Repair 7

The 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee has two license plate bulbs in the rear. Theyre located on the hatch shelf directly above the license plate. The front license plate doesnt require illumination, so it has no bulbs. Rear license-plate illumination, on the other hand, is mandated by law in the United States. Lighting in the rear can be overlooked since its impossible for a driver to see the back of the vehicle when driving. The license plate bulbs come on when the headlight switch is turned on.

Instructions

1

Ensure that the headlight switch is off. If necessary, turn on the headlight switch to determine which license plate bulb is out (unless youre replacing both). Turn the switch back off after checking.

2

Raise your 1997 Grand Cherokees rear hatch.

3

Remove the retaining screw on the lens cover of the faulty license plate bulb, using the screwdriver. Each lens only has one screw; its on the inside edge of the lens.

4

Pull the lens downward from where the retaining screw was removed. There is a small tab on the other side of the lens that acts as a hinge and holds the other side of the lens in place.

5

Pull the spent bulb straight out of the socket. Push the replacement bulb into the socket and test the light before replacing the lens assembly. Ensure that the tab on the lens is seated inside the bulbs cavity when reassembling it.

The alarm in your 2001 Grand Cherokee can be annoying if you are trying to make any kind of repair to your vehicle. This alarm is designed to be a deterrent to auto theft, but will go off during the repair process. If you want to disable the car alarm, you have a couple of options -- either removing the fuse for the alarm or removing the power supply from your alarm. When you take the power away from the alarm, you will be able to make your repair in peace.

Instructions

Disconnecting The Battery

1

Locate the hood release latch on the front of the Grand Cherokee and open the hood.

2

Locate the negative terminal on the Cherokees battery. This terminal has a -- sign next to it.

3

Loosen the terminal with a pair of channel locks.

4

Remove the terminal from the Cherokees battery to disable the car alarm.

Removing The Fuse

5

Go to the drivers side of the Cherokee and locate the fuse box to the left under the steering wheel.

6

Pry open the fuse box with your fingers.

7

Consult your user manual to get the location of the alarm fuse.

8

Remove the alarm fuse from the fuse box to disable the car alarm with the fuse puller in your fuse box.

The factory radio amp in a 1999 Jeep Cherokee Laredo provides extra power to the radio unit to drive the speakers at higher volume levels. In addition to powering the speakers at high volume levels, the amp makes the sound clearer at all volume levels. Occasionally, the amp can draw too much power, causing its integrated reset switch to trip. This switch is designed to prevent the amp from overheating and causing a fire or damaging its internal components. When this switch trips, it needs to be reset directly on the amp itself; there is no external or dash-mounted reset switch.

Instructions

1

Open the back seat door, and pull the release strap on the bottom of the rear seat.

2

Fold the rear seat cushion forward to expose the carpeting underneath.

3

Peel back the carpet under the left side of the seat to expose the amplifier.

4

Depress the reset switch on the front side of the amplifier, and then replace the carpet.

5

Fold the rear seat back down so the seat cushion locks into place. Test the radio to make sure that it functions properly.

You can remove the exhaust system from your Jeep Grand Cherokee yourself. The exhaust system is a pipe that allows the air from the engine to exit out the rear of the vehicle. The air passes through a catalytic converter to eliminate the harmful byproducts of the engine. It also passes through the muffler, which eliminates engine noise. The exhaust may need to be removed for a variety of reasons, and you can complete the process in about an hour.

Instructions

1

Locate the exhaust under the vehicle along the passengers side.

2

Loosen and remove the bolts on the exhaust flange directly behind the muffler with a ratchet and socket. The muffler is the round section that is mounted in-line with the exhaust pipe.

3

Unscrew the bolts on the flange at the muffler and the down-pipe with the ratchet and socket.

4

Remove the bolts that secure the down-pipe to the headers with the ratchet and socket. The headers branch apart to attach to each cylinder on the engine block.

5

Lubricate the stock rubber isolators with lubricating fluid.

6

Remove the exhaust system by pulling the metal bars from the stock rubber isolators. Continue until the tailpipe, muffler, catalytic converter and down-pipe have been removed.

Jeep issued a recall on the 2000 Grand Cherokee Laredo in 2005 for fuel pump problems, according to Internet Auto Guide. Not a widespread recall, it only affected a few Laredos, but other fuel pump problems have arisen for some 2000 Jeep owners. The fuel pump pushes gas from the tank through the fuel line and into the engines injectors. Problems with the fuel pump cause little or no fuel to reach the engine, creating multiple problems.

Plastic Grommet Failure

A plastic grommet on the 2000 Laredo fuel pump module was not compatible with gasoline, which caused the grommet connectors to degrade and allow gasoline to leak out. Since the fuel pump sits near the exhaust system, gasoline leaking out of the fuel pump can land on the exhaust and create a fire hazard. The fuel pump came from a specific manufacturer and only affected 7,291 Chrysler vehicles---including the 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo.

Fuel Pump Failure

According to the website Car Complaints, some 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo owners have experienced fuel pump failure. Though no known specific cause for this problem exists as of 2010, gasoline leaking out of the fuel pump can cause it to work harder to push gasoline through the fuel line and possibly burn out. The only correction for this fuel pump problem involves replacing the fuel pump.

