joshk

My 1998 Cherokee 4.0L stalls and dies after revving the engine and letting off the gas. For instance, in the morning when I back out of my driveway, when I let off the gas and stop so I can shift from R to D, the RPMs drop and then it dies. It also does it again and I am going down the hill I live on, when I have to brake and turn. It usually doesn't die in normal traffic once it's warmed up, but the RPMs always drop very low anytime I let off the gas after revving. To make it more confusing, often after it dies, it won't immediately restart. It wont even turn over. It turns on the accessories but never engages the starter. Not even a click. If I sit in P and turn the ignition on and off again, it will eventually start right up. When it's warm and idling, it seems to purr nicely, but always seems like maybe the RPMs are a little high. I've never owned a Jeep or SUV before so I don't know if having that much power at idle is normal (there's no RPM gauge so I don't know how fast it's actually idling).
I've tried searching the forum but I seem to suck at it as I haven't found anything that sounds like the same problem I'm having, no matter how I try to phrase it. Seems there are a lot of things that make a jeep stall. Thanks in advance..

sawspa

Mine did that same thing. Finally the battery crapped out on me. I had it tested and it was bad. I replaced it and never had the problem again.

joshk

Thanks. I'll try to get that checked tomorrow. The check engine light is on, and I asked the guy at AutoZone if he could check it for me, and he said he couldn't get it to register in his computer, as if it weren't hooked up to a car (I guess he didn't realize it was a Jeep ). He suggested I come back when some other guy was there, so I'll be back down there tomorrow evening. I'll have them test the battery then. I asked them about the problems I'm having, and they gave me a list of things it could be.

tjwalker

Definitely get your battery "load tested", and also remove and clean battery cables and battery posts until shiny. Freshen your engine grounds, starting with the one from the back of the cylinder head to the firewall.

It's possible that you may have something else going on here, but gotta start with a solid electrical system.

joshk

I took it to Auto Zone and had them test the battery. They said the battery was good, but old. They recommended replacing it, but said it shouldn't be causing my problems.
My check engine light is on, and I took it to them a few days ago, and their computer could not get a response from the Jeep so they couldn't find out why the light was on. I got them to try again, and this time it worked just fine. It said I had a bad Throttle Position Sensor so I bought a new one.
The old one is held in by 2 bolts that require a star-shaped bit. The only star-shaped bits I have are a small electronics screwdriver set (Torx bits) and one of those sets of hex bars all bound together. They have Torx bits on them also. A Torx 20 seems to fit perfectly into the hole. Neither of the tools I have allowed me to have enough torque to start removing the bolts. I returned to the store and bought a set of ratchet bits that are Torx and managed to get one bolt out. The other one, however, won't budge.
I've been doing the best I can to keep the bit seated but there's only so much force I can apply before it backs out and slips off. I've even tried using a pry bar to support the ratchet but that has only helped marginally. I am applying a lot of force to this bolt.
It is now starting to strip the hole, which is just making it back out worse.
Is there some other method to remove this bolt?