husky_wolf

Alright xj gurus

My 96 xj I6 auto started acting up the other day and I'm not to sure where to start. Ill try to give you a detail of what happen without creating false assumptions.

I notice my jeep always takes a couple of cranks when starting from a cold start to actually turn over. It starts every time just takes a lil time for it to get going. I fiured since I replaced my fuel pump and filter back on June it wasn't that. Maybe the casue is the fpr. Well yesterday I was leaving the store and turned my jeep on, started up fine but I put it on drive and it started "bucking/jerking" forward and I could here a loud "clunking" noise coming from somewhere in the front. It sounds like a ton of rocks were going down my exhaust pipe. I would try to give it gas and it would hardly go anywhere, but only lunge and jerk forward. I noticed my oil pressure guage dropped way low like around 8-10psi. Engine light came on as well. I turned it off before I casued anymore damage. Pop the hood up and checked my oil level and all other fluids just to make sure i wasn't running low. Everything was properly serviced.
So I waited few minutes started her up again and she ran just fine. Drove her home and back and fourth from work today and she ran just fine. I noticed that my oil guage is sitting around 13 at idle (which I think is normal) and my temp guage is now going up above 210 slightly at idle as well. This was the first time I've seen my guage over 210.
I'm stumped guys! I have no idea where to even began with this. Hopefully its not a bad engine problem.
I also went to AutoZone to see if they could run codes but my engine light went off after starting her back up and there wasn't any codes when they tried to pull them.
Any and all help is appreciated!

husky_wolf

Bump I could really use the help

Ye Ol' Cherokee

Step one: invest in a scanguage 2 - real time feed of all vehicle operating info, and scans codes (So you can plug it in the second the light goes on to see whats up).

Anyway

Low oil PSI and knocking is indicative of a failed bearing - so bad rod bearing/main bearing - hard to tell without hearing. Maybe you lost a screw in the flex plate.

Its hard to say, with your description. If its running fine now, do some checks, and keep an eye out.

Pull the flex plate inspection cover (Faces the rear of the oil pan) and make sure all bolts are tight, and inspect plate for cracks (sometimes hard to see) there is a write up on this, search jeep cherokee flex plate.

Depending on how mechanically inclined/capable you are - pull the oil pan, and inspect for any bad bearings.

Now, don't freak out and jump to conclusions, because there can be many causes for this. Im just giving you what comes to mind..

Good luck

md21722

I think you ought to pull the plugs and look and them and do a compression check. Make sure the air filter is intact and your engine didn't try to compress anything other than air.

I am not sure that flex plate is intermittent.

You probably want to check the oil and pull the valve cover and maybe drop the pan and start looking for chunks of metal, oil and coolant contamination, etc. Check the exhaust, maybe the cat was breaking up and you had an exhaust restriction.

Or just drive it until it blows and then swap the engine.

husky_wolf

Hahaha I feel like the driving it till it blows up is where its heading.

Ill check the flexplate and see how everything looks down there.

I do have a minor crack in my exhaust manifold but I feel like that would not be the cause for a one time event. I could be wrong.

The compression test as well as pulling the oil pan and cover off will have to wait till the weekend when I'm not working all day.

I'm going to order new exhaust manifold on my next paycheck so ill see if that eliminates the problem.

Heres my list of what I plan on doing not in order:
Fuel pressure regulator.
oil change new filters plugs wires cap and rotor
Clean off all electrical connectors to sensors
Compression test
Look for bad rods, bearings metal chunks etc.
Invest in a Scanner tool
Coolant flush and new thermostat

After I get all these baselines out if the way maybe the culprit will be more obvious (hopefully). Is there anything else I should add.