couple quick questions about a new jeep

alright, im pretty sure im getting an 88 chero, automatic.

there are a couple of problems with it, (the reason its going for 150:laugh3

first, the hood wont open. the pull thing has not tension.. how can i get it open to change the fluids and such??

also, the Transfer case is stuck in 4h. it drives fine, but i cant get it out of 4wd. im hoping its the linkage, what do you guys think? it doesnt budge in either direction..

lastly, when checking it out, it was running fine the engine idled great, and there was no bogging. however, when i clicked the brights on (only when i did this, i tried the radio, regular lights, horn) the engine just shut right off. what do you guys think? is there an electrical problem, or bad alternator, or bad battery?

thats about it, ill post up if there are any more questions i forgot

Thanks,
Travis

Sounds like you got your money's worth...

Take off the front grill and you should be able to access the hood latch.

Sounds like the alternator is SHOT and it is running on the battery. OR you have some bad shorts in the harness.

Try moving the transfer case handle with the tranny in Neutral. If it still doesn't move, climb under and check the linkage, it's prolly screwed up. You CAN disconnect it all and manually put the TC in 2H. If it all seems OK and the TC shift mech doesn't move, you have something hosed inside the TC (shifter fork maybe) If it's a 231 don't drive it around in 4WD on dry pavement.

Needless to say, it isn't going to be a daily driver soon!!

no, not at all lol

I think if the problem with stalling occurred only when you put the headlights on bright, there's probably a short somewhere. You can check your battery voltage to confirm whether or not the alternator is putting out, but if everything works well on low beam, but goes dead on high, that's likely to be a problem with the headlights themselves. If it's been sitting around for a while, check for mouse activity too. Chewed wires, nests in headlights, nests in air cleaner, etc.

When you say it doesn't budge, does it wiggle? Or is it really jammed so there is no movement at all? If the transfer case lever itself doesn't move at all, it's likely just a badly rusted bushing where the shaft passes through the floor. It stiffens up with age, and if this vehicle was parked for a long time, it could be as simple as that. If it wiggles but doesn't shift, the problem is further down the line, either in the linkage or inside the TC. If it's just the bushing, you can lean hard on it and try to get it to move. Once it's moving, give it some exercise. Just keep moving it until it frees up.

yea, it doesnt budge, but i didnt want to force it for fear that it would snap...

thats what i thought, mice...

any other ideas about anything?

I just had the hood release cable replaced in my wifes oldsmobile, at the local GM dealer, cost was $65 for labor and new cable. That hood release can be a royal PIA to get open, there are two locks, one on each side. You will need to remove both headlights and headlight buckets to get at them. I've done two XJ's and replaced the cable, took about an hour or so per. Don't know what the jeep dealer would charge but if it is in the ballpark of the GM dealer the $65 was well worth the money.... I know that when mine goes it's getting two hood pins and no cable release...

thats what i was planning on doing haha.

i just wanted to get it open first. ill fool around with it for a while and see if i can get to it

Start hitting the transfer case linkages with Power blaster to free it up. I lube all our jeeps with a few squirts of royal purple synthetic spray lube when I'm under there doing an oil change.

will do, thanks

The short sounds like it is in the collum. Try wiggling around the multifunction switch and see if it does it anyother time.

The wipers worked fine. i didnt check the blinker, gotta do that.

You guys were right, the T-case came out of 4wd with some forcefulness. im going to lube it up and de-rust it.

so now for the electrical

When we started it we had to jump it. there was no crank and no power to the inside (battery was dead) after it died, there was no crank then too.
i turn the key and nothing. i know the battery is bad, but shouldnt it have charged a little if teh alternator was good? or is it just TOO dead?

Either charge the battery with a charger, or just replace it with a new one. That will eliminate one step in your troubleshooting. Then start it up again and check the voltage to the battery with a meter. It should be between 13.5-14 volts when running. Don't trust the dash gauge.

On an 88 the voltage regulator should be internal, so if you are not charging, and all the wiring is good....likely it will be easiest just to change the alternator.

Jim

http://www.comancheclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=872
hood release.

It is quite possible for a battery to be so stone dead it will take no charge at all, and possible also for a very discharged battery with some life left in it to take a long time before it begins again to accept a charge. As said above, run a charger overnight, but don't keep your hopes up. If the battery was truly stone dead, all bets are off as to other electrical problems, because when you jump start it, the vehicle is running entirely on the alternator output without the filtering of the battery. Voltage will be too high and current capacity too low, and electronics will be unhappy with the chopped DC the alternator provides.

If the vehicle has been sitting a long time, and the alternator isn't charging, before you toss it try running it a while, and if possible, spray some non-flammable contact cleaner in to try to hit the slip rings. Alternator brushes have very soft springs, and don't put much pressure on the slip rings, so if the rings corrode, it may take a long time for the brushes to reestablish contact. I doubt this is your problem, though, because if it were, the Jeep probably would not have run at all with a flat battery.

i figured as much, that the car was running on soley the output of the alternator. i found it hard to believe that one jump gave the battery 5-10 mins of life with a dead alt.

Thanks, now i gotta find that damned short...

Travis