kilbrethj

(sorry but this may be long)i bought my 96 xj se auto about 2 months ago and cannot figure out its issue. it started to skip and studder and eventually started stalling. so i brought it to a garage. he replaced the distributor, cap, plugs, wires, coil. went good for a little while. then sarted all over again. ended up dying and not restarting in front of another garage. had them replace the cps. picked it up from the garage. it turned over real slow but fired up. let it warm up a few minutes. pulled out onto the road and it did not want to shift into 3rd gear. thought it was just cold still. got about a half mile down the road and started skipping again, another 500 feet and it kinda stalled out just spit and sputtered then came back to life. went another half mile and did same thing except it stalled out completly. started up after a while. drove another half mile or so and it started sputtering and then died. tried cranking it over and it crank but started getting slower and slower till it stopped cranking completely. i cannot figure this thing out. it is dead and will not even crank like the battery is dead. could this be a nuetral safety switch cause i notice there were no back up lights? i am stumped. there is only 128k on it and i am ready to bring it to the scrap pile!!! PLEASE PLEASE HELP!!! thank you

cherokeefamily

Don't SCRAP it! It probably is not related to the NSS due to the fact it starts and then stalls. I'm not sure what it is but I'd say you can rule out the NSS. Do you have fuel pressure? Did you change your fuel filter yet? It almost sounds like a fuel issue to me.

BowtieGuy3

Ok...Now is it throwing any codes???

Desertfox1023

First check all the codes. Next check to see if you have any fuel pressure. Spitting and sputtering sounds like a fuel issue. Not sure you couldn't get out of 2nd but I would get it running right first. No need to scrap it, if anything part it out. You'll get alot more out of it. 128K is low for a jeep 4.0 that can go into excess of 200K no problem.

BuckB91XJ

I would bet lots of money that it is your fuel pump. Those are the classic symtoms you are experiencing. My son's 87 and my 91 did the exact same thing and the fuel pump fixed it. Go ahead and try a fuel filter first at about $10 it is much cheaper than the $85 you will spend on the fuel pump. I gurantee you that a new fuel pump will fix it. Get ready for a major pain in the A$$. Changing the fuel pump takes a some serious patience but, it can be done without dropping the gas tank. Good luck. I hope this helps.

Jsny1010

Its auto... if it doesnt shift to 3rd id be worried about the trans etc. (but not for the stalling)


Does it stay on if you press the gas? id check the fuel injectors... maybe the fuel rail? inspect for dammage? keep us updated, we'll gladly put in our .02

BlueXJ

Your fuelpump or relay are most likely the problem.

kilbrethj

i have not checked the fuel pressure or replaced the filter yet. i was reading a older post on here and it said something about ground and power wires to the altenator. could this be my culprit? i heard in older vehicles the alt. does effect shifting. and no botieguy3 no codes whatsoever. its very strange.

Desertfox1023

Possibly but I'd take the 5 minutes to check the fuel pressure in the jeep before chasing bad grounds.

kilbrethj

i talked to a buddy at work and he said that more than likely its the fuel pump. he had a 97 xj and he turned a corner and it fell on its face and would not run. i am going to look into that. is there a way to test the fuel pump in the vehicle or just check fuel pressure? how many lbs should it have? 40? my buddy said he had almost the exact same miles on his xj when the fuel pump went. unfortunately he no longer drives his because an 18 wheeler cleaned him out.

kilbrethj

i still have not got a chance to check my fuel pressure because i have been to busy with christmas but i did check the cps and the new one that was put in was bad... yay!! so i bought a new one and have yet to put it in because again i am busy... would this explain why it lost cranking power when i was trying to start it back up? or would that be more of a battery issue?