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I am an Idiot and need help

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

Reply to
ltkaknm
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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.

Reply to
DougW

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 >
Reply to
Mike Romain

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

Mike Roma> The lights are also protected with a fuse link wire usually. These are

Reply to
ltkaknm

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

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:

Reply to
Mike Romain

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.

Mike Roma> Your power distribution box is right beside the battery. Just follow

Reply to
ltkaknm

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

Mike

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Reply to
Mike Romain

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