Parents Bring Manual Jeep Wrangler With Engine Knock. Then The Mechanic Realizes The Son Made One Unebelievable Mistake

'How...?

Parents Bring Manual Jeep Wrangler

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Nina Hernandez

By: Nina Hernandez

Mar 6, at 4:00pm ET

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A mechanic checks a Jeep Wrangler with a gnarly engine knock. He tells the driver’s parents they need to replace more than just the engine. Here’s what happened.

TikTok creator Aaron’s Garage (@aaronsgarage) posted a video about the repair case study on Sunday.

"All right, guys, you ain’t ready for this," Aaron says. "A customer states that their little Jeep Wrangler has an engine knock. Let’s listen. As you can see, we’ve got three pedals and a stick shift. Let’s fire it up."

He turns the key, and sure enough, the engine is rattling. "Oh, yeah, you don’t need to go under the hood to hear that. It’s got a little shake to it, too," he says.

What’s The Backstory Behind This Jeep Wrangler With Engine Knock?

As for the backstory, Aaron reveals that the driver’s parents brought in the Wrangler, which is their child’s first manual vehicle. Aaron shows viewers that the stick shift knob isn’t standard, but instead a decorative cue ball. Presumably, the Wrangler’s first owner installed it.

Aaron says, "[The] kid has no idea what gears this darn thing has. All he knows is this makes it move forward. If you go over here, that makes it go backwards."

He continues, "So he thinks you just run this thing forward after you manage to get the clutch figured out, and away you go."

Why did that create a problem? "He thought that it was like a one-speed transmission," he says. "The transmission never got shifted out of first gear everywhere he went. And he wasn’t going very fast, as you can imagine, but that poor motor was screaming."

There is a bright spot, at least. "I’m honestly really surprised at how tough those Jeep four-bangers [are]," he says. "That son of a [expletive] should have a rod through the block or something."

Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean the engine can be preserved. "Either way, we’re going to be replacing the engine," Aaron says, pulling out a new shifter knob. "In the meantime, I had one of these laying around, and it’s the correct pattern for this vehicle. You guys have a great day, remember to shift all your gears, and be safe out there."

Viewers React To The Jeep Wrangler Engine Knock Story

In the video's comments section, viewers weighed in on the repair job and who is more at fault: the parents, the kid, or the previous owner.

"Just as much the parents’ fault here," said one viewer.

"That poor Jeep was screaming down the road," joked a second person.

"Manual is literally Gen Z anti-theft [protection]," said a third viewer.

"I mean, kudos to the parents for giving their kid a manual, but how do you not teach them how to drive the manual?" asked another person. "I would assume that’s part of giving them a stick shift."

The commenters are poking fun here because first gear is the slowest gear, and drivers are expected to shift into second, third, fourth, and fifth gears to increase the vehicle’s speed. If the driver is slamming on the gas while the car is in that lower gear, the engine will struggle and ultimately need repair or replacement.

What do you think?

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A driver posted to Reddit after accidentally switching into first gear while on the highway, and commenters encouraged him by saying it’s unlikely he did any serious damage unless he heard knocking or excessive revving sounds.

Motor1 contacted Aaron’s Garage via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We will update this story if he responds.

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