Lost auto shift and dead gauges

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12-09-2010, 11:03 AM

kyrod52

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Model: Cherokee

Lost auto shift and dead gauges

Here is the problem: my 99 XJ Sport (all stock (to my knowledge), 6 cyl., 4.0l, auto, 4wd with172K, almost daily driver) is not shifting automatically, runs rough, has intermittently working (non-working 95% of the time) dash gauges, the check engine light on and gives five codes via Autozone & Advance auto code reader. (p1698, p0135, p0141, p0132 & p0138). A private shop code reader couldn’t communicate with the XJ.

I’ve owned it since march ’10 and have done a fair amount of work on it: hub bearings, shocks, brakes front & rear, added a leaf to rear springs, Dcap, rotor, belt, oil & filter, fluids, battery, plugs, wires and rear u-joints. Recently its getting 20-21mpg hiway, 15-17 gpm in town. The heater/ AC controls never worked properly (it blows but not as set at the control panel) but it heats and cools. It burns almost no oil, always indicated normal charge, temp, fuel and oil pressure until now. When the gauges didn’t work before I’d just thump the dash once or twice and they’d come back.

The present problems (except for gauges not working occasionally) are new since a recent battery problem. . 4 wks ago when the XJ wouldn’t start, I charged it, things were fine, I thought my wife left the lights on. The following ten days I noticed the volt gauge fluctuating. After a 400 mile trip the fluctuation got worse, so I bought an alternator, but the Volt gauge seemed fine after purchase, it indicated 14v, and I had a doubt about the replacement alternator due to the documentation warning about voltage regulators I drove for another 10 days or so, then, during another 200 mile trip at night, the Volt meter fell to 9 and I continued driving hoping to make it home. I didn’t make it, driving until the lights completely died and the XJ died. The jeep was towed to my home and the battery was recharged to 100% after about 9 hrs. I had it checked at 3 different parts houses, all saying the battery was good but the alternator was not charging.

I still hadn’t answered the questions I had about the new alternator, so I decided to focus on the battery / wiring connections and testing the old alternator. I replaced the batt connectors, cleaned the wiring connections and had the old alternator tested at 3 different places all showing 15v. I reinstalled the old alternator and started the XJ---9v showing! So I checked visually the wires from the alternator to PDC (power distribution center), everything looked good. I disconnected the conductor from the alt to the PDC and read 31v. At this moment the conductor slipped from my grasp and fell, striking the connector it had been connected to, there were sparks but not welding. I retrieved the conductor and secured it, shut off the engine, reconnected and restarted. It ran a little rough, I backed out and put it into Drive and it seemed like the brakes were on or I was getting no power. After shifting to lowest gear it moved well with throttle applied. Auto shift didn’t work, gauges, tach, speedo, overhead display and odo didn’t work then after a few miles I got the Check Engine Light (CEL). The rough idle continued until I regrounded the Batt (I had broken the ground connection from battery to body), but the non shifting persisted.

I then checked the CPS (crank position sensor). When is disconnected it at the connector near the rear of the intake manifold, it tested good but the fuel, temp, oil and volt meters half-way worked. I then checked all motor and body grounds, finding one I failed to reconnect when I pulled the alt to have it tested. I reconnected that ground to the engine block and now all is good!

I still don’t know what caused the original death of my battery and/or alt failure my XJ is back in the race.

Hope this helps someone and thanks to all the folks have posted their experiences.

Rod