Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
SUVs Jeep Cherokee and Jeep Grand Cherokee Jeep Grand Cherokee Electrical Problems
209 messages, Last post on Nov 23, 2009 at 5:00 PM
You are in the Jeep Cherokee and Jeep Grand Cherokee Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
|
I have a 2002 Grand Cherokee. As I'm driving, I seem to get an sudden electrical short, where the radio shuts off, I hear the door locks click and the dash board display turns off, then within seconds it call comes back on. The car itself doesn't shut off and I don't seem to loose the headlights. It is sporadic. A mechanic looked at it, said that the alternator seemed to be fine, and he cleaned and tightened the battery terminals which needed it, but he said he couldn't find anything else. His thought was that there might be a short in a wire, which wasn't something he could find. Anyone have any other possible suggestions? Or does that sound the most logical and is it a dealer fix?
|
|
|
Replying to: la_writer (Nov 12, 2008 10:19 am) |
|
| OK, HERES THE STORY, JUST TRADED FOR IT,,,DROVE FOR TWO DAYS, SHUT OFF AN PARKED,CAME OUT 3 HOURS LATER& CRANKS OVER GOOD FUEL PRES. NO VOLATAGE TO COIL,WHILE MESSING AROUND PUT IN NEW PLUGS, CAP ROTOR,,,,,AND ONLY CODES THAT KEY ON,OFF GIVES IS 12 AND 55,,,,,,,,,,ABOUT READY TO GET A ECU,,,,,,ALSO,OHMED CRANCHSHAFT POST SENSOR,,,,,,,,,,ANYONE GOT A IDEA | |
|
Replying to: la_writer (Nov 12, 2008 10:19 am) |
|
|
"i have a 97 cherokee with a 4.0 that's not getting any spark. i have replaced the coil and checked to see its getting power (my test light will light up on GREEN / ORANGE and when i flip the tester to + i have ground on GRAY / WHITE just not while cranking) i visually inspected the cap and rotor and checked injector pulse. all the gauges work on the dash and the info cluster. all the fuses are good under the hood and in the vehicle. the fuel pump kicks on fine. any idea's ?? i was told that if the crank sensor is bad then the 3 wires should test 1 as a ground 2 should have 8 volts and 3 shold have between 0.3 volts and 5.0 volts but when i tested it with my volt meter i was getting between 5v and 0.3 v on one wire and between 3 and 4 volts on the other so i replaced the crank sensor because it should have 8 volts on that wire but it didn't solve my problem. so i have also pulled the codes ( key on key off key on key off key on and count the blinks of your check engine light between pauses, if you have a digital odemiter it will tell you the codes) and they are reading 12_54_55. 54 being the cam sensor which is inside the distributor on this model and year jeep aka sync signal generator and its called the IGNITION PICK UP COIL at your local parts store, and swapped it out then took sandpaper and some contact cleaner and went thru every relay under the hood. then i disconnected the neg. batt terminal and removed the coolant reservoir and pulled the 3 plugs from the pcm checked the terminals and tested the gray / white wire (-) from the pcm to the coil itself to make sure it wasn't damaged AND now i start and run beautifuly. WHAT A PAIN IN THE BUTT!! here is another idea below that may also help you and the link to a jeep site that explains your vehicle sensors and how they work. good luck http://www.jpmagazine.com/techarticles/engine/154_0608_1987_jeep_wrangler_xj/ind- ex.html Short story long: I have a 96 Grand Cherokee 4.0L, 125,000 miles. Several weeks ago, I started to have stalling issues. Hot or cold, dry or wet, first drive of the day or last, it didn’t matter. The engine would cut out. It felt like it lost all electricals. At the time it was showing an ASD relay code. Swapped the ASD and A/C relays. Same problem. I didn’t have time to look at it, so I had the dealer go through it. After 2 days and $200, they called and said it was the ASD relay, and that they put in a new one, and it’s all good. Um, ok, maybe I missed something. I’m a trusting soul, but let’s see if this fixes it. The next day the problem was back. I went back to the dealer and they basically said, “We don’t know what it could be, good luck with that”. Now my wife knows why I don’t go to the dealer. By the way, the old relay tested good. My turn. Being the methodical aircraft mechanic that I am, I grabbed a multi-meter, contact cleaner, and wiring diagrams. I cleaned connectors, ohmed out wires and sensors, checked for power and grounds. Everything checked good. By now, it’s showing ASD, crank sensor, and primary ignition codes. Then, with my wife trying to start it, I wiggled the connectors on the PCM. Every time I wiggled the gray C3 connector just right it would run. When I let go, it would die. So I took the connectors apart and tightened up the crimps (I don’t recommend doing this without the proper extractors and crimper). Threw it back together and BAM! Same problem. Well, time to bite the bullet and check for bad solder joints on the PCM board. I took the cover off of the PCM and realized that looking through the potting compound is like looking through Guinness Stout. But, I put it back in and hooked it up. It started stronger than ever, and didn’t even think about stalling. Yes! I figured that I finally got the connectors sorted out, so I left it over night to cool down. Got up the next morning and it started right up and wouldn’t stall even when wiggling the connectors. So I put the cover back on, put the PCM back in, hooked up the connectors, and BAM! It wouldn’t start! That was the point when my wife asked, “How’s it going?” And I, being the methodical aircraft mechanic that I am, said, “what the ----?” That’s when my wife turned around and went back into the house. While smoking a pack of cigarettes, I thought, “Gee, it runs with the cover off, but not with it on.” DUH, wonder what it could be? So I backed out the two screws that hold the cover on and BAM! It started right up. Then, while it was running, I tightened the outboard screw and sure enough, it died. Yes! Aircraft mechanics love it when they can make things stop working. I installed new screws (1/4” long, factory screws are 1/2” long Torx head), and she’s been running great ever since. Now, will this fix a bad crank sensor or idle air motor? No. But it is an easy trick to try before going to the dealer and having them throw expensive parts at your Jeep and seeing if any of them stick. Just back out the cover screws about 1/8”-1/4” (don’t worry, nothing will fall apart inside). If it fixes it, great! Spread the word. If not, use logical trouble-shooting steps. Learn the systems – what will and what won’t cause the problem. Good luck. As a side note, if you want to see a service manager’s eyes pop out of his head, tell him that you want your money back because your not going to pay them to trouble-shoot a design defect. It’s a glorious sight.
|
|
|
Replying to: pla4kps (Nov 14, 2008 6:13 pm) |
|
|
Replying to: jpflum (Nov 15, 2008 8:57 am)
|
|
|
Replying to: pla4kps (Nov 15, 2008 10:12 am) |
|
|
Replying to: jra173 (Jun 17, 2008 6:38 pm) -also,my -97,witch i just rescued from a body shop where it sat for two years,had the auto lights,and the instrument lights were controlled by the slide switch next to the headlight switch..i took wd-40,with the straw attached,and gave the slide switch a two secound spray,then worked the switch several times,as this cleaned the contacts inside...it seems to have addressed the problem!!..worth a try!.. 
|
|
You are here:
Forums
SUVs Jeep Cherokee and Jeep Grand Cherokee Jeep Grand Cherokee Electrical Problems
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
