Have a '96 XJ and my motors been running rough for a bit now. Got a code reader and hooked it up to do a read for the first time and here's what I got..

01/03 P0132
02/03 P0141
03/03 P0138

From what I can tell it looks like possibly both? my O2 sensors have gone bad? I'm brand new to interpreting these codes so all help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Is it possible that you have rubbed some wires raw? Or perhaps got them against the hot pipes? I think that signal means you are putting a rich mixture in the system.. because if the cat isn't working the mixture will go to rich and there goes the cats.
I'd look closely at the wireing, maybe even shakeing it some in obvious places to make sure all the wires are still intact.
I think there might even be a fuse for them things.. I'd be checking for it also.
Big Jim <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the advice BigJim.

I checked all the wiring going to both the front and rear sensors and everything seems ok. Also, I checked all fuses under the dash and hood and all seem to be in place and working. Checked owner's manual for fuse descriptions and 'O2 sensor' wasn't listed for any of them.

Disappointed I wasn't able to find anything cause my motor is def not running well at idle, although seems to run well at anything above idle.

Other advice I've gotten so far suggests clearing the codes and see if they pop up again.

Any more advice? cause I could def use it.

Thanks

For sure a dirty maf can cause poor running. Might be a cheap fix if cleaning it would help.
Big JIm <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

hacker,

I can't find my reader and codebooks, but I'd suggest googling the codes it gave you. Not familiar w/ '96 stuff (got an 04 tj, ie MORE emissions stuff!). About a week after I got it, the "mil" light came on, solid (blinking is BAD). Bought myself a reader, and the code translated to "VERY VERY SMALL LEAK" in the evaporative emissions system.. later it turned into to very small, then small, then LEAK. Could hear it easily, w/ hose to ear, but never find it beneath my header and above my exhaust down pipe setup. Eventually things got bad.. at idle it would occassionally rev up to like 1.2k rpm, once, then back to normal. THEN eventually, it started struggling BIG TIME.. Had to drive it off sand to hardtop, then trailer to dealership. The throttle position sensor, MAP sensor, and one O2 sensor had gone... dealership couldn't find leak..
..had to change oil pan recently, and w/ everything between ex manifold and cat off, I could see... ..what do we have here?! A vaccuum line, dry rotted at both ends and seem splitting! OEM/factory line is CHEAP..

keep searching and fix the problem, cause it will prolly just burn out more sensors over time.

-franz

Thanks guys.

Oooo, this question is gonna pinch but I'll ask it anyway. How does one go about cleaning a mass airflow sensor? And mmmmmm, where might mine be located? Air intake possibly?

It is the first lectric device in the air flow just down from the air cleaner.
There are cleaning agents specially made for cleaning them.. I always jus use gasoline. One must be careful not to damage the thing.
Big JIm <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/pfft.gif" alt="" />

Thanks again Jim.

Well, I broke down my air intake back to the throttle body and unfortunately didn't find anything that looks like a MAF sensor. Found nothing at all that sticks out into the middle of the air flow.

My FSM shows that the first electrical components associated with my air intake are the throttle position sensor, the MAP sensor, and the idle air control motor. These all articulate into what I'd call the throttle body. Guy at O'Reilly's tried to look it up on his parts computer and said it wasn't listed for my model. Is it possible my 96 XJ doesn't have a MAF sensor?

bump

The codes seem to be all O2 sensor circuit related.

The common wires between the upstream and downstream O2s are the grounds for the heater circuit and the ground for the sensor circuit and also the O2 heater power feed wire.

The first thing to check are ALL of the fuses in the underhood fuse block. The power feed for the heater may have an open fuse. If the fuse is burnt, check the wiring harnesses, especially on top of the trans , for chafing which may have caused the short. A internally shorted heater circuit in one of the sensors could also cause the fuse to blow.

A ohm meter across the two white wires in each sensor should show around 4-6 ohms resistance. Less than that can blow a fuse (shorted). An infinite reading will mean a burnt out, open, heater circuit. Replace the sensor/s if they are out of range.

Next, the ground for the heater circuit is at the stud on the right rear of the block where the dipstick tube support bolts to the block. It's very common for the wires to break out of the terminal. I'm almost willing to bet a cold one that this is the actual problem, it's that common! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Lastly, the black with light blue trace wires to the sensors are the sensor grounds. They should be checked for continuity to ground, too. Most of the other engine sensors are connected to the same ground source, which actually comes through the PCM. It's unlikely this is the problem, as there are no other sensor codes. If it is, the open would probably be between the O2 sensor and the splice to the other sensors. You can hard wire the ground temporarily to see if the sensors wake up. If so, then trace out the circuit to find the open and repair it. The PCM filters the ground signal to keep out stray voltage which could really effect the O2 sensor signal.

Get ahold of a wiring diagram for your XJ, it will help with tracing the wires.

Hope this helps!