Jeep dies while driving

[greenchevy]

Last couple months jeep has been dieing on me while driving. replaced crank position sensor and it drove for a week with no problems then the other night leaving the market it died on me and wouldn't start for 15-20 minuates. any thoughts? Did the new crank position sensor fail with in a week? Haven't drove it since. Checked the wires and there fine and checked to see if the sensor was loose but the bolts are tight.

[JeepFreak]

You're going to need to be more specific (i.e sounds, smells, etc). What exactly was happening the first time it did this? Did the car make a noise or a thump or anything? Did you smell anything out of the ordinary? If the car is simply dying in transit then it could be many things different than the crank sensor.

[greenchevy]

No smells or sounds. It dies when it wants doesn't matter if your going 5 mph or 60mph, turning, driving in a straight line. its random. happens when at operationing temp and doesn't restart unless it sits for 10-15 minuates. its an 89 renix straight 6.

[Carves]

Theres crank sensors and theres crank sensors .. ;);)

Most recommend chrysler ones only ... although I've had a good run out of "Standard" brand, made in Mexico stuff, in the red boxes.

If the 89 has the same sensor in the dissy as the later models ... You might also want to consider the cam position sensor ... as Ive had the same symptons you describe but it was the cam sensor, not crank sensor - at fault.

[JeepFreak]

Have you checked your charging system recently? Maybe there's a problem keeping the correct voltage while you're driving. I have heard of people having an issue with the alternator where it charges but not enough to keep the battery running very long so that may be a good place to check as well. The charging and fuel injecting system would be good places to check. If the fuel system can't deliver the fuel to make a good enough mixture, the car may die whereas if it isn't getting a good enough charge the car may also die.

[XJ Wheeler]

Might i suggest starting at the basics. When it dies, and before it wants to crank up again, test for fuel pressure at the fuel rail and spark.



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[BlueXJ]

Does it only die when cold or after reaching operating temp. This will help to find where to start looking.

[reddragon72]

coil could be getting hot. I had to replace mine because of this. Also replaced the crank shaft PS once because it died to and the autozone seems to be holding up.

[notnats350]

check your crank sensor connector. On my 97 I replaced the crank and cam sensors and mine was still having intermittent problems where it would die or not start. It got to the point where i could touch the connector when it was running and i could get the engine to jump around haha :crazy:

[F1Addict]

I haven't had to deal with this stuff in a while but you can test the CPS with a basic multi-meter. Probe the two leads while cranking, it should read ~0.5v AC (just to be clear, AC, not DC). If it's showing 0.35 or less then your CPS isn't providing sufficient voltage for the ECU to trigger spark. It would be best to test this during a no-start "event" but not necessary.

It's not uncommon for aftermarket CPSs to be bad right out of the box.

[Chuck Jax]

I know this will sound silly, but if it is an automatic, check transmission fluid. Had same sounding issue on my grand. Changed fuel pump,etc. Trans fluid was low causing torque converter to load up. I keep it full and no issues.

[maxxrua08]

I had all the same issues today with my '92 xj. Planned a trip to Big Bear for some crawling and had a problem with the motor dying on me as soon i came to a stop. Did a fuel filter change at 5am (thanks to local Autozone for being 24hr). Seemed like it was starving for gas but that didn't fix it. Was able to make it through my trip but finally died on the way back and had to tow her home.

When i got the XJ off the truck, i turned the key and she stared right up...I just don't get it. It dies when coming to low idle and only when its at op temp. When its cold or drive down the hwy at 50+, she runs great

[4.3LXJ]

Two things come to mind. First clean the idle air control. The second is that your O2 sensor is probably worn out. I think your fuel air mixture is too lean and when it gets to operating temp it switches to the O2 sensor for information and off the rich mixture.

[Mudderoy]

I had all the same issues today with my '92 xj. Planned a trip to Big Bear for some crawling and had a problem with the motor dying on me as soon i came to a stop. Did a fuel filter change at 5am (thanks to local Autozone for being 24hr). Seemed like it was starving for gas but that didn't fix it. Was able to make it through my trip but finally died on the way back and had to tow her home.

