When the check engine light of your Jeep Grand Cherokee car illuminated, it means the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) system has repeatedly found out an engine malfunction. A problem has to repeat itself a few times before the Grand Cherokee's OBD system will give it a "fault" status.
When the check engine light of your Jeep Grand Cherokee car illuminated, it means the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) system has repeatedly found out an engine malfunction. A problem has to repeat itself a few times before the Grand Cherokee's OBD system will give it a "fault" status. There are methods to troubleshoot the system, and that includes examining the trouble codes. How to do the repair that relies on the year the Grand Cherokee was manufactured.
You'll Need OBD 2 scanner, Pen and Paper for this task.
Grand Cherokees 1996 and Later
Open the driver's side door and insert your OBD 2 scanner's cable into the Grand Cherokee's diagnostic connector. This Data Link Connection will be located on the driver's side of the Jeep, under the steering wheel, somewhere between the left kick a panel and the gas pedal.
Power the Jeep Grand Cherokee's electrical system on. You may have to also crank the engine, depending on the brand and type of OBD 2 scanner you own. You should turn on the scan tool yourself, if you do not have a self-starting scanner. The procedure for operating a diagnostic scanner varies by brand, and it is always best to refer to the exact instructions contained in your scanner's user manual.
Look at your OBD scanner's screen. If your hand-held scanner is not preprogrammed to retrieve diagnostic codes automatic, you will have to key a "scan" command. Some scanners have a dedicated button for this, and others require you scroll the item on menus.
Consult your user manual for the codes that come up. You will need to differentiate between what is a "pending" code, and what is an "error" or "trouble." Trouble codes would activate the check engine light, and pending codes do not.
Search the supplemental OBD 2 codes of your car online. Your scanner's handbook will likely only have the generic OBD 2 codes universal to all cars and light trucks after 1996. When you have found all the translations for the trouble codes showed on your scanner, you can make a decision on whether to do the repairs yourself, or ask a professional mechanic for this job.
Jeep Grand Cherokees Before 1996
Get behind the Grand Cherokee's wheel and slide your key into the ignition. Turn the key in the following pattern: On-Off-On-Off-On. You need to do this in 5 seconds or less for the Grand Cherokee's computer to recognize it as a command.
Count the number times the check engine light flashes; write it down on a piece of paper. It will be a code. Long pauses will be used to separate fault codes. The codes usually are two digits. The first number will flash. There will then be a pause before the second number flashes. For example, code 32 will be represented by three flashes, a long pause, and then two flashes.
Consult the flash codes online. Since the Grand Cherokee's diagnostic system predates Environmental Protection Agency standardization, other manufacturer's codes will not help. When you have found translations for the flash codes reported to you, you can decide whether to take the Jeep to a garage. I am glad to communicate with you, if you are interested in OBD 2 scanner.
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