Major starting issues

[clrowi]

Firstly, thank you for any help you may offer!!!

Problem: Hubby's 89 XJ, piece of sh!t

It was having initial start problems, then all of a sudden, up and died in the middle of an intersection. So, he went on another (apparently retarded) jeep forum, and started going through the list of suggestions. And it still isn't going!

Long story short, there is no spark OUT of the coil.


It's an inline 6, electric ignition (therefore no ignition control module). Let me know if you need more info than that...

Here's the list of all we've done...

*Checked the pressure release valve at the front of the fuel rail and gas does spray out.
*New airfilter
*New plugs
*New wires
*New Cap and Rotor
*Replaced the coil
*New Crank sensor
*Replaced MAP sensor
*Replaced all grounds
*Replaced ECU
*Replaced relays
*Replaced some connections
*Cleaned just about every connection there is
-Good compression
-Motor turns over

What is the next logical step, other than taking a hammer to the damnable thing??!!

Thanx again
~Claire

[Mr. Orange]

Long shot, I know.....but maybe...

I had an old bmw (88), yeah I know, totally different companies, but you never know.

I had a starting issue with that as well, it turned out to be a small piece of metal that was welded to the fly wheel for the crank pos. sensor. Just for giggles, check the fly wheel...in the 80's, a lot mfg had issues with the little metal piece (there were two, slightly offset, on the bmw..) breaking loose from their welds, and with the 'new' computer controlled engine, it didn't let it start thinking the motor was not spinning at all.

I know you said you replaced the sensor, but check what ever the sensor is, well, sensing...

Hope this somehow helped...

[Shadly1]

Sure does sound like a Crank Position Sensor. If I was in your position, I'd check it again. Is taking it to a shop out of the question?

[Materdaddy]

The common ones I see people talking about replacing are the

• TPS (throttle position sensor)
• CPS (crank position sensor)

It appears you already replaced your CPS, so maybe the TPS?

[clrowi]

Will see about checking the fly wheel itself, but that is a major tear-apart, what with having to drop the tranny to get at it and all... Unless there's another way that you can suggest?? And with there only being 2 bolts on the CPS, I don't know how we could have screwed it up...
Yeah, taking it to the shop is completely out of the question. That's why we've gone throught the big list, all by ourselves! (Gives that one-on-one, get-to-know-eachother relation with the damn thing though!!!)
As far as I can figure, the TPS has nothing to do with spark, it has to do with the amount of fuel that will be allowed into the system.

Thanx for your help!! ~C

[Davisrats]

It's an inline 6, electric ignition (therefore no ignition control module). Let me know if you need more info than that...

*******
there is a control module it attaches to the bottom of the coil. The RENIX system is way different then the latter moddles.

http://www.lunghd.com/Tech_Articles/...iagnostics.htm

[clrowi]

Yah, bad choice of words, I just assumed it was part of the coil, as he pulled it all out as a unit. And the whole thing was exchanged with the coil out of my running XJ.
Thanx for that link too, by the way, gonna read through it right now.

~C

[Davisrats]

Also RENIXPower yahoo group has some good info. it has some good stuff in the file section once you sign up too.

[Mr. Orange]

Will see about checking the fly wheel itself, but that is a major tear-apart, what with having to drop the tranny to get at it and all... Unless there's another way that you can suggest??

Isn't the dust shield on the bell housing removable? Usually they are and you could check the flywheel from that angle....or where the starter motor attaches....sometimes you can inspect the fly wheel from there.

[clrowi]

Thanx for that idea, will definitely give it a try. Right now, the entire wiring harness is being removed. The dolt that owned it before had actually DUCT taped the wires together. Still can't figure out exactly what they were trying to do either, it's so frazzled in there!

Thanks for your help.

[rick]

Thanx for that idea, will definitely give it a try. Right now, the entire wiring harness is being removed. The dolt that owned it before had actually DUCT taped the wires together. Still can't figure out exactly what they were trying to do either, it's so frazzled in there!

Thanks for your help.

Actually, some of the ignition circuit in the factory wiring on CJ's used this gray crap that looks suspiciously like duct tape... I think the factory ran out of electrical tape or something and they stopped by Home Depot...

[rob1979CJ7]

Good Luck

Hi, I had a similer problem with my 79 CJ7, pulling off of the road it died, it would turn over all day long but no spark, during during the diagnosis I replaced every componant that comprises the ignition system, still no spark, it ended up being the distributor, replaced it and it started right up. I hope this helps good luck.