brianvdh

Last week I drove 11 hours to school from NJ to Michigan in my 01 xj. Jeep ran fine the entire way there. I parked outside my dorm, proceeded to unpack it entirely, and then went to move it. Here's where I ran into my problem. It started, but sounded like it was running on two or three cylinders, and was really rough. I turned it off and tried to start it again and the same thing happened. I wasn't happy, but was at least glad it happened after my trip, and not during. I left the jeep there and went to dinner. After dinner, I went to start it again and it started up just fine, and has since.

I only bought the jeep a month ago and am not sure what could be the problem. My only thought was a problem that the previous owner said he had around 67k miles. He didn't know much about cars but this is what he wrote down that the mechanic said was wrong with jeep - "Oil was leaking onto spark plug causing failure in the back of gasket area. He put glue to stop leak. This caused cylinders 3&4 to go bad. I need a hard cover gasket before 10,000 miles or it might happen again". This was roughly 5k miles ago, and thought it would be fine until I had the time to look at it. Any help with any thoughts on what could have possibly happened would be great. Thanks.

420blackxj

This sounds like a classic case of heat soak, aka vapor lock. Gas boils in the injector rail, and does not vaporize properly. My 01 XJ does this, and if your problem is the same, letting it cool for a while solves the issue. I open the hood, and in around 10-15 minutes, it is good to go.
Over on NAXJA, there is a whole host of information on this issue, and what people have done to solve it. Everything from extra fan to hood vents. Good luck.

GRABLE

I have had the same trouble. I just pulled a 21'travel trailer about 2200 miles. Every,,,,Every, time I stopped I opened the hood. Lots of eyes, and I am sure wondering what that old devil is doing, but I didn't give a s--t. I am sure the gas is vaporizing.

nvminer

I have or should say had the same problem. Some sort of heat shield on the injectors and rail fixed it for me. I would try this if I were you:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/THE-14000/
Hope it helps!

CodeXJ

I'm not really sure what that note said, but it sounds like he was saying the valve cover was leaking into the plug gallery and causing the plug not to spark. This was actually a fairly common issue with my old BMW (not that mine had the problem). If your valve cover is leaking, you should replace it. It's fairly simple to do, don't even need special tools, just a ratchet set and a putty knife.

'01 has coil-on-plug, right?

kemjeep

If its a vapor lock problem from the gas getting hot after you turn it off chrysler had a recall on that they put an asbestes shield on the intake maniford its silver in appearance located under fuel rail the vapor lock started because they had to run the engine hotter to meet emisions check and see if yours was done

firstime00XJ

You're partially correct. There is a recall involving a shield, however it is not for gasoline getting hot after you turn the vehicle off. It's a sheild to prevent debris from collecting at the #3 cylinder. It also affected '99 and '00 model years when Chrysler changed the design of the intake manifold. (I believe it started in '99) I had this repaired on my '00. My Jeep does the same thing every now and then, so I'm curious to hear the outcome...Below is the recall for reference.
Recall information collected from this site: www.nhtsa.gov.

Make: JEEP Model: CHEROKEEModel Year: 2001Manufacturer: DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATIONMfr's Report Date: APR 08, 2002NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 02V104000 N/A
NHTSA Action Number: N/A Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:INJECTORSPotential Number of Units Affected: 1115322Summary:
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 4.0L ENGINE ONLY, THE DESIGN OF THE INTAKE AND EXHAUST MANIFOLDS COULD ALLOW DEBRIS TO ACCUMULATE AT THE #3 CYLINDER LOCATION.Consequence:
THIS COULD RESULT IN A VEHICLE FIRE.Remedy:
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A MANIFOLD SHIELD TO MODIFY THE AIR FLOW CHARACTERISTICS AND TO PREVENT THE ACCUMULATION OF DEBRIS IN THE AREA OF THE #3 CYLINDER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MAY 13, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.Notes:
DAIMLERCHRYSLER RECALL NO. B06. ALSO, CUSTOMERS CAN CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).

brianvdh

hey guys, thanks for all the help. my guess is that it was heat soak. my only concern was that i stopped 3-4 times on the trip to get gas, one of which was just five minutes before the rough idle happened.

hunterwalz94

I have a 91 jeep Cherokee when i start its rough and sometimes dies. And when i turn the key on it smells like gas very strong. Any ideas?

h2oskikrazy

I did the above on mine. It eliminated the problem on all but the hottest and most humid days. Switched to premium gasoline in hot weather, no more problems.

Gee oh Dee

Leaky injector seals, ruptured fuel line, bad fuel pressure regulator, could be tons of crap. What have you done for diagnostics? Start your own thread and you'll get more responses.