wiring meltdown

Hey folks,
I just bought my first cherokee two weeks ago. I had been wanting to get one for years and finally got a deal i couldn't pass up. I bought a 93 cherokee country it has about 190,000 on it and i got it for 800 bucks. runs good but has some wiring problems. the front windows did not work at all, the power locks and dome lights don't work either. While searching for tips to fix it I came across this site and let me tell you it helped alot. Here's the predicamint that I am in now. I found out that the floor boards are rusted through on the drivers side, in front of the seat. The wire also rotted out and shorted, burning about 1 foot of wire in the harness. i spent 2 hours resplicing all of them and finally got the power windows to work (all four) from the front control pannels. The problem is the rear windows do not work from their switches. Also the dome lights still do not work after all the splicing that i did. the bulbs and the fuse for the dome lights are good. I have found that the pink (hot all the time) wires in the vehicle are not hot at all, anywhere. I am at my wits end with these wires and am seriously thinking of rewiring all the hot leads to the dome lights. Any input or help with this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanx in advance.

P.S.
anyone know if you can change the lifters on the straight 6 withou pulling the head. I had heard that the pushrod guide holes are large enough to allow this. I would like to replace the lifters, pushrods and rockers but would hate to pull the head cause i have no garage to do this in.

Wiring, you've got 3 choices.

*Continue as you are, keep inspecting and troubleshooting until you find the problems and fix them.

*Overhaul the wire harness's, pull them one at a time, use tape and a marker to mark where each connector connects. Take the whole harness and unwrap it and clean it and repair anything your find wrong. I suggest doing small sections at a time, so you restore the small section to the original, before moving on to another section (You don't want to get into a situation where you've got tons of unwrapped wires all over and now you forget how it was all wrapped up to start with). Take some pictures as you work, so you can go back and refer to how it originally looked in case you get lost.

*Replace the wire harness's; brand new ones, if they are even available, are going to be really really expensive, start scrounging junk yards.

If you don't have a cheap mulit-meter yet, get one, check continuity and resistance at connectors can be a good trouble shooting technique.

Never pulled lifter on a Straight Cam In Block Motor, the pictures in the manuals show a special tool you can use to pull the lifter with the head on, I imagine you have to have that special tool or a very very good universal tool that is designed to reach into cramped area and grab something and pull it out.

firstXJ said:

anyone know if you can change the lifters on the straight 6 withou pulling the head. I had heard that the pushrod guide holes are large enough to allow this. I would like to replace the lifters, pushrods and rockers but would hate to pull the head cause i have no garage to do this in.

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I'm not one to ask for wiring issue advice, but I'll wish you good luck anyhow:sunshine:
As for the lifters, you have to pull the head on the 4.0L to pull the lifters Us piddly 2.5 owners are the lucky ones....the lifters can be pulled thru the head, using the tool Rick mentions.

Jeff

Thanx folks,
I think I will continue to trouble shoot the electrical system little by little as suggested. It's nice way to raise your blood pressure and spend time with my lazy lab hahaha. As for the lifters I thought that I wouldn't be fortunate enough to be able to just pull them through the head. I have some ticking going on from the rockers and the previous owner said he had replaced four rockers due to ticking and wear. Right now I am trying the old trans fluid in the oil trick to try and unstick the lifters (fingers crossed!). Anyone else have any suggestions as to what I might be able to use to try and clear the lifters? I really would hate to pull the head, as I have never done it on the straight 6 and I don't really have the means.

Thanx again for all the help. I believe you all have created a life long member of this forum.

update on the electrical situation. I found that I wasn't getting power to the fuse box for the dome lights. I traced the wires back to the power distribution box under the hood and found a blown fuse for I.O.D. After some researching I figured out that I.O.D. stands for Ignition Off Draw. Hmmmmm... switched the fuse and found not only do my dome lights now work but also my door locks. Go figure, a mini fuse was the cause of my problems after cleaning up the shorts. I only wish I figured that out BEFORE I pulled my headliner out hahaha. Oh well you live and learn. As for the lifters, the situation is more dreadful than first thought. I'm gonna have to do a rebuild on the motor. Apparently the previous owners didn't think that an oil change every 3,000 mi was a good idea.

