Questions and Answers

Jeep Grand Cherokee Dies On The Road Q. Hello! I PRAY you can help me! I have a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee. It's a 6 cylinder, automatic with 106,000. It has fuel injection, ABS, AC and cruise control. I'm having the most FRUSTRATING problem of my LIFE with this car! Every since it's gotten cold out, highway driving has been a nightmare.

After about 40-50 miles, the gas pedal seems like it just gives right out! I will continue to push it and nothing will happen. The car will then continue to downshift until it coasts until a complete stop. Sometimes it turns off, sometimes it doesn't.

Usually I am able to start it back up again and continue, but it will do it again after about 20 miles after that. Most recently, it did the same thing, only THIS time when it coasted to a stop, it began to rumble and when I pushed the gas it would bog right out and shut off. I would try and start it and it would keep doing it over and over.

I had to sit in 7° weather for 20 minutes before it would start back up again to go! I'm ready to pull my hair out with this! I hope you can pin point something!

Thank you sooo much!

A. Don't pull your hair out. I always wonder about people who are voluntarily bald. Why is it men shave their heads when they are young, and buy Rogaine by the barrel when they get older?

Anyway, I think you have a bad fuel pump in your car. Unfortunately if you take it to a shop and they test it, it will test out good. What you can do is this; carry a can of carburetor cleaner with you. Make sure you get one with the thin red straw.

When it dies and won't restart, pull a vacuum line off the intake manifold and squirt a good healthy shot of carburetor cleaner into the intake manifold. If it starts and runs as long as the carburetor cleaner lasts, then it's almost certain the fuel pump dies when it gets hot. Replacing the fuel pump should fix you up.

Cutting the fuel filter open may reveal small pieces of metal from a dying fuel pump. If you see this, then it would probably be a good idea to replace the fuel pump at that time.