Hi, my 88' XJ started having this problem where it stalls / wants to stall when its in reverse but it happens in drive as well but its not as often. I know it cant be the ignition system as i had just recently replaced it. i dont know if the fuel filter could have anything to to do with it stalling or not. I was hoping that someone would be able to help me figure this out so Thanks in advance

 

Try cleaning the Idle Air Control (IAC) valve. It's mounted to the side of the Throttle Body. EGR comes to mind as well, but start with the IAC valve.

Word of advice. Just because you recently replaced something doesn't mean there's not a chance that it's the problem. Aftermarket parts are junk now-a-days and you never know what can happen. Did you adjust the gap on the spark plugs?

 

"Replaced the ignition"? What's that mean?

 

I had the same problem and finally discovered it was the connection between the crank position sensor and the wiring harness on the distributor side. It's buried a little bit behind the valve cover and has given me trouble before. This time putting in reverse just happened to move the engine enough to cause it to disconnect. Opened it apart cleaned the three prongs very carefully with a Q-tip, ran a small drill bit down the female side of the plug receiver to clean those out snap it back together real good problem solved. I also went ahead and double zip tied it to nearby wiring to minimize any shaking. I can't tell you how many times the wiring shake test has led to discovering the problem. The first time this happened I got stuck in death Valley, that was not cool.