My Cherokee hates offroad.
11-22-2010, 08:19 PM
#1
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My Cherokee hates offroad.
So, every time I drive my jeep off-road something stops working midway through. I need some help troubleshooting it because I don't see anything noticeably wrong. Sadly it's my daily driver, or I would just overhaul the entire vehicle from start to finish.
FYI Chrysler does not make fuel sending units for 96 Cherokee 4.0 Liters anymore.
So there I was driving on a sweet off-road course on Edwards Air Force Base and I came up to a dip in the course, sail a bit in the air and land hard, all my passengers fly up and down and soda spills. I thought it was a bit of hard fun, but I instantly notice my tachometer and speedometer surge and fluttered and pinged all over the place, and my battery surged up to 19, IN THE RED!
Gen light, low washer fluid, and check engine flashed, but the only one that stayed on was GEN. I made it through the coarse, even tackled a sweet hill, but I could tell something was wrong, it wouldn't shift properly and I felt like a few times I was going to lose all engine power. I made it off the course and back onto the main road.
However after I hit the asphalt I had no idea what speed I was going, and it felt like I stuck in 2nd gear and I couldn't get the vehicle above 25-30, only guessing since my speedometer is just bouncing around. I drove a little ways and then it just died completely.
I pushed it into a parking lot and was going to give up but then it roared to life. Well sort of about 2 miles down the road it died again, lifted the hood, looked around, slammed the hood and then it roared to life again. I made my way home via a back dirt off-road trail :/ which under normal circumstances would have been fun. However with my crippled vehicle I didn't want to risk merging onto the highway.
I got home, unplugged the negative battery terminal and waited a hour and then connected it back up, took it out and as I back out of the garage it almost died, but the GEN light stayed off and the battery gauge stayed in the middle, but the tachometer and spedometer still flutter around a little, the engine seems to be fine "most" of the time, but flutters too, and the transmission is at least shifting again.
So... :'( why does my jeep hate rally/4wheeling?
FYI Chrysler does not make fuel sending units for 96 Cherokee 4.0 Liters anymore.
So there I was driving on a sweet off-road course on Edwards Air Force Base and I came up to a dip in the course, sail a bit in the air and land hard, all my passengers fly up and down and soda spills. I thought it was a bit of hard fun, but I instantly notice my tachometer and speedometer surge and fluttered and pinged all over the place, and my battery surged up to 19, IN THE RED!
Gen light, low washer fluid, and check engine flashed, but the only one that stayed on was GEN. I made it through the coarse, even tackled a sweet hill, but I could tell something was wrong, it wouldn't shift properly and I felt like a few times I was going to lose all engine power. I made it off the course and back onto the main road.
However after I hit the asphalt I had no idea what speed I was going, and it felt like I stuck in 2nd gear and I couldn't get the vehicle above 25-30, only guessing since my speedometer is just bouncing around. I drove a little ways and then it just died completely.
I pushed it into a parking lot and was going to give up but then it roared to life. Well sort of about 2 miles down the road it died again, lifted the hood, looked around, slammed the hood and then it roared to life again. I made my way home via a back dirt off-road trail :/ which under normal circumstances would have been fun. However with my crippled vehicle I didn't want to risk merging onto the highway.
I got home, unplugged the negative battery terminal and waited a hour and then connected it back up, took it out and as I back out of the garage it almost died, but the GEN light stayed off and the battery gauge stayed in the middle, but the tachometer and spedometer still flutter around a little, the engine seems to be fine "most" of the time, but flutters too, and the transmission is at least shifting again.
So... :'( why does my jeep hate rally/4wheeling?
11-22-2010, 08:58 PM
#6
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Year: 1987 MJ, 1998 XJ, 1973 J2000, 89 waggy
Model: Comanche (MJ)
Engine: 4.0L H.O
the trail starting and stopping and failing to start and sudden starts..... hmmm maybe you F-d your neutral safety switch........ try the chrysler code cycle (cycle key 3 times and then leave it in acc. and it will blink the "check engine" light to display an error code, then cross reference the code for the possible issue)
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11-22-2010, 09:23 PM
#9
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I'm a Marine Reserve at Edwards. We should try to meet up sometime. I never really wheeled on Edwards. I only went over to the duck ponds. There is wide open space in Rosamond. Ever make it up to Stoddard Valley or Jaw Bone?
I have no idea about your poor XJ. You'll have to troubleshoot one by one.
Common culprits: vacuum, Crank Position Sensor, Throttle Position Sensor, Neutral Safety Switch, loose ground???
Slow and easy Bro.
It's not the fall that kills you, it's the stop at the bottom.
I have no idea about your poor XJ. You'll have to troubleshoot one by one.
Common culprits: vacuum, Crank Position Sensor, Throttle Position Sensor, Neutral Safety Switch, loose ground???
Slow and easy Bro.
It's not the fall that kills you, it's the stop at the bottom.
11-22-2010, 11:13 PM
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So well I tried the "check electrical connections and I found the neutral switch, tapped on it lightly with a wrench, disconnected a bunch of wires, reconnected them all snuggly, and now my engine doesn't start, I turn the key and I get GEN and CHECK ENGINE light and a high pitch whine, then the whine clicks and nothing.
What now?
What now?
Last edited by RedFang; 11-22-2010 at 11:19 PM.
11-22-2010, 11:32 PM
#11
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Model: Cherokee
airborn
jeeps arent meant to leave the ground thats why they have four perfectly good tires on them and not wings anytime you leave the ground stuffs gonna break when you come back down
11-23-2010, 12:09 AM
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So I found out why my engine wouldn't start... I removed the fuses and reseated them, turns on I foolishly reseated the starter fuse into the wrong slot. All is now well, the engine starts. First off I am going to get hold of a idle air sensor, throttle body sensor, and a crank position sensor.
Also I vow to never let my cherokee fly ever again, she will be well grounded from now on....
Also I vow to never let my cherokee fly ever again, she will be well grounded from now on....
11-23-2010, 07:17 AM
#14
Seasoned Member
If you ever change the Throttle Position Sensor it must be adjusted with a Votage Meter. If it is running ok now don't fix it if it aint broke. I do carry a new extra CPS all the time along with a fan belt. Had one of those go out 73 miles from civilization.
