What did you do to your Grand today (ZJ/WJ)?

[Elio_S]

This Grand Cherokee is doing my head in. Spent the whole of today putting it all back together (timing chains, guides, timing case, radiator, rocker covers etc.) Filled it up with clean oil, power steering fluid and coolant, then started the car. Yay!! It ran, and it ran like a dream....for about 5 to 10 minutes... then started getting rougher and rougher and rougher. It would restart agian under throttle, but the moment you took your foot off the throttle, it would shit it self again. Now it doesn't start at all. I've ruled out mechanical and ignition problems as the car will start if I spray a bit of aerostart into the intake. It has plenty of fuel pressure at the fuel rail, but obviously the injectors are'nt working. My thoughts are that I have somehow killed the camshaft sensor. Has anyone else got any ideas???

[Hanna]

Did you disconnect the battery whilst you were working on it at all, or let it get low by say having the radio and bonnet light on?

Reason is, every time this happens it takes a certain amount of time for the computer to re-learn the sequence. If you can get it to run for a couple of minutes by revving it manually, it will come good.

Otherwise, it sounds like you camshaft sensor plug might be loose, damaged, or have a bit of moisture in there. Spray some contact cleaner in there.

Good luck!

[Elio_S]

The battery was disconnected while I worked on it. My first thought was the computer needed relearning, but the fact is it started and ran fine for a few minutes before it started to run rough and then not at all.
Moisture in the camshaft sensor plug is a possibility as I washed that side of then engine bay down before I put the battery tray back on. I'll try and have a look at tomorrow

[fester]

After cleaning up the shed finally and getting some space I decided to finally attack some of the issues on my list.
First up the cam position sensor. Cleaned up around it and whilst a bit tight an easy job still.
Second the crank sensor. Again fiddly as you have to come up from underneath then over the top of the starter but whilst slow and hard to do unsighted, not too bad.
Thirdly the idler pulleys and on to the alternator, least that's what I planned. First idler near the alternator, easy. Second one near the vacuum pump not so much. With the rad and fan and pipes still in place it's very hard to get a straight go at the bolt and stupidly the bolt is an internal T45 torx rather than the external head and it's very shallow only about 3-4mm so with the bolt probably seized a bit into the alloy and unable to get a straight go at it, the head stripped. So I've spent the last couple of hours with a drill and the dremel firstly destroying the plastic pulley section and then with a dremel cutting wheel cutting the bearing in half to get rid of the outer shell so I can then get at the hidden bolt that stops me from pulling the mounting bracket off complete so I can attack the bolt on the bench.

Time I took up drinking again!!!!!

[ohmygrodd]

Got home from work early this arvo so replaced the steering damper (broke it on a rock a couple of weeks ago) on my WJ with a Tough Dog unit. The fit up was easy with very good instructions supplied. Took it for a quick run around the block and it is running straight so I seem to have set it up right.

[bodgie]

Originally Posted by ohmygrodd

Got home from work early this arvo so replaced the steering damper (broke it on a rock a couple of weeks ago) on my WJ with a Tough Dog unit. The fit up was easy with very good instructions supplied. Took it for a quick run around the block and it is running straight so I seem to have set it up right.

Hi ohmygrodd,

I'd rotate the damper so it is parallel with the tie rod. I'd hazzard a guess that someone has done a wheel alignment at some stage and not rotated it back into what I consider to be the correct position.

Jason

[grand_wj]

Agreed.. Otherwise you'll be up for another damper after the next 4x4 trip...make sure wheels are straight, loosen turn till parallel, tightern. congrats you've just saved yourself another $150.00.