2 questions:
it seems my XJ really hates mud..i have a '94 4.0L automatic and today i went mudding again. everything was great till i got kinda stuck in the deep mudpit and spent a good 5 minutes fighting my way out of it. after i got out i noticed the trans was stuck in 3rd gear. i shut it off, let it sit for a couple minutes, fired it back up and it was fine. did i overheat the trans?
(mudding has caused me to be stuck in 3rd before)

and on the way home it kept randomly stalling out (would mostly stall when im letting off the gas, it wouldnt stall on highway/interstate)and it would crank but not fire. i pulled over and checked fuel pressure at the rail, it was good.. eventually i noticed that it wouldnt restart unless i let it sit for 5-10 minutes but each time, if i bled off the pressure at the rail, it would start back up immediately. is this vapor locking, and if so, what could be causing it.. bad fuel filter maybe?
i noticed when i got home i had a volleyball-sized dent in the driver's side of the gas tank, mustve happened in the mud pit. if not for my skid i'd have been walking home. could the dent to the tank have anything to do with this?

i havent checked spark yet, because for the last 40 miles it hasnt acted up on me. if it happens again, i will check for spark but it seems unlikely since messing with fuel pressure starts her back up.

thanks for your guys' help.

 

No such thing as vapor lock on a fuel injected engine. The dented tank could have something to do with the stalling.

 

oh ok.. i'll post a pic of the dent in the tank later, but its really nowhere near the fuel pump. it's dented in maybe an inch or two at the most.

 

Probably not the dent in the tank causing problems. My Cherokee has a nasty dent in and has for about 4 years. I have never hand any troubles.

 

i agree. i've got an 88 xj i could steal the tank from if i have to but i dont think thats really causing it.
when it stalls out, if i try to start it back up it cranks, stumbles for a half-second, and then just keeps cranking. wont restart unless i bleed off pressure or let it sit for 5 minutes.
is there any kind of regulator or check valve that might be getting stuck?

 

dent in tank could be pushing up on fuel pump suction inlet causing issues

 

Not likely. Depending on where the dent is, it is remotely possible. But the fuel pump is more in the front center of the tank on those years so it is well protected. you may want to check the return line.

 

yes but fuel pump goe toward the rear and down might of cracked it or some thing bent inside a pic will help greatly ya no

 

yeah a pic would really help to determine if the dent has cause a problem.

 

Random stalling almost sounds like the CPS is going out.

As for getting stuck in 3rd, my 1st jeep use to do this to me and i could never figure out what it was. Yea that trans went bad after some time and abuse so i recommend a tranny cooler. I think i overheated it and ruined the pump in it idk.

 

the pics are close-up so its gonna look worse than it really is





yesterday was the first time it's happened, and on the trails when i was getting on/off the gas a lot, it would stall out often, maybe every 10-15 minutes or so. then it went about another hour & a half till it stalled again, and since then it hasnt stalled. i've put approximately 50-60 miles on it since then, a lot of that was stop & go traffic in the city. has yet to stall out again. i really gotta figure out what caused it.. i cant be stuck way the hell out in the middle of nowhere with a dead jeep haha

 

well... i replaced the fuel pressure regulator, but its still doing this sh**.
it will only shut off if i get the jeep really wet, like going thru standing water up to the doors. when its dry it'll run all week without missing a beat, till i get it wet on the weekends. i swear it's allergic to water. possibly the CKP ?

anyways, i've got a new problem, she wont shift out of first until ~4-5k rpms, same for 2nd, and will not shift into 4th. all fuses are good, if i pull the A/T fuse i can shift it fine manually. adjusted the kickdown cable last night, it had a bit of slack but nothing much, didnt make a change. i scoped the TPS, it reads 2.4 closed, and 4.4 WOT. i didnt see any dead spots. ive searched and searched for TPS specs here but all i can seem to find is the RENIX specs. im thinking the TPS might be bad because thats only a total of 2.0v from c/t to wot..(my stang goes from .9v to 4.6v). but according to alldata when the pcm sees a total change of 1.85v it considers that WOT. is that true? any other suspects besides TPS?

 

new TPS fixed the shifting issue..