UK PONY

I need help folks....

I bought an '88 Cherokee yesterday...it had been sitting since April but started (with a boost) when I went to look at it.

Today I thought I'd take it for a spin but it would not start...I have replaced the battery (the old one would not hold charge)...still nothing...I put on a new Rotor Arm & Distributor Cap...still nothing...I put a new Ignition Coil on....still nothing.

A friend came over for a little while & we figured out that there was no spark at the plugs or coming from the coil. It was at that point that I bought a new coil & fitted it...it still won't go (at this point I haven't been able to check if there is now a spark or not - I can't be in two places at once sadly).

I've been reading as much as I can & saw issues with the neutral safety switch...based on those threads I put the car in Neutral & tried to start it...still nothing...I rowed the shifter back & forth a few times & still nothing.

Abovetimberline

I would also look at the cps,icm,and ballast resistor,the icm bolted to the bottom of the coil,and the ballast resistor is located on the left fenderwell inside,whit porcelin resistor with a wire to and from.

eastsider

im haveing a issue with my 88 as well, turns and turns but no fire up, going to check for spark tomorow, if i fix mine ill let ya know how lol, it ran yesterday and today does not want to start at all.

UK PONY

Thanks for the help, I know I'm going to sound stupid here but how do I test these parts?

UK PONY

Thanks, good luck with yours.

Abovetimberline

Nothing stupid,as far as the icm goes just see if you have power to it with key on,you can also test resistance on it,the cps is located on the bellhousing and you can also test it for resistance across terminals a and b,it should read open,the resistors rarley go bad,mostly they just come loose on one of the wires and half to be reconected. I would buy a manual like chiltons to help you.

UK PONY

THanks for your help - I've tried a new ICM, still no luck...there is power going to the ICM with the ignition in the ON position. I have bought a new CPS which reads 205 Ohms - I wasn't looking for it on the bellhousing though (looked on the distributor...doh) - will go back out & look again.

Abovetimberline

I would not spen alot of money on parts until you have an idea what it is,it can get exspensive quickly. The cps is hard to change due to its location. I always check them on the 20 scale and get about 11 on a good one.

UK PONY

It was the CPS - I haven't been able to replace it yet (you're not kidding about it being hard to reach) but after unplugging it to run the Ohm test & plugging it back in she fired up. Later in the week I'll go to a friends place & put it on his hoist - hopefully it'll be easier to reach from underneath.

Thanks again for your help.

BTW I found this during my search for information - maybe everyone has seen this already but if not maybe it'll prove useful;

http://www.lunghd.com/Tech_Articles/...iagnostics.htm