I definitely take advices as well
Man this is a fun project most of the time, but I am still pulling my hair off on some of the issues.... i don't even know where to start.... check the call for help in the tech forum lol

 

Well what problems are u having??? I thought I was the only one in ut that had to drink beer to work on my jeep! Lol

 

Let me know if I should move this to my own thread, but you guys seem willing to help so I will take advantage of it here

Well like I said before, i am not experienced at all, heck i don;t even know all the big words you guys are using..... so before getting too frustrated and discouraged and asking every evening "what was I thinking..." I decided to start from the beginning and learn the different parts and stuff....

I keep telling my son small steps, small victories.... that doesn't work anymore lol.

A. when I got the jeep, the Tach and dash lights were not working.... solved the gauge thing by changing the fuse, but sometimes it works and sometime it doesn't so I suspect a deeper problem.
B. Battery shows 12V with the meter, but gauge shows 0 and lights are very low and as of yesterday, it won;t even crank. Before I heard that noise when just turning the contact on (Me think it is the fuel pump since it is coming from around the back) It doesn;t even make that noise anymore
C. Replaced the neg battery cable that was melted enough to show wires. The new battery cable has a smaller cable coming from the connector about 10inch long with a yellow tip. I don;t know where this go since there was none on the cable I removed.
D. Front right blinker won't work even with new bulb. I tried the meter in there and I get some signal only with Hazard light but nothing else.
E. I suspect multiple leaks lol but that seem to be "normal"
F. The linkage to change from 2h to 4h or 4L sometimes pop's out and I get stuck.
G.Probably need to check brakes and stuff and replace a couple of hoses that look damaged
H. I am not sure the Jeep was lifted, it stand high and there are 2 blacks under the spring leafs on the rear held up with u-bolts.... on of them seem to be cracked in 2 pieces....
I. White smoke and water (maybe) coming out of exhaust when it started.
J. Coolant spitting out and pressure bottle always empty....

And all kind of little other things as would be standard on a vehicle this age.

Looks like the previous owners had put some additional stuff but ripped out everything at some point. there is a lot of wires hanging that I cannot ID,

I am learning, but if anybody has ideas or seen the same kind of problem, that would be good.
The plan is to get the car safely drivable quickly before summer if possible.

So yeah I see a lot of beer in the future....

 

oh my ya id say you have some problems lol, thats not fun, but with the blocks in the rear... look at the front springs and see if theirs a puck between the top of the coil and the body and if their is then you do have a little budget lift, on that matter does it even sit level?

 

what year is the jeep? from what you have said i would throw it away and get a new one. but that is just me.

 

Naw i will not throw it away yet.... this is why it is called a project right ?
it is 1989 4.0L Laredo....
I don't give up that easy....
I need to get the wiring diagram specific, and check/test everything.... might take time, but I am not in a hurry (impatient to drive it yes, but first things first)...

Yes I am not sure it sits really level, but I have other isssue that I think are more important lol

 

On your negative cable, the short smaller gauge wire is meant to go to the body, attach it to the inside of the fender with a self tapping screw and see if that helps with the dim lights. I'd also suggest taking the alternator and battery to a parts store for testing, rule those out as the problem before diving into wiring, relays or individual accesories.

 

Thanks, I agree battery needs to be charged....but since it was charged 2 days ago, I am suspecting a nice little draw.... a little research make me think it would be a short somewhere.
I tried to switch battery with our other car and the jeep started right away with full lights etc.... however the other car didn't start at all with the old battery.... so this is one problem I know....
I will have fun trying to find the short or the faulty circuit.... I took the dash out... oh my it is full of wires everywhere lol.
I believ I have ID one hanging connector, it looks like it could be the emission control thingy that has been removed....
Anyway i think I am going to try to move my thread to some other place so that I do not saturate yours.
Thanks for checking from time to time.... I have trust that I will be able to run that thing soon.... then we will think about mods and accessories lol

 

I'm wheelin and dealin on two or three right now with some of the guys from work, one guy brought in a cobra and a GE portable for me to look at (neither high dollar, but functional) and enother guys bringing his in within the next few days (he does'nt remember what it is), I might be able to hook you up with something to get you by for a while. I'll keep you posted.

