SkyBlue

Sorry if this is a vague question but I don't know a lot about working on vehicles (though I'm trying to learn). I have a '88 Cherokee that won't accelerate past about 18-20mph. It did this a few weeks ago but, when I turned around to head back to my house, it suddenly started operating normally again. I drove home from work a couple of days ago and it was fine...tried driving to work the next morning and it wouldn't go over 20mph again. It would occasionally hesitate as well when driving, almost like something was clogged. It's had a recent oil change and I changed the transmission fluid and filter today myself. There was some sludge in the bottom of the pan so I emptied and cleaned it out. Still won't accelerate. It has 134,000 miles on it and apparently sat for quite a while before I got it. Any thoughts on what might be causing this?


Thanks everyone for any and all help!

tjwalker

1. Job #1 is tuneup hardware. Fresh Champion copper plugs, quality plug wires, distributor cap, rotor and fuel filter. The importance of fresh tuneup hardware cannot be overstated.

2. If still symptomatic after your tuneup, you need to verify fuel pressure. Must be done with a fuel pressure gauge; no guess work! You can rent a gauge very inexpensively from many parts stores; call around for availablity. For your 88, you should have 31 psi of pressure at idle, then disconnect the vacuum line for the fuel pressure regulator and the pressure should jump up to approximately 39 psi.

Troubleshooting this type of symptom with pre OBD systems (no check engine light or codes to give you clues) is a process of elimination. Simple stuff first. What you spend on tuneup hardware is money well spent no matter how you look at it.

Good luck and keep us posted!