My '89 won't shut off. Help!!!!

Stock '89 Limited 4.0L Automatic AWD. 172k miles.

This started this morning during todays blizzard.

Jeep is running fine. Pull in driveway put trans in Park and turn off the key. Engine continues to run.

Moved key back to ON and notice all the Accessories go back on like heater fan, radio, etc...

Turn key back to OFF and all accessories turn off but engine continues to run. I noticed the 4wd light is still on even if the key is off.

Open hood and pull one wire off of the Ballast resister and engine stops. Reconnect and restart engine fine. Turn key to OFF and again engine keeps running. I also noticed a stronge smell of gas.

At this point I notice that there is gas leaking from the fuel rail. I pulled the wire off the ballast resister again and the leak slows to a stop after engine stops.

I'm looking at the wiring diagram in my Haynes manual now but I could use some suggestions/info.

If everything kept running like the radio etc, I would suspect it's the ignition switch but the accesories turn off correctly.

Fuel problem is scary. Where is the fuel pump relay located? I may want to pull it while I troubleshoot so the engine doesn't go up in flames.

fuel pump relay is under the plastic cover, behind the battery, in the mess of wires.
I think ti's the second from the front.
Look to see where the leak is coming from on the injector. If it's where they plug into the fuel rail then it's o rings. If it's actually from the seam where the renix injector is put together then you're getting new ones. Don't drive around on them leaking fuel.
I don't hve much input on the keeps running part.

it sounds like a bad or stuck ignition switch, an 89 I believe has the chevy style ignition, which means theres a switch "box" on the column. I would check there.

HTH
STROKER

Sounds like ignition switch to me also, the Accessories are a separate part of the switch so that would explain why one works and the other don’t.
The switch is under the dash and costs about $14.00 at Napa.

Thanks guys. I'll try pulling the ignition switch after work today.

The leak at the fuel rail worries me the most.

It's been mild so far this winter but it was 15 degrees yesterday and I had been plowing. I'm not going to try starting it again until Wednesday when it's supposed to be 40. Even if there is no leak I'll still have to replace O rings or what ever is at that connection point for safety.

I guess the 0-ring leak could be from the cold weather NASA knows all about that :flame: :flame: .
Just don't pull a Challenger

Well the fuel leak was an easy fix using the O-ring rebuild kit ($17) from the dealer. When I pulled it apart I only found one O-ring and no spacer. The kit supplied 2 O-rings and a spacer between on an installation tool. Great easy fix.

I finally got the old Ignition switch out and the new one in. Had to jump start it because the battery had discharged.

Results?

Still have the same problem. The engine will not shut off by the key. The accessories turn on and off by the key and the start circuit works fine. Starter cranked great.

The "Full Time" light is on all the time. I left it in "Full Time" when I parked it after the blizzard. Light only goes out when the battery is dead again.

I even went back in and pulled the two connectors off the Ignition switch while the engine was running. It kept on running so I left them off.

If I believe the wiring diagram in the Haynes manual, it shouldn't be running because the ignition switch feeds 12v to close the fuel pump relay.

I pulled what I think is the fuel pump relay and the engine died. It's coil is being supplied 12v all the time. The circuit that appears hot all the time is connected to the Ignition switch, the fuel pump relay, the oxygen sensor relay and the Ignition control module.

If I pull a wire off one side of the ballast resister then the engine dies.

I thought maybe a relay welded itself closed so one at a time, I pulled the other 3 relays next to the fuel pump relay on the passenger side of the engine compartment and the engine kept running.

I pulled the four relays on the drivers side near the ballast resister and the engine kept running.

I found one more relay floating over by the ABS under the pressure bottle. Pulling it had no effect.

I figure there must be a short somewhere in the wiring harness.

I went around the wiring harness in the engine compartment and wiggled things hoping the engine would die. No luck.

I still have the dash apart and the steering wheel dropped down so I wiggled eveything I could touch paying special attention to the two plugs for the Ignition switch. Engine still runs.

