Odd incident this morning

CybrSlydr

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Drove the Jeep to the grocery store. Got there just fine. Came out and turned the key and the Jeep had a hard time turning over. Finally started and I had no reading on either the oil temp or coolant temp gauges and the "check gauges" light came on.

Turned it off and got out for a walk-around. No fluids on the ground and none leading up to the parking spot. So I got in and tried again. This time it took off and the gauges were back to normal.

Drove it home and parked in the driveway. Got out I could hear what sounded like bubbling. Again, no drips or anything on the ground. No oil leaks or anything.

Got back in and started it and she took right off again. Just that one instance.

Thoughts?
 
First thought is bad ground or poor terminal connection at the battery.

With your ‘06, the Check Gauges light will set a code that can be retrieved by cycling the ignition from off to on three times. The code(s) will display in the odometer readout.
 
Hopefully this is not the beginning of fatal PCM/ECU 1/2 shift disease. Mine started out a little different — really high rear view mirror outdoor temp and compass issue though this would not effect cranking as you describe.

I'd start with battery terminal cleaning and cable ends inspection. It's the easiest to do. No clue how bubbling plays here as related to no gauge readings. Make sure coolant reserve is full and radiator to be sure.
 
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Hopefully this is not the beginning of fatal PCM/ECU 1/2 shift disease. Mine started out a little different — really high rear view mirror outdoor temp and compass issue though this would not effect cranking as you describe.

I'd start with battery terminal cleaning and cable ends inspection.

What’s the history, did someone worked on your rig lately ?
- as for gurgling Sound , we vacuum fill coolant on all our vehicles at work and having great success from pickups to semis and equipment

—•||||•—👋🏿
 
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Agree with the above on checking your battery terminals. I had a loose wire from the fuse box that when I hit a bump the gauges would go out, then come back again. Then while wheeling, the check gauges light came on and I clamped the wire down. Replaced the terminals and all has been well for a year of hard wheeling.
 
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What’s the history, did someone worked on your rig lately ?
- as for gurgling Sound , we vacuum fill coolant on all our vehicles at work and having great success from pickups to semis and equipment

—•||||•—👋🏿
No one has worked on mine — I don't have a coolant issue - just the hard 1/2 shift and i have just lived with it for 3 summers. The shift issue is on the first cold shift (or 2) of the day and mine is not a DD. I will eventually get the fix from the company that everyone has been happy with on this site. When I first found the problem there were no trusted solutions so I just drug my feet but before I go wheeling next "i'll git er done".
 
Drove it home and parked in the driveway. Got out I could hear what sounded like bubbling. Again, no drips or anything on the ground. No oil leaks or anything.
Boiling coolant is a sure sign of a cooling system leak. It often is as simple as the radiator cap. Your system is probably not holding pressure if it is boiling after you park it, it wont read very hot on the gauge.
 
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Boiling coolant is a sure sign of a cooling system leak. It often is as simple as the radiator cap. Your system is probably not holding pressure if it is boiling after you park it, it wont read very hot on the gauge.
I just fixed one last Saturday when I got off the trail..for less than six bucks with a new radiator cap.

One thing everybody needs to realize... Most of the parts on these things are as old as the vehicle... And tension springs and rubber parts deteriorate.

Am I saying that TJ's are falling apart? No, but everything is in a state of decay or aging to some extent.

Also I'm going to lay something else out there that consumers do with vehicles that fairly sophisticated companies do not do with expensive equipment:

The average Joe replaces things as needed. This means one radiator hose is 19 years old and the other one is three years old... And this goes on throughout the vehicle.

We do that because that's what we can afford.

In reality if you can replace every belt and hose at one time,
you are probably going to spend no more money in the long run and not be stranded.

I'm not trying to shame anybody or spend anybody's money... I do what I can do as well ... it depends on what I can afford and how much time I have... And some things if they're working okay I don't want to fix things that aren't broke.... But if you think you can afford it it pays to look at periodic maintenance a little differently sometimes.
 
