Car Guys - Need Help

[saintsfanbrian]

My wife's Jeep Cherokee Classic is having an issue. With the engine turned off a fan is still running. If you disconnect the negative battery cable it stops. As soon as you reconnect the cable it starts up again.

I am thinking this is one of a few things:

1. Bad Fan relay switch.

2. Bad PCM.

3. Bad A/C relay.

Anyone else got ideas or want to come over Saturday afternoon/Sunday morning and help a VERY NOVICE home mechanic fix this issue. I really don't want to take it to the dealer and have them charge me an arm and a leg.

There will be cold beer and a box of ammo at the next range outing if you can help solve the issue.

P.S. I have the Haynes book on the car just doesn't mention the fan continuing to run after engine turned off.

[Guest clownsdd]

how long does it run after the engine is cut off?

[Guest sermon8r]

I guess it never turns off...

fan relay. if the AC relay it would turn off with the AC off

[nightrunner]

very unlikely its the pcm

probably either a relay or relay switch.

[Guest nj.piney]

could be the temp sensor is bad and the elect.fan is controlled by the sensor.?

the last time i went to memphis it cost me $135 for gas .forgive me if i dont drive over, but i hope this helps.

Edited August 8, 2008 by nj.piney

[NuTcAsE]

It may be normal as hot as its been. Need to know if it doesn't shut off at all. (after 5 min. or so) If it doesn't quit, could be anything, relay, temp sensor, a ground, or shorted to power.

Use the Haynes book to build a fire this winter.

[saintsfanbrian]

Actually, the Haynes book helped me replace the rear brakes on her car - seriously I have never worked on a car other than changing oil and air filters.

As to how long it runs - it would continue to run just by reconnecting the negative wire on the battery even when the car had been off for a day. So I am guessing it was the relay.

I called Auto-Zone and they happened to have one last night so I swapped it out.

Thanks for the input and I will keep you posted. Looks like this weekend got a little bit easier as now I just have to go under the car and tighten up a lot of things the mechanic didn't.

[Guest db99wj]

Since it sounds like your issue is corrected, I will piggyback your thread without making a new one.

Emergency brake on a Dodge Grand Caravan, it will not hold. It works to a point that if you have it in N and put in the brake it will hold, but if you give it gas, it will not, which is a problem when you go get your car inspected for car tags:rolleyes:. So is a cable that has a nut on it that you can adjust? Or is it more to it?

[Magiccarpetrides]

Since it sounds like your issue is corrected, I will piggyback your thread without making a new one.

Emergency brake on a Dodge Grand Caravan, it will not hold. It works to a point that if you have it in N and put in the brake it will hold, but if you give it gas, it will not, which is a problem when you go get your car inspected for car tags:rolleyes:. So is a cable that has a nut on it that you can adjust? Or is it more to it?

There is an actual rear emergency brake shoe/pad on most vehicles that people forget to replace over time...it could be worn out.

[Guest db99wj]

There is an actual rear emergency brake shoe/pad on most vehicles that people forget to replace over time...it could be worn out.

It's a 2005, she never uses the emergency brake, with the exception of the two times she had it inspected, one it passed and the 2nd it didn't but they passed her anyway:shhh:. Oh, I don't like your answer, that would mean I would have to do or pay for more work than I want to do, but will be forced to do in order to pass inspection and renew her tags!

[Guest bkelm18]

Simple fix: Move out of Memphis.

[Magiccarpetrides]

It's a 2005, she never uses the emergency brake, with the exception of the two times she had it inspected, one it passed and the 2nd it didn't but they passed her anyway:shhh:. Oh, I don't like your answer, that would mean I would have to do or pay for more work than I want to do, but will be forced to do in order to pass inspection and renew her tags!

Well if its an 05 and she never uses it then its probably just needing adjustment...real cheap fix get someone to do it for you next time you have your tires rotated and balanced since they will have the wheels off anyways. Here in knoxville we have no inspections

[Guest db99wj]

Simple fix: Move out of Memphis.

If I were to move, I would want to move east, there are hills, I would have to get the dang thing fixed anyway!

[Guest db99wj]

Well if its an 05 and she never uses it then its probably just needing adjustment...real cheap fix get someone to do it for you next time you have your tires rotated and balanced since they will have the wheels off anyways. Here in knoxville we have no inspections

Thanks, I need to get it serviced anyway. My old 89 Jeep YJ was easy to work on. My 99 Jeep not as easy(#7 and #8 spark plugs are a bitch to get to) but easier than the van, still haven't figured out how they crammed so much crap in that engine compartment!

[saintsfanbrian]

Hey, replacing the brakes pads and springs on the Jeep Cherokee was nothing (once I looked at the book and threw away the break hold down spring tool).

[TripleDigitRide]

Since it sounds like your issue is corrected, I will piggyback your thread without making a new one.

