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Stock XJ Cherokee Tech. All XJ Non-modified/stock questions go hereXJ (84-01)
All OEM related XJ specific tech. Examples, no start, general maintenance or anything that's stock.
I think my Dad's could have gone 500k+ if he had fixed the rust. I do think I was lucky that the 0331 head on the TJ never cracked. The only problem I ever had with the engine was a broken valve spring. My Dad had zero problems and only replaced the clutch once (after teaching me and my 2 brothers to drive stick).
We both used Mobil 1 oil and were the original owners, so I think that was a factor.
When I fired the TJ up after it had been parked for 2 years the engine was still so smooth I almost didn't want to sell it. That engine with 302,776 miles on it ran smoother than my 95 with 150k on the engine.
There are a couple members on this forum with over 500k original miles.
If it's a problem with wires loosing their connection to sensors or the wiring hardness or pcm or whatever, you can try cleaning and enhancing the metal connector pins with a product called DioxIT. I just learned about it, that's why I bring it up
Originally Posted by s346k
mine did that when the ignition coil was failing. it shut off several times over the course of 3 months and one time it would not restart. so i had the joy of diagnosing the issue and repairing it in a bp gas station parking lot with my 10 year old daughter passing tools down and cranking over the engine while i was using the test light. surprisingly the most impressive thing was the fact she was so helpful.
thats awesome haha, get her started while she's young!
For me it was a bad cam sensor. My Jeep would randomly shut off, Some times it would fire right back up other times it would just turn over but never fire up. Hope this can help
1996 XJ 242 cui 358,000 mi.
For me it has been a few things. Primary culprit has been those four ground wires that ground to the block at the dipstick mount.
While misdiagnosing that, I did replace the Crank Position Sensor with one from O'Reilly, iirc, around 2012.
Am getting the cutoff problem again and had it scanned at O'Reilly. CPS PO320 and Misfire PO300 codes.
I only drive around 3,000 mi/yr now so it was replaced about 345,000 mi.
Will be checking connections first. I think the pigtail goes up the firewall a ways and connects to the harness up in the engine bay. Clean with CRC or WD40 Electrical Contact Cleaner first, then dielectric grease. Check for wire damage. Also check that the bolts that hold the CPS in are not loose or worse.
Anybody know if the CPS grounds to the dipstick mount? If the issue is there again that would show as PO320 also.
O'Reilly shows two different CPS from NTK so I guess anybody with a 1996 needs to check if the connector is pin or blade, and the shape of the sensor too. NTK is on the lower end of the price range from Standard and MasterPro.
More update on mine.
After getting the codes from O'Reilly, I disconnected the CPS at the harness near the throttle body, cleaned the contacts with CRC electrical contact cleaner. Tried to follow a procedure for checking with a multimeter I saw on Bleepin Jeep and it seemed to check out (if I did it right).
Added fresh dielectric grease. The silicone gasket kept falling off so smeared some Permatex gray gasket maker #2 to keep it stuck on. To make matters worse, the silicone gasket is swollen enough to make jamming the connection back together a real pain. Got it back together.
Disconnected battery to clear codes.
Tightened up the nut for the grounds at the dipstick tube.
Reconnected battery and drove a little, got everything up to operating temperature while idling at a convenience store. No stumbles or cutoffs under idle. Aux fan comes on at 210F also.
Took a 25 min drive in stop and go traffic to Advance Auto, they don't do scanner checks because Covid.
Stopped by Auto Zone and checked with theirs. They seemed confused at the output, but said no codes.
Today stopped by O'Reilly, they verified that there were no current codes. However, I've only driven 34 miles since cleaning everything up.
Engine: 4.3L with headers and full 3" exhaust system
You have to drive further than that. Go back in when you hit 100 miles. It won't post codes until you have a certain number of engine starts and milage
You have to drive further than that. Go back in when you hit 100 miles. It won't post codes until you have a certain number of engine starts and milage
Not always.
In my '00 if I have at least 3/4's of a tank of gas all 7 monitors are up in under 26 miles.
If I have less that that in the gas tank the Evap takes a little longer to come up.
Engine: 4.3L with headers and full 3" exhaust system
OK, you can do it in less. The figure I posted was to be sure it would respond to the code reader. I have done it on mine in 50 miles without restarts, but no sense in going back to read codes if it won't read them
Well it is not the codes you are looking for at first.
It is just to see if all the monitors are in a readiness status.
Buddy of mine had '98 Taurus. CEL was always on for a tranny code.
Car ran fine though.
It would take 16 miles in one trip for all the monitors to be ready.
The tranny CEL would come on shortly after.
He had to go through emissions so we cleared the codes and drove around
the emissions place until all the monitors came up.
Got the car punched through emissions.
Left and barely made it to the corner before it threw a CEL. LOL.
You have to drive further than that. Go back in when you hit 100 miles. It won't post codes until you have a certain number of engine starts and milage
I realize that.
Main thing is I was driving it under the conditions like when it was cutting out earlier this week and didn't have any stumbles or cutoffs.
A week or so ago I cleaned the Idle Air Controller and was still getting engine stops during idle after a few minutes of full operating temperature.
Then I was getting engine stop while driving. Sometimes it was associated with hitting a bump, sometimes not. Which made those grounds to the dipstick mount suspect.
Then I had the codes scanned, etc.
If the CPS is bad it should show up under the same conditions I suspect.
Older thread so I hope someone sees this-
I deliver mail in a 2000 cherokee classic. 4.0 engine. Twice in the past few weeks, it's died while running. Once when I stopped at a mailbox. The next time when I was driving around a very sharp turn, rather slow. Both times I was running hazard lights, radio, and AC. Temperature was 210. Had plenty of fuel in the tank. Yesterday, the morning after the second shut down, I had an engine light on. Code is for the Neutral Safety switch, which has been bad for a while, as I've had to drop it in neutral multiple times over the course of my ownership. I cant see that causing it to die while I'm driving. Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
06-27-2018, 02:31 PM
