Motorman
Member
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2005
- Location
- Chapel Hill, RTP, NC, US, China
So after a not so recent wheelin trip I had a problem with my Cherokee. Even if I closed the doors the interior lights stayed on. Wasn't the headlight switch turned counter clockwise, wasn't the door switches. Pain in the ass but finally tracked it down to a grounded wire near the rear hatch. This had taken a few weeks of random searching and had drained the battery to where I had to jump the Jeep whenever I wanted to start it. Started pulling fuse to prevent battery drain.
Get a notice that my registration is due. Send it in with Fee attached....it comes back telling me I need to have a valid inspection to register vehicle. New State law, crap. Sometime during the long frustrating process of tracking down my interior light issue I got a Check Engine light (CEL). Probably due to repeatedly pulling fuse, low battery, and running truck with no dash function while chasing "lights on" issue. . Go to Advance Auto, get them to pull codes....got a PO700/PO715. Transmission/Transmission input speed sensor failure. Wow, that is strange. Don't seem to have any transmission issues, expected something else. Get Advance to clear codes, drive it home, codes came back. Try to figure out what is going on. Run out of time because you need to get inspection before 30 days so I go get inspection which I fail due to CEL. Even though it has nothing to do with emissions you can't pass NC inspection with CEL. I hate electrical/code issues.
Internet tells me i probably have a bad sensor. Sensors are $185 at the dealer, no local parts shops have any, $120 with shipping off the internet. Sensor got added to AW4 in ' 97 so only '97 thru 2001 Cherokees have it....aka not that easy to find. Not that common a problem either so not a whole lot of help on the Internet, . I do get lucky and find a '98 transmission core unit here on NC4x4 for $40(thanks HaPtoad) with good wiring harness as well as a sensor. John Herr is nice enough to pick up the core on his way to Charlotte. He drops core off on a Sunday so we are BSing over the idling Cherokee when I notice a puffing sound. I ask John if he hears it too, he does, and after a quick scan points to the firewall...".there's your issue". Soft plastic vacuum line and hard plastic line had both been chewed through by either a squirrel or a chipmunk(yard is full of them since the dog passed last December). We laugh, John leaves, I fix that problem. So after a few weeks of messing lights and a few more with CEL issue I go back to Advance to make sure my CEL is still due to transmission, and not the newly discovered vacuum issue. Ok, still transmission codes.
This is getting old. I have been chasing electrical and code issues for weeks. Have I commented about how much I don't like electrical issues, much less all the codes/sensors on the newer Jeeps. Give me the old points/few wire days of old anytime.
So a week later I go to help Ken Carter put up new shelving in his shop. Drive the Jeep (which, BTW, shows no signs of any transmission issues during any of this) so we can check his sensor(same Cherokee) resistance against mine. All sensors show between 635 and 650 ohms. Damn, doesn't seem to be a sensor after all. Must be the wiring. I comment to Ken and John Herr who is there helping out as well "..watch, the wiring harness is only a few inches from where that squirrel or chipmunk ate the vacuum line. I bet he chewed up my wiring harness too".
So guess what. Yep, next day I cut the insulation off the transmission wiring harness and find that the little critter had eaten completely through one wire, and half way through another. Fixed the wires, back to Advance AGAIN, clear codes and "VIOLA" no CEL.
John says I should buy another dog, I am leaning toward a BB gun. Gonna shoot me some vermin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The End
PS.... Have I commented on how much I dislike electrical and code issues. Might have to add furry critters to the list.
Get a notice that my registration is due. Send it in with Fee attached....it comes back telling me I need to have a valid inspection to register vehicle. New State law, crap. Sometime during the long frustrating process of tracking down my interior light issue I got a Check Engine light (CEL). Probably due to repeatedly pulling fuse, low battery, and running truck with no dash function while chasing "lights on" issue. . Go to Advance Auto, get them to pull codes....got a PO700/PO715. Transmission/Transmission input speed sensor failure. Wow, that is strange. Don't seem to have any transmission issues, expected something else. Get Advance to clear codes, drive it home, codes came back. Try to figure out what is going on. Run out of time because you need to get inspection before 30 days so I go get inspection which I fail due to CEL. Even though it has nothing to do with emissions you can't pass NC inspection with CEL. I hate electrical/code issues.
Internet tells me i probably have a bad sensor. Sensors are $185 at the dealer, no local parts shops have any, $120 with shipping off the internet. Sensor got added to AW4 in ' 97 so only '97 thru 2001 Cherokees have it....aka not that easy to find. Not that common a problem either so not a whole lot of help on the Internet, . I do get lucky and find a '98 transmission core unit here on NC4x4 for $40(thanks HaPtoad) with good wiring harness as well as a sensor. John Herr is nice enough to pick up the core on his way to Charlotte. He drops core off on a Sunday so we are BSing over the idling Cherokee when I notice a puffing sound. I ask John if he hears it too, he does, and after a quick scan points to the firewall...".there's your issue". Soft plastic vacuum line and hard plastic line had both been chewed through by either a squirrel or a chipmunk(yard is full of them since the dog passed last December). We laugh, John leaves, I fix that problem. So after a few weeks of messing lights and a few more with CEL issue I go back to Advance to make sure my CEL is still due to transmission, and not the newly discovered vacuum issue. Ok, still transmission codes.
This is getting old. I have been chasing electrical and code issues for weeks. Have I commented about how much I don't like electrical issues, much less all the codes/sensors on the newer Jeeps. Give me the old points/few wire days of old anytime.
So a week later I go to help Ken Carter put up new shelving in his shop. Drive the Jeep (which, BTW, shows no signs of any transmission issues during any of this) so we can check his sensor(same Cherokee) resistance against mine. All sensors show between 635 and 650 ohms. Damn, doesn't seem to be a sensor after all. Must be the wiring. I comment to Ken and John Herr who is there helping out as well "..watch, the wiring harness is only a few inches from where that squirrel or chipmunk ate the vacuum line. I bet he chewed up my wiring harness too".
So guess what. Yep, next day I cut the insulation off the transmission wiring harness and find that the little critter had eaten completely through one wire, and half way through another. Fixed the wires, back to Advance AGAIN, clear codes and "VIOLA" no CEL.
John says I should buy another dog, I am leaning toward a BB gun. Gonna shoot me some vermin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The End
PS.... Have I commented on how much I dislike electrical and code issues. Might have to add furry critters to the list.