Emergency brake on a Dodge Grand Caravan, it will not hold. It works to a point that if you have it in N and put in the brake it will hold, but if you give it gas, it will not, which is a problem when you go get your car inspected for car tags:rolleyes:. So is a cable that has a nut on it that you can adjust? Or is it more to it?

The tension is automaitcally adjusted by the self adjuster on the pedal release.

Looking from the backside of the hub, you will see an oval shaped rubber plug. Remove the plug and look in with a flashlight. You will see the adjuster wheel. They adjust the same way as drum brakes, only they can be harder to do, because they are in there pretty far and hard to see. You will probably have to use a small screwdriver instead of a brake spoon to adjsut them.

This is a direct copy/paste from the service manual---

The park brake cables on this vehicle have an automatic self adjuster built into the park brake pedal mechanism. When the foot operated park brake pedal is in its released (upward most) position, a clock spring automatically adjusts the park brake cables. The park brake cables are adjusted (tensioned) just enough to remove all the slack from the cables. The automatic adjuster system will not over adjust the cables causing rear brake drag.

Due to the automatic adjust feature of the park brake pedal, adjustment of the parking brake cables on these vehicles relies on proper drum brake (Refer to 5 - BRAKES/HYDRAULIC/MECHANICAL/BRAKE PADS/SHOES - ADJUSTMENTS) or park brake shoe (Refer to 5 - BRAKES/PARKING BRAKE/SHOES - ADJUSTMENTS) adjustment.

When the park brake pedal is applied the self adjuster is by-passed and the pedal operates normally to engage the park brakes.

When a service procedure needs to be performed on the park brake pedal or the park brake cables, the automatic self adjuster can be manually locked out by the service technician.

[Guest db99wj]

So I will need to remove the driver side rear wheel and go in from behind the hub at that point. But before I do all this, I need to press in the park break pedal in order to bypass the automatic adjustment mechanism that the park break has...Am I understanding correctly?

I also assume I will turn counter clockwise to adjust...Could I over correct and cause it to drag?

[saintsfanbrian]

What I did was just to remove the wheel and the drum and adjust the brakes until the drum would just barely go on. I then backed it off a couple of turns. Put the wheel back on the car and rolled it forwards and backwards a few times to ensure it wasn't dragging. I then drove around the neighborhood a few times going forward and backwards and braking hard in both directions. This seemed to take care of the issue for me.

[Guest canynracer]

What I did was just to remove the wheel and the drum and adjust the brakes until the drum would just barely go on. I then backed it off a couple of turns. Put the wheel back on the car and rolled it forwards and backwards a few times to ensure it wasn't dragging. I then drove around the neighborhood a few times going forward and backwards and braking hard in both directions. This seemed to take care of the issue for me.

This is correct, except, it should have a very very slight rub. When I was wrenching, I didnt remove the tire...adjust it while you spin the wheel, you will start to hear the littl drag, adjust it till it almost make one full rotation but stops

[Fivestring63]

I always adjust with the tires on and give it a good spin and when it stops after about one turn it's good. Then like saintsfanbrian said, going in reverse and breaking hard adjusts them automatically.

[Guest db99wj]

Ok I am under the van, well not at this second, I found the oval plug, used flashlight saw the adjuster, adjusted, they are working better, when I drove it and checked. Back up and going to adjust more because it doesn't hold enough but better than before, so just spin the wheel and if it spins a little, but not a full turn, I'm good. Right?

[Fivestring63]

Ok I am under the van, well not at this second, I found the oval plug, used flashlight saw the adjuster, adjusted, they are working better, when I drove it and checked. Back up and going to adjust more because it doesn't hold enough but better than before, so just spin the wheel and if it spins a little, but not a full turn, I'm good. Right?

Yes, that's how I do it. Make sure you jack it up before you spin it, unless you're the hulk.

[strickj]

Did you remove the brake fluid reservoir cap?

Older cars like the great Chevy 350's didn't need that because of a breather hole

[Guest db99wj]

Did you remove the brake fluid reservoir cap?

Older cars like the great Chevy 350's didn't need that because of a breather hole

Ummm, no. Do I need to?

It worked, the parking brake works much better, I turned it so that the wheel would not turn hardly at all, then I backed off the adjustment wheel one click, the wheel turns and then stops before a full rotation.

While I was at it, one of her windshield wiper fluid jets stopped working, so I got to take off the windshield wiper arms, take apart the plastic piece that covers the wiper assembly and found that the hose that goes to the jets had been ripped away from the "Y" in the hose that goes to the driver side fluid jet. I used some electrical tape, and it works great.

Anybody know where the blinker fluid reservoir is?

[strickj]

Anybody know where the blinker fluid reservoir is

That only needs replacin when you change your manual tranny oil