Hey everybody. I just bought a 95 cherokee sport 4.0 auto 4wd which cranks but does not start. I snatched it up because it was cheap and I thought it must be an electrical issue that I could sort out pretty easily. The motor cranks but doesn't start. Supposedly the person I bought it off of drove it till a month ago and then it just wouldn't start.

• Pressing the check valve on the rail shoots fuel out so I appear to have good fuel pressure /asd/fuel relay/fuel pump.
• PCM grounds check out ok.
• Swapped relays all around in the engine compartment and everything seems good there - kinda (see below)
• The CKP has been replaced and when I bump the starter till i get it in just the right spot I do see 5v at the sensor wire. Pins B&C show open circuit.
• The coil is new and i get 1 ohm resistance on the primary and 11k at the secondary so even though its a cheap china coil i think that's ok as well.
• I got spark once when I had a plug connected right off of the coil. I buttoned everything up after that and it almost started.
• Most of the time I do not seem to have spark.
• I went to test the stator and after some searching it looks like this is the dizzy from a renix motor, not an HO. It is possible this jeep had a swap from HO to renix at some point but the ecu looks like the HO ecu. What's the best way to tell if the motor is HO or renix? Is there some dead giveaway? Will an HO run on a renix dizzy?
• My relays were clicking like crazy when I first turned the key on but after I unplugged the o2 they behave normally when I first key on (o2 heater shorted out?). After I crank it sometimes it clicks off and on again but not nearly as fast as when the bad o2 was plugged in.

I am running out of ideas here. The old style dizzy really threw me for a loop. I would appreciate it if any of you xj experts on here have any advice for me!

 

All fuses test good as well. I wouldn't think it could be the ignition switch since it cranks over but what do you guys think?

 

first things first, just because it has fuel pressure doesn't mean it has enough fuel pressure (probably not your issue)


have you pulled the distributor cap yet? is it getting contact with the rotor? is it corroded? Plugged directly into the coil and getting spark leads the problem to be in the distributor.

 

Thanks for the reply. Yes I pulled the dizzy cap. Yes it was gross and corroded. I cleaned it up with some emory paper and that is the time it tried to start, but my lack of spark is actually at the coil. I plugged a spark plug directly into the coil wire, not off of the dizzy, and still had no spark after that. That makes me think this is a primary ignition system issue, not necessarily a secondary ignition system issue (although I do need new plugs for sure if I can ever get to that point). I really don't want to just throw parts at this jeep since if I can't get it going I am going to have to scrap it.

 

I forgot to mention I tried some starting fluid at one point as well and didn't even get a pop. I really don't think it is a fuel issue.

 

If you are positive that the cap, rotor, ignition coil, distributor, CPS, fuel pump, etc... Is good working condition. Start checking for exposed wires that might be causing shorts.

 

Already found a few mysterious wires where the stator wires join the main harness. I will keep looking for more. I tend to think the issue probably is a short somewhere since the relays do click off and on after I crank and return the key to on.

 

What codes were there when you checked them ?

 

Just 12 and 55 so nothing there.

 

Id pull some sensor plugs and see if it sets a code .

 

It doesn't. I would have thought I would get one for o2 heater for sure but not even that set a code.

 

Or there isn't a heater code? Well I've cranked with the stator disconnected and the ckp and the tps and didn't get any codes there either.