That air dam is several inches behind the lower valence/core support, it conceals the steering linkage and reduces wind draft noise.
Thank you Nevada_545. I concur the vehicle could not drive on 2 cylinders. The misfires occur when hot. Not during startup. At idle. Typically on cyl 3 and 4 but never 2 or 5 that I remember. Show up as CEL to my experience, only after the temp on the console goes over 220 F. Especially after a temperature spike. All of the fuel injectors were changed out two and a half years ago after the rebuild to troubleshoot misfires. And the coil pack was changed again.
The part you are showing on a Camaro I have the large painted front piece under the bumper. As far as a rubber piece under that, I cannot recall a rubber piece on any of the three Cherokees I have had. The part that can make noise on a cement parking stop. Have never heard that noise on a Cherokee. Should I find one and have it put on then?
Thank you that is very clear. First time I have seen a rubber piece like this on a Cherokee. Thanks.
The plastic you see below the bumper is trim that covers the core support, below that would be a plastic air dam that hides the steering linkage. In the picture above, notice how the air dam conceals the steering and axle for a clean appearance. The Cherokee is too high to drag across a parking stop.
The air scoop being discussed applies to sports cars with little or no grill openings to deliver air to the radiator in a direct manner.
After plastic trim gets knocked off a Cherokee, owners don’t replace them.
I understand that! According to the OP, this Jeep spends nine months of the year in the shop. I must have missed it, now he/she is saying the engine was rebuilt. Maybe the rebuilder did a poor job. I think a different shop is needed.
Question for everybody: The OP states with hood open, engine off, fans on, the temperature immediately drops. I don’t think that is possible without coolant flowing through the engine. Temp will eventually drop without coolant flow, but that will take hours.
OR…you have an air bubble that forms at the temp sensor location. The air bubble inhibits heat transfer to the thermal sensor so it appears low. Then the air bubble is displaced by hot fluid and the temperature spikes quickly. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Solve the leaks, burp the system and this may go away…
The gauge display in the dash is dampened to show a steady temperature while the engine fluctuates between 195 F and 230 F. The coolant temperature sensor value in the PCM shows a precise value.
While testing, I have operated many engines with the cooling fans unplugged, the coolant temperature sensor value on the scan tool climbs very gradually and evenly, at the same time the dash gauge remains in the center. At a certain temperature, 235 to 240 degrees the gauge will swing to near-hot. At 250 degrees the gauge will abruptly move to the “red” area.
The engine only needs to cool to the normal zone, below 240 F for the gauge to return to “center”.
The sudden temperature spikes and quick drop are unusual. I’d first check the thermostat, coolant level/air pockets, water pump, radiator flow, and fan operation. Since it started after the 2023 shop visit, I’d also review what cooling-system work was done then.