emzdogz

hi folks, what a great forum this seems to be. Have done a few searches and have already read some posts that generally relate to some of the issues I'm having.

My Jeep is a '95 XJ 2 door, black, with 4.0 - now has 127 k on it. My Mom bought this new, so it's been in the family all along. Regular oil changes and she used to really baby it - I don't baby it that much, but still it gets oil changes etc.
Not long ago I had to have a water pump put in.

For some time, before and after water pump, the check engine light would come on. And then not come on the next day, then maybe a few days later come on again. My neighbor says he can tell by doing the "turn-the-key" reading that it needs an 02 sensor. So I have one purchased and ready to install. (fairly good shop nearby does work for me)

But in the meantime, the poor Jeep got hit on driver's front side while parked in front of my house over Labor Day weekend, by, get this - a drunk guy who was also texting. Insurance basic paid for the body work to be done - just missing the plastic bumper "cap" now, on that side. No biggie there.

However, since it got hit - the check engine light never comes on anymore, BUT at idle, say at a light sitting in Drive, when hot, the oil light comes on - first a flicker, then steady. This Jeep has like the most basic package in the way of lights. Like no guages, except fuel. Then if I put it in neutral and rev to bring engine speed up even a little bit, the oil light goes off again.

This car never has "used" oil. i.e. For years, I'd look to check it w/dipstick and it was always at the same level. Checked the other day and it was low. Filled it back up and didn't get the flickering oil light anymore for several days. Then over the weekend after some short interstate runs, it did come on again. But oil level is still ok for now.

And also I think I am seeing some oil spotting under the Jeep. Hard to tell since it's parked on the street. But I believe it's leaking oil. Could even be from oil filter, but the filter looks clean viewed from the top.

It just seems like a heck of a coincidence that this "oil light" thing would begin to happen so soon after the Jeep getting hit - and that the check engine light no longer comes on since the accident.

It runs great and doesn't make any knocking noises or anything that would tip me off to a bad main bearing or anything else real major internally. But I don't know....

Anything about this scenario - the post-accident changes - throw out a red flag to you?

I know I need to take it to my mechs soon, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask around here and gain a bit more knowledge.

Since it's been in my family so long and since I basically love it - (love the square body Cherokees), I do feel a commitment to keeping it.

thanks!

Em
Tampa, FL

ps: it is due for an oil change....what's the heaviest I could have them put in? thx

Donnie_K

Just find your leak and fix it. These things are ridiculously easy to work on. Even if it's a rear main seal it's not that hard.

emzdogz

ha! ok, decent answer.

emzdogz

oil pump is very oily and dirty. Filter housing looks cleanish and is tight.
Found bare wire going to a sensor down in left side of engine. I think it might be the O2 sensor. The plug going to it (from wiring harness) only has one wire and about the last inch and a half of that wire was bare, almost like it was stripped on purpose. I don't think it could touch anything and be arcing on metal, but it still seems weird to have that length of bare copper like that.
I wrapped it in elec tape for now.
Gotta check out wiring diagram.
Thinking this is over my head and needs to be connected to computer for diagnosis.

ZINGGG

Well, climb on underneath your jeep and look around and find where you see wet oil. And trace it upwards to find the source. Like Donnie said, they are very easy to work on. I've had my jeep for two months and have been on here every day and learned more than I have in the 4 and a half years I've been in college :P
Anyways, find the leak, drain the oil, fill her back up (the type of oil is your preference and also depends on how cold it gets where you live). Then report back on what that does to that oil light

emzdogz

yeah, I need to figure out a way to get under the Jeep - it is stock height (no lift), and I don't have jackstands, but maybe I'll buy some. Pretty hard to get under it, and from the top I can't reach much. (i'm a short female variety of person, so long arms aren't available) Yesterday afternoon I stood on a chair and basically laid down across the radiator to really look down in there with a flashlight.

Was reading in the manual last night about the fuel/air system. It says that after 20 mins the ECM goes into closed loop, rather than running on open loop. I realize now that I practically never run it 20 mins straight. I live 7 miles from home. Rare for me to run it 20 mins at a time. So those times when it warms up enough to make the oil light thing happen also correspond with the approximate time it is supposed to start running closed loop.

