That may be your issue. When you get the trailer back I would strongly urge you to take it to a scale and get it sorted out. Work on getting that tongue weight solid and weights in the trailer sorted or it WILL take you for a ride in the mountains (don't ask how I know). Good luck!
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Old 06-22-2016, 03:52 PM   #37
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It's great to hear that they think they can get the new engine to you so soon. Hope they can get it in just as quickly.

I'm not trying to be the weight police or harp at you. I'm just worried because the numbers don't sound right to me. I'm staying at a resort in FL this week and I was out walking around a new JGC today in the parking lot just looking it over thinking about your situation.

Why do I worry? Primarily because you're going to AK and pulling your trailer with a Jeep. Pulling up and down mountains isn't like flatlanding and puts a big strain on the suspension, brakes etc. The EcoDiesel, if it stays together, should be more than enough engine for that trailer. The Jeep on the other hand is pretty small.

The dry weight of the trailer is 5385 with a cargo capacity over 2000 lbs. Usually, in my experience, you need to have a tongue weight that is in the vicinity of 12 - 15% of the trailer weight for stable driving; that is my concern for you when you hit long, steep downgrades or other difficult situations. A tongue weight of 650 would indicate, to me, that your full trailer weight would be around 5500 or less (at 12%). That says you have about 100 lbs of cargo in the trailer which can't be right - the propane tanks alone will add more than 60 lbs. I've got a few hundred pounds of "stuff" in my pass through alone, it would appear you have nothing.

Looking at the layout of your trailer it appears it will load heavy to the rear. That may be your issue. When you get the trailer back I would strongly urge you to take it to a scale and get it sorted out. Work on getting that tongue weight solid and weights in the trailer sorted or it WILL take you for a ride in the mountains (don't ask how I know). Good luck!
Actually the highest point on the AK Hwy is just over 4200' with grades less steep than normal mountain driving in the Lower 48. Having driven it, I think its a non-issue.
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Old 06-22-2016, 05:08 PM   #38
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Actually the highest point on the AK Hwy is just over 4200' with grades less steep than normal mountain driving in the Lower 48. Having driven it, I think its a non-issue.
I've not been there but was going by what my neighbor said, whose been there multiple times. He pulls his 5th wheel and has a new Chevy diesel every year. He said that he had to go down grades that he had to downshift to 1st or 2nd and went up grades where he was struggling by the time he got to the top. To me that sounds like an issue for a Jeep pulling a 27' trailer and would warrant consideration, but again, I've never been there. An elevation of 4200' is a pretty big climb coming from sea level.....if that is the case.
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Old 06-22-2016, 08:46 PM   #39
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I-5 in North CA. and Southern OR. There are some nice long steep up hill and back down that will test any vehicle pulling a TT or large load.
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Old 06-22-2016, 10:37 PM   #40
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I've not been there but was going by what my neighbor said, whose been there multiple times. He pulls his 5th wheel and has a new Chevy diesel every year. He said that he had to go down grades that he had to downshift to 1st or 2nd and went up grades where he was struggling by the time he got to the top. To me that sounds like an issue for a Jeep pulling a 27' trailer and would warrant consideration, but again, I've never been there. An elevation of 4200' is a pretty big climb coming from sea level.....if that is the case.
The highway undulates in elevation, but not to the degree, in my experience, characterized by your neighbor. Ft. St. John near the beginning of the AK Hwy is 2100' and some passes are 3500' then dropping to 1200' for a short while, but most of the highway is 2100'-3600' until you pass Eureka, AK and Tahneta Pass where it eventually drops to sea level at Anchorage.

If the OP can drive the Sierra without his TV breaking a big sweat, the AK Hwy will be a breeze.
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