Millsboy79
09-19-2014, 12:01 PM
I recently purchased a 2000 XJ that has a new engine, transmission (rebuild) and transfer case, all with approximately 1000 km on it. The body looked in good shape and it ran famously no rust underneath at all.
Last week we took it on a road trip, "as little pavement as possible" through the Kootenay Mountains in British Columbia. Let me tell you it was amazing... while it lasted.
On Wednesday I noticed the "Check gauges" light come on but did not see any issues, so I pulled over, and like any novice turned the Jeep off and started it back up ... all seemed okay so I continued on. A couple hours later it happened again but this time I saw the voltage meter drop from 14 down to 9 ... having no mechanical back ground what-so-ever, I immediately assumed that my alternator was failing, but once again I pulled over, shut the Jeep off and restarted it, the gauge returned to 14 so I continued on. This continued until I reached the next town. All the while I was talking with a friend who said it was most likely my "voltage regulator" since the meter was fluctuating (which is apparently not typical alternator failing symptoms) and if I can get to a NAPA I could get a cheap external regulator and you tube can show me how to "install it".
I felt relieved ... I had a plan and almost as important ... I had a mission, one that I could fix myself so I found a napa, bought the regulator, went to walmart for some other things needed.
We make it to the evenings potential camp site (which was close enough to town that he had cell service in case I could not fix this problem myself) I park and we decide its good enough for the night but I should move the jeep "here" so that we are sleeping on more level ground ... I hop in and turn the key ... the engine barely turns over ... I look at the misses and say the battery has died.
At this point I texted anyone I knew back in town, one of them came through with the number of a mechanic I could text with.
I told him what was up, my brilliant diagnosis of the alternator and he said he could be there the next day and install a new one there. (He also has an XJ and wouldn't leave me stranded)
We were happy, we get to camp for the night worry free since rescue will be there in the next day.
Next day arrives as does the mechanic true to his word with a new alternator. We remove the old one (by we I mean him with me laying on the ground watching) and install the new one ... but it doesn't fit, the body is too large so he decides to put everything back together and see if my original diagnosis was correct in the first place.
He hooks everything back up ... hop in the Jeep and just as the night before he hits the key and it barely turns over, but instead of just leaving it at that ... he keeps the key turned and it keeps turning over ... I start thinking to myself "no way" sure enough the engine turns become slightly faster. Then bam she bursts back to life ... and soon as he takes his foot off the gas ... dead!!
We look at each other and I can see the look of confusion in his face, which concerns me more than the issue itself, so he fires her up again, the same thing slow engine turns and then it fires up, but this time he puts the gas to it and it roars. I am happy and think all is fine ... NOPE soon as he stops it dies again!!! ONE MORE TIME lets start it up ... and for some reason he puts it in drive, puts it back in park and it idles, as smooth and as awesome as it had for the four previous days.
Turns it off, turns it back on ... no problem, so he tells me to hop in and start it up while he checks under the hood.
First time I start it ... slow turns and then she fires up and dies. Okay no problem I know how he fixed this problem, I started it again and gave it a little gas ... no problem ... then he says to kill it. Cool he knows whats up! I jump out and go around to the front. Apparently it is not the alternator ... he took the battery terminal off and it continued running no problem.
It is decided that I would follow him back to town and see what the computer will tell him... cut to - back in town. The computer does not return any codes and he does not know what to do next, so I head to the dodge dealer to talk with someone there. (all the while the jeep starting and idling with NO problem)
The dodge dealer said they could not get me in today and that without "doing tests" he could only guess. SO I asked what his guesses were. He said the cam / crank sensor, or the AIC... sooo what did we do, well we ran for home and hoped it would start again when I needed to get gas.
Six hours later we are in our own beds again the Jeep worked flawlessly, we got gas and continued on with no problems.
SO I leave it to you ... the trusted masses of the XJ community.
I would love to hear what you have to say, see what my next step should be, and go from there.
Some other random issues we experienced during the trek were.
The passenger power window periodically working / not working. (well the none drivers windows, but we had no one in the back)
The fan only works on high (AC does not work)
The back hatch does not like to open and the drivers door does not lock.
I have seen a you tube video on how to "fix" the window issue, and assume the door lock could be a simple linkage issue, the AC probably just needs to be charged, and I have read about the fan issue but this problem I had yesterday seems like a doozy.
