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Hello Fellow Commander Owners!

2K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  MyXKLife 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Hey there, my name is Jim Nichols and I live in the Columbia SC area. Through a long (and boring) line of life events & decisions, I am now the owner of a 2006 Jeep Commander Limited, 5.7L Hemi. To be very upfront & honest, if I knew half the stuff I do now about the Commander a week ago, I would not have this vehicle now. Let me explain a tad bit:
I have a 2011 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (until it is officially sold this Friday), and actually really like this vehicle. The issue is that I owe the bank on it for another 2 years, and because of my "get debt free" kick right now, I decided to sell said Tahoe and buy something "that would do". My idea was to buy a vehicle outright for cash that had 4-wheel drive, HP to tow a boat, and not look like a total S%$@-bucket to drive around in; essentially something paid-for / higher mileage but still accomplish what I need to. I have owned a 1992 Jeep Cherokee Sport for a number of years back in 93 through 2003. I really liked that vehicle and it was so dependable and bullet proof, that when I was looking at vehicles that had my criteria; I was very intrigued when I saw a few Commanders in my price range.
So there I was last week, not really knowing a lot about the Commander and its gremlins, looking at a 2006 Limited 5.7L in North Charleston that looked fairly decent with 144,900 miles. To capsulate, brand new tires, no warning lights, started up promptly and purred in that uniquely 5.7L Hemi fashion, drove very well with no rattling, aside from the passenger side mirror. Felt right with what I knew about Jeeps at the time, so I paid the cash and off I went back to Columbia SC.
The trip was un-eventful. I filled up half way back and sped along at a good clip back to the house. My trip goes back part of the way on interstate and then turns into back country roads for the last bit of the trip. The weather was warm outside, with the midday sun giving me a clear view of the winding back roads of South Carolina and the Jeep was just eating up the miles and handling all the turns in a very confident / aggressive manner. I turned into my driveway feeling pretty good about the purchase, and was really happy in the way it was performing. It was truly a great day driving
Then the next morning, I am halfway to taking my daughter to school when reality started to rear it's ugly head. It started with the "Service Tire Pressure System" warning coming on. I quickly cycled through to the tire pressure info to see all tires reading out good. Stopped; visually inspected tires: all Good. So, I continued on to drop my daughter off. I made it halfway to work when the check engine and airbag light came on. I was thinking, "Oh Man!! Here we go!!". So I quickly decided to run the vehicle to Firestone, near my job, and see what the deal was. By the end of this visit, I was told that the vehicle was spitting out 20-something error codes, ranging from transmission sensor, Air-bag, catalytic converter and a few other minor codes.
So that night, I did the research I should have done prior to purchasing the Jeep. I learned a lot in a short while from this forum and a couple of Facebook Commander groups. Yep; now I know, and I am a little scared. The Commander is running and still sounds great, but man does it have a lot of warning light and nit-noid things to figure out.
I just cant figure how none of these things happened as I test drove the vehicle or that blissful first day of driving it home. Well, at least I had the first day....

So, now I expect I will be clamoring for information and problem-shooting like it's going out of style. I am now reading everything I can here and other places and am waiting on the new ECM to arrive at the house to replace the current one, hoping that this will cure a lot of what is going on. I am getting it from carcomputerexchange.

Man I want to make this thing work....
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Jim; I'm happy to report that I found your thread - it just needed to moderated as I suspected and typically, I'm the only one on the forum that does this;

My first thought is that these could just be old stored diagnostic trouble codes (DTC's) resurfacing, that were never properly cleared out of your EVIC;

First thing I would do is have all of your DTC's read with a proper OBD-II scanner and then properly cleared and see if they return. I think that will give you a more accurate picture of what you're actually dealing with currently;

That being said, welcome to the forum; We have plenty of knowledgeable members here, who can try & help you out with any issues that come up; Post some pics of your Commander when you can; Here are some links if you want to order any parts for repairs or upgrades to your XK;

