Rubicon recovery NEEDED URGENT

How much did that extraction set you back? Couple $Gs?

It's out and at the Carson City dealer to be diagnosed.

Recovery details:
- Entered Tahoma with the XJ and the MOG at 8:00am
- XJ reached observation point at 9:00 (parked it and hiked down)
- hiked down and reached JK about 10:15
- MOG reached JKU and strapped up by 11:30
- JJ USA fed us lunch in Rubicon Springs (lost track of time)
- JK popped a bead and first bit if cable was pulled at bottom of Cadillac Hill.
- rear winch utilized from MOG.
- Cadillac was winch/drive a couple feet at at time.
- More Cadillac hill with Sheriff standing by
- more Cadillac hill shredded a MOG tire
- more Cadillac hill with JJUSA support group as the sun went down
- more Cadillac hill and winching.
- reached observation point (I think it was 1:00am)
- fired up the XJ and proceeded
- couple of hours of relatively uneventful strap/winch/tug
- reached Tahoma staging at 3:00 am Friday morning

Glad to hear it's safely off the trail! I hope that the dealer and or Jeep will do right by you.

Glad you got your jeep out to the dealer. That's a bad situation with a no start computer issue. Sounds like you had one brutal day. Let us know what they fix!

Kejtar said:

Glad to hear it's safely off the trail! I hope that the dealer and or Jeep will do right by you.

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That's the next big question it's been at the dealer working with Chrysler case input for 2 days still no diagnosis.

Going to have to head home tomorrow and leave it behind.

Hoping FCA steps up on this one.

Power to the XJ!!!

Forced to leave my 2014 JKUR in Carson City while the dealer and FCA try to figure this one out.

We had towed the 1988 XJ up to run the trail and decided to drive it home last night. Needless to say 4 people in a 30 year old jeep with no AC for 10+ hours isn't pleasant.

But you gotta give props to the old XJ (Renix at that). It ran the Rubicon, helped us get the JKUR out, ran around Tahoe for 2 weeks and got us all home with NO ISSUES.

Thats awesome man. Im glad you got the JK out. Thats too bad its doing whatever its doing.

Had a 2008 Rubicon Wrangler at the shop the other day with a no start issue. Turns out the automatic sway bar disconnect module have the main communication bus wires run to it. The sway bar motor/module assy is in a bad spot on the sway bar. Not surprisingly it happens to have a bad habit of going into melt down once some water gets into it. Once the module shorts out it takes down all communications on the main bus, meaning the PCM cannot talk to the security module which will cause a no start. Not saying this is the issue, but if anyone sees a JK Rubicon dead on the trail it may be worth a try to disconnect the automatic sway bar module and see what happens.

I am curious to know what happened to this JK. Especially since I own one. lol.

Bryan C. said:

Had a 2008 Rubicon Wrangler at the shop the other day with a no start issue. Turns out the automatic sway bar disconnect module have the main communication bus wires run to it. The sway bar motor/module assy is in a bad spot on the sway bar. Not surprisingly it happens to have a bad habit of going into melt down once some water gets into it. Once the module shorts out it takes down all communications on the main bus, meaning the PCM cannot talk to the security module which will cause a no start. Not saying this is the issue, but if anyone sees a JK Rubicon dead on the trail it may be worth a try to disconnect the automatic sway bar module and see what happens.

I am curious to know what happened to this JK. Especially since I own one. lol.

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This is really good info. Thanks for posting.

So here is my update as of 9/10, more than a month after the break down and after about a month of dealer/Chrysler efforts:

I flew up today and am currently sitting in my cheap hotel room awaiting the service department opening so I can finally retrieve my JKUR. I walked over and saw it sitting on the back lot. (Pretty sure it was happy to see me)

I authorized a new TIPM (fuse panel/power distribution) and new battery to the tune of $1,200.00. Apparently that allowed them to regain communication to multiple modules and narrow the issue down. They were able to then further investigate connections/wiring and found abrasions on the loom at (I think) a lower passenger portion of the harness. Repairs were made via solder joints and the JKUR fired right up. Total cost of repair just under $1,700.00. Official diagnosis appears to be (big surprise) trail damage to the harness that caused damage to the TIPM.

Interestingly, there is PLENTY of information available regarding TIPM issues during these model years.

I'll be interested to see EXACTLY where this wiring harness damage occurs. While I remain suspicious of the diagnosis, at this point, I am just hoping I can move forward and continue to enjoy this JKUR.

Yikes! After getting it home I would right a letter expressing disappointment in the design and issues resulting from attempting to cross the Rubicon trail in a Rubicon.


And for the rest of us JK owners please take a picture where that supposed damage occured so that we can protect the harness better.

Damn. Thats pretty nuts. Thanks for replying . Ill keep this in mind if I ever think to buy a jk.

I picked it up this morning. Service guy showed me where they repaired wiring.

After I looked at it, it appears my drag link adjuster clamp was turned up and in just the right position to be able to reach the wiring on the inside of the passenger side frame.

I am lifted and have a high steer set up.

This was not a JK issue, not a Jeep issue and not even a lift/highsteer issue.

I had purposely pointed the adjuster clamp up figuring I would avoid mangling the bolt up on the rocks. Had I pointed it down, forward or backwards there would be no contact with the wires and no damage.

88trailcrawler said:

I picked it up this morning. Service guy showed me where they repaired wiring.

After I looked at it, it appears my drag link adjuster clamp was turned up and in just the right position to be able to reach the wiring on the inside of the passenger side frame.

I am lifted and have a high steer set up.

This was not a JK issue, not a Jeep issue and not even a lift/highsteer issue.

I had purposely pointed the adjuster clamp up figuring I would avoid mangling the bolt up on the rocks. Had I pointed it down, forward or backwards there would be no contact with the wires and no damage.

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Ah ok this is good to know. SO it was an anomaly really. Still though, that is good to know.

Thanks for posting up and keeping us informed.

Glad you got your jk back.....