I see a new tow vehicle in my future....

[Steve Clark]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

My old Jeep CJ7 had drain plugs in the floor and I had to use them. I presume modern Jeeps still do.

My ‘93 Wrangler too.....been used many times.

[Micheal K]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

My old Jeep CJ7 had drain plugs in the floor and I had to use them. I presume modern Jeeps still do.

Years ago, after a particularly wet backpacking trip on the Juan de Fuca trail (west coast of Vancouver Island) I returned to my YJ and found at least 3 inches of water in the footwells - was glad to have the drains then.

My fairly recent JK still has drains and I’m pretty sure the new JL has drains as well. I think they’re officially in place to drain after fording a water crossing but I’d bet they’re used way more with leaking.

To be fair, it has to be challenging to make a leak free vehicle with removable top and doors and a folding windshield.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Micheal K

My fairly recent JK still has drains and I’m pretty sure the new JL has drains as well.

This is what Jeep says for the new JL:
"The wash-out interior features all-new, one-way drain valves in the floor to let the water flow out but not back in. Just remove the carpet and you can wash out the interior with a hose."

[Eggscape]

Of course the original civilian jeeps did not have drain holes in the floor like the military. They had them on the side as shown in the picture below of my 1947 Willy’s. This is one way you can tell if the side panels are original. If there are no side holes then it is a reproduction panel.

I have a story that is worth repeating.
I had rubber drain plugs for my 1990 YJ and sometimes I would not reinstall them or the mats. One day my wife and I heard a strange clicking from under the vehicle. We got out to take a look and found the clasp end of the dog leash had gone down the drain hole and was hitting the drive shaft. Luckily being the clasp end it was not attached to the dog.

[yardsale]

Consumer reports gives Jeeps very poor marks for reliability. It would be a problem for me but not for the jeep owners who see a broken down jeep not as a problem but a recreational opportunity!

[h2owmn]

Ahhhh, a feature, not a bug!

[Rossue]

So passe as the joke went; however I like 'em- especially when they pull me out of a ditch after a rare mistake at Red's Meadow behind Mammoth Mtn. Right after I backed down unhitched to turn around and didn't see the culvert I was in an awkward situation. Luckily for me along came someone on a Sunday drive in a vintage Land Cruiser(like this stock photo) with a bunch of thick rope wrapped around his bumper. With one quick jolt I was outta there!

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by yardsale

Consumer reports gives Jeeps very poor marks for reliability. It would be a problem for me but not for the jeep owners who see a broken down jeep not as a problem but a recreational opportunity!

Jeep is now owned by FIAT, as in Fix It Again, Tony !

[James Gang]

Why the Diesel Jeep Gladiator Pickup Tows Less Than the Gas Engine https://www.popularmechanics.com/car...el-tow-rating/

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by James Gang

Why the Diesel Jeep Gladiator Pickup Tows Less Than the Gas Engine https://www.popularmechanics.com/car...el-tow-rating/

Fun fact: Road&Track, Car and Driver, and Popular Mechanics are all variations of the same publication - that's the same article which I linked (from R&T) earlier.

The lesser payload is a pretty common effect (because the diesel weighs more so it takes up more of the truck's suspension and structural capacity); a lower towing capacity is not common.

[Mike Lewis]

I don't understand how decreased cooling capacity in the engine compartment with the diesel V-6 would affect towing capacity.

[John in Santa Cruz]

the new SAE J2807 towing standards, SAE J2807 Tow Tests - The Standard , include a spec for accelerating multiple times without overheating... I suspect this is why they lowered it for the engine with less cooling capacity.

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

the new SAE J2807 towing standards, SAE J2807 Tow Tests - The Standard , include a spec for accelerating multiple times without overheating... I suspect this is why they lowered it for the engine with less cooling capacity.

Wow, looks rigorous! I'm not familiar with Chrysler products and in fact don't keep up with any of this anymore, but it seems to me that if an engine's cooling capacity were decreased due to a new application, then its horsepower and torque would be "de-rated" to lower numbers from its previous, better-cooled application.


My confusion resulted from the wording of the article. It said the diesel Gladiator's towing capacity would be decreased, then it said the engine's cooling capacity would be decreased, and gave no further explanation.

[James Gang]

"Simply put, the turbodiesel's charge-air cooler eats up some of the airflow coming through the grille, slightly reducing the effective cooling area." from the article.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

I don't understand how decreased cooling capacity in the engine compartment with the diesel V-6 would affect towing capacity.

Towing capacity is limited by - among other things - the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. That's how much the loaded tow vehicle and trailer can weigh in total. The GVWR, in turn, is often limited by how hard the engine can keep working continuously, such as when climbing a grade while loaded. Next in the chain... engine and transmission cooling limits how hard the engine can work.

Work your way backward through that chain and you get from limited cooling to low tow rating.

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

... it seems to me that if an engine's cooling capacity were decreased due to a new application, then its horsepower and torque would be "de-rated" to lower numbers from its previous, better-cooled application.

Peak power is not necessarily limited by cooling. The very same engine can be rated at different power levels in different vehicles, not only because they have different cooling and other capabilities, but also because of the way they are used. The engine in a commercial vehicle (which is expected to work hard for sustained periods) may be rated at lower power (and limited by the engine computer programming) than the same engine in a passenger vehicle (which typically only uses full power for a few seconds at a time to accelerate). As an example, the previous Chrysler/Ram V6 diesel (which was a Mercedes engine) was rated much lower in the Sprinter commercial van than in the Grand Cherokee. The old 8-litre GM big-block V8 was rated much lower in a medium-duty GMC truck than in a Chev/GMC pickup truck, even though the medium-duty had more cooling capacity and a stronger transmission. The Cummins B-Series diesel engine is rated much lower for medium-duty commercial truck applications than in a Ram pickup. And so on...

The majority of Gladiators will probably never be used to tow a trailer. The diesel in the Gladiator will be allowed to run at reasonably high power for the few seconds needed to get to highway speeds, but the trailer weight is limited so that it doesn't overheat when someone does hook up the maximum rated trailer and heads up a mountain grade.

[cpaharley2008]

Over on the Jeep Gladiator forums the speculation for a nice Rubicon will be starting in the $50K's, a first time where the truck model will cost more than the manufacturer's SUV models....

[Mike Lewis]

Okay, that makes sense. Thanks.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Over on the Jeep Gladiator forums the speculation for a nice Rubicon will be starting in the $50K's, a first time where the truck model will cost more than the manufacturer's SUV models....

Hi: cpaharley2008... Jeepers!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[EdColorado]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Over on the Jeep Gladiator forums the speculation for a nice Rubicon will be starting in the $50K's, a first time where the truck model will cost more than the manufacturer's SUV models....

Full sized pickups are the major profit center for Ford, GM and Chrysler. A premium price on the Gladiator is as expected. In 1980 we bought a red Toyota Celica hatchback. We paid sticker plus an additional dealer markup. I suspect if you want to be the first kid on the block with a Gladiator, there will be no dickering with the dealer.

Why not?

[M.W.Deters]

Looks like a good choice. Diesel or gas?