pulled the head off, had it rebuilt, replaced all the gaskets, my brother yanked the distributor out and didnt mark it or anything, got the engine back together, and tourqed to spec, i believe i have it back in time, but now it wont crank in (correct) firing order only in (1-5-4-6-2-3)??

 

anybody?

 

So you didn't have the bottom end of the engine apart?
What year engine are we talking about?
And what do you mean by "it won't crank"? If a starter motor is turning the engine over, it's cranking. If it's cranking but not starting then that is a starting issue, not a cranking issue.

 

ooh sorry its a 89 straight 6, it will make the sound from the starter, but it will not fire no rumble or anything.

 

What do you mean by "it wont crank in (correct) firing order only in (1-5-4-6-2-3)"?

Do you have spark?

Did you plug the CPS connector back together after your head install?

 

i replaced the cps and yes its plugged in, and i mean it won't crank in correct order, it only cranks with 4 and 3 swapped, and then it runs like the distributor cap's busted.

 

You need to put the engine at TDC for cylinder 1, make sure the rotor button is pointing at the cylinder 1 plug wire and make sure the wires are in the correct order.
Firing order is:

153624

 

Wrong firing order. See lowrange's post.

 

i know this is my point it will not start in the right one, it only starts in the wrong one i am positive i've tried with right firing order, i have been working on timing alone for close to two months now

 

less confusing ....

 

I'm not sure if this works for your year Cherokee but I figured I'd post is just in case, since you've been working on this so long.

Here is a pic of how to align the cam sensor inside the distributor on later model 4.0L engines. With the engine on TDC of compression stroke of #1 cylinder, insert a pin through the cam sensor ring into the distributor body. Make sure you use the right hole in the cam sensor ring- the one I used is for the 4.0L, the other one that lines up is for the 4-cylinder motor).

With it aligned this way just drop the distributor in anywhere you can bolt it down (note; leave the pin in while inserting the distributor). With my aftermarket cam installed I had to grind off one of the ears on the distributor mount to make it fit. Once it's in, put the rest of the cam sensor back on and snap on the rotor. When installing the cap note the position of the rotor. Number 1 cylinder plug wire will plug in to the first socket COUNTERCLOCKWISE of where the rotor is pointing. The rotor will not be pointing directly at the plug socket! This allow the engine management to advance the timing to line it up. Follow the firing order around the cap from there.

 

i appreciate all the help, but i have a friend that kinda explained something that kinda hit me, my engine probly set in the wrong stroke, cause you have intake and outtake strokes, and it would explain the wrong firing order etc

 

Setting Your 4.0 at #1 TDC
　
With #1 spark plug removed, turn the engine over clockwise using the 3/4" front crankshaft bolt. You will see the degree marks on your front cover. Mark the 0 with chalk or white-out.You will see the timing mark on the balancer. Mark it with chalk or white-out. While turning the engine over, put your finger/thumb over #1 spark plug hole. As the mark on the balancer approaches the marks on the front cover, if you are coming up on #1 TDC, pressure in the cylinder will push on your finger. If there's no pressure, you're at #6 TDC and need to crank the engine over until you see the marks coming together and you get pressure. Set the mark on the balancer to the 0 mark on the front cover.