MyWarthog87

• What it is: 1987 AMC XJ 4 Door Automatic IL6 4x4

• What it Does: Turns over after 2-3 rotations, fires up strong. After 20 seconds idling (I counted) it dips, struggles and stalls.

• Pros: Strong in-line 6, lifted >3’ and I have a Haynes on hand.

•Cons: This XJ has over 3k.
Unfortunately it’s endured countless jury rigs and bypasses (don’t even get me started on the engine spaghetti I call electrical)

It’s a labor of love and so I will restore until it’s solid once more.

Any questions or suggestions will be appreciated.

cruiser54

ever cleaned your throttle body?

tjwalker

Lots of possibilities. Time to start the process of elimination. First up is fuel.

Get a fuel pressure gauge (parts stores rent them inexpensively or sometimes just a deposit charge) and in your driveway, hook it up to the schrader valve under the hood on the fuel rail and watch how your fuel pressure reacts after startup.....does it hang in there or does it dip in correlation with the stall? You are looking to stay around 31 psi for the 87 4.0 engine.

Another quick fuel delivery test you can do is to remove the vacuum line leading to the fuel pressure regulator under the hood and the pressure should jump to approximately 39. If there is any raw fuel in that line, replace the fuel pressure regulator as it has a ruptured diaphragm.

When was the last time the fuel filter was replaced? Super easy and inexpensive on this year XJ. Right under the frame rail on the drivers side, filters are inexpensive.

Assuming you meant 300K instead of 3K for miles on your XJ?

Good luck and keep us updated!