CMP Sensor Problems

The 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo has had problems with the camshaft position (CMP) sensor. The Laredo uses the CMP sensor to synchronize the fuel through the fuel pump. When this sensor goes out or operates intermittently, the fuel pump will fail to push gasoline through the fuel line. The vehicle will stall during acceleration, run roughly, jerk or hesitate during operation or achieve low fuel mileage. The CMP sensor requires replacement to correct this fuel pump problem.

Removing the dashboard on your Jeep Cherokee is a simple, but finicky task. The Jeep Cherokee dashboard includes the lower instrument panel, instrument cluster bezel, radio and heater control panel, and defroster cowl panel.

Remove the Lower Instrument Panel

Remove the lower instrument panel first by removing its four retaining screws. Lower the panel and disconnect all the wire connectors attached to it. Make a note of where each wire connector attaches.

Remove the Instrument Cluster Bezel

Remove the four screws that hold the instrument cluster bezel in place. Unsnap the cluster bezel at the eight snap fit locations. Be gentle on older models of Cherokees to prevent breaking the snaps as they keep the bezel firmly in place and stops it from making annoying rattling noises.

Remove the Radio and Heater Control Panel

Unscrew the two screws holding this panel in place. Pull the radio control panel out and disconnect the electrical connectors to the radio. Pull out the heater control unit.

Remove the Defroster Cowl Panel

Loosen and remove the four screws holding the defroster cowl panel in place. The cowl panel has retaining clips on the drivers side, which must also be removed. Take care not to let the clips fall off the panel when you remove it.

The automatic transmission shifter in the Jeep Cherokee is located on the transmission hump, between the front seats. The handle on the top of the shifter is made of plastic and has a button on the right end, which the driver must depress to shift the transmission out of "Park." Removal of the transmission from the truck required you to remove the handle from the shifter, in order to allow the transmission to be lowered out of the truck. The shifter handle will also need to be removed if you are removing the console from the truck.

Instructions

1

Place a set of wheel chocks or wooden blocks in front and behind the tires of your Jeep Cherokee, so that it will not roll. Turn the ignition key to the "Unlock" position, but do not turn it on.

2

Depress the brake pedal with your foot, depress the button on the shifter, then pull the shifter into the "Neutral" position. While you can leave the shifter in "Park," if you do, there will be very limited clearance around it.

3

Place your hands under the shifter handle, palms facing up. Pull straight up on the shifter handle. The handle will pop off the shaft very unexpectedly, so do not lean over the handle while you are pulling on it.

While some vehicles use single headlights to account for both low and high beams, the 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee employs separate bulbs for each per headlight assembly. As a matter of fact, each drivers and passenger side headlight assembly house a total of five bulbs inside. One low beam headlight, one high beam headlight, two parking lights and a combination marker/directional light. To access and replace any of these lights requires you to remove the headlight assembly.

Instructions

1

Open the hood to the 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee and locate the jack screw at the top rear center of the headlight assembly that contains the headlight being replaced.

2

Remove the jack screw with the ratchet and a 7mm socket. Extract the long jack screw out of its chamber in the back of the headlight assembly and set it aside.

3

Grab the headlight assembly on the upper inner corner and the lower outer corner and wiggle the assembly free to unseat the headlight alignment guide pins. This will require some force to unseat the alignment pins.

4

Reach behind the assembly (attached to the wire harness connections of each headlight and bulb to access the spent headlight. Low beam headlights are located on the outer end of the assembly and the high beam on the inner end of the assembly.

5

Disconnect the blue clip of the wire harness from the base of the headlight.

6

Twist the headlight base a quarter turn counterclockwise to remove the composite headlight from the assembly.

7

Insert the new low or high beam headlight being careful not to touch the glass bulb into the back of the headlight assembly and align the tabs of the composite headlight to the grooves in the assembly. Press the headlight inward and then twist the base clockwise until it locks into place.

8

Reconnect the blue plug of the wire harness to the base of the headlight.

9

Rest the headlight assembly in its cavity and test the headlight for operation.

10

Align the headlight alignment guide pins with the seats in the headlight assembly cavity and push the assembly into place.

11

Replace the jack screw and tighten it with the ratchet and socket.

A warning light can be reset and turned off in your 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. The on-board diagnostics computer receives error codes from sensors positioned throughout the vehicle. There are various types of warning lights in the Laredo, including ones for the anti-lock braking system, the engine and the supplemental restraint system. Whatever the warning light, you can quickly and easily reset the light yourself right from your home garage using a tool that can be purchased from your local auto parts retailer.

Instructions

1

Find a port under the dashboard on the drivers side. Examine the port to make sure its the same size and shape as the code scanner connector. Plug the code scanner into the port. The Laredos battery will automatically power on the scanner.

2

Examine the menu on the code scanner. It will display the error codes corresponding to the warning lights on your instrument panel. Unplug the code scanner.

3

Fix the problem or perform the maintenance that generated the code.

4

Reinsert the scanner in the port. Look for the "Delete" or "Erase" button on the faceplate of the scanner. If there isnt one, scroll through the menu using the arrow keys. Select the "Erase Codes" function. Wait for the main menu to return.

5

Put the key in the ignition and start the engine. Examine the instrument panel to make sure the warning light has gone off.