2013 JKU
In August 2024, I was driving down to Indianapolis to visit my cousin. On I-65 South about two hours north of Indy, doing about 70 mph, my check engine light went on. I just leave my Bluetooth OBD-II plugged in at all times. So, I had my son pull up the app on my phone to read what the code was.
While he was doing this, I hit a bump and a whole lot of shaking was going on. Very scary.
I was able to safely get the Jeep over to the shoulder. I no longer remember what the engine codes were. But it was acting like it did when the oil cooler went bad, that is, I couldn't get the RPMs over 3000. I've replaced the oil cooler twice already on this thing (and I'm not the original owner).
I pulled back on to the interstate, got it up to about 30 mph, hit a bump and shakin' all over again.
Pull back onto the shoulder. Get out and look at the front suspension/steering. The inside of my passenger tire is coated in what looks like oil.
I limp along on the should to the next exit and park it in a gas station. We get picked up by my cousin and the Jeep gets towed to my cousin's place by AAA the next day.
At the time, I wasn't able to work on it (got real busy with life and travelling). I am now in a position to fix the issue. I'm going through some 'death wobble checklists' I've found online. Right away I see that the bushings on the drag link and tie rod are pretty well shot. I also think maybe my axle seals are bad as well.
I am starting to source parts to fix the issue, but I need to know what size lift my Jeep has so I can get the right parts.
Like I said previously, I bought this thing used in 2019. So, I really don't know what kind of lift it has. I found some guides online that explain how to figure it out (I've included photos of those measurements). But it really doesn't look like it's lifted all that much. And looking at the coil springs, it may just be coil spacers.
I really love this damn car (even though at times I don't think it loves me back. But I'd like to get it up and running again.