I have a 01 Cherokee Sport 4.0. If I drive and my enigine gets hot (210 to 220 degrees) and turn it off, then turn it back on a few minutes later the engine is tough to start and shakes & sputters. If I push on the gas a little bit and start driving, it goes away when I get up and moving. The engine starts up just fine when it's cold or has had a chance to cool down. Does anyone know how I can fix this issue?

I took it to my mechanic and he said I need a new radiator because he thinks the gas is boiling in the lines. That sounded a little weird to me so I didn't do that. Also, the engine is right around 210-212 practically all the time. Any help would be great. Thanks!

 

Try flushing the rad and changing your thermostat.

 

there a thing here about injector wrap or something like that

 

There is a TSB (technical service bulletin) on the later model XJs (99-01 I think) about a misfire on cylinder 3 after heat soak. I think its because the fuel is heated too much but I am not sure. There is a post about it on this forum.

 

It's a heat soak problem. Its nothing that will be fixed by changing the radiator. 210 is normal heat. Fuel rail and injectors sit right above the intake...where it gets the hotest. There is a heat wrap for the injectors but I have not heard a lot or reviews on this resolving the issue.

 

Is your check engine light on? If so, you may have code P0303. Check out this thread for the TSB related to it. Fix is simple. I did this in my cherokee and haven't seen the light come back on, but it has also been cooler since I did it. Guess I won't really know till next summer.
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/01-...der-3-a-42281/


You might also find this thread informative.
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/200...-41964/index2/
Do some searching, there is lots of info on this.

If you don't know, you can go to an auto parts store and borrow their OBD checker to diagnose the check engine light codes for free.

 

Thanks. I'll flush out my radiator. That can only help things.

 

My check engine light is NOT on. Thanks for the heads-up on the TSB / heat soak. I'll try the heat wrap and let you know if it worked.

 

i been fighting this for a while. the insulator around the injector did not work (for me). still need to test fuel pressure but sleave is a waist of time. mine does it the colder it gets, so it seems.

 

I had this heat soak issue also but never did the injector wrap thing. Just recently had the cooling system overhauled, new elec fan, fan clutch, thermostat, and rad flush, and the misfire on start-up has gone away. I think that since the engine is running cooler, the under hood temps are also cooler and the fuel in injector #3 doesn't boil anymore. Don't discount an effective cooling system, it worked for me. Pay close attention to the mechanical fan clutch too, they only last about 5 years or so i have heard...

 

I should also mention, this first showed up for me over a year ago and I had the injectors cleaned. It went away for a year (including the summer) before it came back. I'm not entirely sure why that would help, but that could be something to try too.

 

Thanks for all the helpful input!!! I put some heat shields on the fuel injectors and flushed out the radiator. I have not experienced the engine shaking since I did all of this. It still runs at 210 degrees (down to 200 at times). So far so good... thanks again!