scguy Posted November 18, 2022 Share Posted November 18, 2022 Starting this thread for my recently purchased 95 XJ SE. 4.0, AW4, RWD. 217k miles. My favorite green also. Bought it with low compression on cylinders 2 and 3, I believe it's a valve issue. Not sure of my end goal or plans, but for $250, I had to buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZLAJeep Posted November 18, 2022 Share Posted November 18, 2022 I wouldn't have been able to resist for $250 either. I bought a '94 for $1,500 because it was too cheap to pass up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scguy Posted November 18, 2022 Author Share Posted November 18, 2022 It's got no cranking compression on #2&3, but snap throttle running, has about 110 psi, so I believe it's in the valves, but I just so happen to have a rebuilt 7120 head sitting around to slap on. Going to do a leakdown check first. I'm planning on embracing it being RWD and green and loosely planning to make a 'Bullitt' XJ with Mustang wheels. Upgrade sway bars, maybe lower it a touch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coheed Posted November 18, 2022 Share Posted November 18, 2022 Looking forward to seeing this. I love the "street" treatment a lot of the MJ/XJs are getting these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scguy Posted November 22, 2022 Author Share Posted November 22, 2022 First up, the PO mentioned that the battery constantly was drained. After exhausting all my options for reviving the current battery, it looks like I'll have to break down and just buy a new battery. My current goal is to get the Jeep running and drive able for as little cash as possible as a challenge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scguy Posted November 24, 2022 Author Share Posted November 24, 2022 I did a parasitic draw test and found a steady draw of about 200mA. Thats about 6x+ what I think an XJ should have. Found that it was on Fuse 9, so the interior lamp circuit. After ruling out all the usual suspects, I accidentally found a small cylindrical flasher looking relay that was warm to the touch. Turns out, it's the 95/96 only time delay relay that provides power to the key lock cylinder surround illumination. So that got unplugged and now, <10mA. Gotta love a free fix. I can now reinstall the radio and dome lights the PO took out to track down the draw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JZLAJeep Posted November 24, 2022 Share Posted November 24, 2022 12 minutes ago, scguy said: Turns out, it's the 95/96 only time delay relay that provides power to the key lock cylinder surround illumination. So that got unplugged and now, <10mA. Did the draw remain after the key lock cylinder illumination turned off? I have the same surround on my 95 XJ and it turns off after a few minutes as I recall. I don't think I've ever had a problem, but perhaps after almost 30 years your had developed some problem. There were likely many Dodge models from the mid-90s that had the same surround illumination. My sons claim the Dodge Viper of that vintage has it. So I like to say that a Viper and my XJ are practically the same... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scguy Posted November 24, 2022 Author Share Posted November 24, 2022 5 minutes ago, JZLAJeep said: Did the draw remain after the key lock cylinder illumination turned off? I have the same surround on my 95 XJ and it turns off after a few minutes as I recall. I don't think I've ever had a problem, but perhaps after almost 30 years your had developed some problem. There were likely many Dodge models from the mid-90s that had the same surround illumination. My sons claim the Dodge Viper of that vintage has it. So I like to say that a Viper and my XJ are practically the same... It was still there after an hour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scguy Posted November 27, 2022 Author Share Posted November 27, 2022 Got a bit of work time on the XJ this afternoon. First off, the air filter is nasty! Some critter was living in there. As a recap, low compression on #2 and 3 cylinders. Did a cylinder leakdown test (don't have the actual gauge) and #2 leaked badly through the exhaust. #3 leaked badly through the intake. So my replacement head should fix it. There's a terrible amount of sludge. Don't like that. Said critter chewed up the #4 injector connector. I found a replacement in my spare connector box and soldered it in. Reinstalled the dome light bulbs and radio. Front speakers are blown. Rear soundbar speakers work, but are shot also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scguy Posted November 29, 2022 Author Share Posted November 29, 2022 I love how cheap parts are for these Jeeps. Ordered a head gasket, valve cover gasket, oil pan gasket, oil filter adapter gasket, thermostat housing gasket, rear main seal, Champion plugs and some misc parts for $62 shipped from RockAuto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scguy Posted December 3, 2022 Author Share Posted December 3, 2022 Parts showed up yesterday and my head gasket was damaged beyond repair. Rock Auto is shipping me another one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted December 3, 2022 Share Posted December 3, 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scguy Posted December 12, 2022 Author Share Posted December 12, 2022 Second one also came damaged, so I just got one locally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scguy Posted January 2, 2023 Author Share Posted January 2, 2023 I got the head job basically done this week, she runs pretty good. I have to pull the oil pan and clean the pickup, change rear main and oil pan gasket yet before I try to drive it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scguy Posted January 12, 2023 Author Share Posted January 12, 2023 Did the oil pan gasket, rear main seal last week. Found the torque converter bolts were loose also, so torqued them properly. Basically just need to get it registered and tagged now. Still have to look into the blower motor not working, but I'm guessing it's the HVAC panel connector as I have voltage with the blower unplugged, but not with it plugged in, so likely a melted connector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatslug87 Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 What lift is that and how high does it go? