Idle/Electronic Help

cwood30 · **Posted:** Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:18 pm

So I've just finished installing the EVIC in our '02 Renegade. EVIC is working fine, no problems there. However, I have found that my idle/startup is now having some problems. I should mention that I accidentally cut into 2 wires on the OBDII harness before I realized that I had the harness upside down! Re attached them I think they should be good as new. With that said, when I turn over the engine, it'll typically fire up then die instantly. Sometimes I'll have to give it a bit of gas (pumping the pedal) and that'll help to start it up as well, but if I let off the gas it dies again. Also, I've found that if I continue to give it gas after it starts up and keep the RPMs above 1500 I can keep it at idle. And THEN if I slowly let off the gas, half the time it'll almost die, then recover and find it's idle point. Other times when I let off the gas after trying to stabilize the RPMs at 1500, it'll just die. On those times when it does idle, I can drive it around town just fine and it keeps its idle, but when I turn off the car and try to turn it back on, it's the same process all over again. It seems like the engine/electronics are having a hard time idling at all, or even finding the idle. I checked some of the fuses in the interior which I thought sounded like they might be the culprit (15, 36, and 37) but those all check out. Does anyone have any ideas? I've looked back at my connections by the OBDII harness, and they all look pretty good. Is it worth rewiring everything, or is there something I'm missing here? Thanks for any thing you have to input, kinda at my end here.

WoodysKJ · **Posted:** Mon Mar 24, 2008 6:42 pm

If you still have your original battery, BINGO!

The computers on the KJ will do some funny things, all of what you mentioned, when the batter starts to die.

Get a new one if it is the original one or old at all and you should be fine.

cwood30 · **Posted:** Tue Mar 25, 2008 12:15 am

Thanks Woody! That looks like it was it. Replaced the battery and all is back to normal. Simply crappy timing with how it decided to poop out as soon as I get done installing the EVIC. Made me think I wired something wrong or blew some unknown fuse. Again, thanks for the quick and correct reply, huge help.

P.S., although I don't think we can swap door assemblies, did you still want to swap dash panels?

WoodysKJ · **Posted:** Tue Mar 25, 2008 6:26 am

Na,

I was wonderin about the same thing. would look silly with all parts in black but then the door panels not the same.

I have a limited with leather trim and the doors are trimmed in leather. I had to replace the opening lever a few months ago and found out the hard way that the entire panel had to be replaced. No easy fix on that.

Glad the battery tip helped. Wife's 02 did that and it was weird, so i remember that fix.

Glad to help.

cwood30 · **Posted:** Thu Apr 03, 2008 11:42 am

Well grr. The new battery worked for about 2 days, then the same problem popped up again. I'm going to try and see if I just got a bad battery, but something tells me it's something besides the battery. If anybody has any other opinions, I'd love to hear them. Perhaps something with a fuel pump fuse (is there one?) or the fuel lines itself. I'm pretty sure it's something electrical since it popped up during the install, but I just don't know enough about the KJ's engine system to try and diagnosis this. I'd rather not have to take it to a shop and spend $200 for them just to tell me it's a fuse or an easy fix short. So if you've got any advice or opinions, I'd love to hear em!

WoodysKJ · **Posted:** Thu Apr 03, 2008 12:15 pm

pop a re-man alternator in it. it may not be charging properly and thus only running off the battery, new one too.

pull it, easy to do, tension pully, don't let it snap back, to loosen the belt, 3 bolts to remove and then the 2 plugs (one plug and one nut to remover.) take it to a autozone or what not and have them test the alt to see if it is charging correctly.

Idle/Electronic Help

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