2002 Liberty trouble

[Crassshett]

Last week my Liberty started acting up. I was leaving my moms when it just died on me and wouldn't start back up. When you turn the key to on position the the RPM tack jumps up and down. You let the Jeep set around 15 minutes it will start back up, but won't get you far till it quits again. Took it to the dealer they couldn't find anything so said it needed tune up and throttle body cleaned and new Idle Control Sensor, we did all those, only to find it did no good. Anyone had this problem? It always ran so good and started doing this all of a sudden.

 

[2003KJ]

First problem....taking it to the dealer. 90% of them just want to throw parts at it and hope it fixes the issue.

Is the check engine light on? If you can get it running long enough to get down to an autozone, or if you or somebody you happen to know has a scanner, hook it up and see if any codes are being thrown. Autozone will check it for free.

Another option, although given the symptoms you gave is probably unlikely, is the battery. I've seen several of the 02's and even some of the early 03's fail recently. Apparently the OEM's don't last as long as most batteries should.

 

[Crassshett]

liberty trouble

No engine light came on. We also bought new battery because it acted as if it was dragging or going dead. It has now started backfiring when we try to start it.

 

[Crassshett]

Liberty trouble

We did have a dianostic done and it shows nothing.

 

[06Liberty]

possessed?

 

[2003KJ]

backfiring huh?

Wow this is definitely a first i've heard with the KJ....I really wish I could be of more help. You might try pulling the throttle body off and see what shape its in.

How many miles are on your KJ? I'm assuming the 3.7L?

 

[klegesdal]

hmmm...sort of sounds like my problem...

We were away for the holiday...my wife's Libby sat since last Tuesday...just shy of a week. She went to start it this morning and nothing click..click click. Lights were dim... It's an 03 with 37,*** miles...we bought it new. About a month ago we began seeing battery problems (or so I thought)...it was sluggish turning over... One weekend she didn't drive it...and come Monday it wouldn't start. I thought it was probably the battery...cheap OEM model for the Sport version I thought..? So I replaced it....no problems...until today. So now I'm begining to think it's not the battery but something else electrical...

Oh yeah ...when I got home tonight the battery was completely dead...no lights...nothing...heck the remote door lock opener wouldn't even work. I'd say it's pretty apparent something is draining it... To top it all off...it's been just over 3yrs and 36,000. Needless to say I'm not real happy at this point.

ps (no codes last time we drove it...)

 

[JeepJeepster]

Could be another bad battery? Ive had it happen. ](*,)

Check the alternator to make sure its putting out charge..

 

[2003KJ]

Yeah i've noticed really sluggish starting on mine too. Whats up with these batteries not making it much past 3 years!?

I'd also look into having the alternator tested, just to rule it out.

 

[Crassshett]

Liberty trouble

We found out the problem it was the Crank Position sensor. It acted like the battery was bad all the time too. We replaced the battery too, but it still acted the same. Its a job to do and should be done at a dealer. It cost us 170 for the part and getting it done. The biggest problem we had it was it running and quitting after a few miles then needing to sit for about 15 minutes only to go a few miles more and quit again. Other then this problem the Jeep has ran great. We did have the left upper ball joint just come right out on us though, We were lucky we wasn't going down the road or we would of crashed.

 

[2003KJ]

Re: Liberty trouble

We found out the problem it was the Crank Position sensor. It acted like the battery was bad all the time too. We replaced the battery too, but it still acted the same. Its a job to do and should be done at a dealer. It cost us 170 for the part and getting it done. The biggest problem we had it was it running and quitting after a few miles then needing to sit for about 15 minutes only to go a few miles more and quit again. Other then this problem the Jeep has ran great. We did have the left upper ball joint just come right out on us though, We were lucky we wasn't going down the road or we would of crashed.

wow! Glad to hear you got it resolved though. And replacing the battery was a smart move anyways.

 

[Crassshett]

liberty trouble

I pick it up today so lets hope they got it right...

 

[JeepJeepster]

Hmm, hopefully the crank sensors will not be a problem on these like they were on the grands. we had one go bad on us in Myrtle Beach. Didnt take me and my dad to long to fix it but it was a hassle while on vacation..

Thats odd it wasnt throwing a code?

That is an easy fix though. The part probably only cost around $30.. O

 

[Crassshett]

Liberty Trouble

I was suppose to get the Jeep back yesterday but get this they put a new Crank Sensor on it, took it down the road and it STILL did the same thing. They said they finally ran it down to the Cam Sensor shorty out and sending wrong voltage. Thank God for it finally getting fixed.

 

[2003KJ]

Re: Liberty Trouble

I was suppose to get the Jeep back yesterday but get this they put a new Crank Sensor on it, took it down the road and it STILL did the same thing. They said they finally ran it down to the Cam Sensor shorty out and sending wrong voltage. Thank God for it finally getting fixed.

CAM was gonna be my next guess. Your issue is kinda tricky to pin down as the CAM and Crank sensors tend to give the same symptoms when they go out.