Help

I have an '88 Cherokee with 167,000 miles. It's a 4.0L with fuel injection. Yesterday while on the highway the engine cut out
like it wasn't getting any gas and I pulled over and stalled. It started again and I was able to drive it but it kept cutting out for
a second and then would kick in. I made it home and had to take it out later and it stalled on the road. When I would try to start
it, it would rev real high then drop down and idle. It was running for about 10 minutes just fine, but it would stall when I put it in
gear. I had the fuel filer changed, so it's not that. Some one suggested maybe a fuel pump. Does this sound right? Any
ideas? I'd really appreciate any help anyone can give. Thanks.

[xjy173]

It could be the fuel pump, along with many other things. First try some fuel injector cleaner in the gas tank. It might be just a case of dirty and partially clogged fuel injectors. Check the air cleaner filter to make sure it isn't clogged, too.

[Andytron]

I had a similar problem. Check the ignition switch. Not the lock but the switch itself. It's at the bottom of the steering column. Mine was toast. It was getting 12V in and only 9V was coming out cold and as it got hotter from running for a while the resistance went up even more. It got so high it wouldn't run any more. Good luck.

A very common cause of the problems you are experiencing is the crank position sensor/ wiring. There is a service bulletin to replace the sensor and add a patch harness to the '87 & '88 XJ 4.0l. Check the wiring for the crank sensor where it runs from the rear of the intake manifold (three wire plug with only 2 wires in it, red & white on the sensor side) down to the sensor on the top of the bellhousing. Make sure they're not rubbing on the fuel rail or the on the exhaust manifold.
The early 4.0l (87-88) has a quick disconnect on the firewall above the brake booster that has has problems with corrosion in the terminals. You may try cleaning the terminals inside the connector or eliminating the quick connector by cutting and splicing the wires one at a time. At the dealer I work at, we usually recommend replacing the harness with the updated (89-90) harness, but it's not cheap. Hope this helps,Good luck.

[xjy173]

Both the other posters have good suggestions. I think the best advice is not to start replacing parts until you are pretty sure about what might be wrong. A fuel pump in the gas tank replacement job is pretty involved and it might not be defective. Once again, Good Luck!