I am an Idiot and need help

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ltkaknm@gmail.com - 13 Sep 2006 05:13 GMT

Hey guys, I posted yesterday about a stalling and bucking problem. I
think I have it diagnosed but I think I screwed up the electrical
system. I plugged in the engine light and it must not have been hooked
up right or had a short in it because the wires started to melt. I got
it unsnapped pretty quick, but when I restarted the engine none of my
driving lights would work. The fuses seem ok and it is only the
headlights, brake lights and the parking lights. The flashers still
work and it looks like everything else does as well. What else could I
check? Could some of the fuse boxes in the engine have been burned
out?

I have a Chilton and Haynes Guide and this just happened so I thought I
would throw it out there. I am going to a junkyard tommorow and there
are a few late 80's and early 90's Cherokees.

Do you think I would need to redo the wiring? Would this be expensive
to get fixed?

I just spent a lot of cash and still have the stalling problem and now
this! I am an idiot!

Also I ran the engine without the TPS and the IAS and it still ran, is
that normal?

Thanks and I appreciate any comments,

Tim K

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DougW - 13 Sep 2006 12:26 GMT

ltkaknm wrote:

> Also I ran the engine without the TPS and the IAS and it still ran, is
> that normal?

Most engines will run fine wihtout the TSP and IAS attached.
The first step to determine if a rough idle is due to mechanicals is to
disconnect the IAS. If the engine smooths out then the problem is not
mechanical. As for the TPS, the engine will run without that sensor
but it won't perform well or have a wide-open-throttle acceleration mode.

Signature

DougW

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Mike Romain - 13 Sep 2006 14:35 GMT

The lights are also protected with a fuse link wire usually. These are
wires about 8" long with a loop on one end where it hooks to a bolt and
a fat rubber tube crimp connector on the end where it joins the harness.

If you follow the positive battery cable to the power distribution box
to where it bolts on, the fuse links should be coming off this same
bolt.

The $tealership or some auto parts stores sell fuse link wire in bulk,
so you can usually just buy a foot or so and cut it to size, then crimp
it in place of the burned one.

The links have fat rubber insulation that doesn't always look burned,
but if you pull on them or bend them a dead one will be floppy.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

> Hey guys, I posted yesterday about a stalling and bucking problem. I
> think I have it diagnosed but I think I screwed up the electrical
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
>
> Tim K

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ltkaknm@gmail.com - 13 Sep 2006 16:46 GMT

Mike,

Thanks for your help again, I was reading your post and you mentioned
a power distribution center. Since my jeep is a 90 I do not think I
have a PDC. Did you mean the ground bolt on the side of the engine?

Also I took off the radiator grill and opened up the wire harness and
the wire did melt through the interior but did not affect any other
wires.

I am so agitated, since this was a non-important light that has
possibly fried my lights. I am also not real comfortable dealing with
electricity.

The JEEP is in great shape and I do not want to give up on it and junk
it.

I still seem to be having the problem with the idling. Could it be a
bad computer?
My Dad is sending me a multimeter so I can test connections.

THanks again for your help.

Tim K

> The lights are also protected with a fuse link wire usually. These are
> wires about 8" long with a loop on one end where it hooks to a bolt and
[quoted text clipped - 45 lines]
> >
> > Tim K

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Mike Romain - 13 Sep 2006 17:08 GMT

Your power distribution box is right beside the battery. Just follow
the short positive battery cable. Where this cable ends, the fuse links
are bolted on. The blown one will be a 14 ga. one that protects the 10
ga. light harness from short circuits.

When was the last time your engine had a tune up? The distributor cap
and rotor do fail and then it can idle rough. Same for spark plugs and
wires. I test my wires at night with a spray mist bottle of water. I
start the engine and open the hood in the dark and spray the ignition
wires with water mist. If you have a bad wire or two, you will get a
wicked light show.

It isn't likely you have a bad computer, the old Renix systems aren't
prone to failure from what I have seen and heard, but you 'do' have an
O2 sensor that is under recall. This can make for a lousy idle and bad
gas mileage. If the recall hasn't been done on yours, it is still a
free fix.

What do you get for mileage? Fully loaded for camping I get about 24-26
mpg on the highway and about 18-19 mpg overall city/highway mix.

Mike

> Mike,
>
[quoted text clipped - 70 lines]
> > >
> > > Tim K

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ltkaknm@gmail.com - 13 Sep 2006 20:55 GMT

Mike,

Thanks for the help again! I was at the junkyard and dismantled a 90
Cherokee for parts. I got a couple IAS and TPS's, an ignition coil, a
Renix computer,a fan shroud, and a throttle linkage. I also started
to remove a wiring harness in case I would have to do that and as I was
taking it apart I found what you were mentioning in your last message
and when I just got home I looked at my engine and lo and behold there
was a broken wire at that location. I put them together and voila, my
lights work! The fusible link did not feel wobbly so I was just
thinking of splicing the wires together.

I have never replaced the O2 sensor, and I bought the Jeep with 145k,
but would it cause the RPM's to fluctuate so much? I start out and
push down the throttle and it bucks and then comes back. Well, thanks
again for your advice.

As for my mileage, I get about 20-21 on the highway and 15-16 in the
city, If you have any more suggestions on how I can keep this Jeep
longer I would really appreciate it.

Thanks,

Tim King

I actually drove this Jeep from Alaska through Canada when I was moving
to SLC. Around a town called Destruction Bay my driver side rear tire
fell off! It was 35 below but fortunatley I was able to stay in a
hotel in Destruction Bay and had it fixed, but it cost 850$ canadian.

> Your power distribution box is right beside the battery. Just follow
> the short positive battery cable. Where this cable ends, the fuse links
[quoted text clipped - 93 lines]
> > > >
> > > > Tim K

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Mike Romain - 13 Sep 2006 21:39 GMT

Did anyone ever just change your fuel filter? That is located in front
of the tank on the frame rail.

Mike

> Mike,
>
[quoted text clipped - 123 lines]
> > > > >
> > > > > Tim K

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