Birty Dastards Jeep Club

Tech Forum => Workshop => Topic started by: BOP on December 18, 2009, 06:35:08 AM

Title: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on December 18, 2009, 06:35:08 AM
Any ideas, when driving along at say 30-40mph foot steady on throttle pedal car starts to lurch back an forth and lose power like its dropped to only a couple of cylinders but if you boot ya foot down it'll pull no probs after a momentary delay, its only intermittatant but becoming more regular now! greggmo mentioned could be the tps playing up but I was thinking it might be coil? its got new leads an plugs in it so aint that! any ideas  :017:
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: scrw on December 18, 2009, 07:52:27 AM
I'd say tps. Try dropping it into a lower gear when it happens but keep the throttle in the same spot, does it keep misfiring? if so would point to the tps going bad
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on December 18, 2009, 08:21:18 AM
I'd say tps. Try dropping it into a lower gear when it happens but keep the throttle in the same spot, does it keep misfiring? if so would point to the tps going bad

sorry should have put on its a 4L so its auto! its done it about 3 times in last couple months so it is intermittant which bugs the shit outta me! if it is the tps playing up does it just get to a point where it doesnt work at all or does it just keep playing up till ya replace it? dont want ta get stuck in the middle of nowhere! it also has a slight mis-fire on tickover which is what was making think about the coil? :017:
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on December 18, 2009, 10:13:26 AM
I've now had a another theory added by reading up on another forum, someone described the same problem as I had and was advised its either the TPS or crank position sensor, as I dont know how or if I can check these parts short of replacing them I've ordered a plug in fault code finder/reader to see if the car will tell me which one or what is playing up!
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: Mike Pavelin on December 18, 2009, 11:02:49 AM
Upstream oxygen sensor.
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on December 18, 2009, 11:20:06 AM
Upstream oxygen sensor.

its a sensory overload at the moment! bloody electrical voodoo goin on in that there jeep! I hate electrics! thanks mike thats another angle of investigation to look at!
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: JamesH on December 18, 2009, 01:10:07 PM
Is this running on petrol (not LPG)?

A new upstream 02 sensor will ensure you're getting the best economy so isn't a bad thing to swap for new.

My 4.0 (on LPG) like to have new distributor cap, rotor arm and leads every 12-18 months and they're all fairly cheap to replace too.

I'v never had throttle position or crank position sensor issues but they are fairly common on 4.0s it seems.
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on December 18, 2009, 01:42:45 PM
Is this running on petrol (not LPG)?

A new upstream 02 sensor will ensure you're getting the best economy so isn't a bad thing to swap for new.

My 4.0 (on LPG) like to have new distributor cap, rotor arm and leads every 12-18 months and they're all fairly cheap to replace too.

I'v never had throttle position or crank position sensor issues but they are fairly common on 4.0s it seems.

running on petrol at moment (lpg planned for the new year!) I think i'll replace the 02 sensor's as a matter of course if its cheap enough to do! i believe it had a new distributer just before I bought it in october (gonna go check all the receipts I got with it now!) fitted new leads myself about a month ago, got a full set o plugs to fit as well now just to make sure! its proper playing up now just driven 5 miles home from work and it was kinda kangerooin nearly all the way home!  :icon_sad: just read in haynes manual that models up to 1997 will display fault codes by flashing the check engine light off n on in relation to fault code (e.g. 2 flashes, delay, then 3 flashes equals fault code 23) after switching ignition on and off a couple of times. but mine (1998) needs the fault code reader tool! arse! wantin ta sort this out quick, broke up from work today and was plannin to do a couple of lanes over holiday, i've barely splashed it with mud since I've had it and thats just so wrong!  :003:
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: PtP on December 18, 2009, 10:59:15 PM
If you're near Stourbridge, then you're welcome to use my code reader!
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on December 19, 2009, 10:37:32 AM
If you're near Stourbridge, then you're welcome to use my code reader!

