'02 Wrangler Sahara Check Engine Light

[timbo31771]

Overall, I love my Wrangler Sahara. I use it to tow my jet ski in the summer, and I off-road it in the mountains and snow around my home. It has never given me any "real" problems. Having said that, it does annoy me repeatedly with its infernal "Check Engine" Light. Since about the 1 year mark of ownership (about 15,000 miles) it has illuminated on 8 occasions now. For the first five occasions, I took it to the dealership. The last 3, I have either disconnected the battery to reset, or driven long enough for it to go out. The first time, the dealership said it was a faulty wiring harness that they replaced. The second time there was no error code, they merely reset it. The third and fourth time, it was a bad torque convertor (that required replacing under warranty). The fifth time it was a "fried transmission solenoid" that required replacement and a full transmission flush (automatic tranny). Now, these instances are all within the past year. I am just getting really annoyed by all of this, especially since I live in the sticks and the dealership is a 100 mile roundtrip. They usually do not get it taken care of in less than 8 hours either. Does anybody else have any such issues? Any ideas? For the record, I maintain meticulous service records, and my jeep is serviced/oil changed every 3,000 miles or less. I also run Mobil1 synthetic in the crankcase. Thanks for reading. I will appreciate any suggestions or indications that anybody else is experiencing similar annoyances...LOL :confused:

[igofshn]

Get it checked again. It usually doesn't go off for no reason.

[cbremer]

try a google search- there should be some way you can check the codes yourself so you don't have to visit the dealer. or, you could get one of those cheapy code readers from the auto parts store.

[mikeythefireman]

Dukes just told me how to check mine. Turn the key on and off three times. It'll flash the error codes. Go online and search for the codes and it'll tell you basically what's wrong.

[avnative]

This may sound crazy, but the gas cap could cause the light to go off, My wifes honda odessey had the check engine light go off, took it in and it was the gas cap, It has to do with the emissions system..
Just another idea of what could cause it.. and my .02

[mikeythefireman]

Gas cap issues is apparently a common problem with Grands, don't know about Wranglers.

[timbo31771]

Thanks for the input so far, all...My first concern was indeed the gas cap, and it was fine. I appreciate the tip on getting the error code to display. I tried this and got P 0740. I found a list on Google...It is the torque convertor again. What a pain! It was replaced just 6 months ago. Thank God I bought the extended "MaxCare" Warranty...Covered until 100,000 miles. If anyone else has any other amusing anecdotes concerning check engine lights, let me know! I personally believe it is the worst bit of technology rearing its ugly head in my beloved Jeep...Somehow I doubt those original Willys Jeeps wading ashore at Normandy and trudging thorugh the ice and snow at the Battle of the Bulge had check engine lights illuminated on their dashboards...By comparison, my Jeep is babied!