Wierd AW4 problem???

89 XJ, NP231, AW4
About 6 months ago while driving home I stopped at a convenience store, leaving the XJ running I ran in. When I got back in and drove off I noticed that the jeep wouldnt shift out of 1st or maybe 2nd gear. I pulled over on the side of the road to think about my options since I was 100+ miles from home. After 10 min.s or so I started the XJ, and from that point forward there have been no issues, until today.

This afternoon I jumped in the jeep and after driving for a few minutes I noticed the temp gauge redlining, I flipped the manual switch for the aux fan and nothing. I pulled over and attempted to put the jeep in park while idiling and heard a strange noise(similar to turning the ignition when the car is already on). I put the jeep in neutral and popped the hood, it didnt look or smell as if it was overheating at all. Jumped back in the jeep and noticed that my power windows wouldnt work, no radio, parking brake light was on, no turn signals.
Made it home, turned the jeep off and put it in park. I sat there for a couple of minutes, started it up and everything seemed fine. Went for a test drive and it was like nothing ever happened.

Any suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated,

Thanks
Mike

Intermittent weird shifting with the AW4 tranny is likley the TPS, except that in your case you also have a lot of electrical weirdnes affecting many different circuits. The common theme between these circuits is the ground and the big bulkhead connector through the fire wall near the brake booster. I think the connector is called a C101 connector.....my 1990 doesn't have it. I suggest cleaning the electrical connections for the grounds at the battery cable, the engine, and the engine to firewall. The big firewall connector can be taken apart and cleaned out with electrical contact cleaner (spray can). One of these should solve it. Try a search for C101 connector clean.

Weird!! find the wires going to the trans If it happens again unplug the wires while it is running and shift with the console. and see if that fixes it. if it does then its yout tps.

Check the nut for the fusible link bundle at the starter relay. Check the fusible links for darkening, they sometimes turn darker in spots, usually at the wire ends when they overheat.
Is it possible your starter relay is acting up. I've disassembled old ones that have had repeated baths during motor washes or fording. Inside the relay there was a glob of rust and/or mud. They don't seal very well. A likely place for a short that would affect current to the fusible link bundle.

Since you have multiple problems in different circuits I'd suspect a ground has worked its way loose. Look for ring terminals bolted to the body, loosen and retorque the small bolts. I think the shift solenoids ground on the engine block behind the dipstick tube. The engine-body ground strap wearing out'll cause some weird issues too.