my jeep is possessed or is it the computer box

I took it out wheeling in the snow to make it happy, i have a bible in the back seat. it just does not want to work right. its a 97 cherokee 4.0 auto. the cruise control motor wont stop grinding and yesterday my headlights came on and would not shut off. so i had to pull the battery cable. i think its the pcm again but it also has a short in the system. the short goes away when i pull the ignition off dash/ I.O.D fuse located in the fuse box under the hood. does anyone know how to repair that. i am heading in to auto store to get new headlights and my dome light went out. i just replaced the ecu 4 months back wondering if i have to replace it again? here is to praying for a miracle. cause any advice would be great thanks

Not sure of what the ECU/ECM would have to do with most of your problems, but then I drive the indestructible Renix.

my cruise control motor does not shut down and my lights also last time this happened i replaced the computer and it went away just wondering if this computer is broke now and if i have to replace it again. also anyone know where to get good cheap one. i checked the junk yards today and they are all out. and ebay wants 150 to 300 for one.

I think you need to start from scratch. Before replacing any parts I would fix the shorts, they are a problem waiting to become a disaster.

Find and fix the shorts first, then make sure your battery/connections/grounds are good.

Once you fix those shorts you might be surprised at how many demons are gone.

any idea what would cause the ignition off draw/ interior lights to still be draining. it just happened out of the blue my dome light went out tried to replace the bulb but still not working. when i pull that fuse the short goes away so what else should i be looking at inside that could be causing the short.

The short isn't going away, if that is what you meant. The short is there, pulling the fuse simply makes the circuit into an open.

If you have a multimeter with an audible circuit tester you can start testing from the fuse block to the dome light or backwards, your choice. You may have a melted spot in the harness that is letting power get to the headlights.

Just start with the circuit you know is blowing fuses. Fix that, then find the next problem, just one step at a time and the job becomes simpler.

i am using just a test light. i just sprayed down the rear engine ground and the ground near the battery, also the starter cause that thing was pretty dirty. i guess now i am going to pull some of the dash apart and see if there is anything burnt or not looking right. thanks for your help so far. just really confused why the interior is having the problem i would think it would be outside where the salt and sand are pounding on it.

You really need a multimeter.

Do you have a Harbor Freight near you? They sell a $3.99 digital multimeter and you really need to be able to test volts and ohms, and your best investment would be about $19.99 for the multimeter with the audible continuity circuit.

You might also purchase/rent an audible circuit breaker you would use instead of a fuse, but I have found them to be less effective.

Sorry, but this is one of those times when you really need the right tool.

i have one but i only know how to use it to test my battery output. i have a multi and a craftsman fluke. just lol never really learn how to use them for everything. when it comes to electrical i am clueless i hate to say. like i said i dont even know where to start i took my console apart and all the wires looked good i just have no power going to my dome light/ my glove box. and something in there is draining my battery. i thought it might be the cpu telling the engine to keep power going to this stuff.

Ok.

Lesson #1, live circuits fry ohm meters. You should use the ohm meters to test for resistance and continuity. Infinity would indicate an open circuit, high resistance would indicate poor connection (loose connectors, corroded, etc.) and low resistance indicate a good wire when testing testing from, say the power out side of a fuse to the power side of a dome light socket. On the other hand, if you test the power side of the dome socket to a ground, low resitance says the power side of the circuit is shorting to ground.

:huh:
i need to get a electrician over here to teach me all this ohms and volts and junk. lol i called my buddy up who knows about this i will see what he can figure out or tell me at least what he thinks is wrong. then get back on hear if it does not work. really dont want to bring this to a dealer to fix. we all know how they like to rip ya off. i'll see what we can do. he is college edumacaded in electronics ha ha.

In my experience, electrical work is the most time consuming, and therefore the most expensive automotive work short of working in a collision repair shop.

Good Luck, keep us posted.

well, I can tell you that when my computer went bad it was causing all sorts of electrical issues. My fan would turn on/off randomly with the jeep off and my relays would start clicking like crazy. My jeep would only run for 30 sec. also.

It sounds like you have some shorts, which will be a royal PITA to figure out. I got a used comp. from a Jeep forum for $35 not too long ago. Just try searching these forums, maybe put a wanted posting up. You can use any computer from a 97-99 xj, with the same tranny and engine. The part numbers do not need to match. Good luck. I hate tracking down electrical issues.

Yeah I hooked Jeepster up with the one he got. I have a spare 97pcm, but it is for the ax15(wah, wah, waaaah).

i am thinking that my ignition switch is going out i am trying to replace it tonight. has anyone ever done this if so how hard is it to accomplish. i just hate working on electrical and the small connecters i seem to break with ease. Hasta

As far as the light issue it could be the headlight switch. Your ECM/ECU does not have anything to do with lighting. I would look at the harness & the plug for the headlight switch. Also check the switch to make sure there are no shorts internaly. I think the computer change was a coincidence to "repairing" the light issue. You said you sprayed down the grounds to clean them. You have to actually remove the bolt & clean the surfaces with sandpaper or wire brush or both to clean a connection, make sure you clean under the bolt head also, while your at it clean the battery terminals. Once you have all this properly cleaned you can delve further into the wiring. You may have a short between wires as if it was a short to ground it should blow the fuse. Another place to look is the harness for the radio. the fuse you pulled should be the dome light & the radio memory which can be easily pinched when reinstalling a radio. These are a few places to start looking & follow joe peters advise also. As far as the ignition switch that is on the steering column under the dash. It is not the key lock. There is a rod the connects the key lock to the switch itself. Once again check it before you replace it.

i have my whole dash ripped apart trying to find this short i removed the radio, headlight switch, now i am heading to the store to get a special tool to get the ignition switch off. i have been unplugging everything i can find 1 by 1 under the console and near the hood pull cable behind that trim peice. just cant find this damn short i cleaned all the grounds i could find. yes with sandpaper, can anyone else think of any possible ideas. or i looks like i have to rip out seats and all the trim and carpet to try and find this possessed wire in the system. thanks :explosion

Spend more time under the hood cleaning grounds than under the dash. The interoir is mostly dry and clean. Not so for under the hood.

Isn't there grounds under the rear seat area? I think there was a tread last year about this ground thing for the lights.... He was thinking it was his trailer lights plug but it wasn't..Did you do a search?

Just curious, when your lights stay on.
When you drive it at nite and go to shut it off do you turn your lights off first before shutting the engine down or do you turn the engine off and then turn the lights off ?
I know my wifes ZJ has that headlight delay/security package that keeps the headlights on for 30 seconds or so after you shut the engine off THEN turn the lights off. If you turn the lights off first then the engine they go right out.