Chrysler/Jeep Factory Parts: https://www.factorychryslerparts.com/

North American Parts: https://northamericanparts.rpmware.c...unt/login.aspx

JeepinByAl: JBAoffroad.com

JustforJeeps.com - https://www.justforjeeps.com/

Rough County lift kits - Suspension Lift Kits, Body Lifts, Leveling Kit, 4x4, Jeep, Chevy, Dodge, Ford, Off-road Truck | Rough Country Suspension Systems®

AFE: Advanced FLOW Engineering | Engineered Adrenaline

CARiD.com - https://www.carid.com/?gclid=CjwKEAj...NrrxoCEBbw_wcB

Bilstein shocks & struts - Home

WAM Custom Bumpers - https://wambumpers.com/

4WheelParts.com - Truck Parts & Jeep Parts - Lift Kits, Winches, Tonneau Covers, Tires, Wheels, Bumpers, Performance ? 4 Wheel Parts

RockAuto - https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...catalog%2Fjeep

Also, please read the new member required reading below if you haven't done so already; lots of good information in here;

REQUIRED READING!!! New Member Introduction post & other important new member info.

Thanks and again, welcome aboard.
 
#3 ·
Don't lose sight of your original goal - to be debt free. That is an admirable desire and something more people need to be mindful of. Don't be remorseful about your recent all cash purchase. Just take your time and address your issues in a timely and knowledgeable manner - don't get upset with yourself or your purchase and remember why you made this decision.

Let me tell you something. When we paid off our house 5 years ago and finally became completely debt free, it was liberating! Ever since then we have been able to save significantly (well, at least up until I retired 5 months ago) and I was able to buy my wife a new Avalon last year for cash.

Stay the course to be debt free. Don't doubt your vehicle purchase. Learn about the vehicle and if you can, fix the issues on your own. Always remember your goal....
 
#4 ·
On the tire pressure error - check the spare tire, often overlooked and not reported on the dash pressure readings. One way to clear the computer is to pull the positive battery cable for a few minutes and then reconnect. You will need to reset some of your settings like the radio presets etc. after.
 
#7 ·
I had the same issue. Strange enough, it was a $20 part on amazon. My speed sensor in my right rear tire went bad. I swapped it out in 20 minutes and all the electrical gremlins went away.
 
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#8 ·
Hey there, my name is Jim Nichols and I live in the Columbia SC area. Through a long (and boring) line of life events & decisions, I am now the owner of a 2006 Jeep Commander Limited, 5.7L Hemi. To be very upfront & honest, if I knew half the stuff I do now about the Commander a week ago, I would not have this vehicle now. Let me explain a tad bit:
I have a 2011 Chevy Tahoe Z71 (until it is officially sold this Friday), and actually really like this vehicle. The issue is that I owe the bank on it for another 2 years, and because of my "get debt free" kick right now, I decided to sell said Tahoe and buy something "that would do". My idea was to buy a vehicle outright for cash that had 4-wheel drive, HP to tow a boat, and not look like a total S%$@-bucket to drive around in; essentially something paid-for / higher mileage but still accomplish what I need to. I have owned a 1992 Jeep Cherokee Sport for a number of years back in 93 through 2003. I really liked that vehicle and it was so dependable and bullet proof, that when I was looking at vehicles that had my criteria; I was very intrigued when I saw a few Commanders in my price range.
So there I was last week, not really knowing a lot about the Commander and its gremlins, looking at a 2006 Limited 5.7L in North Charleston that looked fairly decent with 144,900 miles. To capsulate, brand new tires, no warning lights, started up promptly and purred in that uniquely 5.7L Hemi fashion, drove very well with no rattling, aside from the passenger side mirror. Felt right with what I knew about Jeeps at the time, so I paid the cash and off I went back to Columbia SC.
The trip was un-eventful. I filled up half way back and sped along at a good clip back to the house. My trip goes back part of the way on interstate and then turns into back country roads for the last bit of the trip. The weather was warm outside, with the midday sun giving me a clear view of the winding back roads of South Carolina and the Jeep was just eating up the miles and handling all the turns in a very confident / aggressive manner. I turned into my driveway feeling pretty good about the purchase, and was really happy in the way it was performing. It was truly a great day driving
Then the next morning, I am halfway to taking my daughter to school when reality started to rear it's ugly head. It started with the "Service Tire Pressure System" warning coming on. I quickly cycled through to the tire pressure info to see all tires reading out good. Stopped; visually inspected tires: all Good. So, I continued on to drop my daughter off. I made it halfway to work when the check engine and airbag light came on. I was thinking, "Oh Man!! Here we go!!". So I quickly decided to run the vehicle to Firestone, near my job, and see what the deal was. By the end of this visit, I was told that the vehicle was spitting out 20-something error codes, ranging from transmission sensor, Air-bag, catalytic converter and a few other minor codes.
So that night, I did the research I should have done prior to purchasing the Jeep. I learned a lot in a short while from this forum and a couple of Facebook Commander groups. Yep; now I know, and I am a little scared. The Commander is running and still sounds great, but man does it have a lot of warning light and nit-noid things to figure out.
I just cant figure how none of these things happened as I test drove the vehicle or that blissful first day of driving it home. Well, at least I had the first day....

