Hi everyone! I finally got a 97 cherokee sport and it has been great with one exception... The last 2 times (the only times in the month I've owned it) I have taken it through the carwash it has died. I get to about the front doors and it shuts off immediately. I will push it out and let it sit for about 30 minutes and it will start back up and run fine. I just put new wires on it, and tried spraying the distributor with WD40, but neither has worked. Please offer any suggestions or experiances you all have had. I look forward to participating on this forum.

Thanks,

Erik

its mad at you cause your trying to wash it...lol
you must have a sensor getting wet and shutting it off.
start it in your drive way and use a hose and try spraying like your o2 sensors then move up the motor.your wire harness could also have problems when wet.

Haha maybe it's scared!! Nahh jk it's probly an electrical problem, has it ever happened in the rain or any other water situations?

X2

All our rain has been freezing on the way to the ground and I have only owned it for a month or two...

Also, it is not throwing any codes or a check engine light when it happens. I like the suggestion of going to a U do car wash and trying to spray different areas till it dies.

Any other suggestions?? Thanks for the help so far!

are you using a wash that has the undercarriage spray? If you removed the splash guard it could be soaking the alternator. It is placed so low in the engine I just cant understand that design. That would be the first major electrical part that would be sprayed. You need to look around from under the jeep for any exposed wires. I took my splash guard out to help with venting the engine but when I drive through a car wash I either choose the cheap wash with not under carriage wash or I drive quickly into the wash to avoid the under wash.

Yep, I am using the underbody wash. I will bring it into the shop and get it on the car lift and give it a good look over...

Are there any common culprits on these things? For example, crank position sensors, distributors, etc?

Maybe you should wash it properly.

Drive Through washes can swirl your paint.

Two Bucket Method
Pressure Washer to get dirt off initially
Garden hose pressure the rest of the time.
Microfibers to wash (not the stuff from Wal-Mart or Costco, those are good for wheels and undercarriage but not your paint. Try autogeek.net)
Quality Shampoo
Microfiber or Chamois to dry (or a leaf-blower).

Are you talking about the old brush style car wash. If not, how does a touch-less wash swirl the paint?

Or a heavy right foot to dry that thing off.

I don't break out my bikini and hand wash it until after memorial day!

For now I have to figure out a way to get this thing into a TOUCHLESS car wash and get the salt off it during the winter.

Yeah.. I hate salt on my Jeep, I feel like its defiling it.
Problem is automated car washes arent gentle; nearly took of my wind visors, and did strip some of my paint where I touched up in the summer. So overall dont use an automated.
Go to one where you get out and hose.

What I'm afraid of is am I going to be able to drive this thing in the rain???

If you get it all checked out and sealed if need be, you should be ok. I think rain won't make it stall like the underbody carawash... But don't go puddle running just yet :]

Yessir. That's really all we have around here where I live. Sorry, I guess I should have specified. Touch-less is totally fine, it's just better work with sometime of shampoo and microfiber to really get all the dirt off the paint. Sometimes even a warm pressure wash won't remove absolutely everything.