acfortier

I don't think it's "nice enough" to be on BaT, lol. It needs a paint job, badly, but I'm not sure I want to invest that $$ if I'm just going to turn it around and sell it anyways. I initially purchased it for $6000 a few years ago. I was thinking I'd be happy with $8000, and honestly not sure if it's worth much more than that, anyways. Also would include a large slew of extra parts I've accumulated over the years: * NOS brush guard * Inner fender liners, need to be installed * Extra set of door/window seals * dual diaphragm brake booster * solid rear window gasket * Extra maroon dash/door panels/interior bits * tow mirror set up w/ brackets * front skid plate (haven't reinstalled since I got it)

OK, short trip to Walmart yesterday, 40 mi round trip today, and no issues. I think it's resolved!

Replaced the ECU with an eBay unit today. Interestingly, my unit did not have a sticker on the top that has the part number, and the plug itself was orange rather than gray on the replacement. That is the original one in the vehicle. Doesn’t look too great, I think that is a cap next to the heat sink that looks like it’s rusted? Anyways, new ECU in and has been running for 5+ min and got up to temp, no issues so far. The MAINT REQD light is now illuminated which is going to bug me, lol.

Isn't 210/215 normal operating temp for these? Curious, did you confirm that the gauge is accurate by measuring temp another way?

Found this thread that identifies the same problem: https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/check-engine-lamp-259881/ Unfortunately the OP didn't give an update and it's over 10 years old... lol Similar symptoms in this thread: https://www.jeepforum.com/threads/no-check-engine-light-when-key-is-on.603033/ which also mentions a potential faulty ECM.

Just checked now. Only codes are 12 and 55, which make sense. However, I took another video of the CEL and it is definitely supposed to stay illuminated much longer. Also seems like the MAINT REQ light is supposed to go out at the same time? https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E6N1foVjDRovtaQNUhsePgGBMVu39vnK/view?usp=sharing I assume the ECM controls the CEL directly, so now I'm thinking it's a faulty ECM again?

I don’t think it has enough time to get warm to be honest. It wasn’t idling for more than 5 minutes last time it happened. Can someone confirm if the Check Engine light should stay illuminated longer when they key is ON but the engine is not running?

I did, but that was prior when I was having the same issue due to a poor connection at the ignition coil awhile back. Since this issue popped up again, I ended up putting the original CPS back in since I knew it wasn’t the original issue, but the current problem still persisted.

Well, installed new battery, started a couple times and let it idle and didn't have any issues. Went outside this AM to do the same thing, and it died after a few minutes. Tried to start it again, crank-crank-crank-crank. Took another video because this seems really weird--I feel like the Check Engine light and others should start illuminated longer than they are when putting the key into ON? https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xWpoduznIcf90QYQUEk4af7FvGZyhk9l/view?usp=drive_link

I almost preemptively tagged you in the post... alright, new battery coming today since I'm out of ideas.

I was waiting for you to mention the battery Alright, I'll bite and pick one up today.

No tilt column. I did try jiggling the key/ignition while it was running to see if I could get it to do something, but nothing was conclusive. Battery connections are brand new. Just upgraded to the Big 7 (although, I only did the Big "4"--negative to engine, negative to fender, positive to PDC, positive to starter)

OK, checked ignition switch, no burnt wires/terminals or anything. Happened a few more times as I was troubleshooting, but didn't seem to correlate to what I was doing (moving the connector up/down, moving the wires up/down). Couple times the engine would throttle down, then shoot back up higher, then come back to a normal idle.

OK, now this is a new symptom. I've been dealing with a crank, no-start issue outlined here: https://comancheclub.com/topic/72314-another-crank-no-start-issue and tried to tackle it again today. Started it up, no problem. Left it running to walk away into the basement for a second, and came back and it was off. BUT, I could hear the fuel pump cycling on and off rapidly, which was really odd. Took out the phone for a quick video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RCUkOpcXoGe4e-vn1CPgN7IVAXKmLuZJ/view?usp=sharing As you can see, it's acting as if I'm cycling the key from OFF-ON-OFF-ON etc. but the key has been in the ON position the entire time. I've never noticed this before, and definitely seems electrical, but I'm not really sure where to start? Is it the ignition switch causing this?

