1. Home
  2. Jeep and Willys (new and old)
  3. Aw, dang! Ignition control module bit the dust!!

Aw, dang! Ignition control module bit the dust!!

(89 Cherokee 4.0)

The hiccups eased a bit but then came back after the tune up.

In fact, the dang thing quit as I was pulling out of the local O'Reilly's and I had to get a tow home.

Mandi (the O'Reilly's manager) had just previously suggested it could be the ICM and to bring it in for testing which I did the next day.

It (a Bendix unit, possibly the OEM)failed the test on the first try and she said the Jeep XJ ICM's run a bit hot and that shortens their life.

I looked at the mounting and it's a bracket screwed onto the inner fender without much heatsink mass or area.

I won't be able to get a new module until after my retirement check comes in so in the meanwhile I'm going to see if I can add heatsinking to the bracket with some aluminum sheet stock I have on hand.

Budd

Reply to
Budd Cochran
Loading thread data ...

On the bright side you wern't somewhere remote. Might find a pull for less, but who knows how long that would last.

Does it work for a while then just shut down or is it dead? I've heard bad ground can be a problem with those. Can't find the article though. :/

mine is basically potted in black plastic stuff and screwed to the firewall right behind the coolant overflow tank. The biggest problem it's given me so far is debris into the connectors. It's like that damn ABS compooter. Except the ABS connector is right under the hood where it gets dripped on and right behind the air box so road salt gets blown in. I put a plastic shield over it last time and that seemed to help.

Got used to going through all the connectors and cleaning them on a fairly regular basis.

Speaking of which.. The connector on my oil pressure sender started dripping again. Got to get a new sensor before it pumps oil all over the starter and cruds up the solinoid (again)..

Reply to
DougW

It runs for a while then decides to hiccup a bit, but I fear that after a longer than 10 minute run (like Canon City CO to Colorado Springs CO ... about 1 hr) it'll do an impersonation of a Ford (Found On the Road, Dead).

So until after my SSI comes in I'm trying hard to not drive at all fortunately we have an Associated Grocers store a couple blocks away.

I've sanded the corrosion off the bottom of the aluminum case And sanded the paint off the steel mounting bracket (aka "heatsink" but it ain't big enough or the right material, aluminum, IMHO) then coated it with a thin layer of white lithium grease to aid heat transfer.

It's also half hidden behind the battery.

When I get the new one I'm cleaning the lithium grease off and using a conductive grease (Oxy-Gard I think it's called) used for aluminum antenna joints.

Budd

Reply to
Budd Cochran

My CJ did the same thing once. Over a period of weeks it stuttered a few times, but I could find nothing obviously wrong. Then one night as I pulled out of a gas station it just quit, as if I'd turned the key off. I managed to coast onto a side street, where I sat waiting for over an hour for a tow. He came from 30 miles away to tow me three blocks to my house. I thought about trying to make that distance on my starter, but then thought better of it. The next day I followed the flow chart in my FSM, and it said the ignition module was bad. It was right.

Reply to
Dale Beckett

Did you try to restart after the tow?

Mine restarted and let me pull into the Harbor Freight tent garage

I've got the new ICM coming in at O'Reilly's in the A.M. (Friday) and, with my military discount, the life-time warranty ICM is within a few pennies of the 1 yr warranty unit without the discount, so I got the upgraded unit.

The odd thing is the 1 yr unit had to be shipped from the manufacturer and included shipping costs (5-7 days) while the life-time was available the next day.

Now when I add the shipping to the 1 yr unit it becomes rather more expensive.

Budd

Reply to
Budd Cochran

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.