1997 Jeep Cherokee

Sport Utility

4.0L 242Cu. In. l6 GAS OHV Naturally Aspirated

Automatic

1J4FJ78S4VL558956

Clear

GAS

About 244,000 miles. No longer starts. Was running great until major electrical issues killed it. Until it died, the engine ran well, 4WD worked, AC/Heat worked, radio sounded good, power windows worked, really clean inside except front floors, has slight rust on exterior, and windshield leaks in heavy rain. Suspect it needs complete rewiring. Otherwise can be used as parts car. In 2014 it has had new tires (P225/75 R15), alternator, computer, brakes, battery. Over $2000 of work with receipts available. Has had one owner and been meticulously maintained (oil, differentials, transfer case all changed when due). Kind of broken hearted to see it go after owning it so long, especially after putting so much work into it recently. Hoping some Jeep loving mechanic will either revive it or make sure it's parts go to good homes. Buyer responsible for towing it away.On Apr-26-14 at 12:22:31 PDT, seller added the following information: ELECTRICAL ISSUE HISTORY AS PER REQUEST...I have receipts and kept track.Forgot to mention: Gas gauge has not worked for years. I use the odometer and fill it every 300 miles. Jan. 2013 it began to alternate between fast and slow idle. In park would idle >2000rpm. Idle control valve replaced.Feb. 2013 Blower motor was replaced after the heat went.May 2013 Idle issue returned. Valve was replaced again by different mechanic who said first valve was defective.Sept. 2013 Check engine light came on while on road trip. O2 sensor was the culpritJan. 7, 2014 Idle issue returned yet again. Mechanic who changed second valve suspects it isn't the valves but the computer. Check engine light is on and dash gauges (speed, battery, etc) are very strangely spinning around in circles. New computer put in.Feb. 5, 2014 Four new tires. (I had high hopes the jeep would last another 50K miles at least)Feb. 24, 2014 Check engine light on. Diagnosed as gremlins. Computer reset.Feb. 28, 2014 Check engine light on again. New front brakes and rotors done. Rear brakes cleaned and adjusted.Following is exactly what the labor description said on the receipt:Code present for battery voltage low and communication failure. Replaced corroded negative battery terminal. Check and clean ground terminal at engine block. Reset Computer.Possible causes: Battery, Battery connections, alternator and or corroded battery cables.Feb. 30? 2014 Check engine light on again. Didn't drive it for a few days.March 12, 2014 Wouldn't start. Battery dead. Jumped. Idled really fast in park again. In drive at light idled so low it sounded like it would stall. Drove almost to the guys who put the new tires on and stalled completely while accelerating. Was literally on the same corner as tire place, so mechanic came over with a battery box and jumped it again. Drove it 200 feet over to garage with it sputtering whole time. They replaced the alternator and the battery.March 15? 2014 Passenger side headlight out. Replaced it, but would not work on low beam. Is this part of the problem?March 21, 2014 Idled fast again. taken back to guys who did alternator. They tell me its a leaky exhaust manifold ($700 to fix) draining the battery and charge me $200 for this diagnosis. I give up on fixing it there, since I'm almost 100% sure that is not the problem and they swore the first time that fixing the alternator would take care of it.Jeep won't start, can't even get it out of mechanic's lot. It stayed there maybe three days before we decided to remove the battery, which we took to AutoZone where they told us this brand new battery is now completely drained and impossible to recharge. That was when we became pretty sure there is a short somewhere in the electric. Took battery back to Costco who kindly replaced it, and we dropped new one in the Jeep, which started right up. Drove home, disconnected the battery, and left it for two weeks while we decided our next move. The next time we hooked the battery up and tried to start it, sparks came flying out of the electrodes, and no starter action. While battery was connected, dome lights were out, then they came on then went out again. Then we gave up. It probably has some corroded wire somewhere. We don't have the time or energy to search it out ourselves, nor the money to pay someone else to do it.If you are good with electrical systems, then this might be the challenge for you. On Apr-28-14 at 14:03:44 PDT, seller added the following information: IN ADDITION: Forgot to mention it has paint chips on front and back bumper. Also a few minor dings. I think it's all visible in the photos.This is a 17 year old car and of course has a bit of wear and tear.