Running like crap..need advice.
Thread Starter
Seasoned Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 459
Likes: 0
From: ny (not the city)
Year: 1991
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Ok so here's whats happening. Started with high idle in AM till I got moving then it was fine. Few weeks pass and doing 65 or so it started acting like I was running out of gas. Rpms were all over the place. Cel came on got code 12 and 24. 12 is battery unhooked which I haven't done in a while so that does make sense and 24 is tps. Which was a year and a half old. So I replaced tps and it ran fine for 24 hours or so. Today I started it and idle was all over the place almost shut off a few times but doesn't just gets really close. Drove t for awhile and it continued to run like crap doesn't matter idling or moving. Fast slow don't matter. After and hour or so of driving it's fine again. I e gone through a few tanks of gas so it can't be bad gas. And the list of new parts is way longer then parts I haven't replaced. I coil 02 sensor and fuel pump are a few thing I haven't replace. Even with Rpms all over the place it runs strong and no other issues that I'm noticing.
So what do u guys think?
So what do u guys think?
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 864
Likes: 4
From: Arlington, Texas
Year: 1998
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
On any kind of erratic idle issues, the first thing I do is remove the throttle body, then remove the Idle Air Controller from the throttle body, and thoroughly clean both. Reassemble.
If you're still having issues, use a trigger spray bottle (not a water hose) to spray water around the throttle body and any other connection points within the intake. Spray around where the intake gasket is too. Listen for the idle to change when you do and make sure it's reproducible from the same spot each time. If so, you've found an intake leak. Intake leaks that don't start until the engine gets warm tend to be consistent once they start on any given driving instance. Leaks that only occur when the motor is cold will taper off and/or disappear completely once you get to operating temp. Of course, some leaks are not temperature dependent and just leak all the time. Generally, small leaks will be compensated for by the IAC. Larger leaks will be to a degree that the IAC can not compensate, and it will "search" for a happy spot, and that can cause the erratic nature of the idle.
As well, simply a malfunctioning IAC will cause erratic idle too, even if no intake leaks are present, and those units are known on the Jeep engines to be fairly common replacement items. I've had to replace one on every modern Jeep I've had eventually, and so has everyone I've personally known with a modern Jeep. As they say, though, your mileage may vary.
If you're still having issues, use a trigger spray bottle (not a water hose) to spray water around the throttle body and any other connection points within the intake. Spray around where the intake gasket is too. Listen for the idle to change when you do and make sure it's reproducible from the same spot each time. If so, you've found an intake leak. Intake leaks that don't start until the engine gets warm tend to be consistent once they start on any given driving instance. Leaks that only occur when the motor is cold will taper off and/or disappear completely once you get to operating temp. Of course, some leaks are not temperature dependent and just leak all the time. Generally, small leaks will be compensated for by the IAC. Larger leaks will be to a degree that the IAC can not compensate, and it will "search" for a happy spot, and that can cause the erratic nature of the idle.
As well, simply a malfunctioning IAC will cause erratic idle too, even if no intake leaks are present, and those units are known on the Jeep engines to be fairly common replacement items. I've had to replace one on every modern Jeep I've had eventually, and so has everyone I've personally known with a modern Jeep. As they say, though, your mileage may vary.
Thread Starter
Seasoned Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 459
Likes: 0
From: ny (not the city)
Year: 1991
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Gonna do what macgyver said.
Yea engine was out a little over a year and everything was cleaned and checked well so grounds should be good but I guess things could have loosened so I'll double check that too.
Yea engine was out a little over a year and everything was cleaned and checked well so grounds should be good but I guess things could have loosened so I'll double check that too.
Seasoned Member
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 461
Likes: 0
From: charlotte
Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.6L stroker
check IAC and TPS. (replace if bad with OEM sensors from mopar) could be the throttle body itself. thats what happened to mine. it had been bored out to a 60mm and was not sealing correctly it was reving all over the place. the jeepersandcreepers.com 62mm TB is the best on the market. also could be vacuum lines or MAP sensor. also make sure you dont have an exhaust leak. hope that helps
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