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HELP!!! running really rough

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Old Jul 8, 2013 | 07:21 PM
  #1  
grub90xj's Avatar
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From: baltimore,md
Year: 1990
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Default HELP!!! running really rough

My girlfriends jeep is running really rough.
Its a 95 xj 2door 5spd 4.0
The other day it started shaking bad and it souds like a Subaru. It putters and shakes. Very bad.any help appreciated
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Old Jul 9, 2013 | 09:33 AM
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From: Queen Creek AZ
Model: Cherokee
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Difficult to tell from your very brief description. Does it backfire, too? Exhaust smoke? What RPM? What errors show when you run diagnostics?

FYI - We just ran Sea Foam through our 2.5L because it had a sticky lifter. (Your description sounds like lots more than a stick lifter!) Lots of smoke during while cleaning the system during the procedure. Runs great now.
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Old Jul 9, 2013 | 09:57 AM
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From: York, PA
Year: 1998
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
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When was the last routine maintence done? Spark plugs, wires, air filter, distributor cap & rotor? Have you done any troubleshooting? The first step...pop the hood. Look for any loose hoses or connections. It sounds like a vacuum leak could be a possibility.
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Old Jul 9, 2013 | 01:22 PM
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From: baltimore,md
Year: 1990
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Tune done less than a year ago,and there are novacum leaks ive checked.im thinking it is a plug or plug wire bad
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Old Jul 9, 2013 | 01:23 PM
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From: baltimore,md
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No. Smoke the jeep can be driven still just shakes like crazy and sounds like a subaru
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Old Jul 9, 2013 | 01:52 PM
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shakes like crazy?

Open the hood, pull the plug wires off the plugs one at a time and see if it changes. If it starts to bog down, means that particular plug is working correctly, if you get to one where you pull it and nothing changes it means either that wire or the plug is bad. Or possibly the injector in that cyl.

I just had to do the same thing in my DD, 5 minutes and I knew I needed a new coilpack and which one was bad.
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Old Jul 9, 2013 | 02:48 PM
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From: York, PA
Year: 1998
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
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Originally Posted by OttawaXJ
shakes like crazy?

Open the hood, pull the plug wires off the plugs one at a time and see if it changes. If it starts to bog down, means that particular plug is working correctly, if you get to one where you pull it and nothing changes it means either that wire or the plug is bad. Or possibly the injector in that cyl.

I just had to do the same thing in my DD, 5 minutes and I knew I needed a new coilpack and which one was bad.
His 95 won't require any coil packs. But, this is a good method of testing for a dead cylinder.
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Old Jul 9, 2013 | 02:57 PM
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Originally Posted by PocketsEmpty
His 95 won't require any coil packs. But, this is a good method of testing for a dead cylinder.

I realize that, its the method for checking dead plugs, injector, wire, or coil packs if its equipped with them.

It'll be a distributor with a 95 if I recall and in this case using that method it'll tell him if hes got a dead spark plug, injector or wire.
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Old Jul 13, 2013 | 09:57 AM
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From: baltimore,md
Year: 1990
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Fixed it the other day had a bad plu,replaced them all and new wires
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