Continued Problems! 1990 Cherokee LTD 4.0L

Good Grief!!! After 4 visits to a shop and the Jeep dealer my Jeep is still having problems.

My jeep (4.0L 1990 Cherokee Ltd) continues to have intermitent starting problems. One day the car lost all power on the road and when I tried to restart it the car just quickly started and stalled. The car has been in the shop 4 times after each visit it runs a few days then the starting problem reappears.

The car cranks, starts and dies very quickly. The jeep has also cut out 2x on the road and displays similar restart symptoms.

Mechanics have replaced the following:
Neutral safety switch $450
Fuel pump and sending unit $400
Fuel Filter $60

Personally, I think I'm being ripped off by parts changers and not real mechanics.

I changed the ignition switch last night myself for $15 and it had no effect. I have a new ignition lock but don't know how to install it. Anyone think it could be the problem and if so where could I find some replacement instructions.

Any other advice welcome
Thanks

Could be the ignition switch, not sure whats involved in the change, sorry. Also might want to look at your crank position sensor. You can test this with out removing it using a meter.

I changed the ignition switch and the same problem persists. I was told the key lock mechanism wouldn't cause my problem so I didn't change it.

If they diagnose and charge you for a repair make the dealer fix it. Don't keep paying them for other stuff. Offer to contact your consumer bureau.

I'd be inclined toward the crank pos sensor also.

Try the coil. if it gets to hot, it will make the car stall

last saturday i wuz riding in uhwarrie and as soon as i got in the trail my jeep started acting like it didint have any power and i got stuck in the trail for 7 hours couldent think of anything it would cut off and start after a while of blocking the whole trail turned out to be the stupid cps sensor never heard of it till that day easy fix its on top of your bell housing :killbarne

Well, I was definately ripped-off. I figure I was ripped off to the tune of about $1500.

I spoke to 2 master mechanics and was told none of the repairs made had anything to do with my vehicle's problems. A crankcase position sensor gone bad would not cause multiple starts and stauls.

So after returning to the Jeep dealer, having them leave my vehicle for 3 days and not working on it and then loosing my keys, I had the car towed to a master mechanic's shop.

The problem with the vehicle? A bad ignition module circuit under the hood. The circuit would cause the vehicle to staul after the key was released. The bad circuit could also cause total power failure in the vehicle.

Good thing I paid with a credit card. I'm disputing all the repairs prior to the last shop's repair and then I'm sending Jeep a bill for my rental car.

The master mechanic's shop repaired my vehicle for less than $250. Go figure, the better mechanic who could actually diagnose the problem charged less.

Generally, few shops work on a fixed price, so you pay by the hour for diagnostics and repair. A better shop may charge a higher rate, but if they can repair the problem faster, it can still cost less overall.

Specifically, which module was it?

Specifically written on the final repair worksheet from the Master mechanic's shop was:

Removed ignition switch and tested for power. Grounds were found to be good. Removed computer and performed pinpoint tests and traced down and replaced bad B+ latch relay. Test drove and rechecked system. NOTE ...Fuel Sending Unit Had No Effect With Problem At Hand. Sending Unit Only Effects Fuel Guage.


That last little statement is what's going to get the credit card company to deny the Jeep dealers payment. Then I'm going to send them a bill for the rental and towing charges with a net 30 day payment demand.

Then I'm going after the first shop for charging me for a neutral safety switchc and then a fuel filter the said was clogged because they couldn't blow through it LoL. What idiot would try to blow through a canister fuel filter now a days. Besides the old one only had 1k miles on it. They responded to that with "you must have had water in your gas".

Ahh.... That's a cheap fix too. Here's the description from the FSM.

"Idle speed is controlled by the ECU through the idle speed stepper motor. A latch relay is used to program the stepper motor for engine start-up. The relay is located on the right inner fender panel.

The ECU energizes the latch relay when engine is in cranking mode, and keeps the relay energized for 3-5 seconds after the engine is stopped. In this way, the stepper motor can provide the proper increased enrichment for the next engine start. Idle speed is nonadjustable."