 

A. I believe you said that you pulled the dash apart, so if its a certain gauge that goes out fallow the wire looking for a short or bare wire! If its the whole ICP (Instrument Cluster Panel/gauge panel) goes dead then look for a constant power from the fuse box.
B. Like Jeff said take both the batt. & alternator into Autozone & ask them to test it! (FREE) Yes the sound you're hearing is the fuel pump priming the fuel up to the motor when you first turn the key. I would highly recommend replacing the fuel pump & filter, so you don't end up doing it on the side of the road on the back side of jordanel res. half way to kamas!
heres a great link on the fuel pump-https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f51/fuel-pump-replacement-15980/

C. I think jeff answered this 1 for ya...
D. So you get power when the hazards are on with a test light, but will the new light blink with the hazards??? Did you get the right bulb? might wanna fallow that wire as well!
E. Ya leaking from the rear main seal is very common with the 4.0! try this link- http://www.go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoRearMain.htm
F. Start by checking the linkage, by putting the tranny in neutral & have your son slowly shift the T-case from 2wd to 4hi & 4low. while your under it watching the linkage as he's shifting make sure its not loose or sloppy!
G. when you replace the rear pads I would also buy the spring kit & or at the very least new self adjusters! (CHEAP)
H. As soon as you got the cash to buy new 2" shackles for the leaf springs TOSS those blocks, & replace the U-bolts! the crack= danger!
I. White smoke is normal if it hasn't ran much lately, & the water dripping from the exhaust is produced by the cat. (catalytic converter). Its a good thing, water dripping tells you the cat is working correct & breaking down the exhaust emissions!
J. So the plastic coolant bottle by the firewall on the passenger side is spitting out the lid, cause it gets to full when its up to normally running temps???

 

Also I'd bet that if you sort out the blinker & dash lights problem the draw from you batt should go away!

 

Steph74:

x2. It sounds like an alternator issue (which is what powers the jeep and recharges the batteries when running). Get it starting and running good first, then it will be easier to issolate your other issues.

As for the cracked lift block in the rear, pull those out before driving it. If that block comes out of there while going down the road it could snap the u-bolts holding your axle on and then you're really F'ed! It can be an inch or 2 shorter in the back as long as you have clearance for the tires back there. If you need help with how to do that just ask (It's really easy).

As for the coolant issue, drain and replace your coolant and r&r the themostat first. If that doesn't fix it, you might need a new water pump and/or radiator.

Good luck!

 

or he could be out of blinker fluid

 

Thanks guys for the load of advices. I will check out all of these things as soon as I have more than 5 minutes to spare lol.
Right now I am not driving (it is not registered yet) but will definitely have the block thingy inspected /replaced/removed
Yeah fuel pump and filters are on the list of things to do
Brakes overhaul is also on the list as I do not want to take risks with that.
I am glad that smoke and water out of exhaust are a good sign I read somewhere that this could also be the sign of a head gasket pb or cylinder leak....
I have identified the problem with the linkage, it just pop's out of place, but that looks like a easy fix I guess for later too.

Main concern now is the electrical pb and this is what i am studying to know better. I have read so many write ups and how to's that my head is going to explode lol. last thing I have done, is with the + battery cable attached and NEG- disconnected, connecting multimeter there from NEG cable to NEG post.... I read way over 250mA.... according to write up, I removed fuses 1 by 1... they are almost all gone now and I still have the current that high I don;t know if I am doing anything wrong lol, I have a friends that will come and help me out

thanks again for your help, I have not driven this truck for more than 10 miles around the block, it is giving me headaches and it is challenging my intelligence, but so far I love it..... must be the effect jeeps have on people

 

so i cant remember if you already said this, but do you have voltage at the load (light bulb)?

and also whole smoke and water can be good but im sure you already know this lol

white smoke= burning coolant
blue smoke = burning oil
black smoke= too much fuel