I figure since the wires that get shorted together by the Ignition switch are only together at the switch there's probably a short going back along that set of wires but I can't see where they go after a few inches. I may have to pull the dash.

Any ideas guys ? ? ?

Looks like I'm going to have a long Saturday under the dash.

I've had more electrical problems with this vehicle than any other I've owned. Of course it is a Limited with every option. That may be it's biggest problem. I think the whole wiring harness has been over loaded for 17 years. Power seats, locks and some windows have never worked since I bought it.

try this thread....

http://aarc.epnet.com/application/9107/9107.htm#9107CH04_Heated_Oxygen__HO2S_

good renix info...

Is there a remote start? Did you replace the Power Latch relay?

In a simpler day, on a simpler car, I suffered a similar problem. I cured it when I checked the ground wire from engine to chassis and made sure it was working. Its located on the ignition side above the oil filter; the theory is that if the engine can't ground normally it will backfeed the next least resistant wire. That could be putting electrical pressure back into the system - and there are plenty more places now than then.

I have a '90 Laredo with power almost everything when it works - I feel your pain. I've had the column apart 5 times the last 6 months and the original problem just came back again.

tugalo - I check that link. Yes, good info. Bookmarked it.

langer1 - No, I didn't replace any relays yet. Just pulled them to see if the engine would die.

TiRod - You may have something. A week or so before this problem came up, I was having grounding issues with the plow so I added a heavy ground strap from the negative batttery terminal to a chassis bolt next to the radiator. The plow blade turned and lifted must faster. Jeep ran fine for over a week and lights were brighter. Maybe the engine is floating between 12v and ground.

Can't wait to get home tonight and "remove" my improvement and see if that's it. If that's the problem, I'll need to run a new ground from the block to the chassis.

Don't you hate it when a problem is self inflicted.

Well that wasn't it. Yesterday, I removed the extra cable and no change. Then to make sure the engine was grounded properly, I used my jumper cables to connect the Negative battery terminal to the engine block. No change.

It's snowing today so I'm going to surf and see if I can track down an answer.

Finally got some time for the XJ. Someone suggested checking the starter relay. I got a spare from a friend but that wasn't it.

One of the other weird things happening with this problem is the 4wd indicator light is ON all the time. I figured that might give me a clue about what is backfeeding the engine circuit.

So I started pulling fuses. The fuse for the Brake/Hazard lights made the 4wd light go out. So I put all but that fuze in and the engine starts and shuts off correctly. I put the Brake/Hazard fuse back in and the 4wd light came back on with the key off. I started the engine then turned the key off expecting the engine to keep running like before but the engine shut off normally. #!%$&

I pulled the fuze in and out several times but I couldn't reproduce the original problem but the 4wd indicator light still stays on with the ignition switch off and the fuze in.

I could just get my fingers behind the fuze panel and I wiggled the wires close to that fuze. This got the 4wd light to go out. Some more wiggling got it to come back on so there must be exposed wire back there.

I "wiggled" the wires until everything worked right and left it because I was loosing the sun. (Read this as "It's cold in New England right now and I don't have a garage.") I'll see if I can get the screws out of the fuze panel tomorrow and try to take a look behind it. I may have to use a mirror. Wish me luck......

Do you need a wiring diagram? PM me if you do with your email address.

Thanks Langer1 for the wiring diagram. Much nicer than what I was using.

I did manage to unscrew the fuze block under the dash but there wasn't enough room to see anything. There is no slack on the wires. I tried using a mirror but no luck.

As of right now the original problem has not resurfaced and nothing appears shorted but I don't trust the vehicle. Not sure of the next step. Junk yard has already occured to me. I just put on a new exhaust and a ball joint and the motor runs real stronge. I'm not a happy camper.

Finding another newer Cherokee has also occurred to me. The plow setup I have would mount up to Cherokee's through the '96 body year. But the wife would kill me if I brought home a 3rd jeep........