pollock34

since i cant get answers anywhere else, i figured id try here. my xj is a 92 lifted, tires etc. I bought it a little over a year ago with 104k. im right around 116 now, and recently its been dying while driving. Once i let her sit for 10-20s itll crank right up. I thought i had it licked with a bad 02 sensor, but it doesnt seem to be the case. my wife and i took it to the movies last night, and after the movies it died and continued to do so the entire way home. We did notice, that it only stalls when tilted to the left. we figured this out, after pulling off the road and we were sitting at an angle. it also wouldnt restart while at this angle. both ds tires were off the pavement, not a serious angle, but as we were sitting there, i happened to think about when it does die, and its nearly always after a turn, and just the movement shifts the body to the left. i changed the tps, and i have a brank new crank sensor, i just havent put it in yet. dealing with a bad crank in my yj yrs ago, this doesnt seem like it would be the culprit. Funny thing, i cant replicate this when in park. I jacked up the ps with it running and it wont die. its only when its driving. the electrical stays on, the motor just dies. its very frustrating. any help is appreciated.

Rogue4x4

Tested fuel pressure at the rail yet?

I'd stop throwing parts at it and start diagnosing...you need 3 things to make an engine run, fuel, spark, and air. Test for spark, and verify fuel pressure.

Had a similar issue a while back. Bad fuel pump. Replaced and all is golden.

tjwalker

^^^

What he said. Gotta get to root cause with a "testing based strategy".

Fuel is first up in my book. You need a steady 31 psi of pressure for your 92 4.0 engine to run properly. Then disconnect the vacuum line leading to the fuel pressure regulator and your pressure should increase to approximately 39 psi. The fact that you see symptoms when turning left also points to a suspect fuel pump assembly.

If fuel checks out, review ignition. You need a strong, BLUE, snapping spark. When is the last time you replaced secondary ignition parts like plugs, plug wires, cap, rotor? Do not forget about your ignition coil, which can be tested for both primary and secondary ignition values with a manual and a meter.

Good luck and keep us updated!

pollock34

well i did a little playing with it. I got a pressure gauge, at idle the fuel pressure stayed between 31-33. It decreased to around 30 when i revved the engine, but in my experience with pressure that makes sense being that the cylinders would be consuming more fuel. i didnt have someone to check the spark, but i pulled the #3 spark plug it looked good(bosch platinum's) i also took the distributor off and cleaned the terminals on the inside, they had some shavings on the inside. I attempted to replicate it tilting to the left, i parked on a hill in my yard so both ps tires were on the hill, no luck. after doing these things, i drove it for between 50-60 miles, on bumpy back roads, trying to get it to die out. no luck. i turned it off and let it sit for for 5-10 min intervals, but still she ran fine. really at a loss here. would those flakes in the distributor cause this? i read in my search that someone else had an issue with the computer not being mounted tight, i guess was the issue. mine has a little play in it, but not much. on those bumpy roads i would expect it to die if that were the issue, but no luck. ill take it for a good trip again tomorrow and see if it happens again. Im really lost here.

Jord79

I get the exact same symptoms as you. Do you notice a difference depending on the fuel level? It only happens to mine when fuel is quite low. I haven't been able to check fuel pressure yet, but I suspect maybe a dirty fuel tank (being that it happens when fuel is low and those an increased concentration of sediment which may be temporarily blocking the fuel filter). Also, as it happens when turning left, the fuel in the tank will naturally gravitate to the right. I.e AWAY from the fuel pump/feed.

My temporary solution is to keep fuel level above 1/4 tank!

djgrayxj

Note from DJ
It is recommended that you always keep at least 1/4 tank of gas at all times.
If you do that the gas acts as a coolant for the fuel pump which will prolong its life.

pollock34

This happens at any level fuel. Just took it for another ride, easily 20 miles still going strong. Idk...driving me crazy.