I had a problem once with the ballast resistor these renixs have. on the inside driver side fenderwell. Disconnect both those wires and splice them together elminating that part. See if it will run just fine that way. If this is the problem never look back. FUel pump is a bit nosier but I have never figured out why that problem was there to begin with and from research I did it is very common with these older renix cherokees.

 

It will either not start or stay on without the ballast resistor.

 

I have my ballast wires jumped and it runs perfect. The ballast resistor just makes the pump run on 12v instead of 14v. Jumping the ballast resistor doesn't cause anything bad to happen.

 

mine would fire up then would die a little later. Checked relays and pretty much everything which eventually led to that being the issue.

 

fantic238, thanks for the help.I built a new wire and grounded it.I traced it as far as I could but found nothing or where it goes. Runs great.

My son and I thank you, now we can get back to enjoying working together, instead of me swearing and saying im gonna push it in the river !!!!

JC

 

I have a 1996 xj 4.0L I6 4wd that has been giving me headaches with an intermittent shut down. I have replaced all the relevant relays (ASD, Fuel Pump), I have replaced my fuel pump and filter, CPS, Distributor, rotor, and ignition coil.

I have just ordered a new PCM and will swap that out when it arrives, however, I am not hopeful that this will solve my problem.

I can start the car and it runs fine, sometimes. Other times it won't start, or it will randomly shut down.

The weirdest thing is that when my car won't start, if I have the key in the ignition and I open the drivers side door I can hear the fuel pump prime. I'll repeat, opening my car sometime will randomly cause my fuel pump to prime. I assume these same gremlins are causing it to shut off. I first noticed it when I was letting it idle and my son honked the horn and the idles dropped. then when I opened the car door the same thing happened.

I hate electrical issues, but this clearly sounds like one. Apart from hearing all the sage advice, I was specifically wondering where the fuel pump wiring ran on my car (doe sit remain under the car the whole way up to the PCM or do I have to pull apart the interior to get to it.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for replying. This website has helped so much in the past, but I am stumped right now.

 

There is a ceramic resistor with orange wires on the inner fender by the air cleaner. Try bypassing it. (connect the wires going to it). It's just there to quiet the pump a bit. Btw, the wire out the rear goes straight to the pump.

 

Hey DFlintstone,

Thanks for the tip I'll give it a try, but do you have any ideas how opening the drivers door would impact the operation of my fuel pump?

 

Does the door bind and "snap" against the fender? Then yes, a bad connection on that resistor, on the drivers side fender might be affected by driver's door action.

 

Thanks to all for the helpful replies.

Once I (thought) I narrowed it down to an electrical issue I took my jeep in to an electrical guy, and after some $$$$ he informed me I had several problems:

- my PCM was shot (already had one ordered - but more on that later) resulting in random shut downs and other weirdness

- my new fuel pump was faulty, it would pump at high pressure but had an internal leak so it would start real rough

- and lastly the grounds all needed to be cleaned (as mentioned further up in the thread), in fact the guy even said I should add another ground from the battery to the chassis. Oh, I also changed out the terminal connections. For those that didn't already know if the cable wires at your negative terminal are looking black-ish you should check/clean your grounds.

Back to the aforementioned PCM, I ordered one from computer auto exchange based on someone from CF's recommendation and it was cheap and the folks there were really nice, but they sent me one that was for a manual and mine is an automatic. There were some other issues with their PCM as not all the lights on the dash that should normally come on at start-up were. So, I sent it back and coughed up the dough for one from the dealer ($360 plus core), which hasn't arrived yet so still not back in my Cherokee, but she sure does start up real nice in the driveway right now. First time, every time.

Thanks to everyone that took the time to offer some knowledge.

Aloha.

 

"random shutdowns" could well be your CPS. I'd return that $400 PCM and see what pick n' pull has myself.

96 has the FPR in the tank with the pump, as an assembly IIRC. I strongly recomend you start a new thread with your current symptoms, and codes.

It's free to "borrow" a fuel pressure tester at some auto parts stores. You might be 41-49, but I'm not sure how that is done. I'd never trust a shop. (they might swap your parts with the car in the bay next to yours, and charge you both!)