new to Jeeps... 2003 3.7 Limited

[parkrndl]

greetings all from southern central PA. just bought a 2003 Liberty Limited with the 3.7 for my 16-year-old and as an extra car around here. this is our family's first Jeep product, and so far we really like it... feels like a strong little truck. but we bought it knowing it had a few pre-existing conditions:

the A/C works intermittently. it blows ice cubes when you start it up, then after 10 or 15 minutes of driving, the compressor quits. local mechanic said it wouldn't do it for them, it idled with the AC on just fine for 20 minutes. but driving it around it definitely happens. if you open the hood and tap the A/C clutch with a screwdriver or something with the engine running and the A/C switch on, it'll start up again and work for a while. a friend of ours who was a Jeep mechanic suggested replacing the low pressure switch, and I might try that, but I'm thinking it's something with the clutch (I've heard about a magnetic coil?)

the door lock actuator in the tailgate doesn't work, so it won't lock. i got inside the gate and found the little white lever that moves up and down to lock it, and it's not frozen up or anything. apparently there's a Dorman one available for about $100, so that's on the shopping list.

it came without remote fobs, so we bought a couple on Amazon and brought them to the local dealer to be programmed. they could only get one of the two to work, and that one stopped working after a few weeks... grrr.

and the idle speed seems a little low, but from what I've read, you can't adjust it... there's a module or something that has to be replaced?

hoping to pick up some fixes by hanging out here and reading and researching. so far I have replaced the passenger front window motor, which was pretty easy. off to the forums I go...

(sorry this was posted in General first before I noticed the Intros forum...)

--rick

 

[Vgirl]

greetings all from southern central PA. just bought a 2003 Liberty Limited with the 3.7 for my 16-year-old and as an extra car around here. this is our family's first Jeep product, and so far we really like it... feels like a strong little truck. but we bought it knowing it had a few pre-existing conditions:

the A/C works intermittently. it blows ice cubes when you start it up, then after 10 or 15 minutes of driving, the compressor quits. local mechanic said it wouldn't do it for them, it idled with the AC on just fine for 20 minutes. but driving it around it definitely happens. if you open the hood and tap the A/C clutch with a screwdriver or something with the engine running and the A/C switch on, it'll start up again and work for a while. a friend of ours who was a Jeep mechanic suggested replacing the low pressure switch, and I might try that, but I'm thinking it's something with the clutch (I've heard about a magnetic coil?)

--rick

Hi rick!! I'm new here too and have an 03 KJ 3.7 (Sport). It is a strong little truck!

Sorry can't help with all the questions but I had the AC issue a few years ago. Eventually the AC clutch went on mine and when it did it sounded SCARY. The coils were all mangled like spaghetti.

Because it's sold as one unit (perhaps a sealed unit or something like that?) the clutch itself couldn't be replaced and I had to replace the entire unit of compressor and clutch etc. Which obviously is pricier and for me meant running a shorter S-belt bypass and a couple summers of sweating until I had it replaced.

Hopefully yours is just the low pressure switch like your friend suspects. But if it's the AC clutch and your 16 yr old is driving it, you might not want him to experience when the AC clutch goes. Or at least warn him. Mine was like a loud ROAR that made me pull over and pop the hood in a panic.

Good luck, hope this helps some and many wishes for lots of years with your KJ!!

 

[parkrndl]

AUGH. I had a bad feeling about it maybe being the clutch, and about the clutch not being able to be replaced separately. Guess it's a good thing I just fixed the passenger front window... :happy175:

Yeah I will be warning him. My sons are not particularly mechanically inclined, and definitely wouldn't know what to do if it quit. (My daughter, on the other hand, is finishing her mechanical engineering degree... nana.gif )

thanks for the heads up!

--rick

 

[Vgirl]

rick, look at it this way: your instincts were spot on!! And yes. Windows will be your friend in the meantime haha.

Def wait until other more knowledgeable members reply and try the LP switch your Jeep mechanic friend suggested.

If you wanted to avoid it quitting unexpectedly for your son's sake, you could preemptively run a shorter serp belt bypass like I did. The diagram should be on the top of the grill/rad area when you unlatch the hood. It'll show different options. You'll figure out what I mean (sorry mine is in the shop rn so I can't photo it for you).

As for your sons, we all have our strengths. As for your daughter, yeah girl!!!!!

Good luck!!

 

[Vgirl]

AUGH. I had a bad feeling about it maybe being the clutch, and about the clutch not being able to be replaced separately. Guess it's a good thing I just fixed the passenger front window... :happy175:

Yeah I will be warning him. My sons are not particularly mechanically inclined, and definitely wouldn't know what to do if it quit. (My daughter, on the other hand, is finishing her mechanical engineering degree... nana.gif )

thanks for the heads up!

--rick

Hey rick! Check out the other thread about AC Clutch removal in General Discussion. Looks like the info I was given and shared was wrong. But great news for you!!