Hey folks, I thought I'd share my current nightmare with this just-purchased 1995 JGC LTD 4.0L I-6 (I also drive a 90 Mazda MPV and an 89 Toyota Supra Turbo both of which I maintain myself).

CPS quickly deemed defective, and after reading numerous posts and getting a shop manual I thought I'd take a crack at it, expecting a toughy.
I do all mechanical work on the other 2 cars, why not this one, right?

WRONG!

First, my 1995 JGC Chrysler Shop Manual shows the CPS connector near the driver-side firewall, when in fact, it is on the passenger-side, near the middle of the engine. It also shows the transmission dip stick on the passenger-side of the engine, while on mine, it juts out on the driver-side, near the firewall, right where (you guessed it) one "might" be able to access the CPS from above. I cannot pass my hand there, not can I even see the bolt. No tool will fit there.

So down on the pavement to access from below.
After numerous combinations of extensions & swivels and finding the proper socket, I've managed to loosen and remove the one bolt holding the CPS. Upon removal of my long contraption, socket gets caught on something, comes undone, goes flying, LOST.
I cannot find it (top of the tranny?).
Unbelievable, this is a first for me.
Knuckles are already hurting at this point.

It took at least 1 hour to wiggle and rotate the CPS back and forth until it finally pops out of its location. I cannot reach it with my hands (and I do not have large hands). With all my might I can get to within 6 inches of the CPS from any direction. This would have been a snap if I could touch it.

Once loose, I tug on the CPS wire gently from the passenger-side above engine to see if it's tied to anything. Connector/ wire move nicely, but a slight resistance is felt.
The wire breaks, leaving the CPS behind. This thing was obviously due.
I still see the loose CPS from above so I tap it gently so it will fall to the floor.
It falls instantly, yes.

It's LOST!!!
I cannot find it.
I have spent 1-1/2 hour combing the top of the tranny with a wire looking for my socket and my CPS.
More knuckle pain and some light bleeding by now.
These 2 items have dissappeared, they are nowhere to be found.

I have done brakes, alternators, timing belts, radiators, distributors, body work, various mods on my other 2 vehicles for nearly 15 years but The Jeep takes the cake as far as nightmares go.

1 day lost.
1 socket lost.
1 CPS lost.
All my patience gone.
All respect for Chrysler engineering completely eliminated.
What where they thinking when they designed that thing????

As far as I can tell after all this, there is no way on earth I could ever install a CPS back in this particular vehicle without removing some major component.

Perhaps raising the vehicle would make the reinstall possible.

I'd like to hear about anybody who has done this with the same, exact vehicle setup as mine.
I would also love to hear any suggestion as to where my socket and CPS might have gone too!

Murphy's law.

Thanks to all for reading and
Thanks in advance for any help!

Are you sure you have the 4.0L engine and not the 5.2L V8 Engine.....lol

I am looking at t picture of the engine comaprtment on the 4.0L engine and it shows the Auto Tranny Dipstick on the Pasengerside...

Are you sure you have the 4.0L engine and not the 5.2L V8 Engine.....lol

I am looking at t picture of the engine comaprtment on the 4.0L engine and it shows the Auto Tranny Dipstick on the Pasengerside...

Please refer to the following freshly taken pictures of my engine compartment:
[removed]

well yup thats the 4.0L ....lol

well for the CPS and the Socket, did you check on the top of the tranny (using you hand to feel up around there, if possible)also check around the Cotrol arm brackets (the frame brackets) it is possible it could have fallen down and got stuck on it, I had this happen with a bolt for my tranny, took me forever to finally locate it.

I had the exact same problem (going through it now 10/10/05) car dies in the middle of the road; tested the fuel pump, filter, all OK. found almost severed wire between coil and distributor cap, replaced that and the spark plug wires (comes in a set) and still does not start. craks but does not fire. I have a 1994 shop manual; since i received no spark, focused thre and replaced rotor, and coil, still no start. I then gave in and it was towed to the dealer; they are now telling me the error code from the PCM is that I have a bad crank shaft sensor!

well yup thats the 4.0L ....lol

well for the CPS and the Socket, did you check on the top of the tranny (using you hand to feel up around there, if possible)also check around the Cotrol arm brackets (the frame brackets) it is possible it could have fallen down and got stuck on it, I had this happen with a bolt for my tranny, took me forever to finally locate it.

I cannot get my hand to the top of the tranny, not enough clearance, but I did run a bent coat-hanger combing the top but got nowhere. I wil check the brackets.

It's really looking like I have to drop the front drive shaft as well as the shift linkage to to be able to reinstall a sensor there.

If I have this thing towed to a dealer, how will THEY do it?
Has anybody ever installed a CPS from the bottom on the 4L?

This is actually the only way to do it I think, there have been alot of people that have installed the CPS in there ZJ's with the 4.0L and just about everyone of them bi#%hed about it. I do not have the 4.0L so I am not going to be much help.

did not finish my post; Dealer told me the only way to get to the CPS (after I had the car towed there)was to tilt the engine by releasing one of the engine mounts. He claims $360 later; all will be well :-(
I will let you knwo if this cures my ills! Since the cable from the coil to the distributor cap was almost completely fried at the cap (technical term for charred and hanginig by a thread), I am not so sure; they claim the code told them "that is where they need to start".

I bet the code was CODE 11, which refers to the Crank and Cam Sensor, which if the wires to the cam sensor were bad this would throw the code, and since it refers to each of these sensors it just makes it that much harder to locate the problem.

