Hijacking a Jeep, wirelessly???

[hunter63]

I'll stick with Goldschlager Schnapps........Who says heavy metal can't be fun?

[kyratshooter]

I believe someone in my neighborhood has tapped into the electromagnetic spectrum and killed my Jeep!

It stuttered, died and refuses to run for more than 30 seconds.

I am thinking computer, or fuel pump, or fuel injectors, or battery, or perhaps the passenger side mirror is not adjusted properly.

At least that is what an internet search turned up.

Me and this Cherokee are about to part company! It is at that point where something is going out every time I sit in the driver's seat. I am now on the 180K mark and the value of the rig may not equal the next repair.

My last one made it for 22 years, this one has barely done 20.

They just don't make them like they used too!

[crashdive123]

Me and this Cherokee are about to part company! It is at that point where something is going out every time I sit in the driver's seat.

At least its the Jeep and not a hip.

[hunter63]

At least its the Jeep and not a hip.

Yeah, No Ship....LOL

So, 20 years would make it about a 96?.....
Yeah, got some electronic stuff on it....but I telling ya, new ones or even newer one are worse......
But the is a limit on how much you can take, and still feel like it will make a long trip....

Still driving the 99 and already had some "computer" problems.....but still going.
When one says "computer" they should just say "BIG but different kind Money"

"Different kind of money" in the respect...that people will complain about a paying$200 bucks for good canvas,...so spend $50 bucks buying and making treatments, to make a $5 buck painters tarp....kinda useful.

Then they drop $500 bucks on a phone, and think nothing of it.

How is the body?......

[kyratshooter]

This one is a '97 made in late '96, so it has all the goodies the 97-02 models had.

The body is excellent, but the paint has the standard Chrysler problems with the clear coat evaporating from the hood.

Interior is fair, at least not torn, ragged or filled with cigarette burns.

I put a new front suspension under it 18 months ago and did the transmission selector switch change that causes it to appear the ignition is out, and also makes the cruise control go insane and shuts the radio off.

Up until a year ago I was still using it for long road trips pulling the rondy trailer. In fact ZI was driving it the year you guys showed up for the jamboree in NC.

Right now I would not trust it to get me to the end of the lane and it is an all down hill run!

I have the sneaky feeling this is a fuel pump issue. It will start and run for 30 seconds then shut off like it is using all the gas in the fuel line. Then if I wait for a couple of hours it will fire up again, run for 30 seconds and shut off. It the weather holds I might go out and disconnect the fuel line at the injectors and see if I have fuel pressure.

I spent all of today cutting brush for a friend and I am too tired to deal with it now.

That was a good laugh too! Two sedentary old geezers having a contest to see which one would have their heart attack first!

Huge amounts of gasping, gagging, huffing and puffing, and that was before we got started with the work!

[natertot]

I understand what you guys are going through. My sentra with 185k had the check engine light on last week. I hooked up my reader which revealed a bad gas cap. New one cost $8.99. Then one of the headlights (both of which are factory originals) went out yesterday. New set of bulbs was $27.99. Two repairs in one year has never occurred before, let alone two repairs in a weeks time! Yeesh, I'm telling you, these cars are so problematic these days!

[crashdive123]

I was at a customer's home yesterday. He has a 66 mustang in the garage. No rust, redone interior and a rebuilt 302. He opened the hood to show me his "new" motor. How refreshing to look into an engine compartment and know what everything was.

He's selling it........tempting, but probably not.

[hunter63]

He's selling it........tempting, but probably not.

I would lose my drivers license in 10 blocks........If they could catch me.......
It's is kinda sad, when you can finally afford one......and realize it better to just keep wanting....and not have one.
Does that mean you finally grew up?
LOL

[NightSG]

Part of it is due to all the computer systems being tied together and linked to the radio, for some ungodly reason.

To force you to spend $1500+ on a factory upgrade stereo just to get features that would cost $150-300 for a Pioneer aftermarket one.

