One of those weeks... Jeep/MX6 issues

As a reward for me taking my first vacation in 5 years to go to the Challenge, my cars are rebelling against me.

The Jeep's heat doesn't work well, so i figure i'll flush the core. Oops. Enjoy your snapped hood latch cable, motherberkeleyer. Sooo... i leave that lone until i get the new cable in.

So what does the Jeep do? Go dead as a doornail. No electricity. The gauges had been acting funny, and the "Check Gauges" warning light coming on every so often prior, but i figured that was just the contact on the back of the cluster that always gets dirty on these, and i was going to do that when i re-did the suspension anyways.

So, i rip out everything keeping me from getting to the remainder of the hood latch cable, cut some sheathing off the end, and grab the cable with some vice grips and get the hood open. Jiggle around the terminals, the ends of the cables look pretty corroded, so i just tighten it all down for now, she starts right up. (This was Sunday morning at about... 5:30am.) Got me home just fine. (Was doing an all-night thrash on the Escort.)

Get up to go to work today, and it's frosted over. Oh, this'll be fun with no heat. The scraper is in the MX6, so i walk over to unlock it, stick the key that i've been using (i don't actually have the key to this car, i use the Escort key) into the lock like i've done for the last 3+ years, turn, and nothing happens except for completely dicking up the lock, which now doesn't turn at all, which means i can't get into the car anymore. (Escort key ONLY worked in the driver's lock due to worn tumbler.)

End up scraping the Jeep with a CD case.

Stop to get gas on the way to work. Jeep goes electrically dead again. Have to play with the vice grips and terminals again.

Notice at the last 2 stoplights on my way into work, the CHECK GAUGES light is coming on again, and the oil pressure gauge is at zero. Revving the motor up (smart!!!) gives me some oil pressure, oil pressure seems pretty normal when driving, but not when idling.

Park, get out, play with vice grips and terminals again, no change.

Sooooo.... I guess i'm flushing the heater core and replacing the terminals on the Jeep today, but i have no idea what to do about the oil pressure gauge at this point. It needs an oil change since there's a whole can of seafoam in the oil right now. I don't know if that would cause the issue, though. AND, my oil pressure idiot light isn't coming on. (Unless CHECK GAUGES is the warning light on these?)

Should i trust this far enough to drive it the 20 miles up to my garage?

Annnddd... locks for the MX6? What do?

I think I locked my mx6 twice in the last year and a half.

It's probably going to have to come to that, but if i can get new locks in it sooner rather than later, then i won't have to.

That is, of course, assuming the Jeep isn't about to throw a rod or something.

Jeep kinda sounds like the oil pump is failing. OR- there's a big nub of gunk clogging up a line somewhere, that was put there when you seafoamed it... and the car can only push enough pressure at higher RPM.

Not sure what kind of jeep you have but if it has a 4.0L check the oil pressure sending unit. They like to fail and leak oil out the electrical connector. When that happens they will still read but not as well plus oil gets in the plug and can give you a poor reading.

Don't forget to inspect the door handle on the MX6 where it attaches to latch linkage; I had that break on my 626; the handle breaks, the plastic piece that snaps into the handle was in great shape. Completely backwards from what I'd expect, and I think I read somewhere that it is a common issue on these cars as they age.

PseudoSport wrote: Not sure what kind of jeep you have but if it has a 4.0L check the oil pressure sending unit. They like to fail and leak oil out the electrical connector. When that happens they will still read but not as well plus oil gets in the plug and can give you a poor reading.

Yeah, sorry... it's a 2000 Cherokee Sport 4.0.

I'm finding that the sending units go bad, as well as the galley leading up to them will get clogged. I think i'm going to try that first, do an oil change, and run some pipe cleaner up the galley leading to the sending unit.

I found this thread about 20 minutes ago. http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f19/4-0-low-oil-pressure-idle-fixed-1304679/

Seems to be exactly what i've got going on. Too bad the sending unit is relatively expensive.

pres589 wrote: Don't forget to inspect the door handle on the MX6 where it attaches to latch linkage; I had that break on my 626; the handle breaks, the plastic piece that snaps into the handle was in great shape. Completely backwards from what I'd expect, and I think I read somewhere that it is a common issue on these cars as they age.

I'll check that out when i manage to get it open, but the lock just isn't turning. Probably my fault for using the wrong key in it for so long.

In reply to 92CelicaHalfTrac:

No offense, but yeah, get that straight! I miss having power locks that switch off of the driver's lock position.

pres589 wrote: In reply to 92CelicaHalfTrac: No offense, but yeah, get that straight! I miss having power locks that switch off of the driver's lock position.

Oh, that still works. Well, at least when i can turn the lock.

I've got a WTB up for a set of door locks with a key. Don't care about the trunk, and i have another ignition with key that i've been putting off installing.

If you clean your battery terminals properly and smear them with vaseline they'll stay clean for a good long time (at least you'll have a good electrical connection, even if they look dirty).

GameboyRMH wrote: If you clean your battery terminals properly and smear them with vaseline they'll stay clean for a good long time (at least you'll have a good electrical connection, even if they look dirty).

The cables themselves are pretty effed. I need to cut the ends and strip some new stuff.

Everyone else think the oil issue will likely be resolved with a change, cleaning out that galley, and putting on a new sending unit if necessary? If the oil pump was bad, i'd think i'd get some pretty terrible pressure while driving as well, right? I'm still getting 50-60psi on the highway.

4.0's like oil pressure, but they don't NEED oil pressure ;)

My money is on the sending unit. Get that seafoam out of there though. I was running some brand of oil chemical in my '99 XJ and it was reading high oil pressure until I did a change. Once you have good fresh oil see where you're at, then move to cleaning the connector or replacing the sending unit.

The valve cover does leak pretty horribly. I'm wondering if it just leaked down the block and fouled up the sending unit connector with the Seafoam chemically stuff not playing nice.

buy honda. problems solved

Eurobeaner wrote: buy honda. problems solved

Go away Pat. I have no ambition to rebuild main relays or replace distributors every couple of weeks.

My life was no better when i owned Hondas.

+1 on the oil sending unit, I had similar symptoms in my '89 Chevy C1500.