Let me know what you think.
I know it was long winded but I wanted to feel like you were right there with me.
Last week we took it on a road trip, "as little pavement as possible" through the Kootenay Mountains in British Columbia. Let me tell you it was amazing... while it lasted.
On Wednesday I noticed the "Check gauges" light come on but did not see any issues, so I pulled over, and like any novice turned the Jeep off and started it back up ... all seemed okay so I continued on. A couple hours later it happened again but this time I saw the voltage meter drop from 14 down to 9 ... having no mechanical back ground what-so-ever, I immediately assumed that my alternator was failing, but once again I pulled over, shut the Jeep off and restarted it, the gauge returned to 14 so I continued on. This continued until I reached the next town. All the while I was talking with a friend who said it was most likely my "voltage regulator" since the meter was fluctuating (which is apparently not typical alternator failing symptoms) and if I can get to a NAPA I could get a cheap external regulator and you tube can show me how to "install it".
I felt relieved ... I had a plan and almost as important ... I had a mission, one that I could fix myself so I found a napa, bought the regulator, went to walmart for some other things needed.
We make it to the evenings potential camp site (which was close enough to town that he had cell service in case I could not fix this problem myself) I park and we decide its good enough for the night but I should move the jeep "here" so that we are sleeping on more level ground ... I hop in and turn the key ... the engine barely turns over ... I look at the misses and say the battery has died.
At this point I texted anyone I knew back in town, one of them came through with the number of a mechanic I could text with.
I told him what was up, my brilliant diagnosis of the alternator and he said he could be there the next day and install a new one there. (He also has an XJ and wouldn't leave me stranded)
We were happy, we get to camp for the night worry free since rescue will be there in the next day.
Next day arrives as does the mechanic true to his word with a new alternator. We remove the old one (by we I mean him with me laying on the ground watching) and install the new one ... but it doesn't fit, the body is too large so he decides to put everything back together and see if my original diagnosis was correct in the first place.
He hooks everything back up ... hop in the Jeep and just as the night before he hits the key and it barely turns over, but instead of just leaving it at that ... he keeps the key turned and it keeps turning over ... I start thinking to myself "no way" sure enough the engine turns become slightly faster. Then bam she bursts back to life ... and soon as he takes his foot off the gas ... dead!!
We look at each other and I can see the look of confusion in his face, which concerns me more than the issue itself, so he fires her up again, the same thing slow engine turns and then it fires up, but this time he puts the gas to it and it roars. I am happy and think all is fine ... NOPE soon as he stops it dies again!!! ONE MORE TIME lets start it up ... and for some reason he puts it in drive, puts it back in park and it idles, as smooth and as awesome as it had for the four previous days.
Turns it off, turns it back on ... no problem, so he tells me to hop in and start it up while he checks under the hood.
First time I start it ... slow turns and then she fires up and dies. Okay no problem I know how he fixed this problem, I started it again and gave it a little gas ... no problem ... then he says to kill it. Cool he knows whats up! I jump out and go around to the front. Apparently it is not the alternator ... he took the battery terminal off and it continued running no problem.
It is decided that I would follow him back to town and see what the computer will tell him... cut to - back in town. The computer does not return any codes and he does not know what to do next, so I head to the dodge dealer to talk with someone there. (all the while the jeep starting and idling with NO problem)
The dodge dealer said they could not get me in today and that without "doing tests" he could only guess. SO I asked what his guesses were. He said the cam / crank sensor, or the AIC... sooo what did we do, well we ran for home and hoped it would start again when I needed to get gas.
Six hours later we are in our own beds again the Jeep worked flawlessly, we got gas and continued on with no problems.
SO I leave it to you ... the trusted masses of the XJ community.
I would love to hear what you have to say, see what my next step should be, and go from there.
Some other random issues we experienced during the trek were.
The passenger power window periodically working / not working. (well the none drivers windows, but we had no one in the back)
The fan only works on high (AC does not work)
The back hatch does not like to open and the drivers door does not lock.
I have seen a you tube video on how to "fix" the window issue, and assume the door lock could be a simple linkage issue, the AC probably just needs to be charged, and I have read about the fan issue but this problem I had yesterday seems like a doozy.
Let me know what you think.
I know it was long winded but I wanted to feel like you were right there with me.