Thanx for all the advice and insite,
Paul

You'll still need a "Lifter Puller" (get one that expands to hold the lifter from the inside, at the top) to get the lifters out - even with the head off.

Get one with all metal parts - I find it helpful to expand it to touch the inside of the lifter perimeter, then gently tap it ONCE with a lightweight hammer (1# or so) to upset the plunger at the top. This should allow the lifter tool "lips" to grab the lifter more in the snapring groove, for a more secure hold.

If your oil was not changed regularly, your lifters are probably crapped up, and you'll want to tap them as I mention. Don't go and really swing the mallet - just a light tap will do (say, drop it from 6" up, no more. Don't put any force behind it, let gravity do the work for you.)

I ran into this on my 89 Limited - apparently, the PO thought using Pennzoil was a good idea (I beg to differ,) and my lifters were clogged up with paraffin. Yech.

5-90

so what's the deal with auto transmission fluid added to your oil change?

can you run 3,000 miles with one quart of ATF and 5 quarts of whatever oil you use?

i have a little diesel noise on cold startup as well.

Thanks for the heads up 5-90. What oil do you run?

Bacelaw, I was told to run the ATF for only 200-300 miles. The high concentration of detergents supposedly could help to clear sticky lifters. After the first treatment a second one can be done. obviously oil and filter change required after each treatment. If the second treatment doesn't get it then replacement is needed.

Unfortunately my motor is beyond this and I think a rebuild is in order. I'm in full on preservation mode right now.

thanx,
Paul

Castrol or Valvoline. I'd use re-refined oil if I could find it - it was all I ran back home. You'd think they'd have it here in Kalifornistan...

ATF will serve as a mild engine flush - it's got more detergents than engine oil. However, due to the higher detergents, and the thin base oil, it should not be run for an extended period. If/when I run atf with the engine oil, I will change the oil and filter again after NOT MORE THAN 500 miles - you do run the risk of premature seal failure, due to compound differences (automatic transmission seals are somewhat more "inert" than engine seals.)

Marvel Mystery Oil, however, will run the full 3,000 miles without incident - but I think it's a little less aggressive than ATF.

5-90

Thanx again 5-90, I plan an oil and filter change this weekend.

Paul

If you can find Baldwin filters, they're probably the tops. I used to get them at Quality Farm & Fleet in IN - you should probably have something similar.

If you can't get Baldwin, get Wix - I believe the NAPA "house brand" is made by Wix as well. Don't bother with cheap filters - you get what you pay for (and pay too much for it anyhow - I dislike paying something for nothing. Might as well put an empty can on in some cases.)

5-90

5-90 said:

If you can find Baldwin filters, they're probably the tops. I used to get them at Quality Farm & Fleet in IN - you should probably have something similar.

If you can't get Baldwin, get Wix - I believe the NAPA "house brand" is made by Wix as well. Don't bother with cheap filters - you get what you pay for (and pay too much for it anyhow - I dislike paying something for nothing. Might as well put an empty can on in some cases.)

5-90

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In your experience - how are the Bosch filters?

I gotta say I have been looking through your site a bit 5-90 and I think your book is on my list of things to get. I plan on being a jeep driver for as long as I can get cherokees and keep them running. I look forward to searching the site in more depth later.

Paul

Thanks!

I've got a few links to fix there (and a pic that's not displaying properly - grr!) and there're a few things I'm working on, but what you see there is pretty much what you get. The only real "searching" you'll end up doing, most likely, will be going through the Tech Archives to see what applies to you (and I'll likely be reorganising it anyhow - so don't bookmark anything but the front page if you can help it...) I've also got some ideas to implement once I finish this Java course I'm taking.

As far as the Bosch filters go - I've never used them. I used Baldwin when I could get them, and Wix every other time. Since neither has given me a reason to bother with anything else, I haven't.

5-90

This site has definitely made my wish list longer. If I can geat this truck running strong I plan on doing some mods. mainly a lift and suspension upgrade, lights, roof rack and bumpers to follow. I'd like to get maybe 4" higher and replace the saggy springs I have now. If I can find a good yard here I might grab some skid plates. I don't plan on running her hard though, I just need it to be able to get to some good fishin holes, and hunting grounds.

Paul