A little more background on the jeep; She's an old junkyard gem I got 6yrs ago when it was all I could get. I knew she'd been road hard and put up greasy..lol.. but the engine was smooth, not ticks are roughness. First thing I had to do was have the cooling system checked, the guy completely bypassed the holding tank on my closed system. Then I had to do tires, breaks and suspension, that's all done, all new plug wires, plugs, rotor and cap last year. New flue pump and filter last month. So now I get to play with the wiring. I'm going to spend the day today cleaning the grease off everything I can so I can get a better look then I'll go back over the ground wires first. Sure am glad its summertime while I'm having to do this. I'm going to start taking pictures of the process now, I'll post as I go. Thanks all

OMG OMG!!!! She's running!!!!! she's rough but she's running!!!! I found the missing ground wires!!!! I've got a vacuum hose that got broken in the process of replacing the crankshaft sensor but that's no big deal... Thank you all for your help and expertise.!!

So here she is. You can see what shape the connectors are. I think it still has the original head gasket on it and its so saturated oil is oozing out there. I don't use a lot of oil, I get an oil change about every 1500 miles, and am not more then 1/2 a quart low so its just barely a drip after the engine has been running for a few hrs. You can see how rotted the connectors on the fuel rail are so those will be coming up soon. She's a project, but she has been so faithful to me these past 6 yrs, I know she's worth every penny and hour I spend on her.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...ffa1e7ccc8.jpg
1990 Jeep Cherokee 4.0
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...044616e5c8.jpg
New cap and wires
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...0f252b52d1.jpg
rot on fuel rail connectors
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...b83c177b4f.jpg
1990 Jeep Cherokee My "Junkyard Gem"

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?

And only 6 more Cruiser Tips to go!!

I believe (and hope!) you are referring to the "valve cover gasket", but that reminds me-- do you have this?

https://cdn.xjjeeps.com/pdf/en-us/19...ts-catalog.pdf

May be helpful when chasing down parts.

LOL.. yes, I meant the valve cover gasket.. Oh she sounds so good now....

Okay guys, I took the jeep on a road trip over the mountain and she had a lot of trouble shifting, (but I still got 20 miles to the gallon) so back under the hood I went and after the throttle body, imagine my surprise when mine didn't look like any of the 1990 4.0's I watched videos of. Tell me what I don't know about my engine please. Why don't I have a "body" that can be removed to clean? Why are my cables and sensors on opposite sides? And are there supposed to be hoses connected to those 2 joinings at the front and if so what hoses are they and where do they go? I The more time I spend under the hood the more amazed I am that she has run for as long as she has. Yep, I'm learning as I go...
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...bed25e67e4.jpg
Throttle body??
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...dce7ccc913.jpg
fuel rail side

PO has bypassed the PCV connector. See photo from freegdr:

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/attach...umlinespic.jpg

NickinTimeFilms has good videos about the sensors. Language NSFW:

A 1990 with front-mounted cables? Don't believe so, but that's a question for Cruiser.

Well lookie there, an engine that looks like mine... hehehehe... Thanks Dave51, you are an invaluable resource.. So I found my throttle valve cable tucked up under the hoses next to my air conditioning compressor, there is no telling how long I've been driving without that connected.. Its a miracle she has run so well for so long... So I'm safe to open up the throttle and clean it out and check the sensors now, then the valve cover gasket. Is it crazy that I would tackle this without knowing what I'm doing??? I'd be on foot by now if not for ya'll… Thanks

Gotta start somewhere!