Accrue miles?

[doc]

I must be doing something wrong! I have tried search after search and always get the message that basically says 'we didn't find anything you were searching for'.

Anyway, I bought the Wrangler I was asking about a couple of weeks ago.
A couple of questions to you Jeep guys please.
Does the 08 Wrangler (4WD auto) accumulate miles when towed and if so how do I stop it from doing so?
I know the tranfer case goes in neutral. Where do you place the main gearbox?

I like this thing with the 4 doors and hope it gets close to as good of mileage as the Element - which is not as good as one would think.

[NLOVNIT]

On our 06 Liberty, with the transfer case in neutral, that disengages it from accruing miles on the OD. I would think your Wrangler would be the same. Gearbox is in Park.

Lori-

[dons2346]

Ah.. The best place to see how to set up the Jeep for towing is the Jeep's owners manual.

In my case, with an '00 Jeep GC, I put the transmission in park, and the transfer case in neutral. The key is one step back from the run position.

[Vegasdan]

Jeep's do not accrue miles on the odometer. Trans in park and transfer case in neutral. I made a mistake once and left the trans in reverse, but the transfer case was in neutral, no ill effect, but I wouldn't recommend doing it that way. I wonder if I backed miles off the odometer?...

[Crabby Mike]

You need to look in your owner's manual and get the specific instructions for your year and model. Different year and model Jeeps have slightly different procedures.

If you don't have your owner's manual, you can download it from Jeep.com. I just did, and pulled your instructions -- it took about a minute. Here they are:

Towing – 4WD Models
NOTE: The transfer case must be shifted into N (Neutral)
for recreational towing.
Shifting Into Neutral (N)
Use the following procedure to prepare your vehicle for
recreational towing.
CAUTION!
It is necessary to follow these steps to be certain that
the transfer case is fully in N (Neutral) before recreational
towing to prevent damage to internal parts.
1. Depress brake pedal.
2. Shift automatic transmission into NEUTRAL or depress
clutch pedal on manual transmission.
3. Shift transfer case lever into N (Neutral).
4. Start engine.
5. Shift automatic transmission into DRIVE or manual
transmission into gear.
6. Release brake pedal and ensure that there is no vehicle
movement.
7. Shut the engine off and place the ignition key into the
ACC position.
8. Shift automatic transmission into PARK.
9. Apply parking brake.
10. Attach vehicle to the tow vehicle with tow bar.
11. Release parking brake.
12. Disconnect the negative battery cable, and secure it
away from the negative battery post.

[Samc]

If you need jeep electrical power for brakes, pull the IOC fuse rather than disconnecting the battery.

[scenic route]

Doc, I have an '08 Wrangler as well (2 Dr. A/T) and love it. Sad to say, but you're gas mileage dreaming...I get maybe 20-22 MPG on the road and 16-18 around town and I weigh a couple hundred pounds less than you do...sorry to bust that little bubble. Even if you get 10MPG, you gonna LOVE this thing! While under tow, the MPG in UNBELIEVABLE!

Your Wangler will NOT accumulate mileage while towing so no worries there. Crabby Mike's post pretty much covers all the towing requirements although I do not pull any fuses and I have to leave my installed negative battery post blade switch engaged to power my SMI Play N Stay Duo auxiliary braking system. I've never had a dead Jeep battery while towing...we drive maybe 300 to 350 miles at a stretch.

I also had a couple of 'dummy' keys made up...being an '08, you'll need to keep the ignition in the 'acc' position while in tow. The dummy allows you to leave the key in the ignition without fear of theft because, although the Jeep will start, it will only run for a second or two and then shut down with this key in the ignition.

IMHO, once you get set up and comfortable with towing the Jeep, you'll realize you have made a great decision with your toad. Happy trails. Bob

[doc]

Thinking about the Brake Buddy for stopping the extra weight the Jeep has over the Element. Ideas and opinions?

[Samc]

I have a Brake Buddy. works fine with the Jeep, the hardest part of the install was fishing the breakaway wire through the firewall. Note that it's either on or off; when it kicks in, I can feel it for sure. The Brake Buddy is the reason I don't disconnect the battery.

About the dummy key; the idiots at the big box "hardware" store may tell you it won't work. They're wrong. The dummy key works fine to unlock the steering.

I get on a good day about 20 mpg with a 2-dr manual transmission, so mileage isn't great. On the other hand, I never pay for getting towed out of a ditch, so it works out.