Picked up a 97, 4.0, 4x4 today from my buddy.

Gauges arent working somewhat. Speedometer isnt reporting correctly (transmission speed sensor replaced today, no change) Oil pressure isnt reporting at all. All other gauges appear to be working fine.

The dash lighting is flickering in and out in varying brightness.

ABS Light is on. (brakes appear to be fine)

Cruise control is not working.

And at higher speed (IE 65mph+) and i floor it, when it goes into overdrive it dies out. Doesnt stall out but the rpms die down and it jerks a bit. In town speeds it seems to do just fine when the overdrive kicks in.

Ive Also got alot of play in the steering wheel.

Ive got a 95 grand 4.0 RWD that i can use for parts if need be. Never had any issues with it. Its just wrecked and the body damage isnt worth fixing. So i essentially have everything mechanically in it to spare.

Never had to work on mine much so im a little lost at the moment.

Thanks for the help.

 

For the oil pressure, I would check the sender, for the lights, I would start by making sure your ground is good. Did your buddy do a lot of electrical wiring? I.E stereo??

 

I would check the harness connector for the guage cluster and the dimmer switch. Bad solder connections are a known fault with printed circuit boards in these vehicles. Vibration tends to crack the solder. My 97 ZJ had the flashing dash light syndrome, fixed by resoldering the joints in the dimmer switch. It's possible the PCM has the same sickness.

Don't know about Ohio, but in New York, the ABS doesn't have to work for inspection, but finding a tech that knows this is difficult. You may have a loose of bent sensor on one of the wheels.

Check your ground connections on everything, especially the PCM.

 

Thank you for the suggestions. Wont get a chance to really mess with it until next Sunday. Ill let you all know how it goes.