When i got the XJ off the truck, i turned the key and she stared right up...I just don't get it. It dies when coming to low idle and only when its at op temp. When its cold or drive down the hwy at 50+, she runs great

Our 1999 would do the same thing, and in fact it was originally reported to me that it wouldn't start. I could hold the fuel petal down a little and it would start up and run. Take my foot off the gas and it would die. So basically it was the part that was controlling the idle, in my case that was the TPS.

[maxxrua08]

Thanks 4.3LXJ!! I have time today to do a full cleaning of the throttle body and i know when i pulled out the idle control valve last night, it was covered in junk. I will keep you posted on it.

Mudderoy... To get it to start once it dies on me i have to give it full open throttle and it would start sometime. I am also going to change the TPS. Crossing my finger for today!!!:confused:

[Mudderoy]

Thanks 4.3LXJ!! I have time today to do a full cleaning of the throttle body and i know when i pulled out the idle control valve last night, it was covered in junk. I will keep you posted on it.

Mudderoy... To get it to start once it dies on me i have to give it full open throttle and it would start sometime. I am also going to change the TPS. Crossing my finger for today!!!:confused:

Yeah that sounds different that what was happening with our 99. It wouldn't start or hold idle. The TPS moves the butterfly as well as reports it's position.

I've never done it, but I heard you can test those sensors with a volt/ohm meter.

[greenchevy]

Ok so the problem has kind of changed. i bought a crank sensor from the dealership. test the coil and wasn't reading the right ohms so i replaced it. which changing that I took a test drive. it drove fine un till came to a stop to turn and it died on me. got it home and pulled off the fuel filter. it was clogged. Changed it and then took another test drive. drove fine but. untill i went to the gas station. Started it up put in drive and when to tge stop sign. when i pushed on the gas pedal it died and wouldn't start. pushed it out of the way and let it sit for a while then it started back up and drove it home with no problems. i i went to move it around my house and it died when i pushed on the gas pedal. i let it sit a few minuates and it started back up. I'm stumped.

[editedforsafety]

It might be the fuel pump. If the filter was clogged, it would have put a lot of strain on the pump. I had a similar problem with a Taurus. The fuel pump wasn't totally dead, but would quit randomly. Usually once it sat a while, it would work again for a little bit.

[lthamm]

Mine did that last week it drove me crazy trying to figure it out what was the little gear on the bottom of the distributor had a flat spot one it. if it ain't the fuel filter or any of the other usual suspects you might want to check that.

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[greenchevy]

I was thinking it might be the feul pump. i probably. burned it up with the clogged filter. Ill take it out of the tank and bench test it. also will look at the dizzy.

[XJ Wheeler]

If the filter was clogged, that pump had to push all that trash through too. Probably a good idea.

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[greenchevy]

Tested the fuel pump and distributor and still the same problem. I drove it to work the other day. Drove fine to work but then i went to lunch it wouldn't start. After work it started right up no problems. I found a technical bulletin update on replacing the crank sensor. It says if you replace the cps and still have the same problem to upgrade the cpd harness by using Mopar's harness upgrade that wires the cps directly in to the computer. http://www.bc4x4.com/faqs/yj.cfm?cat=5&faqid=164
What does anyone think? Everything has tested good. I went to the dealer and the harness is still available I'm tempted to give it a shot.

[ekaybe]

Mine started doing it after I ran it on almost no gas so I was convinced it was some how a problem with the fuel delivery. Took about 8 seconds until it would finally start. The R's would just drop randomly while driving, only during the first few minutes of my drive. I just dealt with it for a few weeks until I got stuck in a turn lane trying to turn across 2 lanes of traffic during rush hour. I'd be idling, go to step on the gas to turn and it would die. Did this a couple of times before it finally stayed running. Drove it to the shop the next day, put a crank sensor on it and it has been fine since. This was on my 99. Also testing the crank sensor will do nothing unless it is messing up while you're testing it which is nearly impossible.

[greenchevy]

Changed dizzy drove fine for a day then acted up again. Drove to the bank then it died in the parking lot and wouldnt start. Had to have it towed home. Changed fuel pump sincr it wasnt priming. Found the ground wire on the pump assembly broke clean off. Fixed the wire. I have no spark coming from the coil. Test coil and ignition control module both test good. Not sure where to look next?

