(The information is listed consecutively and contains some very interesting details. Just scroll through for more details).
Belgium; 25 April – 14 May 2025
Problems with the multipack!
25 April 2025 / Mileage 227,119
The alternator had been making strange noises for some time, and when I started the car in the morning, there was a scraping and crackling sound, which subsided after driving for a while.
The final blow came soon after, and the unit stopped supplying power! A quick replacement was only available from a supplier other than Mopar (original Jeep part).
We replaced the alternator ourselves, and it worked right away.
2 May 2025 / 227,818 km
Parking damage at a lodge; a falling branch damaged our windscreen and windscreen wipers. The cracks spread across the entire windscreen like a spider’s web. Interestingly, the outer layer of the windscreen remained intact.
The windscreen was replaced by a local company and the costs were covered by insurance, or rather the liability insurance of the accommodation.
6 May 2025 / 227,932 km
The cracking and rumbling noises were attributed to the defective alternator for a long time. But after replacing the alternator, it was immediately clear that there was a bigger problem. The rear left wheel bearing had slight radial and axial play. Depending on the load when cornering, it was unmistakable and a visit to a Jeep workshop was inevitable. Although the rear bearings had been replaced on both sides in Tucson, Arizona, and had only 44,233 kilometres on the odometer, the workshop diagnosed a defective wheel bearing.
Until the repair (14 May), we were only allowed to move the Jeep a little, i.e. to drive to the campsite. Unfortunately, this distance was too far and the bearing only lasted until we reached the campsite; we couldn’t go any further. Oil was leaking from the differential gear of the defective bearing. Our Jeep had to be transported to the workshop for repair!
Interestingly, the rear wheel bearings were not replaced in pairs, but only the defective bearing was replaced. As the workshop suspected material deposits from the defective bearing in the differential gear, it was opened and cleaned.
Fortunately, the material costs for the original parts in Belgium were half as expensive as in the USA.
Technical aftermath of our trip to Morocco!
1 April 2025 / 224,021 km / 16 April 2025 / 225,703 km
The trip through the Maghreb state of Morocco put our Jeep through its paces once again. In addition to the two oil changes during and immediately after the desert adventure, various minor issues resurfaced or arose for the first time. In any case, various indicator lights that should have been off were illuminated on the dashboard. The constant vibrations and daily heavy use took their toll.
In addition to the airbag malfunction on the driver’s side/steering wheel, a temporary malfunction of the ABS/ESC system and the TPMS (tyre pressure monitoring system) soon followed.
The automatic transmission sometimes did not work properly or did not work at all when cold. This was remedied by adding one litre of oil to the upper oil level. This remedy was carried out on the advice of Peter Pauli/Allrad Pauli. The problem did not occur again after that, i.e. normal function.
Mechanical noises in the front of the vehicle were also noticeable.
Due to the bad weather during the journey home, we skipped some checks and ended up braking on the rear left brake without brake pads for the last kilometre, i.e. iron on iron.
Although we were travelling on some almost impassable roads, there was no external mechanical damage, with one exception. When crossing a river, the rear entrance ladder of the camping compartment was badly bent by a stone and could not be repaired during the trip.
The many sandstorms also took their toll on the vehicle. It will probably never be possible to remove all the sand and dust completely.
Cleaning the vehicle took a lot of time in Switzerland and was ultimately only a superficial clean. Time and again, we discovered sandy or dusty areas, even though it had been cleaned recently. The cable harnesses could hardly be cleaned properly.
In the engine compartment, the protective tubes of the electrical cable connections disintegrated, i.e. they were so brittle in places that they broke at the slightest touch (vehicle mileage and thermal stress).
The following work was carried out by me (Tom):
- Complete cleaning of the vehicle inside and out, including equipment.
- Replaced corrugated pipes (protective pipes for cables) in the engine compartment where accessible.
- Wheels replaced in accordance with maintenance schedule.
- Replaced all brake pads.
- Replaced rear brake discs.
- Lubricated the kingpins.
- Cleaned and maintained the rubber sleeves and guards.
- Alignment of rear access ladder (access to camping compartment).
Work carried out by Allrad Pauli/Oy-Mittelberg (Allgäu)
- Cable in steering wheel replaced; strand broken = airbag malfunction
- Front right wheel bearing replaced (bearing play = ABS malfunction)
- Both bearings on the steering push rod had excessive play (mechanical noise) and were replaced.
- The handbrake could not be applied properly in some cases due to a defective adjustment mechanism. This is a weak point on Jeeps and was replaced.
- Rear axle on the left; upper spring ring broken off. New pair of springs on the rear axle.
- TPMS (tyre pressure monitoring system) defective tyre transmitter replaced.
- Different software was installed in the gearbox. Pauli has two different software programs for the gearbox, with different shift points. The sportier one was loaded, but now the one for cruising has been loaded, which means that the gears are shifted up at lower engine speeds. Wow, it’s a different driving experience in automatic mode; almost as if I were shifting manually. 🙂
Service and maintenance in Morocco
- 30 December 2024 / Agadir; engine service / km 213,452
- 19 January 2025 / Sidi Ifni; general vehicle inspection and wheel change / km 215,735
Driving in the desert puts more strain on a vehicle than in normal traffic and this is taken into account in the operating instructions, i.e. the regular maintenance intervals are halved. So our Jeep was also exposed to increased stress from Merzouga and the first sandstorm also put a strain on the other systems. In addition to the engine, the air filter was clogged with sand. Our Jeep has a washable K&N air filter; after cleaning and drying, the lamellas were carefully oiled again. We then went to the Jeep branch in Agadir, where the engine oil and the oil filter were replaced. Surprisingly, the oil filter for our diesel engine was in stock there.
After the second desert excursion, another vehicle check was carried out, where all oil levels were checked and topped up if necessary. The air filter was not particularly dirty, so it did not need to be washed.
The steering knuckles on the front axle were lubricated and all the rubber seals on the front and rear axles were maintained.
The brake pads were checked for wear, which revealed that the rear brake pads would need to be replaced soon.
After visually inspecting all the mounting screws and attachments, the wheels were adjusted according to the operating manual.
The constant malfunction of the driver’s airbag could not be rectified. The bumpy rides were probably too much for the sensitive sensor technology. Let’s hope that the airbag does not deploy when it is not needed.
30 November 2024 / Roquetas de Mar (Almería)
209,609 km / new brake callipers on the rear axle and minor maintenance work
Despite the vague recommendation of the mechanic at the Jeep garage in Cartagena, I no longer trusted the rear leaking brake calliper; more and more brake fluid was dripping out of it. Since such brake callipers are difficult to obtain even for the official Jeep dealer and the delivery time was uncertain, I decided to order these parts directly from a German after-market supplier where they were in stock and offered me express delivery.
After three days, the longed-for package arrived at the campsite in Spain and I immediately got to work. The brake callipers were replaced on both sides, the guide pins were serviced and, with Chantal’s help, the brake system was bled.
Further minor maintenance work was also pending and for our onward journey we relocated our wheels in accordance with the maintenance book. So we should be prepared for the Spanish Sierras – the test drive – and Morocco.
Losing weight
Autumn 2024
After the problems with the wheel bearings, which were, among other things, caused by the total weight of the vehicle, we decided to make our ‘RuGa’ lighter. So far, I (Tom) have designed the entire interior out of steel and textured coated plywood. The advantage was that I could process and weld the steel myself and when choosing the textured coated plywood, I always selected the most stable thicknesses. This way we already had a decent total weight without any additional load. In the end, with all the additional load, we were about 200 kg over the permissible total weight! Read More