cherokee1987

Well just bought my first jeep and shortly after getting it got the infamous CEL. Really need to get this fixed without wasting money so anyones expertise would be greatly appreciated. Ok so the CEL came on and I took it down to have the codes pulled. I got p0300 and p0301. They suggested plugs and wires which I did with a gap of 40 thousandths. The next day the CEL went off and my slight miss seemed to have gone away. The day after the light came back on as well as the miss coming back. It isn't noticeable at freeway speeds or really anything above idle. When its in gear it chugs a little until you start moving at a decent speed. I went back and got new cap and rotor. Still no help or improvement. Everything I've read says to change the crank sensor. I however, have no codes for a crank sensor and am wondering if this could possibly throw a the p0300 code for random misfire and the p0301 for cylinder one misfire... It's a 98 2wd with 111k miles. Any tips or advice about this would be greatly appreciated. trying to get this fixed as soon as possible because I need to get the light off so it will pass smog within the next week or so... Don't have the funds to just keep buying parts with no results. Thanks! Also in the two weeks I've had it it's had problem starting. cranks but acts like it's not getting fuel. Let it sit for not even a minute and then tried again and it starts... not sure if this is the same problem or another symptom but ya, all knowledge on this is welcomed and encouraged

Bustedback

Close the gap to .035 and check the fuel pressure. P0300 (random misfire) is usually caused by fuel starvation.

cherokee1987

is it possible this could be from a clogged fuel filter as well? While i have it in drive at a light it idles low at 500 rpm in neutral its about 650

Bustedback

The filter is on the fuel pump, can't replace it without dropping the tank.

cherokee1987

ok that's good to know. So does this not sound like a bad crank sensor then or?

Bustedback

In most cases a bad crank sensor will cause a no start condition, not a misfire.

cherokee1987

I've had a no start condition happen to me twice in the last week and a half.... but if i wait a minute it'll start again...

Bustedback

I'm still leaning towards a fuel problem.

cherokee1987

ok how would i go about checking that? get a fuel pressure gauge and hook it up next time it don't want to start? anything else

Bustedback

Pretty much. There is also an issue with the Plenum cover gasket failing on the 5.2. It's on the bottom of the intake manifold and can be checked with a smoke machine. It can cause a rough idle and oil consumption.