My son was driving my 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 5.2L AWD last night. He was traveling forward at about 40mph when he accidently knocked the shifter into neutral. He noticed his mistake when the engine reved so he let it return to "normal" and then shifted it into reverse instead of drive. The transmission obeyed, shifted into reverse causing a sever decelration. The tires did not skid but the engine quit and he coasted to a stop. He restarted the engine and immediately noticed the power steering was out.
I looked at the vehicle this morning and made the following observations.
The cast aluminum, triangular power steering pump bracket broke shearing the inner bolt. The tensioner appears to be bent and there is a slight bend in the tensioner bracket (I was able to bang this out easily). I believe the torque resulting from the transmission going into reverse at speed caused the engine to rotate excessively in its motor mounts where mechanical interference may have caused the powersteering bracket to break. I've yet to find evidence of an impact but I can't imagine what else would have broken it.
I also noticed this morning that there is a crack in the lower center portion of the windshield. This implies that the frame was twisted too as a result of the torque.
So, a few questions:
1). What inspection procedure should I follow to identify other areas of the vehicle that could be damaged? - some ideas are: - spider gears in front and rear diff for missing teeth - motor mounts for possible tear2) Could the frame have been bent as a result of the? Should I get the frame inspected, if so where would I have this done? It seems that this is a rare scenario and not many would have experience with what to look for.
3) What possible problems might result in the transmission? Axle shafts? Other drivetrain component?4) One mechanic suggested this might qualify for a comprehensive insurance claim, Is that true?
Thanks in advance, re5513