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Boiling coolant is a sure sign of a cooling system leak. It often is as simple as the radiator cap. Your system is probably not holding pressure if it is boiling after you park it, it wont read very hot on the gauge.
That is a really good point and depending on the sender location a void in water jacket could be a lack of a reading. I have not paid attention to where the sender is on the 4.0 but I have had other engines (but were V6) that would end up with a void and false reading.
 
Check your connections, start at the battery, most of the time it’s simple things.
Could be a cell going bad in your battery, if it’s shorting out internally you could be hearing it boil. The lower voltage causes all kinds of issues with electronics.
Did you use your AC sometimes they bubble when you shut the vehicle off for a bit.
Above is not Jeep specific
 
Sounds like two separate and unrelated issues. I would start with the checks mentioned above. Besides the radiator cap, don't be afraid to flush your cooling system and inspect and replace components showing age or are suspect. My fluids never get old as in my opinion, lubricants and coolant are cheap insurance. There are a whole list of items and faults that can be rectified with cleaning the battery terminals and or replacing the battery. Old school rigs either worked or they didn't. Breaker point ignitions were like horseshoes and hand grenades. The rigs with computers are much fussier about their power supplies.
 
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Boiling coolant is a sure sign of a cooling system leak. It often is as simple as the radiator cap. Your system is probably not holding pressure if it is boiling after you park it, it wont read very hot on the gauge.

Well, when my brother and I drove up to the "local" gun shop to do some shooting on Friday, when the defroster came on he asked if I smelled coolant. A quick google says that could be the heater core. Good thing Summer is coming along.

The gauge doesn't read incorrectly - starts off cold and works it's way towards the middle of the dial.

I'll head out and check the terminals, let it run for a few minutes and see if I hear that gurgling again. Might stop down at Advance to pick up some coolant and top off the system for the time being.
 
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If it is coolant related it needs to be fixed before driving it. If it is the heater core, check the passenger side floor. You can pull and plug the heater hoses till you replace the heater core but don't drive it till you do.

If the gauge is not reading correctly the coolant is dangerously low.
 
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The gauge doesn't read incorrectly - starts off cold and works it's way towards the middle of the dial.

I'll head out and check the terminals, let it run for a few minutes and see if I hear that gurgling again. Might stop down at Advance to pick up some coolant and top off the system for the time being.
I really just meant gurgling meant leak, I have no idea what's going on with your gauge. When I said the gauge wont read hot I just meant that my coolant has gurgled when the temperature gauge was working fine and not reading too hot, like the Jeep doesn't have to overheat to gurgle.
 
I have a sensitive proboscis when it comes to coolant leaks. Sounds like you should listen to your brother. If it is the heater core, replace it with a good quality one and if you have AC, do the evaporator at the same time. Mine was the opposite, my AC was leaking so I replaced the heater core while I was in there.
 
So, I went out and took a look and some pics for ya.

The coolant level looks fine in the overflow reservoir. The radiator cap was on nice and tight (though I think I'll get a replacement just in case).

Battery terminals had a bit of corrosion on them. The battery is practically new (less than 6mos old) and the guy at Advance put it in for me. Put the anti-corrosion stuff on the terminals and all.

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I was having an intermittent loss of gauges/check gauges light coming on about a year ago. First one half/side of the panel would drop off, then the other. Or both side would drop at once and come back one side at a time. There was no rhyme or reason for the dropping, but a bump in the road would usually cause them to come back up. Started tracing wiring from the battery all the way to the cluster panel without finding anything out of ordinary. The two connectors that the cluster panel plugs into seemed slightly loose, so I shimmed them with a very thin piece of plastic. About as thick as a piece of paper folded in half. That seemed to solve the problem as it hasn’t returned.
As someone above said, 20 year old vehicle. Things work loose and wear out.