Went through mud puddles now I have some problems

So i got my jeep (stock 95 xj) stuck in some mud yesterday (rear tires sunk in the mud,differential about an inch above it,the engine not even touching it at all).. tires spinning ,mud got everywhere ,and I also went through some puddle..Nothing super deep maybe to the top of rims or tires at the highest...

Anyways now theres some problems after this incident...It randomly stalled today while sitting at a light and I had to crank it a few times before it started again..radio was still on when it died..Is there anything I could have damaged on the underbelly,that could cause this stall? Can damage or water in the exhaust stuff cause this?

And now the steering is bad,super loud whining and most of the time really hard to turn, on right turns especially..I got the front differential and stuff jammed against some hard dirt between 2 tire ruts,and was turning the wheels to try to get out when it started whining..Any damage I should look for under there?Maybe Dirt in the steering box or somethin?

Thanks

Stalling is most likely the crank position sensor. They can flake out if they get wet from splashing through puddles, and act just like that. Do you have a check engine light? Steering sounds like you bend a tie rod maybe.

I've never mudded my 96, mud my 88 all the time. I've noticed some possible trouble spots under the 96, the majority of the problem areas are generic to most all XJ's.
Steering, when the tires are straight, is the steering wheel straight? Measure between the tire rims at as near the same height as you can judge. Inside the front rim from left to right and then the rear of the front rim left to right. It should be pretty close to equal. Stand back aways and look at the front axle, both tires pointing the same direction? Tires sitting in the wheel wells equally? Wash everything out good with a pressure washer (especially the brakes and knuckles), grease anything that you can. I've foamed up the power steering fuid before, it can take days to get all the air bubbles back out. Check for something seriously binding (like a root or stone caught in the steering knuckle)
Check your gages. how is the charging? Alternators get packed with mud, low voltage can cause all sorts of problems. The rear O2 sensor by the cat can get broken off, the wires torn off. I've flattened an exhaust pipe on numerous occasions. The wiring for the fuel pump hangs out there, worth a look see. Distributor is subject to get wet inside, through the vent on th top of the distributor cap. Plug wires that are old often have leaky boots. Most any electrical connector can leak, they then corrode. Check your air filter.

Well for some reason it was runnin pretty low on P.S fluid topped it off and now I can steer again..Its been leakin a few drops a day for a while now..the front end was tilted slightly up for a while maybe that caused it to leak more (from wherever its leakin from)?

No check engine lights have been on,but I checked for codes and a ' no reference to crank sensor' was stored in there..I just replaced that thing in July though..

The exhaust sounds slightly crappier than before, and there is exhaust leaking out of the pipe right where it connects to the muffler..The smoke was flowing towards the engine, idk if its supposed to do that...Didnt really get a chance to really look as it was pouring all day..Maybe I got some crap in the exhaust?

My 96 has an extra clamp or hold down for the power steering hoses near the top of the steering box. I'm not sure if the 95 has one or not. On earlier models the power steering hoses were prone to rub on the top of the steering box and start leaking.
The elbow in the back of the reservoir, is also prone to leak.
I'm carefull now which types of power steering fluid I put in. Some fluids are more prone to foam, spew and be noisy than others.
I learned a long time ago lubrication and cleaning is a part of mudding. Whatever you neglect today will likely bite you in the rear tomorrow. I've got it down to a system now and it actually goes relatively quick ( alot faster now than before I had a system and a regular maintenance program).

i have a stock '95 cherokee sport 4wd 2 door. i let my girlfriend go mudding for the first time about a week ago and she got it stuck in some mud so bad that we couldnt even pull it out. we tried with three different vehicles including a rubicon, another cherokee, and and a ram. i mean my car was burried by the axels. so we finally had to dig it out to get it unstuck

anyways, now that i have my jeep out and am driving it around, sometimes when i crank it up, it will stall out violently and shut off after i let go of the key. the only way i can get it to start is by giving it a little gas, but as soon as i let off the gas, it stalls out and dies again.

