Tips for repairing jeeps? What to do first!!!!

[Ecomike]

:soapbox:Biggest tip I can add is to use lots of patience, and systematic testing to isolate the cause of the problem. This requires know how and knowing why and how things work, which requires some home work!!!!! Reading is free, volt and ohm meter testing is free. OBD scanner is free at parts stores. Throwing parts blindly at a problem is very expensive considering how many parts jeeps have :gag:

Many, if not most, things on jeeps have electric wiring and sensors and controls on them. Wires break, connectors corrode, and sensors go bad. Vacuum hoses go bad (think of them like signal wires). Everything (almost) on jeeps are connected. When trouble shooting ask for and make a list of all possible sources of the problem, then refine the list to probable sources, then make a list of cheap simple tests that can be done to whittle the list down to as few items as possible. Add ODB code scan results to data collection if they exist. Cheap Infrared temp scanners can produce great temp data for overheating issues. Temp sensors can tested with and ohm meter. TPS sensors, Map sensors, and others can be tested with an ohm/volt meter.

Then continue the process till you find what is broken. Then do one fix it job, replace the one bad item, and be done with it.

 

[robert2008]

Thanks?

 

[old_man]

I'm an old school shade tree mechanic. Two of my most common tools are a vacuum gauge and a compression tester. Add a multimeter and a chunk of fuel line and you can diagnose damn near anything.

 

[Ecomike]

The Vacuum gauge is an awesome tool indeed, way underused. I also like my radiator pressure tester. Also way undervalued is the FSM, Factory Service Manual like the Renix Multi-port Injection manual that basically explains how the computer-fuel injection system thinks, learns, senses and operates. A must read to be able to diagnose troublesome gremlins even on HOs I think.