I'm thinking about selling my Comanche, but not really sure what it's worth. I've got a ton of extra parts that I'll include with it, including NOS brush guard, front skid plate, tow mirrors w/ door bracket, extra odds and ends. Located in MA, it's fairly rust free except some spots on the body. The only issue that is may (or may not?) have is the intermittent crank-no start that I don't feel confident has been fixed.

Well, I feel like the saga still continues in: In the mean time, I've got the battery tested (which passed with flying colors at multiple auto parts stores) and did the "Big 4" (I didn't go all the way with 7) battery cable upgrade. Haven't really driven it much, and hasn't really given me an issue but I still don't feel good about it. I'm at the point now where I think I'm going to sell it with the plethora of extra parts I have. I don't drive it, and have lost interest in it. Would rather buy a motorcycle, to be honest.

Well, it was time for me to pass this on to someone else who would fix up the remaining issues and drive it. I don't have the facilities that I'd like to be able to work on it (no garage) and my parents would like their front lawn space back... so ended up selling it. Couldn't believe the amount of interest it was getting on FB marketplace, lol. But it sold!

Heh, so the updated part of this is that the issue was definitely not fixed and still intermittent. I've always been leery of my battery cables, since the negative was definitely replaced (or painted?) at some time. and the terminals were a bit crusty. Bought the JeepCables kit, and did the Big "4" (I didn't bother adding in the fuse between PDC and Alternator, nor did I replace the firewall to valve cover). It seems like the battery negative to englne block was significantly shorter than what I had and forced me to reroute it, but it's still a bit too tight than I'd like. After that, fired right up. Fired up a couple other times randomly, and decided to try to go for a ride to the town dump for some yard waste dropoff. About 30 mins round trip, no issues. So now I'm REALLY hoping it's resolved... lol

Nice color. That's what I painted my AMC 360 when I got a reman for my J10.

Thanks! I don't mind taking a drive, but I will check out all three of those places.

I still haven't taken the time to get my A/C charged on the Comanche, and it's been a few years. I definitely feel out of my comfort zone and would rather take it somewhere to get it all checked out and charged up. I'm located in Worcester, MA. Anyone have a line of reputable shops that would have knowledge on older systems like mine?

Well, now I'm just embarrassed. I like to think myself as a technical/mechanical person, but sometimes these problems eat me up. Tried to do component isolation before firing the parts cannon at it, and I could have swore I was able to see the 5V at the ignition coil previously, but I must have gotten it mixed up with something else. Picked up a Carquest Premium coil from Advance for $40. Was surprised to find it say Made in Poland on the box. I assume Poland must be better than China, at the very least, right? Popped off the old coil, popped on the new one, and voila--it turns on. Since I was curious to confirm that it definitely was the old coil (and not get a possible false positive), I put the old coil back on. And it fired up again. WTF? But, the connector was yet again loose, just like it was previously--I was able to apply pressure to it to get the Jeep to stumble and turn off. Also, compared to the new coil, it was noisy and I could feel vibrations when touching it. So I took the old one off again, cleaned up the bracket and bolts used to secure to the bracket. Also, the connector was way tighter on the new coil than the old, and I wasn't able to do the same thing to get it to stumble like previously. My guess is either that coil is bad/was going bad, it had a poor ground through the bracket that connects to the body, and/or the connector input was loose again. Thanks @ghetdjc320 for urging me to go the route of a new coil. It had previously tested fine via resistance, but it very well could have been a poor ground/poor connector.

Interesting... it's worth a shot! Thanks for the tips. Coils are cheap enough, and I can bring the battery to get tested at the same time. Honestly, not sure how old the battery is--it's been in there since I purchased it.

Battery seems fine--it's been sitting for at least a month or two now and will still crank over no problem when testing. Terminals on the battery are clean, ground cables are clean and tight. I'll double check it all, but I don't think that's the culprit in this case (although it would be nice if it was just a bad ground, lol). I'll have to find a higher res image of what you shared--can't make out any of the writing. Fuel pump is running. Don't need to pull a plug, not getting spark, because the coil isn't getting 5V to fire. So, definitely not the coil (at least, not yet) since it's not getting the signal from the ECU to fire.

I'm all ears for other suggestions It's at my parent's house, next on the list is to check the ASD relay terminals in the PDC and if any CEL codes come up.