91 cherokee oh god please help

hey my name is jay. and not too long ago i purchased a 91 jeep cherokee. of course and only with the inline 6, 4.0 liter. i love this thing and i have big plans for it. really big plans. when i got it, it wasn't in very good shape, but a lot of self repair hours, a good pint of blood and a fracture finger later it was runnin alright. i was ready to start changing what i really wanted to do. (4in rubicon lift, 35'' tires to start) anyways. all of the sudden one day i kill my battery by leaving the lights on and have* to have it jumped...sucks...but immediatly after i jump the thing it wont hold an idle...at all!!! i can turn over the engine and drive it. but unless i have my foot on the gas whether moving or stopped the engine just dies. NO IDLE. this is making driving really really difficult. at first i thought maybe an energy spike cause a blown plug or fried plug wires but after talking to a couple other mechanics they said most likely it is my idle air control valve. i don't have much money to spend at ALL on repairs seeing as how i'm a broke ass college student but i have to get this thing running right. it's too hard to drive especially between two jobs and school. anyways i bought the part and was going to install it myself but i completely scanned my haynes manual and found no trace of the part at all. further more i don't even know if this will fix the problem. if you could email me with even a hit of where i find this part (make it simple please. lol i've never worked on american engines...) on the engine or what will be need to be done to replace it that'd be GREAT. or if you don't believe this is the problem just let me know what you think. really appreciate it.
jay
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my email is [email protected] or [email protected] for work.

Sounds kinda retarded, but my friend had a problem with his surburban, Kinda did the same thing, he had to keep the gas down to keep it running, all it was was a dead cell in the battery. I would say start with the simple things like the battery, have the ALT tested, before you spend all the time and money to replace something else.

thats what i figured first. but i replaced the battery (mine was dead anyway) and the alternator keeps the jeep running and the electricals goin' which i don't have a problem with as long as the gas is down. the battery even new would be more than dead if the alternator was out. but thanks for the reply.

i had a friend with the same prob. he replaced the TPS and it has had no problems since. the TPS is on the throttle body. it is the sensor that locks into the butterfly in the throttle body. unfortunatly they are about $70.

ok well i'll pray that this first thing works and if it doesn't i'll check that out. thanks a lot!!

Becareful, don't test your ALT by running the Jeep and disconnecting the battery! This WILL cause damage to the ECM.
Look at the TPS, that could be the problem. Can be tested with a multi-meter.

Your problem could be coincidentally occurring the same time as the battery problem. Check the simple items first.
It may not be getting the proper amount of air at idle. Check the air filter and try starting it without one. If that corrects the problem then get a new air filter and install it.
It may not be getting fuel at idle. Replace the fuel filter if it had not been changed recently.
In other words, start with the cheaper items first.

yeah i replaced the idle air control valve and now i have an idle. but it's not as high as it should be. sitting around 500rpm's instead of 800. but now that i have an idle i'm going to begin systematically replacing, plugs filters, and minor parts. what i did notice is that now i have a idle but it's running A LOT rougher than before. it may be because of the cold weather change and the low idle. or that i just need to replace the fuel filter and i may have a mis fire in one of the cylinders. i noticed a loud click in what i think is my ac motor (large silver cyclinder connected to the fan or timing belt near the front of the motor) and my rpm's go WAY down if i have any air on in the truck. also my fan seems to be really irregular if the air is on aswell. it turns off and on off and on. any idea what that might be?

yeah i replaced the idle air control valve and now i have an idle. but it's not as high as it should be. sitting around 500rpm's instead of 800. but now that i have an idle i'm going to begin systematically replacing, plugs filters, and minor parts. what i did notice is that now i have a idle but it's running A LOT rougher than before. it may be because of the cold weather change and the low idle. or that i just need to replace the fuel filter and i may have a mis fire in one of the cylinders. i noticed a loud click in what i think is my ac motor (large silver cyclinder connected to the fan or timing belt near the front of the motor) and my rpm's go WAY down if i have any air on in the truck. also my fan seems to be really irregular if the air is on aswell. it turns off and on off and on. any idea what that might be? and also what exactly is the TPS's function?