I've got a 97 XJ I recently bought. It is my understanding that this year does not have a cam shaft position sensor. I opened my distributor cap today and there is a cam shaft position sensor. I'm guessing the previous owner installed a different engine???? How would I know what year the engine is? Am I on to something or just an extreme newb? Please help.

 

You got bad info. It does have one, and needs it. Pre 91 Renix Jeeps will run fine without one is maybe what your info grew out of. 97 has, and needs a cam sensor.
00 and 01 have no dizzy, coil packs instead, but still where the dizy would go there is still a cam sensor.

 

That is in fact a camshaft position sensor. Factory installed. Rockauto, for example, calls it a distributor pickup coil. The dealer calls it a distributor switch plate. Same part.

Mopar part #56027023

 

Haynes acknowledges 2000 xjs only and I also called two stores and they said there is not one for that vehicle, confused.

 

X2^ True, nobody calls the cam position sensor a cam position sensor. For Renix you'd think it's a part in a time machine, "sync pulse generator" or some such nonsense. 97 has one in the dizy. 2000 has one, but no dizzy.

 

All of the OBD-II service manuals reference the Camshaft Position Sensor as such, abbreviated CMP officially

Indeed, all of the 4.0Ls have them, in one form or another.

 

Haynes calls it a stator. Again, same part. Just looked in my copy and it covers the 2000-2001, and the 99 and earlier. The 2000-2001 is in chapter 6-28 (Engine Electrical Systems). The 99 and earlier are in chapter 5-5 thru 5-10 (Emissions and Engine Control Systems). I always found that strange, but whatever.

The 2000-2001 do have a camshaft position sensor, but it looks nothing like the one in your 97. The stores might have it on their computers as a camshaft synchronizer for 2000-2001. The synchronizer is the part with the gear on it, and looks like a distributor with the top cut off. The sensor bolts to the top of that. There is no distributor cap.

2000-2001:
Attachment 305032

 

Haynes is utter crap. It doesn't matter what vehicle, what year, Haynes and Chilton manuals are garbage. Do not place any confidence in anything you read in either one.

Auto parts stores are similarly unreliable. NAPA stores tend to attract competent help (mostly), but Autozone & Advance Auto are K-Mart people. Pep Boys... hit or miss.


I replaced mine this year, BTW, after a worn distributor bushing wiped it out. 97 Cherokee. Yeah, it's got one.

 

Lol

2 very unreliable sources you're relying on haha

 

I could've just x2'ed this but your post was "ghosted"...hope it gets fixed soon because it's annoying

 

No, you got bad info. Likely you are just fine. It's probably a 97, and there is nothing wrong with it. You might clean your cap, rotor, and wires in the sink with Dawn, gap your plugs to .o35 and stick a fork in it for now, it's done