wgvfc166

Hi all, looking around it appears a LOT of other Cherokee's have had similar problems to mine, but mine has its own unique twist. About two years ago I suffered the misfortune of having my state inspection stickers stolen, so I had to get reinspected. Right after the unjust reinspection, my speedometer jumped for a brief moment, then stopped. I thought nothing of it and never went back to the shop. BIG mistake--a thousand miles down the road the speedometer and gas gauges both started going haywire (FYI all the warning lights in the dash work fine). I took it back to the shop, where I had the computer and speed sensors replaced. Everything seemed fine. I drove it very little over the next few months, since I was seriously considering selling and didn't want to add any more to the 187,000 miles already on the odometer.

I eventually moved back to the burbs and started driving it more again, especially when I joined the local fire company. Unfortunately, the same thing started happening again rather suddenly, and far more severely this time. I barely got it through last year's state inspection, both gauges going dead 30 miles later. I'm having a hard time believing that the computer or sensor died so suddenly after being replaced. I have virtually no mechanical aptitude, but I'm a computer guy, and this almost looks like I'm losing ground or something. Since I'm currently unemployed thanks to our tanking economy, I'd have a very hard time ponying up $500 to have the mess (maybe) fixed again, but I'd really like to keep the car past March. Trust me when I say having to drive a minivan the size of a bus full time, especially to fire calls, @#$%s!

My question is, is there a chance the dash cluster is grounded separately from other parts of the electrical system? If so, where approximately do I need to look? Or might I need to look further back towards the fuel tank, since the fuel gauge is involved too? The fact it started right after reinspection makes me wonder if a cable got nicked while it was on the lift or something. I took the dash apart and confirmed the data cables are securely connected to the dash cluster. Other than the fact I have to use a TomTom to verify my speed (well, after 180,000, I sort of know the speed just by feel, but you know, just in case...) and track my mileage on paper (nearly 2000 miles added since the odometer stopped working), it still drives perfectly, hence, why I really don't want to give up on an old friend. We've been through a lot! Any answers you can give me, including details about the approxiate location of where I need to look under the hood, etc, would be greatly appreciated.

rob kuhn

just started having same problem,

Wolfie

i have a 92 Cherokee Laredo that i just got, the speedometer seems to work sine some times, but then it will Twitch around normally it's +5 up to + 45 mph from what I'm driving
it just jumps up and back for 1/2 second or so, some times it twitches around a bit for a few seconds then it'll go back to the correct speed any one else figured this out? i don't think it's a ground, any ideas?

jstewart1960

It's the sensor for the speedometer, it is going bad and will only get worse and stop working, I've been through 2 of them on my 92.

Wolfie

as long as it's just the sensor i'm okay. I'll pickup a new sensor. My mom's 88 did that.... then the problem moved to the tach to then the gas gauge would go past full... shortly after the wiring harness in the steering collum melted down. i didn't want that to happen to mine.

Derrtydave

I noticed that, on occasion, my cluster RPM and Speedometer guages will go out (reading Zero) and my Airbag light pops on. This will last for a varying amount of time and them POOF! I get them back. My suspicion is that the sensor connection to the cluster is loose or the contacts need to be cleaned. The roads in my region are really in bad shape- lots of potholes and heaves-- and I suspect it's causing a lot of stuff to get jarred loose after a while.

I was having the same issue with my coolant temp guage this winter, and I fixed it by a) unplugging the sensor connector b) blowing it out with canned air c) firmly re-seating the connector. Problem fixed. If I can just find the danged instrument cluster connection, I expect I can do the same trick.

dprevatte

I have just purchased a 1998 cherokee se 2 door from a buddy of mine and the fuel gauge and speedometer work sometimes and sometimes they don't. One may work and the other may not. No set pattern. My airbag light stays on most of the time. It will flash off and back on every now and again. What do I need to do to fix these problems? I will be giving this vehicle to my son in a few months for his first vehicle. Don't have lots of money to spend.

98SheepCherokee

My 98 XJ does the same thing sometims

Zackqb2

I had the same prob out of my 96 Cherokee

truckntractorhick

well i say check you dash connections 2 your instrument panel!

Derrtydave

Clean the terminals to your pos and neg battery. If theyre corroded even a little it can compromise the amount of juice the car is pulling from the battery, and weak electrical can cause a number of wierd things to happen while youre driving, one of which can be loss of signal to less-important functions (such as powering the instrument cluster). Cleaning my battery terminals got rid of this issue for me for a very long time.

That being said, it sounds as if youve got the usual failing instrument cluster connector. It can be replaced DIY with a $30 part from Chrysler, and you can probably find the detailed instructions on how to do it right on the internet (b/c this is a common issue with Cherokees).

Short term: when your gauges go dead and the Airbag light pops on, push the trip odometer reset button, this will sometimes restore your gauges. You can also bang the dashboard under the steering column.