Cane

Hey there!

So my 1996 XJ Sport failed on me yesterday, went somewhere and 10 minutes later when I tried to start, you would hear it crank, but never actually start.

So I did my research and had someone over to check it out. Told me it could possibly be the ignition coil since there were no spark. After that I went online and looked around only to learn it would more likely be the CPS, since it's pretty common.

So here I am, this morning, trying it again, and the engine starts like nothing happened yesterday. Runs for about 10 seconds and then fails if you dont give it gas.

So I'm just making sure, would that most likely be the CPS in this case? I dont have anything to check out the computer and get error codes, so I will eventually send it to the garage if nothing comes up, but I'm trying my luck one last time.

Thanks!

DrShaggford

Do you have a check engine light? I believe you can pull the codes on a 96 yourself I think it's just key on, off, on, off, on(not starting it, just to the on position and ALL the way back to off.) I'm not awful familiar with this issue but I'd say it's more likely your TPS or Coil. Any time I've had an issue with the tps it wouldn't start at all. I hope someone can help you a little more than I have.

Ian96XJ

Faulty autoshutdown (ASD) relay? Since it starts after sitting, that rules out a blown ASD fuse. I think someone said you can use the A/C relay in the ASD slot to test out that theory the next time you can't start.

Cane

I just went back and tried it to check all the lights, and now it just cranks and doesnt start, unlike ~2 hours ago. It was about to start 1 out of 3 times I tried it, but then failed and I heard a weird cracking sound that I didn't really like.

Sorry for the ****ty quality, but these are the lights I get when it's cranking.

Thanks alot for the replies btw, really appreciated!

Ian96XJ

How's your ASD fuse? It's in the fuse box in your engine bay.

When you turn your key from off to on (but not to start), can you hear the fuel pump go online? Do you have pressure at the fuel rails?

When this happened to me in my '96, my upstream O2 sensor & wire harness were bad. Check them, too.

Cane

I can definately hear the gas pump. The guy I had over looked into the fuse box and everything seemed fine, right now I'm not home so I can't go see by myself, but I would say it's alright.

Ian96XJ

Well, since you're cranking, you've either got no spark or no fuel. Find out which it is and it'll be a little easier to diagnose.

nickxj94

its the cps! the coil will not have power if the cps is bad fyi...

Cane

I've got fuel, no doubt about that. That's why I think it's more related to the CPS

Yea I figured that out after some research. That's why I was thinking maybe it was the CPS. But after it started well this morning, im wondering if it's still that, because it shouldnt be working one day and not the other right?

Ian96XJ

Do you have spark at the coil? You can (carefully) pull the wire a little bit away from the plug and have someone crank to see if there's an electrical arc. Coil could be bad, or the wire itself. Also switch out the A/C relay and the ASD relay to see if it's going wonky. This stuff you can do without throwing parts at it.

Cane

Alright thanks.

When I cranked it and the other guy checked, it didnt seem to do any sparks. That why I was surprised it started this morning.

Ian96XJ

When I had that same intermittent starting problem, it was because my upstream O2 sensor's wiring was going bad. The insulation had become brittle and was coming apart, then the wires started shorting on each other. Not all the time, though. Only when it was moving, the wires would sway and eventually short on something. The only reason I caught on is because I happened to see the burnt wiring just peeking out from under the loom. Once I had the O2 sensor & it's wiring harness changed, I stopped having problems. Good luck!

Fsher21

Get your battery load tested. it is probably just a marginal battery. I insisted that couldn't be my problem because my issues were so weird, but i ate my words when I had autozone test it for free. Swap out another battery if you can and see how things go if can't get the current one tested.

Cane

The battery is brand new. By mistake I let the radio open one time and right after that I could not recharge the battery, so I got it replaced and that one is brand new.

I took the jeep for a ride today since it was starting, the only thing that I had to watch for is always keep giving it gas.. bad idea, car failed and couldnt restart it.

So right now it's at the garage and I'll have more news about it on monday, will eventually know what was the real issue since I couldnt test all. I'll keep this updated if other people have the same kind of problems.

Thanks to everyone who replied tho, really appreciate it!

Cane

Alright, so I went yesterday to pick it up at the garage. Works well now.

I'm just wondering, how much does a Cherokee CPS go for? I wanna see if the price he made me paid for is legit or overpriced.