97 Jeep GC cutting out

I have a 97 JGC 5.2V8

When you are driving it will suddenly lose power like it is not getting fuel when you press the gas pedal. It will spit and sputter a bit and then run again. Sometimes it works fine and other times it runs horrible. I replaced the plugs, wires and coil and the fuel pump is less than a year old. I get no error messages from the computer. I guess it could be the fuel pump again??? Is there something else that can cause this.

Help!!!

I have a 97 JGC 5.2V8

When you are driving it will suddenly lose power like it is not getting fuel when you press the gas pedal. It will spit and sputter a bit and then run again. Sometimes it works fine and other times it runs horrible. I replaced the plugs, wires and coil and the fuel pump is less than a year old. I get no error messages from the computer. I guess it could be the fuel pump again??? Is there something else that can cause this.

Help!!!

SHINEON - that's me...I have a similar problem. My '97 Cherokee Sport cuts out on me when I make left turns. We have realized that the problem is when the fuel gauge reads 1/2 or below but neither my mechanic or the Jeep dealership have been able to determine the problem. It seems that the problem started shortly after I had the wiring changed for the fuse for the foglights. The fuse in the switch would burn out every year and after the 4th year, when I bought another replacement switch it came with a new wiring unit which I had my mechanic install but now I have started having this problem. Do you think that the new wiring is causing this?

I am have been hanig the same issue..

It finally would not start on me last night

(seemed like it just wasnt quite getting gas ) turns out it is the crank postion sensor..being replaace as i type.

SHINEON - that's me...I have a similar problem. My '97 Cherokee Sport cuts out on me when I make left turns. We have realized that the problem is when the fuel gauge reads 1/2 or below but neither my mechanic or the Jeep dealership have been able to determine the problem. It seems that the problem started shortly after I had the wiring changed for the fuse for the foglights. The fuse in the switch would burn out every year and after the 4th year, when I bought another replacement switch it came with a new wiring unit which I had my mechanic install but now I have started having this problem. Do you think that the new wiring is causing this?

A friend of mine had a similar problem. He found that the feed tube inside the gas tank was cracked and would suck in air unless the gas level was higher than the cracked tube. He replaced just the feed tube and hasn't had a problem since then.

I have been having the same problem with my jeep dying on exceleration. We have put in a new fuel module, plugs, wires, had the computer flashed. Have checked everything possible and it is still doing the same thing. I have been very lucky my mechanic has not charged me a dime yet. Any ideas on what it may be? When I put my foot on the gas pedal it just acts like it is not getting any gas. All of a sudden it will connect and speeds up for a few feet than do it again. I am getting afraid to drive it because there is no pattern as to when it will happen. Now my fan for the heater and air has decided to work one day and then not the next. Anyone think this could be related?
Help please I love my Jeep but am getting very frustrated. I just want it to work.

Hi Dromega.
That is exactly my problem !!!

I have a very good dealer ship and we have replaced about everything but the problem is still there.
Could work well for some time, just to come back after two weeks. Same for you I guess, right?
Here is my thread :
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=294140

The problem with these kind of issues is, that when you go to the dealer ship the problem never occurs!
I finally was lucky yesterday !!! My 85 V8 5.2 did the same thing when I was driving close to the dealer ship coincidently. So I gave them a call through my cell phone and when I got there the mechanic could hop right in and drive it. And it did it!

Here is my question to anybody having a similar problem: when you guys have the problem, sure there is almost no power what happens when you floor it? When I floor it and I go into a low gear the engine comes up. So as long as I am holding it above 3500 rpm in 1st gear the engine works! Can you confirm that?
Everybody thought in my case a new Crankshaft position sensor would solve it, not for me :-(
The mechanic from yesterday said he thinks it's not the fuel pump, as when I floor it the engine comes back. He says the engine when the problem occurs is running lean. It in fact does even have lean misfire. He thinks it's some sort of engine management problem. He will do some research and we will try to get the problem next week and maybe monitor the 5V of the O2 sensor, which BTW is also new.
I will report back if we found anything, just wanted to touch ground and letting know everybody that we share that pain ;-)

dromega does it die completely or does it just lose power (like its idling)?

