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Jeep Cherokee, A/C Vacuum Doors Close with Acceleration Q: Its 1988 Jeep Cherokee with a 4.0 engine. The problem is with the air conditioning doors changing position to vent upon acceleration. The engine and accessories feel good and are running great cruising down the road, except during acceleration. When the engine drops the vacuum level, the A/C unit controls lose vacuum supply and the doors shift to their neutral positions. When we reach cruising speed with traffic, the vacuum comes back in and pulls the doors to the intended position to get that good cold air back in your face. We've visually checked the main vacuum lines from the intake manifold port through the reservoir under the front bumper up to the firewall. Thought I would ask if this is a recognized problem before I bend over and go through the dash, emissions lines or 4X4 systems. A: If the vacuum lines and vacuum reservoir are not damaged, you have a sticking or missing check valve in the vacuum supply to th...

Vehicle shakes violently while driving Q: I just bought an ‘87 Jeep Cherokee from a guy I know and while driving it home it began to shake violently almost to the point of losing control. It will stop and restart again but does not seem to be at any particular speed. Any suggestions? A: I would suggest inspecting the steering and front end components of the vehicle. There is one part in particular, called the steering stabilizer that should be checked over closely. The steering stabilizer is basically a shock absorber for the steering. This not to be confused with the shock absorbers for the suspension. The mass (steering and suspension) in the front end of Jeeps has a frequency problem, meaning that as the vehicle is being driven down the highway a sort of vibration develops. The steering stabilizer absorbs/deadens this vibration so it is not delectable. If the stabilizer is worn it can no longer prevent the front end shake from happening. The shake from a failed stabilizer ca...

WATER MIXING WITH OIL ISSUES ON JEEP Question: I've got an '84 CJ-7, 258 straight six. There is quite a bit of water-oil mixture in the valve cover. I've notice just a tiny bit on the dip stick. But, when I drop the oil there is no water. Also, there is lots of water-oil accumulation in the air cleaner. And I notice the radiator is short on water about every two months. I get the feeling I have either a cracked block or a blown head gasket but the engine is actually running under temp during normal operation.? A:There's no need to get physical. I don't believe that you're cooling loss is related to the watery-oil problem in the valve cover and air cleaner. It's not uncommon for a vehicle of that age to have small leaks that could account for the loss. The accumulation of water-oil in the air cleaner is a good indicator that the Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) system is not functioning properly. Next, you're going to ask, "Where did the w...

Testing Antifreeze in vehicle How do you check the antifreeze and water mixture in the radiator for corrosion? I will mention the procedure we use at out garage.As per our auto garage experience, The easiest and simplest manual procedure i will provide. At shop we use test strips that report the concentration of anti-freeze and the acidity of the coolant. These test strips can be found in most automotive parts stores and are really easy to use. You just dip the test strips in the coolant and compare the color of the test strip to the chart on the bottle they come in. It is a quick and reliable test and lets you know if the acidity of the coolant is at a damaging level. If the coolant is too acidic, the system must be drained and refilled with a 50/50 mix of anti-freeze and water. You should test the acidity of your vehicle's cooling system every oil change.  

A LOT OF ON DASH WARNING LIGHTS ON VEHICLE How to troubleshoot vehicles warning light Vehicle's service engine light was on for a week, I thought it was because I did not put the gas cap on properly. As per vehicles owners manual it should take about 3 cycles for the light to go out. After a week the light was still on, so I took it to the dealership, they did a diagnostic test and said the 02 sensor skipped. They reset the computer so that the engine light went out. A week later, the engine light is back on, afterwards the battery light came on and shortly after that the ABS indicator light came on. As I was driving home the radio went out and the lights inside the car started to dim. After shutting the car off, I tried to restart and it wouldn’t. The headlights did come on. I noticed as I put the security alarm on the car, it sounded weak.  Any better idea of what may be wrong with this vehicle, so that I can trust, when I take it to the shop, I have some sort of idea what...

IS IT POSSIBLE TO ACCESS OBD ERROR CODES MANUALLY Been in the automotive trade for  years, I’m an ASE triple master tech, and love computerized technology. My problem is tapping into the OBDII computer for diagnostic codes, like it was done with EEC, CCC, etc. At this time I am running a small shop on my own, part time, and cannot warrant the cost of big time diagnostic equipment. Is there a way to jump terminals or something to get into the newer systems to access error codes??  At present the simple answer is NO. But you cannot challenge inventions,tricks and R&D .The procedure an any time get created. Now a days newer vehicle’s computer systems have a new generation of advanced On Board Diagnostics which is affectionately referred to in our industry as OBD II. The reason of the OBD II system was to create a common data port, with a common protocol, for accessing information, primarily emissions related. The key word is integrated. The days of using a jumper wir...

My vehicle is under recall If I own a ‘91 vehicle with recalls can I bring it to a shop/dealership for repairs... and are they for free?  First you have to understand that recalls come in different flavors; voluntary and safety. A recall will commonly have a time and/or mileage limitation. If the recall is a safety recall the age or ownership of the vehicle is not a factor. To have the repairs performed at no cost requires that the work be done at the dealer. In the event you have had safety related repairs performed prior to the announcement of the safety recall, manufacturers have historically reimbursed the vehicle owner for those repairs if they present their receipt of the repairs. Consumers can get up-to-the-minute information on safety recall campaigns, or information on the recall history of a particular make and model of the car or truck, by calling the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Agency's toll-free Auto Safety Hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888...