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97 XJ At wide open throttle it hesitates

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Old Jun 13, 2025 | 12:53 AM
  #1  
8-cherokee-9's Avatar
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Model: Cherokee
Angry 97 XJ At wide open throttle it hesitates

So ive been battling this for a long time now when i put it to the floor it feels like its fighting itself and when i let up on the throttle like a smidge from wide open it clears out and runs smooth. The jeep is a 97 Xj automatic ive the tps with mopar along with map sensor i just replaced the fuel pump and i checked pressure its at 49 psi i replaced the Injectors with k suspension 4 holes due to my old ones being cracked, new coil wires plugs cap and rotor! When i bought the jeep the person had deleted the cat and removed the check engine light only why i found out was because when smog was due i had my wife run down to have it tested and come to find out that the cel was on the whole time and they failed it due to the light being on and thought we had removed the light lol so i replaced the dash light and instead of buying a cat i bought some non foulers and reamed them out stacking them and the light never came back on i did however stupidly buy a upstream O2 from amazon which i honestly thought that was gonna be the issue due too my live data the O2 sensor was really slow and my fuel trims were really rich so i bit the bullet and bought a ntk sensor and replaced it and still the same problem Im stumped!
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Old Jun 13, 2025 | 07:35 AM
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Ricthewrench's Avatar
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From: Ortonville, mi
Year: 97
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
Engine: 4.0
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Do a throttle body cleaning. Check tps for possible "dead zone"
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Old Jun 13, 2025 | 05:19 PM
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97grand4.0's Avatar
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From: syracuse ny
Year: 1997
Model: Grand Cherokee (ZJ)
Engine: 4.0, new lifters valve job with new springs and exhaust valves, preload set with shims
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Fuel pressure? Exhaust restricted?
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Old Jun 15, 2025 | 06:32 AM
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Year: 2021
Model: Cherokee (XJ)
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Your symptoms feels like a classic case of restricted exhaust flow or bad O2 sensor wiring/grounds Even with the non-foulers, a clogged muffler or collapsed pipe can choke the engine at WOT. Double-check exhaust backpressure if it’s high, the engine fights itself until you let off.

Also, verify the TPS voltage sweep (should be smooth, 0.8V–4.6V) and grounds especially at the head, block, and ECU. A bad ground can mess with sensors even if they’re new.

Last thought: If the **ECU’s fuel maps** are fried (common on these Jeeps), it’ll run like garbage no matter what you replace. Try a known-good ECU if possible.
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