Correction to my post I meant 95 V8 5.2 and not '85'.

By the way had the problem again yesterday. It's getting stranger every day. When my wife yesterday reached the dealership and she came out of the shop together with the mechanic approaching the car it went FULL THROTTLE ON ITS OWN!
Does anybody have an idea about that?

As I am writing they are checking the car today following the wiring of the O2 sensor. By the way: mine never stalls, it just looses power and oscilates idling. Oh man I hope they find something...

[QUOTE=rendl]Correction to my post I meant 95 V8 5.2 and not '85'.

By the way had the problem again yesterday. It's getting stranger every day. When my wife yesterday reached the dealership and she came out of the shop together with the mechanic approaching the car it went FULL THROTTLE ON ITS OWN!
Does anybody have an idea about that?

As I am writing they are checking the car today following the wiring of the O2 sensor. By the way: mine never stalls, it just looses power and oscilates idling. Oh man I hope they find something...[/QUOTE


HI, TRY CHECKING THE WIRES ON THE O2 SENSOR , I'VE RUN INTO ALOT OF BURNT WIRES ON 4.0'S CHECK ALSO WIRES IF BY FRONT DRIVESHAFT DALE jeepman600@aol.com

[QUOTE=rendl]Correction to my post I meant 95 V8 5.2 and not '85'.

By the way had the problem again yesterday. It's getting stranger every day. When my wife yesterday reached the dealership and she came out of the shop together with the mechanic approaching the car it went FULL THROTTLE ON ITS OWN!
Does anybody have an idea about that?

As I am writing they are checking the car today following the wiring of the O2 sensor. By the way: mine never stalls, it just looses power and oscilates idling. Oh man I hope they find something...[/QUOTE


HI, TRY CHECKING THE WIRES ON THE O2 SENSOR , I'VE RUN INTO ALOT OF BURNT WIRES ON 4.0'S CHECK ALSO WIRES IF BY FRONT DRIVESHAFT DALE jeepman600@aol.com


Hi Dale, thanks for the advice!
That is close to what the mechanic found. Just got the car back.
They found moisture in the ECM apparently from spilled coulant water. The coolant water reservoir is close to the reservoir. That would explain why I had the code O2 sensor voltage out of range, shorted to + voltage. This could make the ECM believe the engine was running to rich and try to make it leaner.
Well so far the car is fine. I guess I will have to drive it for two weeks in order to be sure.

I will report back as soon I am sure.

Thanks for your help, i apreciate it a lot!

well if that doesn't help have the Throttle Position sensor tested, the engine surging and losing power sounds like the TPS problem.

well if that doesn't help have the Throttle Position sensor tested, the engine surging and losing power sounds like the TPS problem.

Hi dksob. Thanks!
However TPS and IAC had already been replaced. Did not help.
Yeah I agree with you, it sounded like TPS. That was the first thing though I had replaced. See a list of what I had replaced here :
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbu...ad.php?t=294140

So I am really hoping now...

I guess I'll chime in on this as well. I have the same problem of turning left and accelerating when I lose power, like vapor lock. As mentioned in an earlier reply, this tends to happen most often when the fuel level is somewhat below the halfway point.
I thought I was just imagining things, but I can count on it anytime the above conditions occur. my first thought was the fuel filter.
Has anyone solved this problem yet?
incidentally, if i don't allow the engine (4.0) to warm up for at least 3 to 5 minutes, and I try to give it more than 1/2 throttle, the same thing will happen.

lloydjv, try to replace your gas cap, i know sounds dumb (but it's a cheap fix). I knwo a lady that had this problem and she took it to have it checked out and also had the jeep inspected. well it failed the SMOG test and they found that it was her gas cap, wasn't holding pressure. she replaced the cap and her stalling/stuttering problem while making left turns were gone.
thats something that u might want to check out.

You know, you would think that I would rule out the easy stuff first, but you know us 'mechanics'......nothing could ever be that easy, right? i think you have a point, there considering the same symptom occurred in my wife's Grand Voyager earlier this year when she lost her cap.
Very good point....I'll check that out.
Now that I think about it, the cap doesn't ratchet down anymore when tightened.

keep us posted.

