Jeep and GPster don't share the same Logic

[GPster]

Our primary car is a 2004 Jeep Cheroke Lorado. We bought it new and it appears as though we're going to have to wear this one clear out if it doesn't wear us out first. We've never had any trouble with it and just occasionally the cruise control would drop out and you had to shut it off and re-start it (cruise control) so that you can re-set it. Usually only happens one time in the middle of a trip and it never seemed to be anything to worry about.  At about 70,000 miles I decided to treat the car to something new. A garage put in six new spark plugs and that expensive fuel filter. About 4,000 miles later (this winter) the wife stated that when she pulled on the bridge coming home it stumbled and the check engine light came on. She drove it home (about two blocks), parked it in the driveway and came in and told me. I went outside and started it, the check engine light was off and I noticed that the gas tank was less than a quarter full. I thought that stopping/starting and coming up the bridge approach might have let the gas in the tank slosh away from the pump so I wasn't much concerned and I made sure she put gas in it the next time she was out. When that tank of gas got down to less than one third it did it(stumbled) to her again on level ground in town. The check engine light came on and it straightened itself out and she brought it home. This time around I wondered if we had got some wet gas so I started to use some fuel injection cleaner with dry-gas in it with every tank full. It happened again occasionally but I felt I was doing something to fix it so I wasn't concerned because the check engine light was out the next time you started it. Then when it was going on a trip with the cruise control on it stumbled once and dropped the cruise. Was this stumbling the reason that the cruise had dropped out at the start? It usually stumbled during in-town driving with the cruise off. Lately it's been too cold to sit in the car with-out the engine running so one day recently I was in a parking lot listening to the radio and I just happened to be looking at the tack when it went into one of it's spells. The idle dropped from 750 down to about 500 with a stumble/mis-fire and then straighten back out with the check engine light now on. Left it running and it drove home fine and the next time we re-started it the light was out. So here I am. It stumbles at low speeds, it stumbles at highway speeds and it stumbles at idle. It stumbles like maybe the gas tank is low, it stumbles like maybe there's water in the gas and it stumbles with the tank full whether the gas is sloshing or sitting perfectly still. If this stumble is what has caused the cruise to drop out then this goes clear back before I had the plugs and fuel filter changed. I had to write all of this down to use as my script if I have to take it somewhere to have it looked at. I don't know when it will happen and I can't cause it. If it does it in the middle of a weekday and I can get it to a shop right away if I have to shut it off will the light be on when I start it up? GPster

[river1]

on a 2004 i think if the light is coming on it is setting a code. run it by the local parts place and they'll check it for free.

later jim

[crdnblu]

A quick visual check in the engine compartment, for disconnected, or split vacuum hoses would be a start.  (Always worth checking after someone else has worked under-hood.)

The best bet though would be to track down a friend w/ an OBDII Scan Tool to see what error codes, if any, are in the ECU;  that's the best place to start when trouble-shooting.  This step can save LOTS of your time, & keep you from spending $, replacing needless parts to solve suspected problems.

[34ford]

might look at the posts on this page especially the last one.

I just googled this "2004 Jeep Cherokee Laredo intermittent motor stall" and found that post

bob

[GPster]

Happened again today at 4:45 at a traffic light. Had 3/4 of a tank of gas. I should have taken it somewhere but the local Auto Zone says they won't check anything older than 5 years. Of course I was only driving it because my wife was home sick and my truck was laid up at home until I got the power steering hose changed. Tomorrow it's supposed to rain so maybe I'l have time to read all those google hits. Oil change on it Friday so maybe we can check all the suggestions. GPster

[GPster]

When I Googled for Jeep intermittant stallI got a bunch of hits. Unfortunately I saw on with a heading that said there was a problem that said the fan blade for the electric motor on the radiator fan can hit a wire for the throttle position sensor and cause my problem.  The engine went into it's routine just as I stopped at my neighbors garage for him to change the oil and the light went on. The light stayed on through subsiquent starts/stops so maybe I can find something out. When he was done I checked the wires around the radiator fan and nothing was amiss but I got to thinking, the problem only happens when the engine is at operating temperature which would be when that radiator fan would cycle so maybe there's still something to that complaint. I found that heading on my Google search again but when I selected it I got nothing that pertained to that heading. Because the light was still on I went to Advance and they scanned it. Throttle Position Sensor. I Googled that  but my eyes (and mind) were getting tired. I did notice that one company had the part for $10.00 cheaper than Advance but if it works Advance would have saved me that $10.00 in diagnostic fees. Maybe, GPster