qwatch2000
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Jacksonville
I have a 1999 Jeep Cherokee Classic with about 180,000 miles on it. I love my jeep and wouldn't trade it for the world, but man has it given me some problems in the last few years.
The most recent issues stemmed from what I assumed was an over-heating problem due to the smoke, bubbling coolant from under the radiator, and the thermostat on the dashboard reading well over 250 degrees after trips down the highway or on particularly hot days. After realizing that the hose connecting my coolant reservoir to the radiator was nowhere to be found (the radiator was replaced a little over a year ago and I guess they forgot it) I reattached the coolant reservoir and the radiator with a piece of 1/4in tubing and kept coolant or water in the car for anytime the engine started to overheat. After several hours of continuous driving on a squelching hot day here in Florida the car over-heated as it had a tendency to do and finally died and wouldn't start back up. $750, two fuel pumps, a new rotor, cap, and spark plug wiring later the car is still running very ragged when it runs at all.
Upon retrieving my car from the mechanic and parting with $500 dollars in labor, I was told that my catalytic converter was bad and that that would need to be replaced soon. I was told not to drive more than 10-15 miles and that I would be okay not replacing it immediately and would be able to drive my car. A mile and a half down the road my jeep died at a red light. I won't go into details, but it took over 3 hours to get the 8 miles from the shop to my house. In order to get it to even crank up I was told by my mechanic to find a muffler shop nearby and have them simply take the catalytic converter off and replace it with a straight pipe. So I did exactly that. Several more stalls in the middle of the road later, my jeep is resting safely back in my driveway.
Today I was looking at my jeep with a neighbor who is also a jeep enthusiast and skilled mechanic. Between myself, my step-dad, and our neighbor (the two of them being well-versed in car mechanics, myself not so much) we are at a loss. At someone's recommendation I dumped an entire can of SeaFoam into the gas tank and put 3 gallons of high-octane quality Shell gasoline in on top. The car went from starting only if I pushed the pedal all the way in while I turned the key and dying as soon as it reached operating temperatures and I let my foot off the gas, to starting on its own (albeit not without struggle) and teetering precariously around 900rpms in idle. After our initial examinations and the application of the SeaFoam we had over-heated the engine to the point where it would not idle without dying. About an hour later, after letting the SeaFoam (hopefully) work its magic, I am able to crank the engine without TOO much struggle and keep the car idling even after pushing the gas all the way in and letting it fall back down. As the temperature rises the car sounds and feels increasingly ragged, but I am still able to keep it alive, accelerate and decelerate without stalling or going above 210 degrees.
So my question(s) is(are):
Did the SeaFoam fix whatever problem there might have been?
Is there a more serious, under-lying problem that we are all missing?
Is there anyway to test for what may be causing this problem?
Did I pay way too much for shoddy workmanship that clearly didn't leave me with a driveable car? (Rhetorical)
Is the car driveable?
What else do you recommend I fix/maintain/tune/replace in my jeep before it is driveable again?
(radiator, temp sensor, fuel pump, spark plugs, spark plug wiring, rotor, and cap have all been replaced in the last year; the catalytic converter has been removed and replaced with a straight pipe;the car is certainly due for an oil change and our mechanic/neighbor recommended draining/replacing the transmission fluid)
I would appreciate any and all suggestions/links/comments/ideas as to the cause and solution of this problem. I have searched for similar issues to mine already posted and answered in the forum and have found several almost the same problems, but each with a uniquely different spin than my own, so I'm sincerely hoping one of you knowledgeable enthusiasts will please help me.
I never plan on taking my first and favorite vehicle off-roading again, I would just like a functioning, reliable vehicle until I can either sell it or save up enough to get a fuel-efficient little car. As sad as it makes me to part ways with my XJ, I can simply no longer afford to keep gas in such a vehicle let alone afford the thousands of dollars it has cost to keep a 14 year old car on the road.
The most recent issues stemmed from what I assumed was an over-heating problem due to the smoke, bubbling coolant from under the radiator, and the thermostat on the dashboard reading well over 250 degrees after trips down the highway or on particularly hot days. After realizing that the hose connecting my coolant reservoir to the radiator was nowhere to be found (the radiator was replaced a little over a year ago and I guess they forgot it) I reattached the coolant reservoir and the radiator with a piece of 1/4in tubing and kept coolant or water in the car for anytime the engine started to overheat. After several hours of continuous driving on a squelching hot day here in Florida the car over-heated as it had a tendency to do and finally died and wouldn't start back up. $750, two fuel pumps, a new rotor, cap, and spark plug wiring later the car is still running very ragged when it runs at all.
Upon retrieving my car from the mechanic and parting with $500 dollars in labor, I was told that my catalytic converter was bad and that that would need to be replaced soon. I was told not to drive more than 10-15 miles and that I would be okay not replacing it immediately and would be able to drive my car. A mile and a half down the road my jeep died at a red light. I won't go into details, but it took over 3 hours to get the 8 miles from the shop to my house. In order to get it to even crank up I was told by my mechanic to find a muffler shop nearby and have them simply take the catalytic converter off and replace it with a straight pipe. So I did exactly that. Several more stalls in the middle of the road later, my jeep is resting safely back in my driveway.
Today I was looking at my jeep with a neighbor who is also a jeep enthusiast and skilled mechanic. Between myself, my step-dad, and our neighbor (the two of them being well-versed in car mechanics, myself not so much) we are at a loss. At someone's recommendation I dumped an entire can of SeaFoam into the gas tank and put 3 gallons of high-octane quality Shell gasoline in on top. The car went from starting only if I pushed the pedal all the way in while I turned the key and dying as soon as it reached operating temperatures and I let my foot off the gas, to starting on its own (albeit not without struggle) and teetering precariously around 900rpms in idle. After our initial examinations and the application of the SeaFoam we had over-heated the engine to the point where it would not idle without dying. About an hour later, after letting the SeaFoam (hopefully) work its magic, I am able to crank the engine without TOO much struggle and keep the car idling even after pushing the gas all the way in and letting it fall back down. As the temperature rises the car sounds and feels increasingly ragged, but I am still able to keep it alive, accelerate and decelerate without stalling or going above 210 degrees.
So my question(s) is(are):
Did the SeaFoam fix whatever problem there might have been?
Is there a more serious, under-lying problem that we are all missing?
Is there anyway to test for what may be causing this problem?
Did I pay way too much for shoddy workmanship that clearly didn't leave me with a driveable car? (Rhetorical)
Is the car driveable?
What else do you recommend I fix/maintain/tune/replace in my jeep before it is driveable again?
(radiator, temp sensor, fuel pump, spark plugs, spark plug wiring, rotor, and cap have all been replaced in the last year; the catalytic converter has been removed and replaced with a straight pipe;the car is certainly due for an oil change and our mechanic/neighbor recommended draining/replacing the transmission fluid)
I would appreciate any and all suggestions/links/comments/ideas as to the cause and solution of this problem. I have searched for similar issues to mine already posted and answered in the forum and have found several almost the same problems, but each with a uniquely different spin than my own, so I'm sincerely hoping one of you knowledgeable enthusiasts will please help me.
I never plan on taking my first and favorite vehicle off-roading again, I would just like a functioning, reliable vehicle until I can either sell it or save up enough to get a fuel-efficient little car. As sad as it makes me to part ways with my XJ, I can simply no longer afford to keep gas in such a vehicle let alone afford the thousands of dollars it has cost to keep a 14 year old car on the road.
