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Just to review:
A. What happened:
One week ago on a Friday, wife called and said the Jeep would not start.
She and my daughter had driven up to the local mountains to prepare for my wife's class fieldtrip.
She indicated that they had driven up without any car warnings. Stopped after doing a mountain road - Angeles Crest Highway - and had stopped to use the restroom and gather pine cones at the Nature Display Center at the intersection of Angeles Crest Hwy (the N2) and Angeles Forest Highway (the N3).
She said that they had been stopped for about 15minutes, and when she went to start the car, it would only crank over. No combustion or attempt to ignite fuel by the engine.
Thankfully some Caltrans personnel let her call AAA on their phone. AAA brought the car home.
***
B. Researching the problem
I then started to do google searches on:
Cherokee will not start.
Jeep Cherokee cranks no start.
and such.
That
lead me to these articles:
//forums.cnet.com/5208-7811_102-0.html?forumID=78&threadID=260764&messageID=2565038
//autorepair.about.com/od/faqs/l/bl651h.htm
//www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums/showthread.php?t=891783
//answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080217183225AATS94p
//www.jeepforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=506914&page=2
//answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070828154718AA07aej
//jeep.off-road.com/jeep/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=257990
//www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/15/24/5f/0900823d8015245f/repairInfoPages.htm
So, since the Jeep had been running fine without incident or warning, I concluded that the Crankshaft Position Sensor had failed. It matched the symptoms reported by those other articles: Car had failed to start without warning, usually after it was hot.
***
C. Doing the Crankshaft Position Sensor Replacement
Went to my local Alhambra Jeep Dealership parts counter, and asked them for the Crankshaft Position Sensor for a 1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport, 5spd, 4.0 inline 6-cyl. Yes, of course. But it was out of stock. Part number: 1-56027866AC. Cost $109, $118 with tax.
They ordered the part for me, and said it would be in the next morning. To give them credit, the part was available the next day.
I had to wait to the weekend to work on the car.
***
To change the sensor, most of the articles were accurate, but I wanted to also document what I did to be successful. It is a very simple repair, but tricky due to the sensor hole.
1. I went under the car, as it was parked on the street, where AAA had left it for us.
2. I used an 8mm socket to disconnect the front driveshaft where it enters the front differential. There are 4 8mm screws that hold the U-joints to the driveshaft. I marked one end and the driveshaft and one set U-joint retainer, to make sure to assemble in the same position as it was removed.
3. I used a zip-tie to hold the front driveshaft to the exhaust, so it would be out of my way.
4. I used 3 sections of 6" socket extensions, and one swivel, to an 11mm socket to reach the two 7/16' bolts that hold my car's Crank Position Sensor to the bellhousing.
4a. The sensor is located where the bellhousing of the transmission mates to the back of the engine, in the 11 o-clock position, near the fuel injectors if you are looking down from the open hood, between the fuel injector nearest the firewall and master brake cylinder. I used the extensions and 11mm socket to break loose the bolts a turn or two, then stopped.
5. YOU MUST BE VERY VERY CAREFUL NOT TO DROP ONE OF THE 7/16" BOLTS INTO THE HOLE THE SENSOR IS IN. YOU WILL HAVE TO REMOVE THE TRANSMISSION FROM THE ENGINE TO FISH IT OUT IF YOU DO.
6. Once the 7/16" bolts are finger loose, I used a part retrieval tool, like //store.summitracing.com part number SUM-900070, the kind with 4 little wire fingers, about 2 feet in total length, to grab onto the bolts and carefully carefully finish unscrewing them and removing them. This was a white knuckler. Very very scary. I took a long time, and kept making sure the part retrieval tool had a good grip on the bolt.
7. Once the two 7/16" bolts have been safely removed, then you can disconnect the sensor from the wiring harness with a 3-wire plug that is located on the aluminum air intake, near the number 6 cylinder.
8. Get the new sensor and place it into the opening. Using the part retrieval tool, use it to CAREFULLY CAREFULLY thread the bolts into the sensor into the bellhousing for a few turns, making sure that the bolts are actually engaging the threads. You do not want to have a bolt drop into the transmission bellhousing and ruin your day.
9. Then assembly is just the reverse of steps 1 to 7. Done.
***
Put the key in the ignition, got very religious and pious and humble for a few heartbeats, and started the engine. It stared and ran fine within one second! Success!
Tags:
1998, 5spd, cherokee, crankshaft position sensor,
jeep, replacement
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