4x4 Safety Inspection

Driveshafts and U-joints should be checked often when the truck is used off-highway. After inspecting the driveshaft for dings and dents, grab it by the middle section and try to move it up and down. If there's any play at the slip joint (arrow) or slip yoke, it's very likely damaged or excessively worn. Any visible play at the U-joints or CV joints indicates the joints should be replaced.

Make sure brake lines, fuel lines, parking brake cables, and shift linkage are all in good working order. This clutch linkage was missing a cotter pin, which meant losing control of the clutch was just a few shifts away. Little parts, such as cotter pins and hose clamps, can create major problems when they break or disappear.

If you recently purchased a used truck, take the extra time to look for neglected or butchered components and fix whatever you find. The box frame on this Jeep makes it difficult (but not impossible) to replace stripped or broken tranny crossmember nuts, so a previous owner welded a bracket on the outside of the frame to hold the front portion of the crossmember in place. As you can see, the butch fix isn't working very well, and the crossmember is slowly separating from the frame.

Engines, trannies, and transfer cases utilize rubber mounts that are often damaged by oil leaks and age. In extreme cases, cracked or broken tranny and engine mounts allow the components to shift around on the frame, which can create all sorts of potentially damaging problems.

Crushed or broken body mounts are somewhat common on older 4x4s, especially those with flexible frames that were used off-road. A thrashed rubber biscuit can cause the body to lean to one side and transmit annoying chassis vibrations to the passenger compartment. If enough body mounts are loose or broken, they can cause the body to shift on the frame and create erratic shifting problems on trucks equipped with manual trannies.