COSXJFAN

Don't mention it, best of luck with your search bud!!

mike albo

My wifes suburban was dioing the same thing.I had just done a tune-up and couldn't figure it out.So I re replaced the cap rotor plugs and even the coil this time but no good.The last thing that I thought of was the wires,but they were new.Nope it was the wires.I know it sounds simple but the simple things are what we over look.

humboldt2door

I got the compression tester now, and a remote starter. I probably won't get to the test till later this week though. School is starting and things are gettin busy.

And after driving around and thinking about it without being all depressed, I realized that I like this car because it is different. It's a 2 door in the old body style, no factory racks, no carpet inside, no frills of any kind.

I think I'm going to get it running, save up, and make the engine swap. It might be a while, probably longer than it would take to sell it and buy another with a 4.0. And it will likely cost more too. But this is the first car I bought myself, and I've paid for everything myself so far. So as for now I will remain stupidly loyal, and hope for the best.

humboldt2door

Thanks for the advice Mike, i'll re-check everything.

Kyle

COSXJFAN

Sentimental value is a lot, so do as you see fit. BTW, my name is Kyle as well.

humboldt2door

Well nice to meet you Kyle. Yah this thing was pretty neglected when I got it, so I've been doing a lot of little things to make it nicer. I kinda like the idea of basically having built the whole thing anyways. I figure that because the 2.8 is new ~10k mi, I should hopefully be able to keep it alive long enough for me to save up for the swap.
But I can't do much of anything till I run the compression test manana, or tonight if I get a wild hair...

ol"blue

In case you don't know, when doing the comp. test:
Remove all the plugs, mark the wires if you're not sure of the order;
Block the throttle in the wide open position;
Use a screw in tester for best results;
Crank engine over at least 4 revolutions. You'll hear the distinct sound of each comp. stroke against the gauge; (or have a helper crank it while you watch the gauge jump until it stops);
Write down the results for each cylinder, release the gauge pressure with button (if equipped), and move on to next cylinder in line;
Do the other side;
Replace plugs, and wires, remove throttle stop.
Enjoy cold beverage while contemplating results and next step. JMO

COSXJFAN

Best idea yet!!!

humboldt2door

WILL DO!!

ol"blue

I'm with you Kyle.

4.3L XJ

Well now that everyone has trashed that poor 2.8L, let me just say I was happy with mine until the smog police got involved. Having said that, the first thing you can do is pull a plug wire and see if the miss changes or the engine changes rpms. Keep doing this until you isolate the cylinder not working. Then put a phillips screw driver in the end of the wire and get is close to a good ground and see if you get a spark. If not, bad wire.
Even if you put new ones on, they can get screwed up in the installation process. If it sparks, check compression and see if you have a bad valve.

One other thing, you could have a bad head gasket allowing the intake to suck some antifreeze into the combustion chamber. If you have to replace the gaskets, watch the exhaust manifold bolts. They are stainless steel and very brittle. Replace them with regular steel bolts with antisieze on them.

NewJerseyXJ609

i just met a dude who bought a 91 xj with a 3 inch lift ( who knows what brand ) anyways.. he picked it up for 200.00.. with a 4.0.. she was alittle rough around the edges but come on.. 200 bucks and it had 31's with some nice off road rims... not a bad looking jeep. these things make there way around very cheap.. but sentimental value sometimes outways.. i can understand that

zjrog

I got a 87 2 dr XJ last year for free. It was missing some stuff, but I was parting it out anyway. I ALMOST took parts from my good 90 but the 87s body had bad rust in spots. I'll post a pic later of what happened to that free Jeep. A friend got the back half and turned it into a trailer... It turned out REALLY nice for almost nothing.

humboldt2door

Thanks for the tips 4.3L XJ , I'll definitely check to see if I'm getting spark to all the cylinders.
I know I could come by one with the 4.0 for pretty cheap, but I think I'm going to work on this one. I've enjoyed working on it anyways, I like learning about all this stuff and building something with my hands that I can really enjoy afterwords. It's been really enjoyable, so I'll just keep pressin' on with this heep, and build it into something reliable and capable.

Plus it'll just ROAR after an engine swap.

humboldt2door

So I got my remote starter (I don't have useful jeep friends here) and a compression tester. Could I get a little more info on how to check if I'm getting spark. I was told a while back by a neighbor that I could check by pulling the plug and wire, then hold it with a glove and touching it to something for a ground , then trying to start it and see If I get a spark. Should this work? Do I need to wait till dark so I can see it? I'm going to work on it much more later, I just got a little break between classes unexpectedly today. I got my remote started switch hooked up and working; kinda cool trigger thing.