[JeepFreak]

Changed dizzy drove fine for a day then acted up again. Drove to the bank then it died in the parking lot and wouldnt start. Had to have it towed home. Changed fuel pump sincr it wasnt priming. Found the ground wire on the pump assembly broke clean off. Fixed the wire. I have no spark coming from the coil. Test coil and ignition control module both test good. Not sure where to look next?

You gotta do a voltage drop test to find out where the dead part of the circuit is. One of the loads (power drawing accessory) on the circuit is creating resistance so do a voltage drop test then do a resistance check on the part of the circuit affected.

[greenchevy]

Side note. The fuel pump relay keeps clicking in the run position and the pump keeps running.

[JeepFreak]

What year/make/model is it again? I may have an idea as to what is going on.

[greenchevy]

89 cherokee 4wd straight 6 automatic

[JeepFreak]

89 cherokee 4wd straight 6 automatic

Ok let me get home later and I'll research it. I have the Chilton book for that y/m/m so it should say what could be the culprits and how to find out.

[cpttuna]

my $.02 Something in the distributor shorting out when it gets hot? (I had this problem in my 78 bronco. it would just quit. let it sit for an hour and it would start up and run fine. The other area is the pcm. my son's 92 quit on him while driving. don't know what led the mechanic to the pcm, but that was where the problem was.

[greenchevy]

New distributor

[JeepFreak]

Kay so you need to test for resistance at your ignition coil. The steps are as follows:

1) To measure the PRIMARY resistance, put an Ohmmeter between the + and - terminals which are connected to the engine wiring harness on the coil.

2) To test the secondary resistance, put an Ohmmeter between the + coil terminal and the high voltage cable terminal on the coil then measure the resistance between the + coil terminal and the coil case. There should be INFINITE resistance.

3) For coils manufactured by Diamond, the primary resistance at 70-80*F should be 0.97-1.18 Ohms and secondary resistance should be 11,300-15,300 Ohms.

4) Toyodenso company coils should exhibit a primary resistance at 70-80*F of 0.95-1.20 Ohms and a secondary resistance of 11,300-13,300 ohms.

5) Replace ANY coil that doesn't meet the required specs.

REMOVAL & INSTALLATION

1) Disengage the vehicle by putting it into the OFF position.
2) Disengage the Negative Battery cable.
3) Tag (if needed) all electrical connections to the coil and disengage them.
4) Remove the fasteners holding the assembly bracket and coil (if equipped) to the engine and lift out the coil. The coil may be riveted to the bracket, to remove it will require drilling the rivets and punching them out. If necessary, separate the coil from the bracket.

Installation is the reverse of removal.

[XJ408]

I have the same issue with my jeep as well. This pass week I was wondering what's the issue and comes to find out it was my distributor rotor. It was in pieces. I was thinking of just replacing the rotor but I found out the rotor shaft is wobbly. So I'm replacing the whole distributor. Is there a thread on here that can show me how to properly install the new distributor?

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[JeepFreak]

I have the same issue with my jeep as well. This pass week I was wondering what's the issue and comes to find out it was my distributor rotor. It was in pieces. I was thinking of just replacing the rotor but I found out the rotor shaft is wobbly. So I'm replacing the whole distributor. Is there a thread on here that can show me how to properly install the new distributor?

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It's actually not that difficult. There should be only a few screws holding your distributor to the engine. At least for my '94 there is only one screw holding the rotor. It's a matter of removing that screw, pulling out the rotor and marking FIRST where the rotor is in relation to the base. It needs to be pretty god damned precise or else your Jeep will run like a dehydrated sumo wrestler. Mark the base and the rotor so you know the exact line of center rotor for reinstall. Then you remove it and replace it with a new one and screw that bad boy back in and replace everything else the way it was originally. LINE THAT BAD BOY UP. PERIOD.

[XJ408]

Thanks jeepfreak!

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[Rocco83]

That bad boy does need to be lined up absolutely perfect. One notch left or right and you're looking at your vehicle running like absolute crap. If your distributor is old the teeth may be a bit worn, causing you to think you have it lined up right while it is just a tad off. Good luck though. It is a pretty easy process to replace.

