shoggoth80

Hey all, been a while since I posted on here. My Jeep is still ugly But I still love the thing. Still chugging along with little maintenance. Thus far since I have owned the car, I've only had to replace: light switch, wiper relay/breaker, serpentine belt, differential oil, water pump, lower hose, recently did air cleaner, and fuel filter. Gave it a set of tires a while back, and have done basic oil/filter changes. Given that I bought it used, and under $900, it has treated me very well.

It is a 1993, 2.5L 4 cylinder, which can make a difference. Lol. Forgot to mention that the initial post. While symptoms may be similar, the mechanical procedure to fix/replace may be different.

But, I do have some small issues to still address. It misfires/cuts out sometimes at highway speeds, after the engine has been running for a while. I thought that this could have been sediment or water in the lines, as it happens occasionally, and generally around the 50-65mph range. Could this be a coil/pick up coil issue? I have never given this car a general tune up (the usual cap/rotor/plugs/wires type of deal)...so I am thinking it is highly possible that it is an ignition related issue. While I would be walking out with less than a $150 bill for cap, pickup coil, new coil,wires, and new plugs... it would still be nice to get an idea of what part is actually the root cause. I suppose it is also fair to say that I don't have a fanshroud on it... it broke a while ago, and I never got around to replacing it. Though, I have not lost any coolant, which leads me to believe that I am not running hot.

Does the intermittent issue sound like a cap (possible crack), or pickup coil issue? I have never had to replace a pick up coil, as most of my vehicles to this point have been pretty old school about the ignition systems. It's a cheap part, and if it would help get my Jeep back up to snuff, it would be well worth the replacement. I initially thought I had water or sediment in my fuel lines (hence the fuel filter...which incidentally DID need replacement), but the problem still exists post fuel filter and HEET.

Any help is appreciated. While I am not mechanically disinclined, I have had to work on my Jeep very little, and there are some aspects that I am still relatively unfamiliar with.
Thanks in advance guys.

shoggoth80

Well, I grabbed most of the parts for a general tune up that haven't been replaced recently, and got the pickup coil on order. Should have it tomorrow. Probably swap bits out over the next few days as I can before work, and will kill it all off on the weekend should I not get to it before hand. Total for all the bits was like $120 and change. Not a horrible bill. I can be glad that this Jeep never asked for anything major yet. Most all the parts that I have replaced have been relatively low cost. For something I picked up out of need for a new car (and want of a Jeep) a couple years ago, it has treated me quite well. If these replacements knock out the issue I will be most pleased. Lol.

I realized that I still have not uploaded any pics of my Jeep on here yet. Lol. It's not pretty, but at least it is all one color! I actually kind of like the fact that it isn't super pretty... though I have thought about a slap dash paint job as I get the time and opportunity. Nothing fancy of expensive, but something to cover up all the dead clear coat. For some reason, the early 90's Jeeps didn't come with the most durable paint finish. /shrug.

shoggoth80

Parts have been acquired. Going to hopefully start swapping stuff out tomorrow. I have also read that a crankshaft sensor could cause some of the symptoms I have been experiencing. I didn't even know that such a thing existed. Lol. Well, I suppose that if replacing the coil, pickup coil, cap, rotor, wires, and plugs doesn't make it go away, I'll order that sensor. Looks like a very simple piece to replace. I don't recall reading about it in the shop manual though, though it isn't an actual Jeep/Chrysler manual... I think I have a Haynes book. That can make a difference sometimes.

Worst case scenario: I am replacing parts that are suspect to begin with... I've had the Jeep for a couple years now I think, and I know it sat long enough for the battery to die before I bought it, and of course, have no real knowledge of its maintenance schedule before I picked it up. If all of this works, it should give me many trouble free miles after this. Seems like a bunch of little things adding up to an irritating issue.

