Baystate Jeepers

i wanted some opinions on what to do after a flop/roll. this weekend after i flopped my jeep (no jeff, i didn't roll it!) we pulled the fuel pump fuse so the jeep wouldn't start. however, there was enough residual pressure for the engine to run for a few seconds. there was a small amount of oil in the cylinders, but it produced nothing more then some smoke for a minute or so.

typically the "procedure" after a flop/roll is to pull the spark plugs, turn the engine over to shoot out any oil, then reinstall the plugs. while this is obviously the safer route, it is a PIA, especially since I have the hard rail over the spark plugs in my '05. would simply pulling the fuel pump fuse, then hitting the test port on the fuel rail to relieve the pressure be sufficient? if the jeep doesn't have any fuel pressure would the starter have enough oomph to bend a rod? just wanted to see what you guys think.

If there is enough oil in the cylinder, the starter does have enough torque to damage internal components. On my Jeep, if I flop on the pass side, I know I'm 90% not going to have oil down the intake as the PCV and fresh air tubes go out on the driver's side and are therefore higher than the oil. If I flop on the driver's side, I usually get oil down the PCV/fresh air and have to pull the plugs. The same goes if I am upside down ( where my SM420 likes to drip hot gear oil on my leg).

Most of the guys in my other club usually "tickle" the starter to see if she'll still turn over. If it does without hydrolocking, you're good to go for a start. The safest thing though, is to pull the plugs and evacuate the cylinders. That's what I like to do most of the time. A pain in the ass yes, but better than bending a rod or breaking a piston pin seat.

Watched the video and still can't understand how you flopped. Perhaps the video didn't capture the angle enough?

Joe, define "tickle" (with respect to jeep starters only please)

Nope, it didn't capture the angle. Here's a pic from a few years back when I walked up the same spot on 33s. I think the undercut is much worst now and it was greasy from the recent rain.

I had tried the same line and almost flopped (caught it just in time).
Ryan's rig we had righted up real quick like. As such we thought the pull the fuse and bump the starter would be safe enough.
If we went the full proper way of pulling the plugs and such, we'd still be out there under the hood

i just flopped my buggy this weekend and didnt pull the plugs and broke a connecting rod in the motor. i usually never pull the plug and have never had a issue but this time it didn't work out that way. i will for now on be pulling the plugs every time i flop just to be safe. it might be a pain to due but it is well worth it in the long run. motor are not cheap to replace. just my personal opinion

Ryan, glad to hear/see that you came out of it OK. This was your first flop right? "I would return the atlas"

Curtis

Baseshakers wrote:Joe, define "tickle" (with respect to jeep starters only please)

It's cranking it enough (just a touch of the key) to get it to turn over a few times, without starting it. When I rolled in Moab, I tickled the starter and could feel that she was hydrolocked. It turned out that all the oil that made it into the intake went into cylinder 4. A pull of the plugs (less time on my 4 popper! ) and a quick crank blew the oil from the cylinder. Regarding fuel, I've never pulled the fuel pump fuse or worried about the gas. Not enough is introduced (IMO) to make a difference, especially if you're already evac'n the cylinders.

curtis, i figured all that weight should keep me tire side down!

joe, that's what i figured. i basically did that, but the hope was that with the fuel pump off the engine wouldn't start, so there wouldn't be sufficient oomph to damage anything. i agree that once you evacuate the cylinders there's no reason to worry about the fuel pump.

84cj wrote:Ryan, glad to hear/see that you came out of it OK. This was your first flop right? "I would return the atlas"

Curtis

Curtis - if it was the Atlas that caused the flop, then it's much too dangerous to return. He should pull it and get it up to me, along with $50.00 Hazardous Disposal fee. I'll make sure it's handled safely from there.