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--find the horn-usually on the radiator core support,and check the connection..hook up a circut tester,..if it lights up,or you get a digital-12v reading(depending on what kind of circut tester your using-the horn's bad..-try putting a hot wire to the horn terminal..if it sounds,then there's a bad connection..chase it down,and fix bad contact..
--autozone sells replacement remotes..you might even try chrystler's parts dept..they can look up the serial number(your V.I.N.-take your car's registration paper into the parts dept-it should be on there..simpler than trying to write it down-and getting a number wrong!)
-the v.i.n should tell you every option your jeep had when it was built..most of the grand cherokees i've seen have remote,but why they didn't add remote start?..that's the feature that works for me,as ohio gets cold,and climbing into a warm car is SO O O nice,when it's -20 BELOW..
-good luck!
1). As I try to turn it on it makes a clicking noise
2). when it does turn on the motor accelerates as if i was stepping on the gas and the RPM shoots up.
3). After a few seconds of (step 2) the RPM drops down as the acceleration decreases dramatically to a point were it wants to turn off. It continues to dance on the RPM scale from 1k RPM to 500
4). When i would step on the gas pedal it wouldn't respond only if i were to press it down several times. but it would come in delay periods in between after i press the pedal.
5).Finally it turns off on its own or when i try to shift it to reverse or drive.
It be the obvious thing to take it to the mechanic but money is a lil tight right now so I'm open to any suggestions from anyone out there. :sick: :confuse:
before the plug end to unplug and install new sensor? If not how do I get to the plug end to do the replacement?
Just about everything I describe below is in their book. You may spend some $ and get no results, but it should not be big $.
Make sure battery is fully charged and tests OK. Where I live, Autozone does it for free. Make sure terminals are securely connected and free of corrosion.
The click you here is the solenoid energizing the starter, but the starter can't turn. But sometimes the starter cranks the engine. I had this problem. According to my mechanic the starter develops bad spots. Based on your symptoms you will probably have to put in a new starter. Take a picture of it before you remove it so you can compare it to your installation. It's usually not too difficult.
If starter works OK, you can buy an inexpensive test tool that will help you verify that each spark plug is generating spark. I forget what it's called.
Assuming spark is OK, you need to check fuel pressure while it is trying to start. Go to harborfreight.com or borrow a gauge.
If fuel pressure OK, you have to disconnect fuel line so you can remove injectors. With injectors removed, you can do an electrical test on each injector. Requires a multimeter.
My 97 jeep, 4L I6, would start, but ran very poor. I started working on it with nothing to lose. I did every test I could find in Haynes manual.
I found several problems. It did not run OK until I fixed them all. It has 170K miles and injectors were OK. Fuel pump was OK. I Here's what I ended up fixing.
1) Throttle was very dirty and black; cleaning it required removal
2) Replaced idle air control valve - if your tachometer is all over the place while your idling, suspect this part.
3) Replaced control valve for early fuel evaporation. If faulty, it affects your vacuum. It's not suppose to open until the engine has generated significant vacuum. Otherwise it hurts your vacuum.
It ran much better, but it improved even more after replacing intake gaskets, which again affects vacuum. And yes, the intake will be very dirty. Clean it.
New plugs and wires helped, but not a determining factor.
If you can do tests that show a part is faulty and you spend $ to replace it, there's a good chance you will get results. But given overall complexity of today's car, there is no guarantee.
It takes time. There is always risk you may be wasting time and $. If you take it to a mechanic after you try to work on it, they may not like it.
V8 is cool. But, assuming it can be made compatible, maybe an I6 would be easier to find and cheaper. My 97 2wd JGC has the 4.0 I6. Acceleration was good but I don't tow
Obtain a portable radio or compact stereo that can driive your speakers. The ohm ratings should match or be as close as possible. The Power output of stereo should meet or exceed speakers.
1. Disconnect speaker wire at radio and speaker. Connect speaker to stereo on seperate wires. Make sure volume of stereo is 0 when you turn it on.Adjust volume until plays loud. If Ok, go to step 2. If OK, don't replace speaker and go to step 2
2. Repeat above test using vehicle speaker. Leave as much of the speaker wire in the vehicle as possible.
If test passes problem is radio or connector that goes to radio. Check for bent or loose pins or sockets. If you have 4 speakers, I would expect all of the wires to be integrated into a single connector that plugs in the radio.