Dunno if I got a lack of replies due to post count, or because I seemed to have answered my own questions.

shoggoth80

I also ordered the crank sensor as well. I figured I might as well while I was at it. I have the funds, and the Jeep deserves some TLC. I'm more a practical wrench than a wrench-head... but that wasn't always the case (used to be big onto vintage VWs), so I understand the appeal to mod hte snot out of something (and think that many of the Cherokee of the Month submissions are awesome). Swap it ALL! Lol. I suppose I should post results when finished with it all due to lack of feedback from other members (guess I haven't done my time...LOL)... so that anyone experiencing similar issues will have an idea of what to do and check.

I bought a chip for it today as well. I ran across another Cherokee owner in my apartment complex while swapping parts out, and he recommended the mod. From a group called Mind Blower... just your basic power chip. Might lose some MPG...but it was cheap ($26 shipped), and decided I would do it just because. Might have to see if anyone else has done that mod. I know that there are a number of different chips for many, many cars. Hopefully this isn't the gateway drug that leads to lift kits and swamper tires (no matter how cool it is, the budget isn't there for it).

Though I am thinking about doing some sort of interior swap as funds allow... fiberglass seats if they are out there. And I am thinking about painting it sometime this summer to take care of the dead-paint and clear coat ugliness. I WILL get a new windshield as money allows. Mine is chipped and cracked to hell and back.

Maybe my thread title was too vague? Or maybe I'm still just a n00b
Have fun all!

FL Denmark

as you said yourself, you might have the answer yourself. i belive a swap of rotor, cap, hightensionwires and plugs will cure your jeep.

good luck

shoggoth80

"as you said yourself, you might have the answer yourself."
-highly likely.
Will report back when all is said and done. It's not that I lack enthusiasm... it's that I lack consistency!

After all, what's a couple hundred into a used car, right?

shoggoth80

Got almost everything in. It's running better.
On the drive home it hiccuped once on the freeway. However, I also found a crappy vacuum line when I was working on the Jeep... so I doctored it a bit with a hose clamp... which I noticed fixed nothing today... as the hose clamp merely allowed the line to tear. So, I will be replacing this as soon as I can find suitable hose to replace it with. Probably pay a visit to my local parts store tomorrow morning to see if they have any vacuum line. I am almost positive that this contributed to the symptoms that I was experiencing regardless of whether or not the other sensors helped.

I have so far replaced the cap, rotor, plugs, wires, pickup coil, TPS, and the MAP sensor. Will do the crank sensor when it comes in. Got my "power chip" in the mail today, found the MAT sensor, and will probably install this over my weekend. I know it is only a resistor in a box, but it *was* an inexpensive part. If it even gives me some marginal gain in grunt, I'll call it good enough. The Jeep IS running better though, between the all the stuff that I swapped, it should. A little smoother idle, a bit more get up on the low end.

I serviced the trans and replaced the pick up coil in the distributor yesterday (had to remove the distro to do it... silly 4 cylinders). Shifts better now, and while the oil that I drained looked pretty clean, this was the first time I serviced the transmission since I bought the car. I also cut a new gasket for my oil filler cap, as I was losing just a little oil there (not enough to worry about, just enough to make a mess). All in all... productive.

Stuff on my to do list in the coming weeks: new windshield (mine is all messed up...surprised I haven't gotten a ticket yet... been that way since I bought it), new shocks, maybe new wheel bearings (because I can), and a new set of bushings for the entire front end (some are worn badly), and likely a new set of brakes all around. I would rather have an ugly car that is mechanically excellent, than a cosmetically excellent vehicle that is a heap. Lol.

I have only recently gained steady employment, so it has been a while since I have been able to any kind of real TLC for my Jeep. It's nice to be able to do stuff that I have been relatively negligent about. I dunno how many people are following this thread. I suppose it shouldn't even be titled "trouble shooting help" at this point. Might not have been the best title to begin with... but it was venturing into components that I knew little about (e.g: sensors). All in all, I am satisfied with my progress, and thoroughly enjoy my Cherokee, ugliness and all.