Weird Problem, Any Help Appreciated

FOSJ

Member
I have a 2014 JKUR with 51K miles. We've owned it for 10 months and put 26K miles on it since we purchased it. The miles have been hard ones as we worked mapping BLM back country roads in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana April thru September; all without any service issues or breaks. 2 months and 2K miles ago we added a 2.5" lift and 35" tires. Jeep has run and handled great. Last week while driving I heard a chime, all the odometer idiot lights flashed, Speedo and tach needles pegged left, then everything went right back to normal with no lurch or loss of speed. Since then, the same thing has happened over a dozen times, hiway speeds, driving in town,in a parking lot, with and without cruise engaged, driving a straight line, turning left, changing lanes. No rhyme or reason, no pattern.

Any ideas?
 
When I had something similar after installing a winch it turned out to be the negative connection on the battery was loose, mind you the nut was tight, adding something on the post messed up how the conical shape at the bottom of the nut tightens the connection.
 
I have a 2014 JKUR with 51K miles. We've owned it for 10 months and put 26K miles on it since we purchased it. The miles have been hard ones as we worked mapping BLM back country roads in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana April thru September; all without any service issues or breaks. 2 months and 2K miles ago we added a 2.5" lift and 35" tires. Jeep has run and handled great. Last week while driving I heard a chime, all the odometer idiot lights flashed, Speedo and tach needles pegged left, then everything went right back to normal with no lurch or loss of speed. Since then, the same thing has happened over a dozen times, hiway speeds, driving in town,in a parking lot, with and without cruise engaged, driving a straight line, turning left, changing lanes. No rhyme or reason, no pattern.

Any ideas?

Might be a wheels speed sensor on its way out. When they go bad they Christmas tree your whole dash. I'd check the connections on the hubs. They are fairly easy to check.
 
When I had something similar after installing a winch it turned out to be the negative connection on the battery was loose, mind you the nut was tight, adding something on the post messed up how the conical shape at the bottom of the nut tightens the connection.

I had a similar with my truck.. all the electronics shut off on the highway and the needles went down and fluctuated like that. I ended up doing an auto zone parking lot repair and had to splice on a new post terminal because it was bad.
 
I have a 2014 JKUR with 51K miles. We've owned it for 10 months and put 26K miles on it since we purchased it. The miles have been hard ones as we worked mapping BLM back country roads in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana April thru September; all without any service issues or breaks. 2 months and 2K miles ago we added a 2.5" lift and 35" tires. Jeep has run and handled great. Last week while driving I heard a chime, all the odometer idiot lights flashed, Speedo and tach needles pegged left, then everything went right back to normal with no lurch or loss of speed. Since then, the same thing has happened over a dozen times, hiway speeds, driving in town,in a parking lot, with and without cruise engaged, driving a straight line, turning left, changing lanes. No rhyme or reason, no pattern.

Any ideas?

Sounds like a loose connection. Check all large positive and negative connections including rear of alternator. Also check charging voltage just to be safe.
 
I had this exact thing happen to me. It turned out to be my negative battery terminal. It seemed tight but took it off and cleaned the terminal and post. Has since happened again.
I would say remove terminals and clean them. Also as others have stated check from alternator to battery as well. That's an easy start.
 
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I use dielectric grease on all of my connections and especially on the battery posts. I used to have problems with my motorcycle with the added accessories like GPS, heated gear and radar detector so I started using the grease with great results.
 
I use dielectric grease on all of my connections and especially on the battery posts. I used to have problems with my motorcycle with the added accessories like GPS, heated gear and radar detector so I started using the grease with great results.

Welcome aboard.
 
I use dielectric grease on all of my connections and especially on the battery posts. I used to have problems with my motorcycle with the added accessories like GPS, heated gear and radar detector so I started using the grease with great results.

I assume you mean non-conductive grease? Why not just Vaseline? I have used that for years and have had no troubles, especially after I used a water solution of baking soda.
 
Because dielectric grease sounds cooler.

I don't think it's a wheel speed sensor. I lost one 3 months ago. The ESP/BAS & ABS lights go, but not check engine & other non-wheel things.
 
Great forum guys. In my original post I forgot to mention that I also installed a winch. Following the recommendations of the forum I checked the wiring of the negative battery post and sure enough I had placed the negative power lead from the winch between the acorn nut and the clamp. I corrected the problem and I've gone two days now with no issues.
Thanks again. I'll post another update in a week or so.
 
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Great forum guys. In my original post I forgot to mention that I also installed a winch. Following the recommendations of the forum I checked the wiring of the negative battery post and sure enough I had placed the negative power lead from the winch between the acorn nut and the clamp. I corrected the problem and I've gone two days now with no issues.
Thanks again. I'll post another update in a week or so.

I'm sure that was your problem. With the newer vehicles and all the electronics, a dead battery or loose connections can cause all kinds of problems.
 
dash lights going on and off too

Thanks for the information. I will check my connections first thing in the morning.
 
Great forum guys. In my original post I forgot to mention that I also installed a winch. Following the recommendations of the forum I checked the wiring of the negative battery post and sure enough I had placed the negative power lead from the winch between the acorn nut and the clamp. I corrected the problem and I've gone two days now with no issues.
Thanks again. I'll post another update in a week or so.

That empty bolt on the negative side, behind the battery nut takes an M6 flange but.
 
usually something like this its more than likely the battery or a connection problem. glad to hear you got it fixed!:clap2:
 
Yup I agree remember when it happened to us driving back from the suds and grub one time... [emoji15]

Yea I do and you got scared and started crying. That was probably the best part of the trip!! Nooooooo my jeep is broken[emoji24]
 
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