Nothing happens without risk. You could spend time & $ with no results or damage it while working on it.
NOTE: disconnect negative battery cable any time you disconnect or reconnect any electrical connections except if replacing a bulb that you know is turned off
Any answers or ideas would be a lot of help as I honestly don't know where to start with this one. Thanks.
1) Measure fuel pressure.
2) Make sure each plug is getting spark. They make a tool for this
3) Compression test each cylinder
4) Measured vacuum and followed Haynes manual
5) Check for cracks in any portion of vacuum hoses that get exposed to a lot of heat. Use your fingers or a mirror.
6) Do all emission related checks in Haynes manual.
Fuel pressure was OK. Spark was OK. I had 1 cylinder that was slightly below spec, but my engine has 170K.
I serviced everything I thought was suspect.
1) replaced some hoses
2) new idle air control valve
3) new EFE vacuum control solenoid
4) new intake gasket.
5) throttle was very dirty. removed it and cleaned everything as much as possible.
It runs surprisingly well except for a little vibration at idle which I attribute to the cylinder.
I strongly believe improvement was the aggregate result of the above, but overall, I believe the biggest culprit was vacuum. I'd be surprised if any of your cylinders failed compression.
You will have to learn how to backprobe devices with a voltmeter.
See harborfreight.com for good prices on gauges.
I did spark plugs today and a friend helped me check the spark. (Hes got the tool)
I checked the hoses that the dealer recommended I replace. But I plan on going back tomorrow to give it a better look when there is some more light outside.
There is a harbor freight right up the street from me, never go there but i'll check out the prices next time im out.
Thanks for the advise.
Also I had a 97 jeep with the 4.0 and the engine went strong till 240K when a piston rod came lose. (that's just what I think it was never opened it up) Replaced that motor with a 98 Cherokee's 4.0 with about 90k about 2 years ago. Gave it to my younger sister about a year ago and its still running strong. Loved that 4.0 it just never knew when to quit.
PLEASE HELP!!!
Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!!!
The RedRat
How many miles did you put on in that week and is that typical of your driving?
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
#1-CLEAN AIR FILTER!.if it can't breathe,mileage suffers..
tune up-fresh plugs mean it's burning ALL th gas-well,most
--stop putting the cheapest gas you can find..you take a old car,and feed it crap gas..i've got th 5.2-v8,and average 18mpg..using premium marathon..for the dime's worth of diffrence,it runs better,and don't plug up the converter!..
--is th converter plugged?..listen,and see if it's TOO quiet..might be worth replacing..
--as far as dropping 50 bucks per,ya ain't driving a econo-box !..these are a working piece of machinery..it's gonna cost x mpg to get that weight down th road-be it a 6 or 8..my v8 doesn't work as hard as your 6,but is feeding two more cylinders..--the ride/preformance/ameneties kinda make it a safer-more plesant ride than those little soda cans with wheels i've seen get blown into a ditch in a strong wind..
tune it up,fix what's wrong,fill your tires,buy good gas..treat it like a real car,and it should be a real car for you..but rember,it's a truck,with a suv body on it..that's what makes them safer..when i got mine-my premiums went DOWN,20 bucks per..so,it's all a trade offit'll never get th mileage of a corolla,but in a accident..? :shades:
2)Measure the fuel pressure and make sure it's not bouncing around or too low. My jeep has a schraeder fitting on the fuel rail near the injectors. Very easy to measure. See harborfreight.com for a good price on a gauge.
3) Pull spark plugs. Check for broken or fouled plug and reset the gap. Or put in new ones.
4) Check your coil or coil pack (see Haynes manual)
5) Get the Haynes manual and do all of their Emission troubleshooting checks.
Fix suspected problems 1 at a time and drive it again so you can see what make's a difference. This knowledge may be useful.
If above has no success or no trouble found, you will need an engine analyzer that can real-time record data from the engine computer. I believe they sell devices that will connect to a laptop PC. Cost is ? . Stop recording when it stalls and look at data. You can do your own research to interpret the results or find a mechanic to interpret it.
All sensors are fed into engine computer and it controls everything. It must have a clue, although it may be an indirect one.
I suggest you avoid letting a dealer or repair shop try out solutions at your expense unless they can tell how they did their troubleshooting or explain why a part failed visual inspection.