[Rick]

I'm still waiting for the upgrades that print money, sports tickets and pour the drink of your choice from the convenience of your driver's seat. Really waiting on that money thing. My goofy truck has air conditioned seats. It can really freeze your...well...let's just say I keep it turned down.

[crashdive123]

I would lose my drivers license in 10 blocks........If they could catch me.......
It's is kinda sad, when you can finally afford one......and realize it better to just keep wanting....and not have one.
Does that mean you finally grew up?
LOL

Probably. I was never a huge fan of Mustangs though. Still tempting.......could probably flip it for a profit.

[hunter63]

I'm a Ford Truck guy....but Corvette car guy.....go figure.....

If I bought the Mustang....In my mind would always be......."DUMAS, for a few bucks more you could have had a Corvette."

[kyratshooter]

Does that mean you finally grew up?
LOL

I remember the "vehicle grow up" moment. It was in the spring of 1982 when I realized my cherished 1968 Mustang was not engineered with two toddlers in mind and I was forced by parenthood to trade it for a Buick Estate Wagon!

I had always claimed I would never own a station wagon, yet there it was!

[hunter63]

Mine was in 1968....
Traded in a '65 Plymouth 426 Sport Fury.....for a '67 VW Bug......Could drive all week on $3 bucks instead if 3 miles......for $3 bucks, although slower.

Made formula, diapers, and Dr. visits much more affordable.

Still miss churning up some smoke,.... in the breach box at Great Lakes Dragway.... High 13's low 14's bracket.

[kyratshooter]

Hey, I just remembered something about my Jeep problem.

The check engine light came on back in 2009, would this be a good time to get a code readout?

Honestly, I think I have narrowed the problem down to a clogged Cat-converter. All the classic symptoms are present.

When it warms up tomorrow I am going to crawl under there with a saws-all and cut the pipe ahead of the converter. If it starts and runs after that it will get a new unit. Stripping off the converter on the Jeeps makes their 02 sensor go nuts and the gas mileage goes to pot.

[Rick]

You know, it would be a lot easier on you if you found someone that would be willing to steal the converter if it were bad. They will do all the crawling and cutting for you. All you have to do is walk out, turn the ignition and drive to the dealership to have a new one installed.

[kyratshooter]

No one around here is going to steel a cat-converter. We do not have mandatory testing so lots of folks strip then off. The only reason I will put one back on is due to its link with the fuel injectors and keeping the computer operating properly.

[natertot]

What Rick is saying is that people steal them for scrap because of the precious metal in them. Even scrap prices range typically 75-100 bucks. On high end cars they can even have a scrap value of over $200. Pretty big issue in Cincinnati, especially for trucks and SUV's where it is easy to slide underneath. They use these wrap around saws that make no noise and can have one removed in under two minutes.

[hunter63]

What Rick is saying is that people steal them for scrap because of the precious metal in them. Even scrap prices range typically 75-100 bucks. On high end cars they can even have a scrap value of over $200. Pretty big issue in Cincinnati, especially for trucks and SUV's where it is easy to slide underneath. They use these wrap around saws that make no noise and can have one removed in under two minutes.

Now, Kyrat......if you were to stop by that group of guys hanging out the corner.......and offer them $50 bucks, for cutting it off in 2 minutes.
I bet no takers.......LOL.

We were working on a Blood and Plasma donation center in a crappy Milwaukee neighbor hood......replaceinag a walk in freezer the went down to minus 60 C...for plasma.
Big refrigeration unit on the second story roof...assessable from a scuttle/ladder hole thru the inside the roof.

Had the new unit staged on a flat bed truck we brought with us...., met the crane at the site....went up on the roof.
Found the disconnected, drained down, old unit.... with all those copper coils.....was GONE...except the compressor and base.....

We had to make sure the new unit was installed soldered on.... and filled.....before we left that day.
But we couldn't hire anyone to do it.....LOL

[Rick]

We had a food bank here in Indy that someone stripped the freezer coils out of. Pretty sad. Food and blood for a few bucks. No morals, no empathy. Pretty low. We've even had folks try to scrap manhole covers that were in the street!!