I was driving my jeep this morning had it running/driving fine for about 15 minutes, driving and average of 35 to 40 mph I heard 2 loud bang almost pop like sounds that sounded like they came from the rear of the car (not sure) then the engine totally cut off, all electrical still on, I put the jeep in park and tried to crank, it will crank forever but will not kick over to start, I just replaced the radiator about 3 months back and when I opened the radiator cap it was totally nasty inside, my oil is dark brown smells fine and at a decent level I have a new battery tps and ts.. new starter, I have no idea what this could be, I have never had this happen before Please please help, Also when cranking the engine makes a pop sound every once in awhile, almost like a back fire sound it is a 1998 jeep cherokee sport 4.0L 6 cil left hand drive automatic trans.. Sorry if this is the wrong place to post I am new to this forum

 

Does it have gas?

 

Rear? There's really nothing back there...

If rear, the only things I can think of are transmission or transfer case?

Also, I would check your engine regardless if it sounded like the rear. You say it cranks forever, but what happens when you step on and release the gas pedal WHILE trying to start the Jeep?

 

That does not sound good at all. Does it crank over faster than normal?

 

I replaced the ignition coil and the spark plug wires and still cranks forever and wont kick on, Yes it has a full tank of gas, The popping sound I think may have been a backfire of some kind after replacing the coil I tried to start it again and heard what i thought was a gun shot then looked under the vehicle and it seems my muffler has blown out like a balloon, I am replacing the muffler today, if the muffler was clogged could this cause the vehicle to die driving only 30 mph?

 

Also, some one suggested I cut off my cat but that has already been done :/

 

I had something similar happen the other day on trail... Turned out to be a bad O-Ring in the Fuel Pressure Regulator. Pull it and check the O-rings for wear.

Then again I read deeper and yes if your exhaust is completely clogged, possibly due to you sucking in Mud? or a recent water crossing? It will prevent the exhaust gasses from escaping and choke out the motor.

 

Fuel pump maby?

 

I've heard tell that there's an axle back there somewhere too. It might just be a rumor.. but I DID see an XJ immobilized on the side of US 17 in New Bern today. Is that yours Frances? If it is.. I know what your problem is. You're missing the rear passenger wheel. Not sure what happened to it but... you need that.

I've had backfiring that sounded like gunshots whenever I messed around with replacing my wiring harness for my 02 sensor (pre-catalytic converter). I had the ground and ECU signals crossed. It probably is the muffler... but if problems persist make sure the wiring harness for the 02 isn't melted onto the exhaust pipes it's probably dangling near. A muffler shouldn't be clogged unless it's been running extremely overly rich for a very long time. ... or you've got mud in there. Or both.

If you DO replace 02's, go to NAPA or the Dealer and get NTK's only.