I just bought a 94 Cherokee, please help

Hello, I just bought a 1994 Jeep Cherokee with about 115K miles on it. It is the inline 6 4.0 liter engine. I am now in the mode of fixing up to where I can trust it. So far I have replaced thespark plugs, wires, dist cap & rotor. I replaced the tube going from the top part of the valve cover to the intake manifold (ccv system I think), actually it was 2 tubes, the other went from the intake manifold to the map sensor. I changed the air filter, oil filter and oil change of course. I also cleaned out the throttle body where the air intake is.

There is quite a bit of oil on the engine and surounding parts, especially on the passenger side. The guy I bought it from says there was a leak, but he replaced the valve cover gasket about a month ago and the leak stopped, I have been checking the oil level routinely and haven't noticed anything.

Ok... to my questions...
1) What is the best way to tell if the leaking has stopped? Should i get it pressure washed and then just do a visual check?

2) The driver door power lock isn't locking/unlocking with the rest of them. What is the best way to debug this? I would think fuses, but wouldn't all the doors be affected?

3) It looks like there was cruise control on it at one time, at least the windshield wiper control has controls on it. I can't get the thing to cruise though. Any advice there?

Other then that I am very happy with the car so far

Thanks in advance for your help

first i would clean the motor, i would spray simple green than hose it down, start looking for leaks under were you park and under the hood.

check to see if you are getting power to your door lock switch and motor/actuator, bet it will be the switch.

also i would double check valve cover bolts to make sure they are tight, always want to recheck bolts after gaskets have been replaced. i would not trust the past owner, me i always clean a motor before i replace any gaskets, keeps dirt/grime out. just my :2cents:

Thanks for the reply...

first i would clean the motor, i would spray simple green than hose it down, start looking for leaks under were you park and under the hood.

I forgot to mention that I have been keeping a close eye under the car for fluids.... I havn't seen a drop yet. I guess I am afraid of taking a hose to the engine... is there things I should watch out for electrically?


check to see if you are getting power to your door lock switch and motor/actuator, bet it will be the switch.


I am fairly capable with a multimeter, but unfortunatly I am not sure where or how to get to the parts mentioned here. I assume i need to remove the door panel? Where exactly should I look for them?

thanks again for the help

Does there seem to be excessive play or looseness in the malfuncioning
power lock switch? If so, pull the door panel and look at it from behind.
In some years the switch is connected by a plastic lever to a metal
bar which runs to the locking mechanism.

Or is it that no matter where you engage the lock from, the driver side wont lock?

Or is it that no matter where you engage the lock from, the driver side wont lock?


Exactly, even if I lock from the passenger side it won't lock. In fact, the driver side power lock switch will lock all the other doors, just not the driver door.

Is that reason to suspect the motor than? There isn't a fuse for every door is there, I am assuming that there isn't. If they are on the same fuse and there was a short or something, then none of the door would work right? That is why i think it might be the motor. Make sense?

Any ideas on the cruise control thing... or whether it is generally acceptable to spray water onto the engine, risking getting on the electrical stuff?

Thanks for your help

Sounds right, although you're getting beyond my experience...I would
pull the door panel and see what you can see.

As far as cruise control you're over my head....check fuses maybe.

Hi there,

first the power lock, there's no motor to fire the lock up and down, it's a solenoid operated plunger type of thing. You said it won't lock, but will it unlock? Could be as simple as a loose connection, but like Fenderjazz says, you'll have to pull the door panel to see. You can connect a volt meter to the leads and check for 12V at the locking thingy while you operate the switch. If no juice there, possible broken wire in the flex between the door and the body.

Washing your engine can be kind of scary, it is for me! One thing that I do occasionally is take some oven cleaner and spray on the unpainted metal parts (never the plastic or electrical) or even some kichen grease cutting cleaner which is okay for plastic, let it sit for a short time and spray it off. Never spray cold water on a hot engine! I usually try not to directly spray the cap and other electric type stuff (even though I see pictures all the time of XJ's submerged to the top of the hood!) and I've never had any trouble. I always start it up right after cleaning and let it run til it warms up to dry off the engine, then I know it'll start the next time. Personally, I think clean engines are happy engines!

Someone else will have to take the cruise problem! Good luck!

HI
I have the same Jeep, same cc problem. Mine was easy to figure out though. Make sure the cruise control box is there. I noticed mine is gone because the throttle cable ended where the cruise control used to be. Not making fun, took me a while to notice.

HI
I have the same Jeep, same cc problem. Mine was easy to figure out though. Make sure the cruise control box is there. I noticed mine is gone because the throttle cable ended where the cruise control used to be. Not making fun, took me a while to notice.


Thanks for the help. You are talking about the cc actuator on the left side of the engine compartment right? If so, I know that it is at least there. I don't know if it is working correctly though. I checked my brake switch with a voltmeter at i think it is working correctly. From what i gather it could still be the turn signal/wiper/cc control, broken cc actuator, or speed servo control. I am currently leaning toward the turn signal control since it seems to be an electrical problem (since I get no feedback by doing anything with the switch)

Thanks again