any ideas? i need help because this is my only car and i hate not being able to drive it like i should. my girlfriend lets my me drive her acoord, but lets be honest, i cant take that little thing off roading.

please help guys. i really want my car back

adamhargis38 said:

i have a stock '95 cherokee sport 4wd 2 door. i let my girlfriend go mudding for the first time about a week ago and she got it stuck in some mud so bad that we couldnt even pull it out. we tried with three different vehicles including a rubicon, another cherokee, and and a ram. i mean my car was burried by the axels. so we finally had to dig it out to get it unstuck

anyways, now that i have my jeep out and am driving it around, sometimes when i crank it up, it will stall out violently and shut off after i let go of the key. the only way i can get it to start is by giving it a little gas, but as soon as i let off the gas, it stalls out and dies again.

any ideas? i need help because this is my only car and i hate not being able to drive it like i should. my girlfriend lets my me drive her acoord, but lets be honest, i cant take that little thing off roading.

please help guys. i really want my car back

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It's fairly common for the Idle Air Controller to get sticky. I periodically spray a liitle penetrating oil into the orifice for the IAC. Low voltage will also make IAC sluggish, mud covered brushes in the alternator often messes with charging.
Check your air cleaner, wet or muddy can sure enough choke your motor some at start up. If it gets really bad it will shut/choke the motor completely down and/or try to suck the filter down the intake.
I've had a soaked motor cause so much voltage line loss at wet connectors there was barely enough voltage getting to the coil for a weak spark. This was Renix, but it may also be a factor in yours. The in dash voltmeter showed good, the actually voltage at the coil was minimal.

8Mud said:

I learned a long time ago lubrication and cleaning is a part of mudding. Whatever you neglect today will likely bite you in the rear tomorrow. I've got it down to a system now and it actually goes relatively quick ( alot faster now than before I had a system and a regular maintenance program).

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Any chance you can post this system up for us new to wheeling??

cgriff54 said:

Any chance you can post this system up for us new to wheeling??

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It's a long list. First is a serious clean up at the local power wash (I take my ramps with me). Cleaning off the mud before it dries is advised. You can also spray down the whole bottom with a pump sprayer and simple green before the power wash. What to avoid spraying down, is also common sense, the TPS, the distributor to name a couple. I don't go overboard with the power wash on the motor.
I do an inspection while I'm greasing everything. I'm serious about grease, everything from the transfer case lever pivot to the brake bleeders, to include every brake fitting, gets a dab of grease. Anything that moves gets a squirt of oil or grease.
Most of it is common sense, anywhere the mud or moisture sits for very long, is a potential trouble spot. Mud in the winter sucks up salt and this can really cause some serious rust problems quick.
I pull my drums often and wash everything down with mild soapy water and rinse. I'm constantly cleaning something, connectors, under the coil, under the relays (Renix) or any hidden spot that gets neglected for long periods is a trouble spot.
I often take an extra starter, alternator and air cleaner with me. Swap them out as needed and wash what I took out and put it away for next time.
The bolts and screws I remove on a regular basis, all get a coat of grease before reinstalling (in fact everything I've ever taken off, gets a coating of something before reinstalling, the minutes spent on this can save hours later). The first time is usually a pain, the second time after a coat of grease is on the threads goes pretty quick. You have to use common sense, some bolts need a coat of mild Loc Tite, most don't.
Don't forget to clean out the drain holes for the doors and rear quarter panels, like I said it's a long list. The more you do it the easier it gets.
I really can't remember ever changing all the oils out, because of water. I do inspect for fluid level and discoloration (milkshake looking oil). I actually put a couple of short self tapping screws into my diff covers (down low with a home made gasket) so I can drain a little after they have sit overnight (oil floats, water sinks).
I pay special attention to diff, transfer and axle seals. most anything that can possibly rotate on mud mixed with sand And the front brakes. I check all of my vents, to make sure they aren't plugged with mud, the list goes on. LOL