The '97 developed a no start issue. There was an ongoing issue beginning with rough idling and rapidly progressed to a no start condition. The wife drives this XJ and told me about the developing problem just before it crapped out. She also told me that it seemed to her like it was losing power. It's getting fuel, smells like too much. Cranks ok and seems like it's getting spark. It wants to start but won't. If I'm lucky enough to force it, it runs like it is running on only a couple cylinders. No codes which has me completely stumped. Motor has 80,000 some miles on it and ran perfectly prior.

Could the MAP sensor be bad but no codes? I want to avoid throwing an $80 part at it if it isn't the problem.

Is the CAT clogged? It's only a few years old, but the car sat for nearly a year before I did the engine swap end of winter.

 

It could be that the fuel pump is going out. Check the pressure in the line.

 

I have read a lot of times that the crankshaft position sensor causes no start problems. Mine went out it caused the jeep to not start. My fuel pump went out and it caused a no start problem also.

 

Would start in the engine bay looking at the eci/ecu fuse.

 

Well, my friends...we were all wrong. It wasn't the CAT, the crank sensor, the fuel pump or a fuse of any kind.

On a whim and a hunch after I took it from the forethought of my mind where it's been for the last several days and gave myself some time thinking about other matters, I stopped at Pep Boys and took a chance on a MAP sensor. I started thinking about the symptoms logically and what on this engine could cause what it was doing to happen, especially being a less than sudden onset. The MAP sensor just plain made sense to me.

After we got home from a graduation party, I installed the sensor. The XJ started normally and runs perfectly now. No raw fuel smell, missing, nothing. I'm still puzzled why it never threw any codes, but grateful that it's fixed and easily also.

So, what I learned from this is to step back and use logical thought to what is happening wrong and what controls the systems affected.