So, now I expect I will be clamoring for information and problem-shooting like it's going out of style. I am now reading everything I can here and other places and am waiting on the new ECM to arrive at the house to replace the current one, hoping that this will cure a lot of what is going on. I am getting it from carcomputerexchange.

Man I want to make this thing work....
Bosch is everywhere in your vehicle and is known to be tough in many European brands.

As you may red the gear shifter control board may fell victim to US eating and drinking habits be cruded up.
It was in our 2006 Jeep cmd plus the notorius coin drop in the drink trays bottom openings filled up the center console bottom like a piggy bank.

You have a Bosch invention called CAN bus who is a data highway. Very robust in many brands and machinary. (50 years I worked in electronics).

Any CAN bus wire damage, bad plugs with moisture, oil, grease inside can cause data coruption and weird multiple fake alarms.

The thin wire gauge and its thin insulation plus the bridling cover plastic hoses is the first inspection point. Look for rubbing points.
Sensor connectors near any oil and fluid leaks are suspects. If any conductivity to the outside CAN bus happens, weird data!

Many traditional car repairs have little or zero data bus knowledge. They reset the codes with their OEM code reader and we go again paying $150-$300 bucks fast.

A CAN bus is like an old Arcnet IT network. Proper termination at the ends. Everybody is on it equaly as a user. A token like a permission to talk is passed to each if an event happens reporting back to the main or other computers.

Devices in use can also start sending other fake tokens when your real from the minus pole of your battery to your 12V indoor plug is below 11V DC.]

Often coroded battery poles, cables and connection via the main thick red power cable to the starter is one avenue.
I have seen plenty of bad grounding from the minus pole to the frame and to the engine.
A cheap Marlin P Jones or Harbor freight multimeter is a must. HBF also sells Zurich code readers for your dignostic and reset.

I also have "big guns" like CAN bus interface, logic analyzer and oscilloskopes to dig into our Jeeps code mysteries. The repair shop has rarely any of those.

Since FIAT Failure internal all times ownes Chrysler, they should release the old Mercedes times Jeep notes to make it easier. All the dealer and Chilton Haynes repairbooks have is wires.
 
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#9 · (Edited by Moderator)
@jdhavl951,
I appreciate the feedback and will look in this direction now. I don't have any "guns" at the moment, but I will have a multi-meter by this weekend so I can start elliminating possibilities out. I went through all the grounds I can find now and cleaned them and then cleaned the battery posts. The only thing I didn't do was see what the battery was pushing out at right now.
 
#10 ·
Clear the codes etc.

See if there are any flash updates that you haven't gotten.

If the problem is recurring and there doesn't seem to be an actual problem, you may want to replace the ECM. I had error code and drivability issues for a long time. Some of which made no sense but created a great deal of stress.

I finally came across a thread that talked about ECMs getting a crack across the internal solders that caused very similar issues. I was then able to find more information about that including how to fix it yourself if your are electronically inclined. I got a rebuilt replacement for a few hundred dollars and replaced it myself (Very easy and under the hood). The company I got it from reinforces the area to prevent future failures.

Everything cleared up and I have been running solid for over a year.

One thing to note about the Tire Pressure System. You will get an error if the spare is low. Interestingly it doesn't tell you the spare pressure so you have to check that yourself.

Hope that helps!
 
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