I bought a 89 XJ and cannot get it to run right. The person I bought it from told me it had issues. $400.00 I thought I could fix it. It will start normal and then die @ 5-10 sec later. The previous owner had the vaccuum line to the MAP sensor unplugged. This would allow it to run. It takes alot of cranking but eventually it will start. I have replaced the MAP sensor, distributor cap and rotor, plugs, and Oxygen sensor to no avail. I pulled the plugs and they look black. Too much fuel! Can ayone Help??? I am ready to junk it!!!

 

You need to read out yout Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) on the throttle body. If it reads good then make sure it is adjusted right. Also, while at the throttle body, remove the Idle Air Control (IAC) valve from the throttle body and clean it and the bore it goes into in the throttle body really good with carb cleaner and a toothbrush. Remove the bettery cable from the battery for a count of 10 and re-install it. This flashes or "re-boots" the ECU. Anytime you replace a suspected bad sensor, you should dp this to get bad stored info. out of the ECU.

 

whoooooooooow now, slow down. do as described above. then report back at what ya got. and just wait till the guru finds this thread, he loves a challenge....400 bucks, dont sell, just fix..

 

I do not understand what "read out throttle body" means Buck. I have diconnected the battery and that did not work. Ireally do not want to junk this vehicle it is in good shape. Thanks for bringing me back to earth. Just very FRUSTRATED!!!

 

http://www.wagoneers.com/XJ/tech/TPS-adjustment.htmlt This website has the procedure for testing and adjusting your (TPS) Throttle Position Sensor. If you don't get the right reading at first, adjust it. If you can't adjust it in, then it is bad.

 

No, your right. Its just a piece of junk and is deffinatly not worth your time. I will tell you what I will do. I will give you the $400 you spent and all of the money for parts you spent on it so far and I will even throw on an extra $100 and come pick it up this weekend. Sight un seen. Just tell me where your located.

 

I would take you up on the offer Murph, but it only has 89K on odometer with a straight body and no rips on interior. Maybe next weekend I will be at that point. I am in Tucson if you know of any good mechanics.

 

I had the exact same problem and replaced the every thing you did plus crank shaft position sensor,throttle position sensor,ignition coil,and probably something i forgot.heres what you do pop your hood look on the drivers side fender about a foot from the fire wall there is whats called a ballast resister with two wires on both sides of it.pull both wires off and connect them to each other ,and i bet it fires up and stays running.its an easy fix i was releived. A new one is 8.99 at the zone. Good luck and let me know how it turns out.

 

Thanks Gabe, but I forgot to mention that I "jumped" the ballast also. Still searching for a solution. Did yours seem to be running really rich? My new plugs are all black and the exhaust smells like unburned raw fuel.

 

did u replace the o2 yet, i didnt see

 

Yes Anthony, new O2 sensor. It was real black like the spark plugs. Makes me think too much fuel.?.

 

have you seafoamed yet?

 

That sucks it sounds just like mine was acting,i cut the clips off the ends of the wires and spliced them together ,but if thats not it ,iwould guess tps ,fuel filter,vacum leak or clogged hose,bad or loose ground or maybe the fuel pumps crappin out

 

Did you test your TPS yet?

 

I did seafoam. Where would I look for a loose ground? What bothers me is that It will run after a very hard start. It will try to die if you use the accelerator. You have to blip the throttle to get RPMs up.