Questions and Answers

Jeep Cherokee Starts, Dies Q. Vincent, I've got a 1993 Jeep Cherokee Sport 6 cylinder with fuel injection. It started quitting. After it sits awhile it will start and run fine for awhile then has another episode. Initially thought is was fuel pump, didn't help. Then our mechanic thought it was electrical and replaced the on-board computer, same problem.

He says it's not the coil because there is no juice getting to the coil when it quits. Do you have any clues? I thought it may be the ignition switch? Does Chrysler keep a data base that I could search? Any help is greatly appreciated. This trial and error method is breaking me.

Thanks,
Carl

A. Yeah Carl, trial and error wouldn't be so bad if it weren't so damn expensive. And there is no guarantee that even after you've replaced everything that the problem will be fixed.

One of the most basic things a mechanic learns is to plan your work and work your plan. First check your basics, distributor cap, rotor, ignition wires, spark plugs and filters. Especially the fuel filter.

Then the next thing to do is to pull Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) from the computer. In your case to extract the codes by cycling the ignition key ON - OFF - ON - OFF - ON. The check engine light will flash the codes.

Once we have the codes, we will have a good indication of where to look for the problem. One common problem that could cause this is an Auto Shut Down (ASD) relay. Worth checking out.