Okay let me start by saying thank you to anyone who responds. I have 90 cherokee with the 4.0L. My girlfriend's brother has had this sitting for about 6 years. It has had problems dying before but we wanted to get this running again so we could move to another house. We were able to get it to run after we installed a new battery. We moved it back about 3-4 feet to do an oil change. When we went to move it back to it's previous spot because it was getting late, but then we cranked it but then it would not start. So seeing as how it was late, we just pushed it back in.

Next time I came over, we did a complete tune-up (plugs, wires, cap, rotor, fuel filter, and air filter) and still it did not want to start. I went through the entire car checking every fuse and relay that would affect the start up. All were fine. Cleaned the IAC and the TPS. I sprayed some starter fluid into it and then I cranked it. I started up, idled around 2-3K, and then died after 5 seconds or so. I thought it might've been the CPS, so I replaced that and it still did want to start. Only difference is that it felt like it wanted to start. I had to drain the gas that was in the tank and I replaced it with fresh gas, 89 octane to be exact. Still the same thing, kinda of starting but not staying running. So I decided to drop the fuel tank and check the pump because the pressure was ****. Tested that by cranking for 10 seconds and pressed the relief valve on the fuel rail. Barely anything came out. So I dropped the tank and that was a ***** to remove. But I pulled the pump and low and behold it was clogged and the rubber hoses were falling apart. I replaced it with a new one. Hooked everything back up. Pressure test shows a huge improvement. Went to go start it, it turned over and ran but I had to hold the ignition in the start position. Gave it some gas and the idle went up and then when I went to let go and have it drop into the run position, it dies. Please help, as I do not have a whole lot of time. If anyone has any insight as to what is going on please chime in. Thank you.

 

thins like this re hard to diagnose over the net

but it may be a bad ignition switch or the TPS

first thing reset the ecu by disconnecting the battery an touching the terminals together for about 30 sec
that way you are starting with no codes

 

when you dropped the tank did you throw out all the old gas?? 6 year old gas could cause problems...

also are you sure that you are keeping power after it starts??? new battery ?? are you jumping it off?

if you get it started and pull off the jumper cables and it dies its a bad alt <-- assuming you have to jump it off.

hummm. well lets see some more info.

we'll get it going

 

my bad just reread and you said you got rid of the gas... oops

 

i just had this same issue and spend days doing the same thing you did mine would start and as soon as you let off the start position it would die i replaced EVERYTHING and found it to be there should be 4 relays by the battery if you have replaced these or moved the order of them at all with out paying attention pull them out and look at them there should be 1 relay that has 4pins instead of 5 like a normal relay this 4pin relay goes in the 2nd slot from the battery if you look at the slot only one should have 4connections in it un like the rest that have 5 haha i just to this fixed like 20 minutes ago and it runs perfectly

 

^^^^incorrect relay


^^^correct relay


the one pointed to was the one that needed the 4pin just pull it out and count the terrminals in it it could also be the one where its missing a relay in this picture but its most likly the issue

 

Ah, okay so I will try to re arrange the relays and see if one of them is out of order. btw great pics, sundance. And as for the old gas, I emptied into a bucket to be um...handled by the environment. Any ideas on why the 5-pin will not work in the 2nd spot there?

 

its a totaly different setup internaly i didnt notice till my father inlaw took them out to test something else and i noticed he didnt put them in the order they were in when i bought it which it didnt work then either and i looked at the plug closely and noticed the 4pin

 

I would check the ignition switch something isnt right there if you shouldnt have to hold it

 

Well it turns out it was the 4-pin relay that was in the incorrect spot. It runs and stays running. Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it. Also this situation provided a wonderful set-up for a prank on my girlfriend. Her whole family was in on it with me. We said the Jeep caught the house on fire and her parents were furious with myself and her brother. God that was hilarious.

 

whoop i win again!!
some one should put the fix as a sticky cause i spend days apon days to fix this issue and couldnt find shiot searching the web for it and no one had a fix

 

Reviving a dead thread here for my first post. Why won't it say running? Starts, runs for a few seconds, then bluh. I can either unplug neg terminal and plug it back in quick and it will do it again, or I can wait about a min for it to start again

 

You should start a new thread. I'd start with a fuel pressure test.