My warranty just expired and of course the issues now arise. My 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4's engine light has come on. Occasionally when I start it it will go up to over 3 rpms and stay there for about 5 minutes. Also when I coast at a slow speed and almost stop it will stall out. It will start back up but runs very rough and the transmission shifts very hard. I took it into a Jeep dealership and they said the code came back as the throttle position sensor but that the problems I am having are more than likely caused by something else as well. I assume they are trying to rip me off because I'm a young female and just wanted your opinion please. My car has 71,000 miles and has had the relay fan switch replaced, passenger window thingy, and has recently had an oil change and they couldn't find anything wrong. Thanks for any and all tips you could give me! I'm broke and can't afford major work!!
Amie :)
My answer:
Hello Amie,
I just dropped you a short post reply on your other posted problem
relating to this one I'm now answering, as for some reason I wasn't
seeing this original one grouped together for whatever reason. Oh
well...
Anyway - this kind of a long reply so bear with me here.
Not sure why no one answered you as of yet, but I will as I've seen
this problem, and a few similar "ghost" related problems like this
quite frequently.
Jeeps are notorious for rough idling and INJECTOR FOULING problems. That is a given.
Even my little sister's 1988 Jeep Grand Limited had similar problems,
and even the rip off dealership couldn't fix the dang problem, and then
ripped her off big time to the tune of $500+ for basically doing
nothing. Tried to tell her she had the wrong Platinum spark plugs
installed, which was total BS!!
About your rough idling, hesitations, and stalling. Here's the straight
talk about what no doubt is happening with your Jeep - seeings you only
have young mileage of 71,000 on it.
It seems like on many an SUV and esp TRUCKS with the older Ignition
Coil Packs and Spark Plug Wires scheme that 60 to 75,000 miles was an
average time period to when the spark plug wires would start breaking
down.
I had the very same thing happen on my 1993 Ford XPLR - where once it
warmed up it started to miss and backfire, and seem to want to stall
out when taking off from a standing stop, but ran fine at higher RPM's.
Mileage was around 20-22 mpg on the open road with Cruise Control set
at 70-75 mph too! On the "preprogrammed or preset PCM computer" COLD
circuit start up it ran just fine until after the engine reached it's
optimal operating temp, and then the stalling problem would kick in.
That was the BIG CLUE right there!
At first I too had suspected possibly the TPS (Throttle Position
Sensor) as maybe being dirty or sticky, as the symptoms would be very
similar, but even more pronounced and persistent if it indeed was a bad
TPS.
I ruled out both the Oxygen Sensors (and they were just fine btw), as I
wasn't getting a CHECK ENGINE code for those or even the TPS for that
matter. So I knew it was something that wasn't "sensor" related. I
thought possibly a bad Coil Pack, but that checked out fine as did the
Platinum Spark Plugs I had just recently installed. That only left the
Spark Plug Wires as the fault.
Even though Jeeps are notorious for having FOULED FUEL INJECTORS quite frequently - I really doubt that the TPS is your problem.
I highly suspect your SPARK PLUGS ARE BAD! All it takes is 1 bad wire
to really break down and the symptoms are very pronounced. 2 bad wires
on a V-6 engine like mine, and you really have problems like I even had
with backfiring through the intake plenum! Have you heard any
backfiring on your Jeep as well? If so - there is your problem!
My 1993 XPLR roughly had 93,000 miles on it when the original factory
Spark Plug Wire problem cropped up. For sure I had 1 bad measured wire,
and possibly a 2nd bad one as well. The recommended change out period
is 60,000 miles, so anything over that and you are on borrowed time as
they say. A brand new lifetime warranty $20 Spark Plug Wire set from
Pepboys solved the problem. AND - guess what - that new set had a bad
wire in it that broke down about 20,000 miles later, so thank God I had
the lifetime parts warranty as the 3rd set was free!!
My buddy's Ford F-250 had the same "missing" problem and he bet me $20
that the problem wasn't the Spark Plug Wires. Guess what? Easiest $20 I
ever made! New set of lifetime spark plug wires later - END OF PROBLEM
- end of story!!
Your TPS could still be slightly dirty, and with a good spray cleaning should improve that original rough idling, hesitations, and stalling
problem. If it doesn't then that is not the problem, as many times a
CHECK ENGINE light will register multiple Engine Codes, as it did with
your Jeep. That is why the even the stupid dealership couldn't figure
it out! Go figure huh?
Why the IDLE goes up to ~ 3000 RPM and holds for some 5 mins like you
were saying it does is a bit strange as well, as your saying it wants
to also stall out when coming to a coast at a
slow speed and then almost stalling out at a near stop. I seriously
doubt a dirty or bad TPS here at all. That 3000 RPM holding like that
is a bit strange to say the least, but it makes sense as my XPLR was
doing something similar on HOT startups, as then the spark plug wires
were breaking down even more so!
What's probably happening is your bad Spark Plug Wires aren't firing
strong enough, and in turn the engine is taking longer to come up to
temp, and then playing mind games with the PCM (Powertrain Control
Module) computer. Everything has to be working right from not only a
Sensor standpoint, but also from a Firing standpoint as well.
So when you have 1 or more bad Spark Plug Wires, which you no doubt do,
then it messes everything up. The PCM can only compensate so much and
then it goes crazy too!
After all it's not human you know! hahaha
Now granted your FUEL INJECTORS may be a bit dirty as well and I'm recommending that you do the following as well:
Jeeps in general don't have a good track record for great mileage, and
rough engine idling is always a clue that your fuel injectors are
dirty. All bad Spark Plug Wires aside! Typical on all Jeeps with port fuel injection systems! On Jeeps
with dirty fuel injectors your mileage will go way down accordingly and will idle very rough. If
your not putting at least a 12 oz bottle of say Walmart brand Super
Tech Fuel Injector Cleaner (~ $1 each) in your gas tank religiously
every logged 1000 miles, or every 2 tank fill ups, then you are just
inviting dirty fuel injectors and POOR fuel economy!
Try to burn good gas in your Jeep as here I use ARCO gas which always
has burned great in my XPLR. I never had good luck with EXXON as it
tends to FOUL some spark plugs really bad!
If you need help with the brand of Spark Plug Wires let me know, and
I'll try and get you the stock # and Mfr's name. They've probably gone
up in price since I bought mine so probably expect to pay maybe $25-30
for a set now. Mine were around $15 back then, but that was around 9
years ago!
Let me know if you have a PEPBOYS AUTO or a AUTOZONE parts place near you?
Hopefully this will save you a lot of $$$ and get your Jeep running smooth again!
Take care now,
Frank
I also have an '03 Grand Cherokee Laredo, and I had the same problem. Fortunately it was still under warranty but I did have to pay $300 for a fouled injector.
- Simply put, dealers are not always the most honest. Warped rotors is a very serious event. They warped from heat and a fair amount of it at that. The issues causing this should have been immediately addressed.
- Lathing them down is a ridiculous concept in this case. They should have sent those rotors off for a quality inspection and the issue fixed as well as your rotors replaced. Perhaps at a cost but they were grossly negligent putting lives at risk. I would consider filing a complaint and never use them again.
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my engine is spluttring and the fuel injection light as come on does any one no what this is and is it costly , it a renault scenic 2000 y reg
I have been having the same problems!!! I have no idea what is causing this! The mechanic has replaced the crank sensor and cam sensor on my '03 GC with 61,000 miles. I had both the stalling and the high rpm on the highway. What did you do to fix this?
I have the same problem. the fan keeps running and killing the battery and passanger window fell off track just after my warrenty expired!
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