Thanks Peter thats an offer I may well take you up on! gonna give it a coupla days see if the code reader I ordered yesterday turns up, I'm not too far away from you probably about half hour-hour away!
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: neilhull on December 19, 2009, 09:13:03 PM
 HI my cherokee did the same . IT was the upstream 02 sensor . got a new one off the net i think it was £45 delivered
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on December 20, 2009, 10:48:26 AM
HI my cherokee did the same . IT was the upstream 02 sensor . got a new one off the net i think it was £45 delivered

Doh :022: :022: ordered tps yesterday! oh well ho hum!
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: greggmo on December 20, 2009, 07:04:35 PM
just change em both anyway dood. :greggmo:
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on December 21, 2009, 10:24:23 AM
just change em both anyway dood. :greggmo:

I reckon thats wise :icon_winkle: gonna do TPS before crimbo then do oxygen sensor come january pay day! read somewhere else that ya can dis-connect the upstream o2 sensor if it really knackers up, anyone heard of this before? bit dubious myself about this as wont it tit up what the ecu's doin? :017:
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on December 21, 2009, 02:12:53 PM
This gets worse, went out to it this morning and it started then died straight away, repeatedly!  :icon_sad: just had the men in orange jackets out to see whats occurin and i've got two fault codes, P1698 and P1694, one is a speedo error and the other is a pcm problem, basically all power is being cut to the injectors just after starting! I'm thinkin immobiliser maybe? anyone got any ideas before I get towed up to an auto electrician tommorrow and have my wallet emptied!  :icon_winkle:
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: Panic mechanic! on December 21, 2009, 03:58:25 PM
change your lambda sensor as that will throw up pcm probs and will cause the engine all manner of probs.you can unplug it but the engine will run in limp home mode and use loadsa fuel
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: Mike Pavelin on December 21, 2009, 06:33:11 PM
P1694 and P1698 are both CCD bus communiction errors. Chances are a sensor has gone down and is disrupting the data flow between modules. Try unplugging the O2 sensors and see if it starts. If not, the next most likeley is the crank sensor, but it won't run with that unplugged.
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on December 21, 2009, 07:39:11 PM
P1694 and P1698 are both CCD bus communiction errors. Chances are a sensor has gone down and is disrupting the data flow between modules. Try unplugging the O2 sensors and see if it starts. If not, the next most likeley is the crank sensor, but it won't run with that unplugged.

Thanks Mike I'll try unplugging the 02 sensors tommorrow, I've unplugged the cps at the top connector by the fuel rail and replugged it with no luck, strange thing is the fuel gauge and volt meter for the battery are'nt registering anything either! I read on jeep forum earlier of someone having the same problem and it was the cps they also said that if you dis-connect the cps the gauges should read again, mine didnt!  :icon_rolleyes: bugger!
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: Panic mechanic! on December 21, 2009, 08:54:33 PM
If things are tight and you need to use the jeep, you can use one of the 02 sensors off the engine I have sitting here in the trailer to keep you mobile.
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on December 21, 2009, 09:01:05 PM
If things are tight and you need to use the jeep, you can use one of the 02 sensors off the engine I have sitting here in the trailer to keep you mobile.

Cheers panic your a gent! I'll try disconnecting the 02's tommorrow an if its them thats playing up I'll pm ya an sort summat out! :icon_biggrin:
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: Mike Pavelin on December 21, 2009, 11:07:43 PM
The gauges won't work if the bus is down.
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on December 23, 2009, 03:59:34 PM
I'm now into the territory of giving it a damn good birching, disconnected the negative off the battery today to try n reset the fault codes, now the immobiliser has kicked in an I cant seem to re-set it to try starting it, does anybody know how to re-set it? I've tried the ignition on and hold down the unlock button, this removes the immobiliser light but as soon as I try and turn it over the security light comes on again! AAAGGGGHHHH :100:
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: Mike Pavelin on December 23, 2009, 05:45:10 PM
If you have a '98 you have SKIS so it's no good mucking about with the remote as it has nothing to do with the immobiliser. Unplug the crank sensor and see if the immobiliser comes off and allows you to crank.
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on December 24, 2009, 12:02:45 PM
Yippee! sort of, just got it running again,petrol gauge and volt meter are giving me readings but oil pressure meter is not reading, volt meter is a mark or two below half way now probably due to the last couple of days of trying to start it, it ran for a minute or so then I switched it off and now it just cranks but wont fire up! bugger! might need to charge battery now maybe it doesnt have enough to fire it? I'm now also under the impression that mines a 97 model registered in 98 as it has a normal black key not a grey SKIS key?
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: Bubba on December 24, 2009, 12:16:44 PM
mmm bop you seem to be getting there
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on December 24, 2009, 01:18:06 PM
mmm bop you seem to be getting there

