XPTB

Someone sold me a cherokee with 150k miles for $1k because they couldn't get it to crank. The jeep is in excellent condition. Immaculate interior, all bushings are still nice, steering is super tight. A great daily driver.

The first thing I did was reset the computer. It cranked up immediately and ran great. I thought I'd just hit the jackpot. I drove it around, cut it off, and then it went back to doing what it was before.

Whether cold or hot, you crank it once and it will turn over but not crank. Stop and try again, and it will crank but run like crap. It misses and sputters. If you give it gas it'll backfire and struggle to even get to 2k RPM. Cut it off and crank it a third time and it runs like a top. Drives perfect for as long as you want until you cut it off. Then you are back to the triple crank. I checked the codes and its throwing a crank/cam position sensor intermittent error. Both of these parts are new. I have a known working CKP and CMP from my other cherokee. I may swap those over just to see if the new ones are bad.

Now this is where it gets weird. The passenger side window wouldn't roll down so I took the panel off and tested the motor with a battery. The motor works fine. I traced the power back to the fuse in the kick panel and it wasn't getting power there. I started checking power to fuses (with ignition on) and half the kick panel isn't getting power!

This is where I start getting lost as I'm not very good with electrical. I checked all under hood fuses and they are getting power and seem to be running fine. Where does the kick panel get power from? I figure this may explain why the jeep runs weird. What should I check next?

BlueRidgeMark

Let's start with cutting the confusion that is caused when terms are used incorrectly.

"Crank" means just that. It cranks. Turns over. The starter motor makes the engine go round and round. It's a term as old as cars themselves, back when a person stuck a CRANK in the front of the engine and TURNED IT OVER to start the engine.

It does NOT mean, "starts".

So, your engine turns over, but does not start. It cranks, but does not fire.

A cam sensor will give you an intermittent no start. It will also give you an engine that misses and does other nasty things. I just had one fail which was installed last October. If your new cam sensor is not OEM, it's highly suspect, even new out of the box. If it's OEM, it's still a bit suspect. They aren't making them like they used to.

Swapping in a known good part is a GREAT idea. Free diagnosis.

The power to the kick panel may be a separate problem. You'll need a good wiring diagram to be sure. Here's a partial diagram to get you started.

XPTB

Thanks for the clarification! I'm not good with my terms.

I'm going to swap the known working sensors this weekend. Then I'll try using that diagram to help find my wiring issue. Thank you for the information. So you don't think the two would be related? I assume the kick panel fuses aren't for the engine, just accessories.

CCKen

Here's a breakdown of the fuses in the JB. As you can see there are fuses that control engine functions. F11 is important.



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