Check Engine Light Question

All of a sudden my 95 4.0 is turning over sluggishly first thing in the morning and the check engine light comes on. After it warms up a little everything seems fine and the light doesn't come on again. Any thoughts as to what I should look at?

The first thing I would address for turning over sluggishly (slow cranking) is battery connections and grounds around the battery area. Take apart, clean with sandpaper or scotchbrite, clean with electrical contact or brake cleaner or spray start and reassemble. After this is done, check your battery voltage with a voltmeter. With key off, it should be about 12.5 and with your jeep running, it should be about 14. Check it in the morning before you start it too. If cleaning doesn't improve things, I would suspect an aging battery nearing replacement time. You can get the battery checked at an auto parts store, but at this point, if mine is over 3 years old, I just replace (if running voltage is 14V+).

Not sure where the CEL enters in, but it could be from low voltage too. Auto parts chain can pull the code for free and tell you while also checking your battery for free.

The battery is brand new and alt is charging. Cables are clean. The CEL is the thing that puzzles me. I've had a low battery before without the CEL coming on. I'll charge the BAT today and see what happens. I didn't know low voltage could cause a CEL! I've been chasing an intermittent draw on the BAT for awhile. It will be fine for a while and then I get a draw that pulls the BAT down pretty quickly then it has a period of being normal for a while. Very strange.

Pull the CEL code! I think on your vintage, that you can pull it with the key on/key off sequence. I saw complete instructions on that in a recent search I did. (probably in some of the links at the bottom of the page here)

Try this......source unverified but I think it will work for your 95....you gotta get that code and description so you know what you are chasing... Post the code you get here for comment

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On 1991 to 1997 models, you have a way of reading for fault codes which can be accessed without any scanners like other models by reading how the check engine light flashes. Start by turning the ignition key to the last stop before it starts, on and off three times within 5 seconds ending in the on position on the third time, ( i.e. on, off, on, off then on and leave .

The check engine light will start to flash quickly with a small pause in between then a medium pause to indicate the next number in the to digit number and then a long pause before the next set of flashing for the next code. If all is well you will get a code 55 which would read like this: 5 fast flashes, medium pause then a further 5 flashes. This is how all codes end with is this 55 code if you have air conditioning or with a code 33 without and any other codes would have been before it separated by a long pause. The codes will remain after this test so you can cycle through it as many times as it takes to read them. After a problem has gone the code will be removed after 50 on off key cycles or if the battery left disconnected over night which will cause a code 12.

OK it was low voltage. The battery was down to 11 volts so I am back where I was which is trying to solve the off and on battery drain problem.