Slowly but surely! TPS arrived so gonna put that on anyway once I've got it firing properly! just wish I knew how I got rid of the security (immobiliser) issue for future reference! Thanks everyone who offered advice I'd have been really stuck otherwise!  :icon_winkle:
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: scrw on December 24, 2009, 01:50:49 PM
I'm now also under the impression that mines a 97 model registered in 98 as it has a normal black key not a grey SKIS key?
Some of the early facelift XJs have the none transponder keys, I had one built 11/97 with them, but had one built 12/97 with the grey key
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on January 08, 2010, 04:50:41 PM
Still trying to find out whats wrong with my XJ! changed tps and cps just waiting for my new o2 sensor to arrive, after changing the CPS it ran perfectly for about 3-4mins then started to idle roughly an gave a couple of small backfires when revved, o2 sensor playing up? I've just plugged my fault code reader in and got code P1600-TCM internal watchdog operation, what does the tcm do? I'm assuming tcm stands for transmission control module? and would this tcm error be contributing to my troubles or is it something totally different and has nothing to do with the probs I've had :017:
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: ffcgary1 on January 08, 2010, 08:24:56 PM
Have you checked that your fuel pump is not going bad or is blocked, have you checked that the fuel filter is clean and that you have fuel pressure at the injector Rail.
This sounds more like a fuel problem to me rather than an electrical fault
But now thinking about it more it could also be a faulty camshaft position sensor, as this tells the injectors when to fire fuel into the cylinders.
The cam pos sensor is located where the distributor would normally be and has a plug going to it.
Gary.
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on January 10, 2010, 09:45:23 PM
hmmm, this gets more confusing, jeep will now still start up fine but after about 5 mins will not stick on tick over, it hunts up and down but will sit there with revs rising and falling,switch it off and re-start it an it will run fine again for around 5 mins before doing the same again. confusing thing is I dont have any dials on the dash reading repeatedly, sometimes I'll get one of the gauges working when it starts,however if you press the unlock button on the fob while its running you'll get all gauges reading, the rev counter rises to about 1000rpm sticks there for 5-10 seconds then returns to 0 again and the air-bag light comes on :017: the thing thats annoying is the problems with the gauges are'nt repeatable,sometimes the battery voltage will read 14,sometimes 10, sometimes the fuel gauge will work other times it wont, the only one which is consistently not working is the rev counter! dont know about speedo as I aint driven anywhere since about the 20th december due to it being poorly :icon_sad: i've replaced cps and tps, still waiting for o2 sensor to arrive but i'm struggling to see that that will fix the clocks? anybody had this before as I'm well and truly stuck now with no idea of how to fix it  :banghead:
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: Dave69 on January 11, 2010, 09:16:58 AM
you could try disconnecting the battery for 10 mins then connecting it again. the engine will then relearn it's base settings as it might have lost some references for idling
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on January 11, 2010, 11:00:22 AM
you could try disconnecting the battery for 10 mins then connecting it again. the engine will then relearn it's base settings as it might have lost some references for idling

I'll give that a try! I'm starting to think I've got an issue with the immobiliser/central locking as when the keys are out of the ignition and your just standing by it supping tea and scratching your head it starts repetetively trying to un-lock itself even though its un-locked door open etc already! the only way to stop it is to press un-lock and that settles it for a bit again and then it'll just start trying to unlock itself again! am I drinking the wrong sort of tea for it or have I bought a lemon?!!!! :jpshakehead:
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: Panic mechanic! on January 11, 2010, 12:11:03 PM
A lot of alarms will try to lock the doors after a few mins if you do not turn the ignition on, its a safety feature in case you accidently open the car while playing with the keys in your  pocket......and your loose  change of course!
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on January 15, 2010, 05:58:57 PM
The saga continues.......... ran some proper diagnostics on it earlier in week and the only error code I've been left with is P1698 which is TCM internal watchdog operation, I'm thinking that the TCM has a dodgy connection somewhere and is not communicating with the ecu which is why I'm getting this error, I think i've found the TCM under the steering column on the right hand side but I'm stuck if I can find a way to unplug the connector block or even get at it properly to have a good nose? any ides? it'll start ok all gauges read and then after 3-4 mins it'll either start hunting up n down by a couple oh hundred rpm or it'll run really rough like its gonna die so I'll switch it off then start it again and it'll run sweet as a nut for 3-4 mins then do same again  :017: if you switch it off n take key out the central locking starts to unlock itself continually, if you press the unlock button it'll stop it for a bit then it'll just start doing same again, if you press the lock button it'll just unlock itself again continually, only way to keep it locked at moment is to take negative off battery and lock it manually! anybody had these issues before or got any more thoughts on solutions before it drives (or not at the moment!) me gaga! :icon_sad:
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: tim_aka_tim on January 15, 2010, 06:36:13 PM
anybody had these issues before 