...I have the same problem of turning left and accelerating when I lose power, like vapor lock. As mentioned in an earlier reply, this tends to happen most often when the fuel level is somewhat below the halfway point....

lloydjv,

I guess I'll also chime in. I have the same issue and I'm glad that I'm not the only one with this peculiar symptom because I get the "what-chu-talkin-bout-willis" look when I describe this problem. My '97 JGC Limited 5.2L cuts out only when turning left and below 1/4 of a tank...pretty scary when turning left through an intersection with oncoming traffic.

I took the JGC to the Jeep dealer and they replaced rotor, wiring, and idle air control valve. That improved the acceleration, but the cut out with left turn is still there. The fact that they didn't know the problem made me wary to go back with another wad of cash. Instead, I invested in the Haynes manual and I'm looking at the fuel pump module....BUT, I don't have a test port on my fuel rails so I'm having a little difficulty finding a fuel pressure gauge to prove it. I'd skip the test, but the only place I can find a replacement pump module is at the Jeep dealer at a jaw-dropping $309. Oh, and they don't sell the fuel pressure regulator seperately from the pump module. I was able to figure out that the pump at least turns on by having my wife turn the ignition to the "on" position while I held my ear to the gas tank (still alive to post this message :P ).

The post describing the fuel level and the cracked "feed tube" sounds pretty convincing, assuming that the fuel shifting right completely chokes off the fuel delivery. Thanks for all of your posts. I feel that I've made a lot of progress in finding a solution tonight. At least this problem is not as obscure as I originally had thought. If I figure this out, I'll come back and post.

Cheers,
a_pathetic_noob

a pathetic noob - 1 question before I continue, Does the Gas cap still click when you tighten it?

your problem is the gas cap isn't holding pressure - replace the cap. The tru sign of this is when the clicks don't click no more when you tighten it.

Yes, it still clicks. I'm headed out to the Jeep dealership right now to see if someone knows anything about this "left turn thingy" and I'll pick up an overpriced MOPAR gas cap and put it on if they give me the same blank look.

It will take me a while to get the fuel level below a quarter of a tank to let you all know how I make out. If the dealer has any insight, I'll post as well.

Ok, all. Here's how it went. I wasn't surprised to see the same blank look. I went on and explained that many others have had the same problem turning left. He suggested the fuel pump module and I told him that there were some that had already replaced their fuel pump and it didn't fix the problem. His reply was, "Well did they buy them at <<insert a couple of major car parts chains>>?" I didn't know, and of course he said that parts bought from those car parts stores probably won't make a difference (so if you want to be taken seriously at a dealership, you have to buy MOPAR).

So off I went to the parts department to get my $17 gas cap. I talked to the guy behind the counter who looked pretty sharp, so I asked him about it. He says that his Jeep does the same thing and that the gas tanks aren't baffled enough to keep the fuel from pulling away from the fuel pump when you turn, thus the sputtering and stalling. He says that the later models have sponges and more baffles to keep the fuel from sloshing around and those later models don't have this issue.

He went through his TSBs and came up with a recall for '97 Grand Cherokees manufactured before 6/1/1997 and said that I could get the fuel pump module replaced for free if I qualified. The recall was for a faulty fuel pump module (they call it "sending unit") that gives a false fuel level reading, giving the driver the impression that there is plenty of fuel when in reality, the fuel tank's empty. I did qualify for the recall and, hoping for a free fuel pump module replacement to solve this mystery, I pulled my VIN and went back to the guy with the blank look and asked him to check my VIN for the recall. It had already been replaced.

Soooo, back to the gas cap. It turns out that my gas tank was a quarter full (optimist), so I took a good hard left turn and pushed the gas and it still sputters.

I hate to squash hopes of some of you, but you may just have to live with this malady as a poor fuel tank design. I'd think that something like this would prompt a recall, but I guess not. So there's my short story, long.

Cheers,
a_pathetic_noob

Change the Gas Cap with an original Mopar one.

As the story was told, I went to the Jeep dealer and bought a gas cap. It was a MOPAR and it didn't make a difference.

Good luck everyone.