[JeepFreak]

That bad boy does need to be lined up absolutely perfect. One notch left or right and you're looking at your vehicle running like absolute crap. If your distributor is old the teeth may be a bit worn, causing you to think you have it lined up right while it is just a tad off. Good luck though. It is a pretty easy process to replace.

Yes exactly what he said. If you are unsure of whether or not it is lined up, very GENTLY try to rotate the teeth about a degree or two. They should NOT move. If they do, you need to get it back into a position EXTREMELY close to dead center rotor and give it a small tweaking with the screwdriver. It needs to be tight enough to not move but loose enough for the vehicle to make it spin.

[greenchevy]

Ok so I still never got the problem fixed. The jeep still stalls while driving. The three wire goin to the distributor where broken so I fixed them. The new fuel pump I installed failed. The fuel pressure would drop once the jeep was turned off. Tps had a dead spot so replaced it. New ignition coil and module. I've replaced the cps with a dealership one twice. Upgraded harness for cps to pcm. Still intermittently dies. Sometimes it starts right back up other times it needs to sit.

[autotech98]

I have a suggestion if above doesnt work.Not sure about your year but was having similar problem in my 98 when i got it.Would run fine then just die.Didnt wanna fire back up unless you did the pedal dance you mentioned then would run like crap at idle.No one could figure it out.Turned out that my electric fan had an intermittant short in it after it would heat up.Found this totally by accident,it was cool out and i noticed fan wasnt running so i unplugged it and ran like that for about a week and a half. plugged fan back in problem returned.Replaced fan with a four seasons unit no more problem.

[greenchevy]

Ok i got the intermittent dieing fixed. Not sure what it was. Did a few things and it after that it didn't die anymore. Replaced spark plugs, ignition switch pigtail was burned so i soldered in a new pigtail and replaced ignition switch, fuel pump failed again so i replaced it. after fixing some wires in the engine bay, replacing spark plugs, replaced tps sensor, fixing ignition switch and pigtail It doesn't die anymore while driving but i am having an intermittent start problem. The engine will flood its self when cranking. Ive noticed it more on short trips. I checked the fuel pressure regulator and with it running the gauge reads 35 psi. When the vacuum line is disconnected the pressure does not change it stays at 35 psi so i m going to change it and see if it changes pressure.

[greenchevy]

Changed fuel pressure regulator with no change still intermittently won't start. I did find the bolts to the crank sensor loose. Tightened them up but still won't start normally on short trips. Would having the bolts loose cause the crank sensor to fail? It was a new one a year ago from the dealer.

[4.3LXJ]

If it rattled around and got hit by the flywheel, oh yeah

[greenchevy]

It didn't look damaged when I took it out but that doesn't mean much. All I can do is replace it and see what happens.

[cpttuna]

my son's XJ would quit. his problem was the PCM

[greenchevy]

Changed the crank sensor and after 2 starts it Didn't want to start the third time. The last thing I can think of would be the pcm. Anyone know where I can get a good remanufacture one?

[Mudderoy]

Changed the crank sensor and after 2 starts it Didn't want to start the third time. The last thing I can think of would be the pcm. Anyone know where I can get a good remanufacture one?

I'd check ebay.

[prerunner1982]

Sorry if this has already been mentioned...but I didn't read through all 46 posts...

Have you checked the ground straps for the engine?

[slvmart]

I had a '94 Dodge Dakota, a great little truck. It would run for a while, until it was warmed up and some additional time after that. Then all of a sudden it would just die. Normally, if I waited for a while and allowed it to cool down, it would start right back up, then die again once warmed up.

The problem ended up being that the cpu wiring harness had a break in it, and I can only guess that once the engine compartment warmed up to some appropriate temp, the wire would just disconnect.

There is no easy way to diagnose this. It took a lot of hunting, pecking and tracing wires. I even took it to dealer and they just kept telling me that there was no problem with the truck.

This all started after doing a tune up on the truck. I can only guess that the wiring on the truck became brittle because of heat cycling and age. So leaning on it may have fractured the wire.

[cpttuna]

my son's 92 would die while driving. It turned out to be the PCM.

[greenchevy]

It ended up being the remanufactured pcm failed. Replaced it and have been driving it for a Week with no intermittent starting issues. Seem to have fixed the problem. THank you to everyone that has been following this tread and the help.