Yep - probably the previous owner  :icon_winkle: Sorry, I know that's not constructive!
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: Panic mechanic! on January 15, 2010, 06:51:13 PM
I am wondering if you have a water leak  from the screen thats dripping down and shorting things out......
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: gazjeep on January 15, 2010, 08:14:14 PM
Might be on the wrong track but isn't there some door control module that can really make things screwy in all manor of ways when its past its best ?
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on January 18, 2010, 08:18:36 PM
Now, not wanting to curse my apparent good fortune/change of luck but I do believe I can now shout hoofuckinray as I do believe I fixed my jeep! me n greggmo spent a good 3 hours yesterday afternoon swearing,cursing and heating up the exhaust to get that soddin o2 sensor out only to be rewarded by it leaving most of its thread in the exhaust,so I 'borrowed' (permanantly if anyone ever needs it!) an 18mm tap from work to clean it out, put new sensor in this afternoon, hooked the battery up and yippee i ran it for 10 mins without a hiccup whereas before it only ran for a couple of mins before popping farting and dying! even me central locking/immobiliser appears to be playing the game!  :icon_super: tommorrow I'm taking it for a test drive to the petrol station  :steeringwheel: I'm so excited I may possibly dance :celebrate: before tommorrow! fingers crossed!
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: Bulldog67 on January 18, 2010, 08:36:37 PM
 :PDT_Armataz_01_37: cool, bout time it gave in to ya pokin & proddin
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: gazjeep on January 18, 2010, 09:03:47 PM
Good luck  :icon_winkle:
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: Bubba on January 18, 2010, 11:08:29 PM
them o2 sensors are sneaky feckers
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on January 19, 2010, 06:34:29 AM
them o2 sensors are sneaky feckers

 :iagree: if all goes well later I'll have transport again an I'll sort out gettin those wheels n tyres over to ya bubba! :icon_biggrin:
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: prophet on February 17, 2010, 09:13:02 AM
So is it all sorted now? Mine's had some similar issues.. I got fault codes 12,51,55 from the check engine light, so presumed it was the upstream oxygen sensor causing the bad idling and excessive fuel consumption. Being something of a mechanical wimp, I took it to my friendly mechanic who then got the codes P1694,P1694,P1698,P0700. I still reckon it's the O2 sensor so have asked him to change it.
All these codes seem to relate to the transmission, which is working fine. He's cleared them from the system now..


Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on February 17, 2010, 09:43:56 AM
morning Prophet, yeah its mostly sorted now, the running for a couple of minutes then hunting around on idle was solved by the upstream o2 being replaced, it ran fine for a few weeks then in last 2 weeks when sat on idle at traffic lights,roundabouts waiting to pull off etc its started hunting again then a little hesitant when pulling away, this was only happening on tickover though rest of rev range it pulled like it should, so i've done some nosing around on forums and found it could be the IAC (idle air controller) playing up, so I took it off on monday and give it a good clean as they apparently can become blocked up,when I took it off the metal plunger was carbon'd up and a load of crap came out with it, put it back on and it ticked over sweet as a nut yesterday but oddly when you pull the handbrake on the revs rise by a couple of hundred RPM (it was doing this when the tickover was hunting) then this morning on way into work its started hunting a little again,not as bad as before so it could be the IAC is on its way out! but i'm gonna take it off again and remove the little body it screws into and give that a thorough clean as well this time. I found a good thread on this business on another forum with good pictures of the offending item an where it is which was a big help so if you want I'll find the link later and post it up? its easy enough to get at though just take black air intake/snorkely bit off and its mounted on the left side of the throttle body by the TPS!
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: Panic mechanic! on February 17, 2010, 12:15:14 PM
check for perished/missing rubber hoses  to the inlet manifold as well, hunting generally means the engine is drawing in air somewhere it shouldn't and the sensors are trying to set the mixture but because it keeps varying you get the rev change.
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: BOP on February 17, 2010, 12:46:33 PM
Cheers panic I'll have a nose this afternoon see if I can see anything, short of it being a big (ish) split or perish in one of the pipes would a small pin size hole in one of the pipes cause this problem and how would I find it? I assume being as it would be sucking in not blowing the old washing up liquid sprayed liberally over the pipes would'nt show anything up? :017:
Title: Re: mis-firing? cherokee
Post by: Panic mechanic! on February 17, 2010, 01:11:37 PM
pin holes are usually sucked shut as it were by the vacuum in the manifold, check all pipes that run from the inlet manifold especially on their inside curves and look to see if any ends are opening up, this generally means that the pipe is split on the inside bore and they  can suck in there, check connections to air-box aswell and servo piping.