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scguy Posted January 13, 2023 Author Share Posted January 13, 2023 18 hours ago, fiatslug87 said: What lift is that and how high does it go? Thanks. It's an older Hunter alignment rack. High enough for 6'1 me to stand under, say, a Civic without hitting my head Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scguy Posted January 23, 2023 Author Share Posted January 23, 2023 I've been busy adding all sorts of fun new parts, like hatch lift struts and wheel cylinders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 24, 2023 Share Posted January 24, 2023 the exciting stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scguy Posted January 28, 2023 Author Share Posted January 28, 2023 The blower motor doesn't work, dropping power. I guessed at the issue and ordered a blower switch connector from @schardeinwhich came today. I was right, but that wasn't the full extent of the problem. The blower switch itself was melted, so I replaced that too with a spare I had. Still no power, so I go to the fuse box and find that the blower fuse has melted instead of blown and melted the fusebox. Going to bypass the fusebox or use a different power tap and inline fuse, plus I'm definitely going to amp check the blower motor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted January 29, 2023 Share Posted January 29, 2023 dang well, at least you caught it before it caught fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schardein Posted January 29, 2023 Share Posted January 29, 2023 16 hours ago, scguy said: The blower motor doesn't work, dropping power. I guessed at the issue and ordered a blower switch connector from @schardeinwhich came today. I was right, but that wasn't the full extent of the problem. The blower switch itself was melted, so I replaced that too with a spare I had. Still no power, so I go to the fuse box and find that the blower fuse has melted instead of blown and melted the fusebox. Going to bypass the fusebox or use a different power tap and inline fuse, plus I'm definitely going to amp check the blower motor. Man, what a bummer. A green ATO fuse usually means it's a 30amp fuse. The factory installed fuse would be a 25amp. This appears to be a classic example of someone experiencing a blown fuse, and installing a higher amperage rated fuse as an attempted fix. Which in turn causes bigger problems. Both my 91 MJ and 91 XJ had mildy overheated blower switch connectors. I replaced them without having to fix anything else. But I think it most cases, there is something else going on, as you are finding out. I have limited experience troubleshooting blower motor issues, but it seems like checking everything is a good idea- The fusebox (for blown/incorrect fuse), the blower switch and connector, the blower resistor and connector, and the fan itself and it's wire and connector. And do Cruiser's tip on adding a dedicated ground for the motor. The horn, rear window defogger, and blower motor are some the highest amp draw accessories, but the blower motor gets the most use by a long shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scguy Posted January 29, 2023 Author Share Posted January 29, 2023 I've had several people 2 hours ago, schardein said: Man, what a bummer. A green ATO fuse usually means it's a 30amp fuse. The factory installed fuse would be a 25amp. This appears to be a classic example of someone experiencing a blown fuse, and installing a higher amperage rated fuse as an attempted fix. Which in turn causes bigger problems. Both my 91 MJ and 91 XJ had mildy overheated blower switch connectors. I replaced them without having to fix anything else. But I think it most cases, there is something else going on, as you are finding out. I have limited experience troubleshooting blower motor issues, but it seems like checking everything is a good idea- The fusebox (for blown/incorrect fuse), the blower switch and connector, the blower resistor and connector, and the fan itself and it's wire and connector. And do Cruiser's tip on adding a dedicated ground for the motor. The horn, rear window defogger, and blower motor are some the highest amp draw accessories, but the blower motor gets the most use by a long shot. Interestingly, my 95 FSM and all my other diagrams point to a 30A fuse being correct. I mean, a blower shouldn't be pulling anywhere near 30A, maybe 10-12A. Will definitely do a dedicated ground wire. Also, you just made me aware that this XJ has no rear defrost. Didn't even think to look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ωhm Posted January 29, 2023 Share Posted January 29, 2023 Any DC motor that isn't spinning is like having a Short to Ground. No spin, no counter-voltage. At motor start up, surge current will climb until motor RPM's increase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schardein Posted January 29, 2023 Share Posted January 29, 2023 33 minutes ago, scguy said: I've had several people Interestingly, my 95 FSM and all my other diagrams point to a 30A fuse being correct. I mean, a blower shouldn't be pulling anywhere near 30A, maybe 10-12A. Will definitely do a dedicated ground wire. Also, you just made me aware that this XJ has no rear defrost. Didn't even think to look. That is interesting. I looked at a 96 FSM and it does show a 30a. I looked at 87-91 FSMs and they show a 25a. Made me wonder if Jeep changed the specs on the blower motor. A look at the 91 parts manual shows a different part number from a 94-96 parts manual. But a quick look on Rockauto shows the same part fitting 1988-96. I wonder why Jeep decided to change to a 30a. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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