<VV> JEEP OBD II Question... NO CORVAIR

[Jim Burkhard]

You cannot short out pins to display a code. That worked on OBDI 
vehicles, but not OBDII.  You need a code reader (or better yet a scan 
tool which also lets you look at live data -- do you already have a 
PDA? There are some good ones for both Palm and Windows Mobile).  If 
you decide to just buy a simple code reader, they should come with a 
decoder sheet that will help you figure out your Chrysler.  FLAPs 
would sell code readers or you could probably find a cheaper one 
online. It is unlikely that a Jeep dealer would sell  plain vanilla 
code readers for home mechanics.

Jim Bukhard

bjornyesterday wrote:
> List Members,
> 
> I need help with my 1998 Jeep Cherokee with 6 cyl, auto trans and
> 4-wheel drive.  It has 75,000 miles showing, but it was towed behind
> a motor home before I bought it and the driven mileage is about
> 20,000.  About a week ago I noticed a slight miss at idle, and low
> RPM that seemed to go away at higher RPM.  This went on for several
> days and then the "Check Engine" light came on and stayed on.  My
> questiion is:  Do I need to buy a code reader to plug into the OBD II
> socket under the dash, or is there a way to short out the socket and
> get the check engine light to blink and give up the code?  Also,
> would my FLAPS have code books for sale or do I have to go to a Jeep
> Dealer?  This is my first experience with OBD II.