Driving to work, jeep slowly loses power within 30 seconds then shuts off so I pull over and get roadside. That was in December. Now that the weather is nicer and I have time on my plate I am trying to get the darn thing running again just to have my woods beater back in action but things aren't looking too good for my limited knowledge. It cranks and wants to start but it just doesnt catch so I was thinking distributor. Rotor has a bit of play in it but after watching videos of people doing their own distributor replacements it seems daunting to me. JEEP ALSO HAD EXTREMELY LOW OIL WHEN ROADSIDE CHECKED, so im hoping its not crankshaft related
Here is a list of things I have done to try and remedy the situation:
New Battery (old one was from 17)
Spark plugs
crankshaft position sensor (absolute pain in the ***)
ignition coil (also a pain in the ***)
checked fuses

removed the distributor and has obvious play but nothing strikes out to me as "THIS IS WRONG". as it was making the same crank no start unplugged as it was plugged in

removed some crud from the inside of the cap and it made some better noises but still no start, and now the gen light comes on intermittently when cranking. possible alternator issue?

im just trying to get a parts list in order from cheapest to most expensive before i get it towed to a place out of pocket.

but now im at a loss. I am half tempted to just take her to a mechanic but i like projects and just want to see where to go from here.
any and all ideas will be taken into consideration, as well as added to the parts list.

 

Did you ever get any information or help on this outside of here on the forum?
If it was that low on oil it could have developed a bigger issue...but aside from that potential. When it was running and then loosing power was it a sputtering die off or was it like the key was just turned to "off" position, dead in the water? Sputter and die could be an issue with the fuel pump, if it ain't getting fuel it isn't' going to start (mostly). If it was ditw shut off it could be a short somewhere...
Has it thrown any codes by chance?
You mentioned it cranks but doesn't start, could be many things, try looking here and running through these checks if you haven't yet.

 

I approach a no start the same way every time. And usually in the following order. Fuel, spark, injector pulse, compression, timing.

TEST your way to a solution. I would not install any more parts right now as sometimes a new part is D.O.A and that then confuses the diagnosis and makes it even harder. I can't tell you how many times I have had to unravel one of these from somebody that gave up on their Jeep no start. You can go from bad to worse quite quickly.

First scan the computer for any codes or pending codes. Also, sure that new battery of yours is fully charged and keep it that way as you work through it. Frequent cranking drops battery voltage quickly and sometimes the battery isn't even fully charged off the shelf from wherever you bought it.

Time to start testing. Start with fuel pressure. You mentioned "Jeep slowly loses power", that does smell of a possible fuel delivery issue. Testing must be done with a fuel pressure gauge which can be rented from many parts stores. Verifying you have fuel pressure at the schrader valve on the fuel rail isn't enough, you must verify that you have the proper fuel pressure spec for the engine to start. If I remember correctly, 1996 was the year of change for the XJ fuel system. Early builds may have the older fuel system with the fuel pressure regulator under the hood (that is how you will know). With later builds everything is part of the fuel pump assembly which is located inside the gas tank. Fuel pressure spec for the old style is 31 psi for the engine to start, then disconnect the vacuum line leading to the fuel pressure regulator and pressure should jump to 39 psi. If there is raw fuel in the vacuum line, replace the fuel pressure regulator as it has a ruptured diaphragm. If you have an old style system, you also have a fuel filter along the frame rail on drivers side. Change it, they are inexpensive and easy to install. If your 96 is a later model year build, the fuel pressure spec is 49.2 psi, plus or minus 5 psi.

If fuel pressure checks out within spec (and only if), then test for spark. Pull a spark plug, keep it attached to the plug wire, place the plug electrode near a good engine ground, have a buddy crank the engine over while you watch. You are looking for a strong, snapping BLUE spark. Yellow/orange/white indicates a weak spark.

A simple noid light (you can buy them at any parts store) will confirm fuel injector pulse. Compression spec for the 4.0 is 120-150 psi, with no more than a 30 psi variation between cylinders. Compression testing is a good "snapshot in time" on the internal health of your engine. These testers can also be found at your local parts store. That note of extremely low oil level that you noticed is concerning. What is extremely low? How many quarts low was it?

Performing the above testing is not difficult nor is it time consuming and will usually get you an answer or at the very least, will put you in the ballpark of what is the root cause of your no start.

Good luck and please keep us updated!