2001 XJ P1694

I have a 2001 XJ. It had the original battery until today. The battery has been going bad and had to jump it this past week. The -25 degree temps last week weren't too good on that battery. It started just fine today and while I was driving, the gauges on the dash quit working. And then they would work again. Not all would quit and then start up the same. They would all quit, then some would work and the air bag light would go on and then everything but the tach and MPH would work then everything would quit again. Drove it home and put my scanner on it. I got a P1694 and P1698 code. I checked fuses (couldn't find a fuse for PMC, or TCM) and all the fuses were good. I checked connections at the tranny and wires. Nothing seemed bad except there was some oil on some of the wires but that doesn't allways mean anything.

I've seen bad batteries do some crazy things so I unconnected the battery for a few minutes, then put the cable back on and put the battery charger on it. I then started it up and everything on the dash worked just fine. I figured the battery was causing it and the battery was about shot anyways.

So, I go get a new battery (gauges quit on the way) and put the battery in at the store. Started it and everything was fine. Drove accross town, got some movies and drove back home. All was great until I was a few blocks from home. Tach and MPH quit and air bag light came on, then everything quit, then would work for a second and quit again. Put the scanner back on and only got a P1694 this time.

So, what in the world is going on? Is it the PCM, TCM, wires, connections, connection at the back of the dash? I know this probably isn't easy to figure out but is this a known problem with these jeeps? Has this happened to anyone else? 125,000 miles on it and nothing has ever gone wrong. Change oil, brakes and tires, thats all I've ever done. Can't expect it to run forever but this sucks and can't really afford to take it to a dealership.

Thanks

One other question. Will a bad battery cause the PCM or the TCM to need to be flashed?

join the club. its not the battery. I believe its a faulty wiring connection..or possibly a bad ground would make sense too. anyways I havent looked into it much...you'll notice it generally only happens when it gets really cold or really hot lol. My solution has been giving it a nice tap in the right spot ontop of the dashboard..everything snaps-to after that. I'm sure its a quick fix though so if you do figure it out let me know :cheers:

Rokee44 said:

join the club. its not the battery. I believe its a faulty wiring connection..or possibly a bad ground would make sense too. anyways I havent looked into it much...you'll notice it generally only happens when it gets really cold or really hot lol. My solution has been giving it a nice tap in the right spot ontop of the dashboard..everything snaps-to after that. I'm sure its a quick fix though so if you do figure it out let me know :cheers:

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sounds crazy but I've heard of that too
yes, you've got a loose connection behind the dash
what about your old battery?
maybe it's good..no?

I don't have those in my list yet - what are codes P1694 & P1698? All I know is that they're powertrain codes (P) and that they're manufacturer-specific, not SAE standard (1).

It really helps with diagnosis, if you have codes, to explain what those codes are for the rest of us (so we don't have to go find them...)

I read that the connection harness for the instrument cluster can be loose, and you can tweak the metal barbs slightly and it won't happen anymore. I tend to just use the 'smack the dash' method. As an earlier poster said, it happens during irregular temperature fluctuations.

Thanks for the replies.


P1694
Fault In Companion Module
No CCD/J1850 messages received from the powertrain control module-Asian transmission.


P1698 (M)
No CCD/J1850 Message From TCM
No CCD/J1850 messages received from the electronic transmission control module (EATX) or the Asian transmission controller.


Thats just strange to me that a loose connection behind the dash would cause a trouble code. I can see it causing the gauges to stop working but a trouble code? Well, I took the dash apart today and everything looks ok, no corrosion like I've read about or anything. I tried to bend the barbs a little but but they don't move much. I scraped the sides of the male connectors on the back of the dash. I'm going to get some electrical cleaner spray and some dielectric grease (non conductive) and see what that does. Hopes its just the connection back there and not something like the TCM. But we have had temp fluxuations lately. It was -25 degrees last week with -39 windchill and it was in the 30's yesterday and 22 so far today. My battery has been turning the engine over slow for a while now and had to jump it last week. Plus it had battery acid all over the top and it was the original. New battery really turns it over now.

I'll clean up the connections and put it back together and see what happens. I'll post my findings. Thanks

good luck and keep us posted
btw, the transmission is an "Aisin", even though it is made by an Asian Co. :eeks1:

For the dash, pull it out and clean the connections. Very common problem in the 97+ XJ's and TJ's due to dirty connections.

Took the dash apart cleaned the connections and put some dielectric grease on and everything seems to be just fine (for now at least). Thanks

I was amazed to see my cluster stat doing weird things as described in the first post, at first it was scary but I got used to it, the problem started to get scary when the crossed key light went on. I was scared not to be able to start the engine so I left it on for 8 hours straight until I got home and stopped it. The SOB started right away and all the gauges in the panel worked fine except the Airbag light which is always on.
It all started when I got stuck inside a mud pool for more time than I wanted too, getting about 2 inches of muddy water inside the car floor. That time when I stopped the car it did not want to start because of the crossed key light, it got towed to get it repaired.
The codes I get are p1694 and p0705, I have already checked all the ground connections and the problem continues, any ideas?

Thanks

Do these help?

There is a Safety Recall available for the Cherokees that moves the Air Bag Control Module from under the drivers seat to on top of the transmission hump under the center console storage compartment.
This recall is performed for exactly the same problem you have described.
I would check to see if there is a module still located under the drivers seat... IF the module is still there...; the connectors may be dirty or the module may have been damaged by the mud on the floor.

CharlesS said:

There is a Safety Recall available for the Cherokees that moves the Air Bag Control Module from under the drivers seat to on top of the transmission hump under the center console storage compartment.
This recall is performed for exactly the same problem you have described.
I would check to see if there is a module still located under the drivers seat... IF the module is still there...; the connectors may be dirty or the module may have been damaged by the mud on the floor.

Click to expand...

Wow Charles, thanks a lot, it seems this is the solution, now I have to see if here in Brazil Jeep will do the recall and if so when they see the carpet of my car if they still want to do the exchange, LOL.

Hey Aaron I have had the same codes and same issues with my truck but I am also getting the rough tractor running with mine. Did you have that at all, or just the electrical? I have the same exact codes as well and my engine light burnt out. Mine is a 2000 so just curious if that might be half my problem with the wires behind the dash let me know if thats still working for ya. thx Lil