Thanks Dave and TJ for the quick response. Sorry I didn’t mention this is a 4.0 litre. One question, since this is a 94, OBD1 no misfire detection was required and it has a distributor so correct me if I’m wrong but it wouldn’t have a crank sensor would it? All ignition triggering is in the distributor isn’t it? And for that matter, the injection system, while it is port injection, is it sequential, or bank fire?

Since I made the original post I have pulled the coil and checked resistance. Right around 1.2 ohms on the primary and about 11.8K on the secondary. I also found I have 12 volts to the coil, and the ground side will flash a test light when cranking. I did notice the coil connector is missing its latch and was not completely seated. It is now seated well but still no start. I pulled spark plugs and they are pretty wet with fuel and have a lot of “grunge” (technical term ) on them and I am now wondering if they are shorting. I plan to get a set of new plugs this morning. I am operating on the theory that the initial stall and subsequent no start was due to a loss of ignition, and I now have that corrected, but the old plugs are now so fuel saturated that they are shorting out. I will post a reply after I get the new plugs in.

All 4.0 engines have crankshaft position sensors. Every year of them.

I'd highly recommend that you get yourself a manual if you plan on doing pretty much anything on your XJ. Great how-to, diagrams, pics. Here is a source to one that is reasonably priced at $7.95 for digital.

http://www.pacificcoastmanuals.com/j...e_manuals.html

A new set of spark plugs didn’t fix. Based on your assurances of it having a crank sensor (I had looked for one previously) I lucked out and found a YouTube video for how to replace. That of course helped me locate it (hard to see on a fairly dirty 230K mile engine and trans, and even harder to access) and I proceeded from there. I first checked for voltage on the orange wire and found slightly more than 9 volts reference supplied to the sensor. I then checked resistance on the remaining two pins. I had .5 megOhms and it tended to fluctuate some. Having no experience with this particular sensor I didn’t know if that was a good reading or not. Based on the input of many many different people offering to help in addition to Dave and TJ here, I decided to buy a crank sensor. On the trip to the parts store for a new sensor I realized I had not done a proper fuel pressure test so I also picked up a fuel pressure test kit. I did the fuel pressure test first and got slightly less than 40 PSI. I admit I don’t know what the spec is but that is right in the ballpark of other fuel injected engines I have worked on. I then proceeded to replace the crank sensor. Wow what a job when you don’t have a lift. Before I installed the new sensor I did the same resistance checks on it and found 5.3 megOhms, or quite a difference from the .5 MOhms of the old sensor. Replaced the sensor and still no start. Though I have to say it seemed like it was trying to start. I am now suspicious of the coil, despite the fact that I now have spark. I am wondering if those old plugs which all had pretty eroded electrodes (wide gap) had stressed the coil and made it weak. However, keep in mind I had done resistance tests on the primary and secondary as previously mentioned and they seemed to check out. So, do any of you have experience with a coil which can make a spark but it is too weak to light the fire?

A coil fixed it. The original one was capable of making a spark, out in the open when testing, but was apparently too weak to make a spark in a cylinder under compression. The resistance checks I did on the primary and secondary side were within spec, which is why I went with the consensus and replaced the crank sensor. When the crank sensor did not fix it about all that was left was the coil. I replaced it reluctantly and was of course pleased when the engine started. Thanks to all for your advice it was very helpful .

Important lesson learned is that old worn (electrodes eroded) spark plugs will over time stress the coil and lead to failure. The irony here is that the 4.0 is such a solid engine in terms of durability and reliability that it’s easy to lose track of some of the routine maintenance items. An exception in my case is oil changes which I am almost religious about. Otherwise, I hate to admit it but I do not recall when I last changed the plugs. The engine just keeps going and going so I am guilty of taking it a bit for granted. Those old plugs were pure ugly coming out and yet I was not experiencing any misfires, that I could feel.

Thanks again and Happy Holidays.