I don't know a whole lot about FI, but did learn some via my motorcycle which, when new, ran kind of badly once it switched to closed loop and so I finally ended up buying a module which allowed me to not use the O2 sensors at all.
I'm thinking once the Jeep goes into closed loop it's maybe just idling like 100-200 rpm too low.

(and that the slight oil dripping under it is a coincidence and it's been doing it all along)

thanks again for the responses, i'm still reading on it, but need to figure out a way to get under the car.
(there's dirt in my carport, lol, maybe I can dig out a low spot and crawl into that)

emzdogz

just went and looked at the cardboard I stuck under it the hour and a half I've been at work, and it drips from 2 places, and the drip spot towards the back is pretty bad. So, yeah I guess this isn't a leak that can be ignored.

Donnie_K

little brake cleaner can help you pinpoint where it's coming from. clean up the block, run it, and look basically. it could even just be leaking out of the back of the valve cover gasket down the back of the block... or it could be something more like a rear main seal.

emzdogz

dripping from where engine block attaches to bell housing. Trying to figure if that seam is where it is actually seeping out of, or if a bit is being flung off oil pump and just travelling to lowest spot. haha, I got under the Jeep in the parking lot at work, now I am greasy. Good thing I have a production type job.

ps thx again!

papaj

The infamous rear main seal is likely your issue

Donnie_K

right, the valve cover does run all the way back, and oil drips down. But that would come down the seem on the edges of where the bellhousing meets the block. But if it's coming from in between and not down the sides, it's the rear main seal. You'll be dropping the oil pan and removing the rear main cap to get to it. You'll need to buy a new oil pan gasket as well, you'll need a torque wrench for the main bearing caps. And some grease and black rtv for the seal. Along with a hammer and punch to turn the old one out. If anyone tells you that you have to drop the transmission, they are WRONG and don't know how to change a rear main seal on a jeep.

emzdogz

So, this Jeep does leak oil, no doubt. Well, drip oil.

But it seems that maybe taping up the bare wire to the oil pressure sensor switch has helped. Today I drove it good for 40 minutes straight on the way home, include lots of idling at lights, etc...and the oil light never came on. I'm as surprised as could be.
Trying to figure out how that 1.5 inch or so length of wire could have become stripped to bare copper.
And what impact it being bare could have had that would cause the switch to do it's thing and light up.

Anyway the only real thing I did yesterday was taped up that piece of bare wire and wrap the connector, too. And today, no oil light.

hmmm....

Of course the oil leak will have to be closely monitored and fixed soon. I'll be real curious though, if that light comes back on. Too good to be true almost....

emzdogz

Good news: Jeep no longer leaks - at least not enough to notice. I think I had too much oil in it before.
Bad news: I got rear-ended a few days ago.
Good new: I had the trailer hitch in! eviscerated the grill of the Crown Vic cab that rear ended me.
Bad news: ins. adjuster dude is making noises like having the hitch in could prevent me from getting $$$ Really it just needs a new bumper and end cap on the back.
Also, it knocked the head unit of my stereo (aftermarket, installed at a shop several years ago) "forward" (direction of engine) so it's not in the hole properly anymore, and I've lost the speakers on the right side - I guess a connection came loose?.

I've come to the conclusion that it's going to be a losing battle, trying to keep this Jeep nice, or even fix it up so it's better. Living in the inner city, it just gets smacked too much - so I guess the goal is just keep it mechanically sound and accept that it's a "beater".

So far it's been hit twice, and both times the other car ended up much worse.
I still really love this Cherokee and I love driving it.

anyhoo.....

wiggync

Why would a hitch prevent you fom collecting? Just curious.

emzdogz

I'll report back if I hear something further along these lines. He said something like "oh well with this on there it will really reduce this" <<meaning my claim, I supposed, since that's what we were talking about.

I researched high and low yesterday - evidently in some states you're not supposed to leave your hitch in the receiver if you're not towing. But in Florida, many many people do it - I'm pretty sure there is no law.

Anyway, we shall see.