Todays Super Unfortunate Event

[WickedBruce]

After work today I went to my kj to start her up and head home. As soon as i did i heard a loud thud, and instantly my belt started whining. I quickly turned it off and when i did, out ran a bloody groundhog. Needless to say, my timing belt was completely off and caught up in the pulleys, and my fan was covered in fur. I was able to get the belt back on right then and there in the lot...but my check engine light won't go away. So i got curious and head the code read. It's a p0440 evap. The guy at autozone was like "oh yea it's just your gas cap dude". Obviously..it isnt....but just to satisfy him, i tightened it, and had him clear it, it went away and came right back, twice. So i know it's gotta be some damage from this groundhog....any ideas ladies and gentleman?

 

[LibertyTC]

Wow, where do you park to get a ground hog camping under the hood?
Hopefully he did not start chewing on wires and hoses.
Start looking closely under the hood as well as in the rear, forward of the gas tank and anything that leads off from tank and EVAP canister back there.
Gas cap sometimes but mainly a P0442 code if I remember right.

 

[WickedBruce]

Well our lot is out in the moutains, but it's a fenced in area. He must have had a hole somewhere. What really ticks me off is that there were 11 other company vehicles on the lot, my vehicle was the only personal vehicle there at the time...and of course he went right up into mine instead of the company ones. lol. But yea i'll def start checking everything

 

[Dave]

Crazy woodchuck...........

What TC said.

Dave

 

[Porkchop]

Clearly he's a fan of the Kj

 

[LibertyTC]

Obviously he liked the Jeep Residence better than the "hole" he came from ~:badger_1:

Anytime before starting, it is a good idea to hit the horn or lock button/then unlock to give warning to critters including cats that may reside under hood.:hunter:

 

[J-Thompson]

First it is not a timing belt
It is a serpentine belt
If it is giving an evap error check for busted
vacuum lines
I have had the minnor evap leak code
on my TJ for over a year no big deal

 

[Dave]

Obviously he liked the Jeep Residence better than the "hole" he came from ~:badger_1:

Anytime before starting, it is a good idea to hit the horn or lock button/then unlock to give warning to critters including cats that may reside under hood.:hunter:

Funny you mention the cat. Neighbor has a cat that likes to get under my jeep if it's raining or hot out. Maybe because it is higher off the ground than a car? He likes to lay down under the front skid. Anyway, I hit the key fob to lock/unlock and he comes scurrying out at the sound of the locks operating. (I have the horn chirp turned off too)

Dave

 

[WickedBruce]

Thanks for correcting that J-Thompson. Also I had unlocked all the doors, got in it for a while before hand. I even pulled up my diesel next to it and it didnt scare him out. lol

 

[seabass1858]

Im from PA and had a beaver under my cj before but never nothing in the engine. That is some bad luck, but yea EVAP is usually a vacuum problem. Heck you could have ripped a sensor wire off of it sling a groundhog around in your engine compartment.

 

[Paul M]

Same happened to us with one of our barn cats. Didn't hurt her, just a little fur left behind. Knocked the S-belt off, which was the thud. Fact is that's how I found KJ Country - needed the S-belt routing since Jeep decided not to put a belt routing sticker under the hood (our old Commanche has one, so does the Dodge diesel) or in the Manual. Got the CEL so disconnected the battery for a few minutes and that took care of it. Otherwise, you may have a chewed wire or hose knocked off like others have mentioned. Great idea to hit the unlock beforehand.

 

[WickedBruce]

The only good thing that came out of this is that now I know how to put on or fix the belt without any tools haha.

Also there is an update on the groundhog. I found him on the side of the road yesterday. Not only was he tortured by my kj, but he was also hit crossing the street =(

 

[Ry' N Jen]

Ya, I had a fan belt kitty.
Cost me $1100.00 to have the cat repaired.
Little guy lived to be 23 years old.

 

[WickedBruce]

Update: Now that i've researched the items you have all suggested i check, I found that the little bastard chewed off one of the wires right at the connector of the purge solenoid. Now I just need to get new wires!