-they can be tricky,as when they cool off,they'll work-till they get hot-and quit again..chabging coil's out are a pain if your in a parking lot,as the origional ones are rivited in,and you gotta grind-chop the heads off,just to use the origional braket..but you've gotta do it,or it won't ground properly,so you can't just plug in the new one-lay it on th manifold-and expect it to work,but-it sounds like the coil could be going bad!! good luck !
Any thoughts?
lrh2
The only maintenance records I found were a bunch of those little oil change stick ons in the glove box.
Thanks for your advice.
This will probably trigger a flood of polar anti-dealer sentiment (which I do not share), but I prefer to get anything beyond basic maintenance done at my dealer. They have all the right parts/fluids on hand, and experienced Jeep mechanics who are more likely to know your vehicle best. But I have a great relationship with my Jeep dealer --- they have always been very fair, it is where I bought the car, and they charge me a very reasonable price for everything, so maybe I'm in the minority. It is a good idea to try a few places and see what the pricing is, because some dealers and private mechanics will rip you off and try to get you to do jobs that aren't necessary. You can get a good sense of what people get done to their Jeeps on this forum, too.
My recommendations come from what I've done to my Jeep in the last 50K to extend the life of my vehicle and keep it running it top condition. As for your drivetrain, I would continue to keep fluid changed and your differentials serviced every 30K from now on. Sure, you can get by with less, but if you're planning to keep the vehicle, it will save you headache in the long run.
Thanks Everbody here
The Red Rat
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Thank you for the feedback, I appreciate it
RR
Inspect your ignition wires for cracks in the insulation. Make sure plug wire is firmly seated to top of plug. Replace the whole set if you see anything suspicious or you don't know how old they are. Inspect your spark plugs for a broken plug. It won't be obvious, try to wiggle the top of the plug with low-medium force. If it moves any at all, replace it. It should be rock solid. If the whole plug wiggles, then it is not threaded properly.
If a wire was somehow left resting on a part of the motor, over time the heat will damage the insulation
If plug is broken or insulation compromised, energy from the iginition could be shorting to the engine instead of reaching the plug. The short may not be where you see the spark. The spark you see is where the energy finally reaches ground. It is suppose to reach ground at the bottom of the spark plug. If somebody incorrectly pulled a spark plug wire they may have damaged it. You can slide it back on; it looks connected; but it is not.
Another possibility is a broken electrode at the bottom of the plug. If its missing you'll notice it looks funny.
If your inspections yield no results, there is an inexpensive tool you can buy that connects to the spark plug so you can verify each wire is properly delivering spark to the plug. Make sure battery is fully charged, remove fuel pump circuit breaker, and have someone try to start the engine while you observe results. You test each wire 1 at a time.
-split-fire plugs -at 8 bucks per,are pricey. advance had a real cool-split tang-style,where there was a split at the end of th arm,i caught them on sale for 2 bucks per,and they seem to work well
-i get more improvement from replacing the cap and rotor button..too many times,this gets neglected-cause you can screw up the firing order..
pit all the old wires in the wire holders..pull the old cap,put on the new one-and button..snap it down..with new wires on new plugs,follow how the old ones-from the wire holders-went..start with the one near a identifiable mark-like a clip-or screw-on th cap..follow them-in sequence-till you run out of old/new wires,the replace coil wire..this way,the short wires are evident,and your not trying to do two things at once..good luck !
And keep your hands away from any part of the high energy ignition system while vehicle is running or you are trying to start it.
Any opininion ?
Thank you.
Thanks!
during the winter there isn't mutch you can do-but,when it's warmer,fill it up with the best octane you can get-sunoco has the highest,and DRIVE IT ..for at least a hour!..then,after it's warm(operating temp)find a empty stretch of road,and FLOOR IT!.keeping it wide open untill it shifts!--now this doesn't mean you have to go 150 mph,but,you gotta clear out the pipes..THEN,the rest of the time-drive easy-and you'll get better mileage !..i use the entrance ramp to the freeway..it knows when to shift!
--when voltswagen first imported the beloved "bug"-back in the -60's(first was 58),they had a lot of them returned..found out american drivers were used to their v-8's,and were not driving the air cooled 4 cyl hard enough..i had one-drove the snot outta it,and ran like a german watch!..
--take it easy for better mileage,but clear it out when it's hot out,and your jeep will be a happy camper!