First real problem with our JLUR. Service 4wd light unable to engage sway bar

[jeepingib]

First real issue with our JL last night. We went to the beach on SPI, and as we were leaving the island we went to the car wash to get the salt and sand off. A few minutes down the road from the car wash the service 4wd light came on along with the unable to engage sway bar. I've heard of other people who have had this happen, and it's usually an electrical gremlin that rights itself after being shut off for the evening. So I reduced my speed but kept going. About 45 minutes later the front axle was trying to engage while traveling at 65. The driveline noise was unmistakable. So I pulled over and checked it out. The front diff was warm, but not overly hot. The xsfer case was similar, which was what I expected as it isn't really engaged. Nothing was in immediate threat of catastrophic damage, but it was now spinning the axles and drive shaft. So I slowed down some more and limped it the rest of the way to the Hotel I'm currently working out of. I'll take it to the dealership tomorrow when the service department opens up again.

Sponsored

 

[chacomaya]

I had a similar situation where I got a repeated warning that I could not DISengage the sway bar. Turned out to be a loose connector in the wiring to the sway bar disconnect unit. I am not certain where this connector is located, but I seem to recall them saying it is down by the front axle. The dealer just reconnected it tightly and all has been well since.

 

[Rploaded]

Reconnect your sway bar connector. Pull it completely apart and put it back together.

 

[entropy]

Get rid of it, sell it and buy quick disconnects.

 

[JeepCares]

First real issue with our JL last night. We went to the beach on SPI, and as we were leaving the island we went to the car wash to get the salt and sand off. A few minutes down the road from the car wash the service 4wd light came on along with the unable to engage sway bar. I've heard of other people who have had this happen, and it's usually an electrical gremlin that rights itself after being shut off for the evening. So I reduced my speed but kept going. About 45 minutes later the front axle was trying to engage while traveling at 65. The driveline noise was unmistakable. So I pulled over and checked it out. The front diff was warm, but not overly hot. The xsfer case was similar, which was what I expected as it isn't really engaged. Nothing was in immediate threat of catastrophic damage, but it was now spinning the axles and drive shaft. So I slowed down some more and limped it the rest of the way to the Hotel I'm currently working out of. I'll take it to the dealership tomorrow when the service department opens up again.

Hi jeepingib,

I am so sorry to hear about this! If you do end up going to the dealership, please feel free to let us know. We are happy to set up a case with a case specialist so they can ensure everything is resolved for you.

Kaitlin
Jeep Cares

 

[jeepingib]

I had a similar situation where I got a repeated warning that I could not DISengage the sway bar. Turned out to be a loose connector in the wiring to the sway bar disconnect unit. I am not certain where this connector is located, but I seem to recall them saying it is down by the front axle. The dealer just reconnected it tightly and all has been well since.

Reconnect your sway bar connector. Pull it completely apart and put it back together.

While the sway bar warning is an issue, the one that I am most concerned about is the fact that the front axle is trying to re-engage at highway speeds. It is not good for those components to try to sync at speeds like that, and you can hear and feel it all the way through the Jeep. I'll update this thread with what I discover. I just wish that it happened at home and not 6 hours away for work.

 

[jlroman2]

I also got the service 4WD after getting a lift done. Went under and noticed this disconnected. Could this be it!?

 

[eck]

I also got the service 4WD after getting a lift done. Went under and noticed this disconnected. Could this be it!?

Yes, that is the harness for the front axle disconnect, which is required for 4wd to function.

 

[Rploaded]

While the sway bar warning is an issue, the one that I am most concerned about is the fact that the front axle is trying to re-engage at highway speeds. It is not good for those components to try to sync at speeds like that, and you can hear and feel it all the way through the Jeep. I'll update this thread with what I discover. I just wish that it happened at home and not 6 hours away for work.

You can disconnect the wire that goes to the locker on the differential.

 

[jeepingib]

You can disconnect the wire that goes to the locker on the differential.

I'm fairly certain that it's the axle disconnect that is engaging. There's no steering issues at full lock like there would be with the locker engaged.

 

[Rploaded]

I'm fairly certain that it's the axle disconnect that is engaging. There's no steering issues at full lock like there would be with the locker engaged.

Oh you’re having an issue with the fad. You can pull the plug on that as well. I was thinking it was the Locker.

If you have a tazer you can disable it as well.

 

[Headbarcode]

So, everything was fine up until the underside got a washing? Makes me think that water got into one or more wiring harness connector. I'd start with disconnecting all front axle plugs and flush out both the plugs and receptacles with wd40. The wd40 displaces water, but after spraying, let it sit for a short bit before reconnecting. The wait before reconnecting is to give the flammable ingredients in the wd40 time to evaporate. Not sure if that's as important as it is when flushing out a distributor cap, but better safe than sorry.

 

[jeepingib]

So, everything was fine up until the underside got a washing? Makes me think that water got into one or more wiring harness connector. I'd start with disconnecting all front axle plugs and flush out both the plugs and receptacles with wd40. The wd40 displaces water, but after spraying, let it sit for a short bit before reconnecting. The wait before reconnecting is to give the flammable ingredients in the wd40 time to evaporate. Not sure if that's as important as it is when flushing out a distributor cap, but better safe than sorry.

Yeah that is what I'm thinking. Between the salt spray and the wash to get rid of the salt, something got into a connection or module. I don't think that it will be a big deal. But I'm going to take it in because I'm not at home, and I want it documented.

 

[jeepingib]

Dealership couldn't promise me that I'd have it back in time to go to work tomorrow, or provide a loaner till Thursday. So I will go back on Thursday. But I did locate the problem. The sensor on the transfer case that determines the current gear is where the issue resides. And that is why it is trying to engage the front axle sometimes, even though the linkage is in 2HI. And the swaybar does not disconnect unless in 4WD so the mixed signals are why it is sending an error code for that.

 

[jeepingib]

Forgot to update this thread. I took care of it myself, but still brought it to the dealership to have them annotate it in the system. It was just some shmutz on the contacts for the switch. I sprayed some WD-40 and worked the linkage several times and it works normally now.

Sponsored