99 Jeep Cherokee Sport turning over but not starting...?

Question

My driven-every-day 99 Jeep Cherokee Sport is turning over but not starting. When I turn the key forward 1 notch, the gas- & volt-meters dont register anything, as they normally do; that seems like a key indicator something is out of the normal.
Battery is 1 month old & I tried getting a jump in case that was a bad one - same cranking but no engine roar. The starter turns (the flywheel?) but the engine doesn't come alive. The last time I drove it nothing odd happened & 3 hours later when i tried to start it, I thot i may have flooded it, but the next morning it acted the same. That was 4 days ago. Im not mechanically inclined and im not sure where to check. I dont even know where my fuel injectors are! I havent experienced any fuel sputtering at all but i just realized last week I can take the key out of the ignition when the car is running. Please help?

Does anyone find it as important as I that the gauges arent registering?

Answer 1

www.NAXJA.org You will find all your Cherokee answers there.

Answer 2

http://www.cherokeeforum.com is another good friendly XJ forum.



When you turn your key 1 notch forward, do you hear the fuel pump come on for a couple of seconds? Have someone stand/kneel next to or lay under your XJ while you turn the key. If they can not hear the fuel pump prime the pump has failed or it may not be getting power. The fuel pumps are easy to access from underneath and can be replaced without lowering the gas tank (atleast in my 93 this is the case, but I do not believe that changed). I would remove the plug and verify that the pump is getting power. Hook up a volt meter (multi meter) and see. If it is then the pump is likely bad. If no power is reaching the pump you would need to move farther up the circuit and check the relay and fuse.

The ignition coil will also cause the engine to turn over but not fire. Pull a plug wire off, insert a screw driver and hold it next to a metal part of the engine and see if it sparks. If not you may have a problem with the distributor or the coil. Replacing the coil is easy. It is mounted on the passenger side of the engine with 2 bolts. It has one spark plug wire at one end and a regular wire connection at the other.

The Crank Position Sensor will also cause the engine not to start. This is not as easy to test or remove.



There are a couple of Cherokee forums out there, I would suggest you join one or two as they can provide a world of information.



http://www.cherokeeforum.com

http://www.NAXJA.com

http://www.Cherokeetalk.com

http://www.XJtalk.com

Answer 3

99 Cherokee

Answer 4

Have a 94, same problem. I changed my coil and crank shaft sensor.



p.s. I also did not know where the fuel injectors were. Stand in front of jeep to the right of the engine block you will see 6 plugs in a line, it looks like they are plugged into spark plugs. Those are your fuel injectors.

Answer 5

My 1999 jeep is doing the same and we cant figure out what it is. I have searched the internet and found that alot of people had this problem with their jeeps and it was the crankshaft position sensor. They are about eighty dollars. I just dont want to go buy the part and that not be whats wrong with it. Hopefully someone on yahoo can answer this question!

Answer 6

Check the fuses also check the engine fuses,check all the electrical connectors and make sure they are securely together. After checking all that you need to check for spark at the #1 spark plug while you are cranking the engine.The problem may also be in the ignition switch or starter relay

Answer 7

Not sure about the 99 but on the older XJ's loosing the ground wire at the back of the block will cause these symptoms. See this post for photos:



http://jgandsr.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-jeep-just-quit.html



Also see this trouble shooting guide for more things to check:



http://www.mikestrawbridge.com/XJstarter2.shtml



Mike



http://thejeepguru.com

Answer 8

most likely you have a bad alternator or more precise the diode inside of the alternator has burnt, easy way to find out is get a 12v test light and disconnect the negative battery cable place the test light between the neg. batter post and the neg. cable, with the battery charged the test light should light only for a few seconds "due to radio memory" then go out, if the light stays lit then you can start pulling fuses untill the light goes out, to help isolate the shorted circuit, but more than likely it will be in the alternator if it drains the battery within several hours

Answer 9

You may need to replace the crank shaft sensor. I had the same problem with my 03 jeep.

Answer 10

This is happening to my dad's 89 jeep cherokee. .... can and how can they check to make sure it's the crankshaft position sensor? We don't want to buy it and it not be what is causing it to not start?