Ok, I notice no one asked this, so I figure I'll look like an idiot and do it: Has the jeep ever run while it's been in your possession? When did it stop running, when the starter went bad? How was it running previous to this?

And most of all: How long has it been sitting in a non-running condition?

If it's been sitting a few months, then there is a good chance the gas has gone bad. It will be a ***** to start, if you can even get it started, on bad gas. Have you tried pouring a splash of gas directly into the throttle body? If it fires up then it's something with fuel delivery, or the fuel itself is bad.

 

Ok I bought the Jeep in 2006. It has been running just fine for several years. With the minor work done. Tune ups and the such. The electric cooling fan stopped working in 2007 but I hot wired it to come on when I crank the car. Never over heated.

This past winter is when all the major problems came in to being. First we drove to Iowa and everything was fine. That is when I took the Jeep to the car wash and it blew water under It and it started choking the engine out. It took a while to get the car cranked but I never had the problem again. I drove all the way back to Georgia. In January I blew and heater core hose and that started the Jeep not wanting to crank right again. The heater core hose burst right above the Distributor and ignition coil. I replaced the Distributor and rotor. Things seemed to be working. Just a month later I left the wife in the Jeep and the main radiator hose blew while I was in the store. When I came outside I could see the steam and the yellow snow. My wife not being a car person said she didn't know what happened. She said the Jeep just shook crazy and then a loud bang and then stopped. I got a replacement hose and some radiator fluid from Advance and they brought it to me with some tools to put in on. The Jeep cranked right up and I drove it for just about a 1/4 mile when I could see the red overheating light come on. I quickly pulled into a QT and turned it off. I popped the hood and could see the Main hose I just replaced was bulging. I grabbed the hose and it was as hard as a rock. The lower hose was also hard. I knew then that there was a clog in the radiator. I got the Jeep towed and they blew out the radiator. I picked it up the next day and it ran fine. No problems until a month ago the Jeep started just fine and the wife got about 1/4 mile down the road and it just died. I went to get it and give the van to the wife so she could go to work. I turned the ignition and it started spitting and sputtering. I pushed the gas and it started running just fine. I drove it down the road and it never acted up again that day. The next day it would not crank, just spit and sputter. It was towed to the shop they replaced the O2 sensors. It worked fine till this past week when the van died I jumped in the Jeep and it would not crank just moan a little. I knew it was the starter. So I pulled it and sure enough it was bad. While I was waiting to get the starter back I replaced the Crank position sensor which showed on the last test that was run. I put the starter back in and now we are were we are, spitting and sputtering.

 

Well I saw this video on Youtube that showed the exact same problem I was having. It was from DyingJeep.com. They showed a video of the same exact problem. They explain how to fix the problem for $39.99.

1. Find the PCM, ECM, ECU. and pull the plugs off. Disconnect the battery first.
2. Spray Electronic contact cleaner in and on all plug contact area and PCM contact area. Allow to dry for 4-8 minutes.
3. Put Dielectric Silicone Compound on all contact areas and plugs.
4. Plug back in firmly.
5. Remove the two screws just below the 3 plugs one at a time and put three 4 mm washers on the screw and put it back. To prevent screw from touching circuit board and shorting it out.
6. Put Zip Tie on to secure the connectors and prevent vibrations. 2 per plug
(I dont have the two screws listed on step 5.)

Now lets see if this was worth the $39.99 for the information. There videos did not work.

 

That sounds like it could be a winner, especially since all your problems previous seemed to be related to water intrusion. Let us know!

 

Well they were right. As soon as I pulled the center plug off and saw oil and water in the plug I knew it was it. I cleaned them out and then put the Dielectric grease. But know I need to check and see if my PCM is shot or not. Is there a way to have it tested? The oil and water my have fried the circuit because it has been doing this for a few months.

 

Did this fix it? Mine is having a similiar issue.

 

Does it run? If it runs now, then the PCM is fine.

Electronics are surprisingly resilient to electrical shorts. As long as you don't end up dumping more voltage than a component can handle through it, it usually won't fail. Since everything in there is 12v, it should be OK.

 

Well that did it. The problem is fixed. Thanks for everyones help. There is one more thing you have to do if you have the PCM that has two screw just below and under the plug location. One on either side of the plug. Remove the screw and put in three 4-mm washers and that should prevent the circuit board from touching the screws. I didn't have those on mine but if you are having the same issue. I also found out that the Catalytic converter could be clogged if you have been running it a little lean. The back pressure from the exhaust can cause a vehicle to crank and run for about 30 seconds and then die.

Thanks again
Jeff Lavender

 

Awesome. Great to see this worked out for ya.