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SanDiego Dealership Question

danwho

NAXJA Forum User
Location
San Diego
Which one? Anyone have any experience or preference with San Diego dealers' service depts??

I have to take my Jeep to the dealership, got an electrical problem way over my head, possibly needs new ECM. CEL light will NOT go off, even though all code checks turn up nothing wrong. Don't want to dump a $400 computer in it, if it's not indicated.
Normally, the CEL would not bother me at all, but I have to get it smogged before August 30. :banghead:
 
Which one? Anyone have any experience or preference with San Diego dealers' service depts??

I have to take my Jeep to the dealership, got an electrical problem way over my head, possibly needs new ECM. CEL light will NOT go off, even though all code checks turn up nothing wrong. Don't want to dump a $400 computer in it, if it's not indicated.
Normally, the CEL would not bother me at all, but I have to get it smogged before August 30. :banghead:


having worked at one of the local dealers(and with the others), i really can't recommend any of the service dept's in good conscience. there are many great minds on this forum, i'd try that route first. if you feel you MUST use a dealer, try carl burger jeep in la mesa. they have accumulated some great tech's there.
 
Leep: It started out with the "common" problem of the airbag light coming on & the gauges all falling to "zero", then AB light would go out, gauges to normal & CL light comes on. Intermittent (off and on) and if driven long enough would return to normal. I searched and did all the tricks people say; rt turn signal, disconnect batt, hold odometer button while turning on, etc.
TSB #081599 addresses this and recommends buying a "cluster connector patch harness", which I did from the dealer in Carlsbad for $12.50. Put it in and no change.
At this point I took it to the mechanic who does work on my other 3 vehicles, he ran the codes, sorry, don't know which ones popped up, and said they were all good, in other words, I was getting "false positives". I remember one was a tranny sensor, but he checked it out and it was fine. He thinks it might be the main computer, but doesn't want to make a $400-500 guess, and suggests I take it to a dealer because they have the "right codes" (??) for the ECM.
It was running normal when I took it in, my wife picked it up (I had to work) and told me it has no "pick-up", I told her to call the shop and he told her it was normal until the computer resets itself. I drove it when I got home from work and it has ZERO acceleration. Must go to 2000rpm before it even moves forward, it's undriveable and I will take it back to him tonight.
99 Sport, 109K, recent work includes new brakes front and back, installed the ZJ-V8 TB/TR I got from Johnny

Rich: Thanks for the offer, but I wouldn't know where to begin. Electrical work completely baffles me.

I'm willing to pay, I just don't know the correct way to go with this.
Thanks guys
 
Leep: It started out with the "common" problem of the airbag light coming on & the gauges all falling to "zero", then AB light would go out, gauges to normal & CL light comes on. Intermittent (off and on) and if driven long enough would return to normal. I searched and did all the tricks people say; rt turn signal, disconnect batt, hold odometer button while turning on, etc.
TSB #081599 addresses this and recommends buying a "cluster connector patch harness", which I did from the dealer in Carlsbad for $12.50. Put it in and no change.
At this point I took it to the mechanic who does work on my other 3 vehicles, he ran the codes, sorry, don't know which ones popped up, and said they were all good, in other words, I was getting "false positives". I remember one was a tranny sensor, but he checked it out and it was fine. He thinks it might be the main computer, but doesn't want to make a $400-500 guess, and suggests I take it to a dealer because they have the "right codes" (??) for the ECM.
It was running normal when I took it in, my wife picked it up (I had to work) and told me it has no "pick-up", I told her to call the shop and he told her it was normal until the computer resets itself. I drove it when I got home from work and it has ZERO acceleration. Must go to 2000rpm before it even moves forward, it's undriveable and I will take it back to him tonight.
99 Sport, 109K, recent work includes new brakes front and back, installed the ZJ-V8 TB/TR I got from Johnny

Rich: Thanks for the offer, but I wouldn't know where to begin. Electrical work completely baffles me.

I'm willing to pay, I just don't know the correct way to go with this.
Thanks guys


You have/had two issues. The first one being th air back light and the gauges dropping to "Zero." Both of those should have been fixed with TSB 08-015-99, which replaces the faulty connectors on the back of the cluster.

As for the second issue I'm unsure of how you have codes that popped up that were "all good" If one of them was a trans code, that would explain the lack of get up and go. I would like to give you more info, but I need some codes to work with. If he checked the transmission sensor, I would like to know which one. The only thing that seems to go bad on those are the range sensor and the shift solenoids.

If you can get me more info, I could help you out alot more.

Justin
 
Justin: You are correct, two different issues. I don't know why replacing the harness didn't solve the airbag/gauge issue, but it didn't. Maybe it wasn't done correctly, but it seemed pretty straight forward.
When driving the Jeep back to the shop just now, I figured out it must, indeed, be a tranny code issue, as you say, because if I start out in "D" or "3" there is NO acceleration, but when taking off in "1/2" and shifting up, everything is fine. So, it most likely is the range sensor or shift solenoid. I'll have him check those tomorrow.
 
Justin: You are correct, two different issues. I don't know why replacing the harness didn't solve the airbag/gauge issue, but it didn't. Maybe it wasn't done correctly, but it seemed pretty straight forward.
When driving the Jeep back to the shop just now, I figured out it must, indeed, be a tranny code issue, as you say, because if I start out in "D" or "3" there is NO acceleration, but when taking off in "1/2" and shifting up, everything is fine. So, it most likely is the range sensor or shift solenoid. I'll have him check those tomorrow.


Ok, when they did the tsb, your light still comes on and the gauges drop out?

Find out what codes there is, and PM me tomorrow. I will see what I can stir up for you
 
having worked at one of the local dealers(and with the others), i really can't recommend any of the service dept's in good conscience. there are many great minds on this forum, i'd try that route first. if you feel you MUST use a dealer, try carl burger jeep in la mesa. they have accumulated some great tech's there.
Not sure about them, Iv had some real bad experiences there.
 
Justin: You are correct, two different issues. I don't know why replacing the harness didn't solve the airbag/gauge issue, but it didn't. Maybe it wasn't done correctly, but it seemed pretty straight forward.
When driving the Jeep back to the shop just now, I figured out it must, indeed, be a tranny code issue, as you say, because if I start out in "D" or "3" there is NO acceleration, but when taking off in "1/2" and shifting up, everything is fine. So, it most likely is the range sensor or shift solenoid. I'll have him check those tomorrow.

i'm sure xjjeeper can help you out. sounds like the trans may be trying to start off in 3rd or drive, hence no power until the torque peak, or proper road speed for that gear. manual selecting 1/2 helping sounds like bad shift solenoid(s). i've heard several instances of the patch tsb being done, but the issues continuing to recur. never did hear any resolution on that...
 
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