Sounds like you may need a resistor.
Temperature gauge may drop when heater turned on because additional coolant from heater core is introduced to cooling system - usually this coolant is cooler than what is currently circulating
The radiator cooling fans are turned on when the heater control is set to defrost.This makes for better and more effective defrosting of the windshield
air pockets in the cooling system, start by bleeding the lines, plus there is a bypass for the heater core when you have the a/c turned on, or your heater isn't on, this fluctuate between makes and models. but i would go to youtube and look up how to bleed coolant lines, and that should make it easy for you.
Check your cooling fan
Yes.
No.
It is probably your cooling fans. These are electric and may run with the engine turned off. It is probably your cooling fans. These are electric and may run with the engine turned off.
Jeep Cherokee's have 2 cooling system fans and one climate control fan. One cooling system fan is fan belt driven and the other one is electric and is turned on/off by the engine computer at about 215*. The A/C and heater fan is electric.
No.
Either the radiator is partially plugged and t he system has been designed marginally ( they do that to save money you know ! ) so that when the heater is turned on most of the water gets routed through the heater core, bypassing the radiator and causing overheating, or the system is just designed marginally and as above. You can put your hand on the radiator grille and feel it from the front of the car ( using all due caution, of course ) and see if there are any sudden temperature changes from hot to cold. A cold spot indicates a plugged section. The only solution to this is to replace the radiator. And/or you can also put a restriction in the line feeding the heater core, so that more water will flow through the radiator. If your car has worked well in the past with the heater turned on, then I would suspect a partially plugged radiator. I've changed these myself, and it's not hard. Make sure you don't have any other systems bonded to the radiator for cooling, like power steering, a/c , etc. Good Luck !!
mostlikely the jeeps been off road and mud and grass, or muddy water got to your heater core area,letting the smell airgate through out your heater when turned on.
Its power source is not turned on or it requires repairing.