new addition

i just bought a 1993 jeep grand cherokee limited
with 172k for my wife to drive. she likes it a
lot, but i want to make sure she's not going to
get stranded.

first, i'm am going to be getting a new fuel pump
soon because the pressure bleeds off after about
30 minutes, and takes a bit of key cycling and
cranking to get it to start again. :/

i cleaned the throttle body and idle air control
as best i could with some carb cleaner, because i
thought it might take care of some stumbling at
idle, but not while cruising. it seemed to work
for a while, but after about an hour of driving,
it stumbles about 30 seconds after you return to
idle. crank position sensor? throttle position
sensor? plugs, wires, cap, rotor look new, 7.6kV
on all wires at idle when it's not missing.

finally, she doesn't like to downshift at cruising
speed. say i'm going 55 and i want to pass
someone, step on the gas, expecting a downshift
and subsequent burst in speed, however, stumble
stumble stumble, i might as well not have stepped
on the gas, total loss of power, and no downshift???

did i screw myself with this purchase?

this is my first experience with a fulltime 4wd.
is some scuffing and binding to be expected during
parking maneuvers or do i have a problem?



perhaps
--
Ben Jerew AKA PolarPuppy
ASE Certified Master Technician
New Country Lexus of Latham, NY, USA
Amateur Off-Roader 93 YJ 4.0l 3spd
Wifey's 93 GC 4.0l 4spd

MudPuppy76 <"<moc.rr.pacyn"@"pupralop"> proclaimed:

> i just bought a 1993 jeep grand cherokee limited with 172k for my wife
> to drive. she likes it a lot, but i want to make sure she's not going to
> get stranded.
>
> first, i'm am going to be getting a new fuel pump soon because the
> pressure bleeds off after about 30 minutes, and takes a bit of key
> cycling and cranking to get it to start again. :/
>
> i cleaned the throttle body and idle air control as best i could with
> some carb cleaner, because i thought it might take care of some
> stumbling at idle, but not while cruising. it seemed to work for a
> while, but after about an hour of driving, it stumbles about 30 seconds
> after you return to idle. crank position sensor? throttle position
> sensor? plugs, wires, cap, rotor look new, 7.6kV on all wires at idle
> when it's not missing.

Have the crankshaft position sensor checked. You probably also want
to have the catalyst checked for plugging and the 02 sensor as well.
>
> finally, she doesn't like to downshift at cruising speed. say i'm going
> 55 and i want to pass someone, step on the gas, expecting a downshift
> and subsequent burst in speed, however, stumble stumble stumble, i might
> as well not have stepped on the gas, total loss of power, and no
> downshift???
>
> did i screw myself with this purchase?

No, but this vehicle needs someone very familiar with jeeps to check
it out. Which *should* have been done before you bought it as there
are plenty of cherry Grand Cherokees out there. However, if you are
unfamiliar with the machine, get help. Plus you may want to buy the
Factory Service Manual, available online at www.techauthority.com.
>
> this is my first experience with a fulltime 4wd. is some scuffing and
> binding to be expected during parking maneuvers or do i have a problem?

It depends. If your Grand has the 4Hi and 4Lo positions for the
transfer case, you have a problem if you are getting scuffing and
binding. That transfer case does not have a 2 wheel drive option
and is designed to allow some slippage. Some models have limited
slip which is easy to mess up by simply adding the wrong fluids.

On the other hand, if your transfer case has a 2 wheel Hi and a
4 wheel high, simply shift it into 2 wheel high where it belongs
for all but very slippery conditions.

MudPuppy76 <"<moc.rr.pacyn"@"pupralop"> did pass the time by typing:


I set the followup to rec.autos.makers.jeep+willys.
Multiple groups arn't necissary.

> i cleaned the throttle body and idle air control
> as best i could with some carb cleaner, because i
> thought it might take care of some stumbling at
> idle, but not while cruising. it seemed to work
> for a while, but after about an hour of driving,
> it stumbles about 30 seconds after you return to
> idle. crank position sensor? throttle position
> sensor? plugs, wires, cap, rotor look new, 7.6kV
> on all wires at idle when it's not missing.

best (and cheapest) guess, plugged fuel filter.

Just remember to releve pressure on the fuel
system and wear goggles to avoid taking a shower.
A little oil on the filter ends helps them seal.
(takes some time or a couple of small screwdrivers
to remove the clips from the old fuel filter, don't
break them, they are hard to get.)

> finally, she doesn't like to downshift at cruising
> speed. say i'm going 55 and i want to pass
> someone, step on the gas, expecting a downshift
> and subsequent burst in speed, however, stumble
> stumble stumble, i might as well not have stepped
> on the gas, total loss of power, and no downshift???

Fuel filter. And possibly the kickdown linkage, but
with the stumble you should do the filter first. If
the engine bogs the ECU/TCU will hold gear.

the I6 will feel rough if the motor mounts are shot
and need replacing. see if they look like these did.
http://members.cox.net/douglas.wilson/motormount/
It is far cheaper to do it yourself. The dealer is
a pure ripoff on this repair.

Your engine might also have a lot of carbon buildup
either do a seafoam (NAPA) yourself or find a shop that
uses a system called "motorvac", should run about $100
and will clean everything from the injectors to and
including the cat (if it's not plugged)

And speaking of... that's also a possiblity for
loss of power on acceleration. Easier to tell if you
have a vac gauge to look at.


--
-- DougW -- 93 ZJ 4.0 http://members.cox.net/wilsond
HESCO Supercharger - 300W IASCA Stereo - Edelbrock IAS Shocks
Gibson Exhaust - rear DCpower - custom gauge install - Stillen Rotors
Banks Header - and BEER, in the fridge!