Hey everyone, this last weekend I took my 1998 jeep cherokee 4.0 2dr 5spd 2wd to Redneck Yacht Club, and experienced some issues that were pretty weird. When I first took the jeep out onto the trails it ran just fine no problems at all just like it should. Now about an hour into the trail riding I noticed my idle start to get a bit rough and choppy, then after that I was no longer able to drive the jeep with part throttle increments, like I couldnt keep my rpms at 3k in nuetral if I wanted. What it would do instead was rev to 3k at first then drop back down then rev back up then back down again. This also meant that when trying to drive the jeep it was basically not driveable unless I floored and seemed to run fine. I could also rev in nuetral floored and would go all the way to the limiter just fine but on its way back down it would be backfiring like crazy. Heres where it gets wierd, I left the mud park with it running like crap basically flooring it in 5th until i hit the speed limit then let it drop down a bit then floor it back up to the speed limit again. This place is only about a 30min drive from my house and litterally as soon as I pulled onto the main road close in my town it started to run fine again with the idle way better and being able to drive part throttle like nothing ever happened. Now at the mud park I did let the jeep cool of for a good 30 mins or so and it ran normal for about 15 mins until it started its symptoms again. I am completely stumped on what this could be and any help would be greatly appreciated, I am going to check how much coolant I have in my jeep because I think if it was running hot it could have been giving the coolant sensor a wierd reading making run funny. By the way I drove the jeep all day today in the hot Florida sun without a single problem.
Thanks for any help in advance,
Tony

 

You probably got water in the distributor cap.

 

First problem, you went to RYC with an Xj. Those places are meant more for dumb kids with mommy n daddy's money and buggies.

Secondly, you've got a few options 1) Water is inside the distributer or coil pack.
2) Your IAC or TPS is malfunctioning due to water damage.

Here in S. Florida your best friend will be dielectric grease. I recommend getting a tube of it and applying to areas such as your plug boots, electrical connectors, and coil connections. Cheap insurance for under 8 bucks.

 

You missed the 2wd part

 

Didn't miss it as its not relevant. You don't need 4wd down here to have fun. A lot of people run 2WD through some light mud and water crossings. Plus 2WD is lighter so it makes blasting the sugar sand trails a little easier and fun.

 

I know 2wd is good for a lot and it would be fun to have one for fast offroad stuff. But isn't ryc pure mud? And aren't most mud trucks 4wd? I might be wrong here but just a guess.

 

No, its not all mud. There's some trails but there are some light holes that are fun to slide around in 2wd used to do it in my truck. Only problem is the idiot kids who get drunk, take mommy n daddy's truck(NO kid can afford a 60k truck and throw a 4k lift and another 2k in tires and rims on it working at McDonalds or Wal-Mart. So yeah, mommy n daddy pay their bills) and try to run everyone else over.

 

In my defense it was my first time going out there, and it was fun n all but you really need a 4wd to get your money's worth although watching every one else mudding was pretty entertaining, I never went through any water just took some trails that I found following fourwheelers. I have a safc on my jeep which allows me to add or take away fuel at certain rpm, and when the jeep acted up it made the same effect of me taking away fuel , but the fuel controller was off, so I thought it had to do with that since it used the map sensor wires to fuel the computer, re checked all the wiring and it was fine. It's just weird how it would run fine at wide open throttle and not part throttle.

 

I'd eliminate the SAFC. They're not essential to the Xjs system. That may be malfunctioning, causing your issue.
As for defense, none needed. It can be fun but even with 4x4, those bigger trucks n buggies make it impossible for our rigs to go too many places there.

For starters, a good set of tires and a rear traction device should be on your Christmas list along with recovery points. Start small and build your rig according to your actual needs. I'm down here in West Palm Beach so about an hour away myself.

 

I love my powertrax no-slip locker. But before you buy a locker you need to know what rear end you have

 

How much did you have to drink?

 

What?

 

x2

 

I need the safc because I am turboing the jeep, and once that happens it will probably not be going off road any more, I just don't want this same issue to happen while it's turboed, and yea for 2wd I was able to go through some pretty sticky mud, with little extra speed of course. Lol

 

I know you are trying to solve a serious issue here but I couldn't help but chuckle about your post title. Mine tends to do this quite often too, but I know what the problem is with mine, my Wife hasn't smacked me hard enough to make it stop.