Dealer told me the only way to get to the CPS [...] was to tilt the engine by releasing one of the engine mounts.

Wow.
buro99, is yours a 4.0L with the tranny dipstick on the driver-side too?
Looking at mine, it almost looks like tilting the engine is one way to do it, but this is really crazy if that's the case.

I'll call the local dealer and see what they want for this.

I must say, this is a real bad way to start owning a Jeep for me.

If your trying to go from up top, you'll never get it. Your best bet is to go from underneath, it's a tight fit, but it'll work. That's how I've done it before. Jeeps aren't that bad to maintain. The worst cars I've worked on are GMs. The front drive car are impossible to work on. Don't get me started on F-body cars from 93-2002. Just to get the engine out, you have to drop the lower subframe and drop it from below, TRANSMISSION INCLUDED!!

If your trying to go from up top, you'll never get it. Your best bet is to go from underneath, it's a tight fit, but it'll work.

I've not much experience with american cars in general.
I've owned a tercel, a celica, a supra, an mpv and those japanese vehicles have been a pleasure to work on (as far as mechanical work goes...)

I was able to remove the sensor from below (the only way really).
So how did you get the new sensor back in from the bottom?
Were you able to reach in there from below, and place the sensor in its spot by hand?

I've not much experience with american cars in general.
I've owned a tercel, a celica, a supra, an mpv and those japanese vehicles have been a pleasure to work on (as far as mechanical work goes...)

I was able to remove the sensor from below (the only way really).
So how did you get the new sensor back in from the bottom?
Were you able to reach in there from below, and place the sensor in its spot by hand?

Yeah, fortunately for me, the one I worked on was lifted 4" and had 33" swampers on it. Anyway, I went underneath on the driver's side, first I located it on the bellhousing and removed the two 10mm screws that held it in place. Followed the wiring harness to the connector and in 10 min. I had it out.

Yeah, fortunately for me, the one I worked on was lifted 4" and had 33" swampers on it. Anyway, I went underneath on the driver's side, first I located it on the bellhousing and removed the two 10mm screws that held it in place. Followed the wiring harness to the connector and in 10 min. I had it out.

Different dealers are giving me different quotes!
Some charge 1 hour, others 3 hours.
It appears those who charge 3 hours know exactly my particular vehicle and are particularly aware of the difficulty it represents compared to other similar models which are easy in comparison.

I'm considering cutting a hole in the floor to access it from inside!!!!
Man this is crazy!

Calica-Dude; Yes I have a 4.0L auto with air and 4x4. The dipstick is on the Driver's side. and yes it was the CPS sensor and once they replaced it for $365 (for all I know it was a broken wire!), it is running. I also had a manafold leak / crack (for $715 parts and labor) that I am having done. I skiped the cracked CV boot and don't care if the muffler is rusted as past experiecne tells me that those are typical things with an 10 year old cars!

I will only let them dip into me for so much!

I can always do the other items later through a factory shop; Anyone ever had Midas replace muffler on a GGC vehicle?

Celica-Dude; Yes I have a 4.0L auto with air and 4x4. The dipstick is on the Driver's side. and yes it was the CPS sensor and once they replaced it for $365 (for all I know it was a broken wire!), it is running.

buro99; Did they actually tilt the engine as you stated in a previous post?

Well, I've managed to complete the job.
My body hurts, my arms & hands are damaged but I did not have to tilt the engine.
Removing the shift linkage helped somewhat.
The jeep started immediately and has been fine for 3 days now so I think this operation can be deemed successful.
Interestingly enough, the engine now starts immediately upon cranking whereas it used to turn several revolutions before starting.
Perhaps the sensor was on its way out prior to failing completely (10 years, 401,000 Km / 250K miles).

Thanks for all the help guys!

Guys it's really not that hard to get this sucker in and out. 2 bolts . I advise some mechanics wire around the harness to snake it out when you are done. A long extension and a swivel will get right in there. If you are having that much trouble use a block of wood under the trans and a jack and unbolt the crossmember and carefully lower the jack enough to gain more access. I've done a ton of these and never had a problem, just be patient.

Guys it's really not that hard to get this sucker in and out. 2 bolts . I advise some mechanics wire around the harness to snake it out when you are done. A long extension and a swivel will get right in there. If you are having that much trouble use a block of wood under the trans and a jack and unbolt the crossmember and carefully lower the jack enough to gain more access. I've done a ton of these and never had a problem, just be patient.

From reading an amazing number of posts on the subject, it is now clear that there are different versions of how this is done depending on engine / transmission configurations.

Many claim doing this from the top of the engine compartment, this was simply impossible with mine.
Many claim the connector is the driver-side near the firewall, mine was on the passenger side, mid-engine (barely long enough to reconnect!).
Many claim it is just a matter of reaching in there and removing two bolts, mine was impossible to reach (even with small arms) and had only one bolt plus a bracket to keep the shift cable from pushing on the sensor cables.
Perhaps this is easier done with a jacked vehicle.
Right now, I'm glad mine is done!

Different dealers are giving me different quotes!
Some charge 1 hour, others 3 hours.
It appears those who charge 3 hours know exactly my particular vehicle and are particularly aware of the difficulty it represents compared to other similar models which are easy in comparison.

I'm considering cutting a hole in the floor to access it from inside!!!!
Man this is crazy!


All...I know this is off topic but if you are ever looking for tires for the Jeep Grand cherokee...I found a great price at Sams CLub (the wholesale club) and they beat the street by $30 a tire! I have the up-country package on my car and so my tires are 245 / 70R/ 15.