95 Jeep Grand Cherokee

[augier]

Hey there folks,
I was hoping to get some feed back on a problem I'm havin. I bought this 95 jeep grand cherokee and it ran fine the first day, granted i went three miles from the yard to home. I treid to ask on a jeep forum but those guys are nowhere near as nice everyone here(3 days on a posting 15 views and no comments)...jerks...
Anyways so the problems go like this...if you give it gas very lightly it goes fine but if you press on it to go it starts to putter and want to stall once your on the highway you want to pass someone forget it....it won't go you have to give it gas really lighty for it to work....Im gong crazy trying to figure this out..

Well just thought i'd ask, Thanks in advance for any suggestions....

[moosetags]

I have a lot of experience with antique cars, and those symptoms sure sound like a clogged fuel filter.

Brian

[Airslide]

Possible that its related to the fuel system. Could be many things. Fuel pressure like a weak electric fuel pump.. something related to MAF sensor? What year is it? What engine does it have? Is the check engine lite on? If so what codes does it have? Usually if its related to the ignition system you will have complete failure with a no start condition or heavy misfire so im still leaning towards fuel or a sensor related to fuel. Atleast if its happening consistently a mechanic could find it easily. The worst thing would be if it stopped happening and then you couldnt reproduce it for a while and it leaves you stranded somewhere. My advise while its failing get someone to look at it while you can.

Vin

[overlander63]

We had a similar probolem with a Dakota. It would start and run fine, and gentle acceleration was fine. Step on the gas, like when towing a trailer, and it woulld start jumping and bucking so badly it broke both engine mounts. Replaced everything from fuel pump to injectors to coil to distributor to ecm to a complete wiring harness. Finally stuck a for sale sign on the windshield and took a bath on it. I had replaced every electrical and electronic component on the truck. It had the 5.9 Magnum engine, and about the same vintage as your Jeep.

[RBolton]

It could be fuel starvation - bad pump, clogged filter, etc. Or it could be lots of water or some other contaminate in the gas. But, an engine that is out of time can act like this too - smooth idle but falters under load. If it has the 4.0 6 cyl, these engines, though tuff as nails, are prone to excessive carbon build up on the valves that will eventually lead to a bad engine miss. If the valve isn't damaged yet sometimes you can correct this with a combustion chamber cleaner sprayed through the throttle body. Mopar sell this and the procedure is to get the engine up to full operating temp -then while keeping the engine running (don't let it die) spray entire contents of the can in to the thottle body intake and immediately shut the engine off. CAUTION. DO THIS OUTSIDE AND DON"T BREATH THE EXHAUST Let it soak for a few hours. Then start it up, it will smoke like crazy for a minute and then drive it around a little. If you have the carbon problem and no valve damage, one or two applications of this, done properly, could correct it or at least cause enough of an improvement that you know you have a problem there.

A good mechanic could probably diagnose the problem easily and save you time and money in the long run. You say you just bought it. Have you talked to the seller. They may know what's wrong or they may help with the remedy. Good Luck

[augier]

Wow I thanks again for the quick response....
Vin - to answer your question its a 95 grand cherokee limitted,5.2l V8.
No engine light on
the reason I got it was for towing my safari.
I did notice a noise coming from my Catalytic (so I gutted it then put it back onit was completely clooged) noticed a slight diffrence in pick up but still giving my the sputter when I try to accelerate.

Brian-I did change the feul filter but nothing..

Oh I almost forgot to metion this part
when I was driving home form a 45 min drive of slightly steping on the gas to accelerate I started getting at every speed no matter how light i was on the pedal. I had to stop then the truck off if i watied 2-3 min then turned it on it would go fine for about 30 feet , if i sat there in park i could rev it and idle no problem .....

Well i hope i helped you guys think of anything I was thinking of taking it into the dealer and having it hooked up to their dio machine but thats 100$ min.....ouch Im trying to save for my trip home and evey penny counts

Thanks again

[moosetags]

Try one more thing. Take off the gas cap and try it. Since you just bought the vehicle, someone may have put a non vented gas cap on it when it is designed for a vented cap,

Brian

[augier]

won't my check engine light come on if I run it without the gas cap? or is that only on way newer cars...

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, you answered part of my question before I was able to post. Anyway, start simple; Check and/or replace the air filter. Next replace the fuel filter. And then I was going to say check the catalytic converter. You said it was noisey and bad and you gutted it, but did some of it go into your muffler? Drop the pipes and test it. If catalytic converter material got into your muffler, chances are you can't get it out. Time for a new muffler?

[crispyboy]

What are the age of the plugs/wires? Cracked distributor cap?
It would probably be well worth your money to have a diagnosis. A good independent shop may be a better choice if your lacking tools or knowledge.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Chrysler lined there fuel tanks in the mid 90's. That lining has been known to break down and cause some drive-ability concerns. Fuel pressure should be around 50psi, but good pressure doesn't mean you have good volume. Fuel pump problems in the mid 90's were also a common concern. A dealer could check TS bulletins for you. If the converter was bad there is a chance that the exhaust is restricted. Most likely the O2 sensors will need replacement, don't recall how accessible they are, but I have removed them and driven the vehicle to diagnose a restricted exhaust system.
Good luck

[Mikethefixit]

Ok let me run this by ya. Have you checked the exhaust. Its a 95!! Catalytic converters tend to flake off inside and plug up with soot. IF it has no codes from the computer, Have a tailpipe test done. IF IT CANT BREATH it will not run.Neighbor has a Dodge pU that he had to every mechanic in town. No one found the problem. They aint mechanics most are parts changers. Another neighbor and I unhooked the Catalytic converter and it ran fine,replaced it. Problem solved. Same symptoms as you describe.
Good LUCK

[silverleeper]

Hi Augier, Have you given your Jeep a tuneup? Plugs,wires,cap and rotor. Check the timing? Could be a bad MAF sensor or injector problems. Do as much of the tune up that you can and see if it helps. There should be other shops in the area that can read the codes on your Jeep. Shop around a little. Bad fuel is also a possibility. 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee Recalls

[augier]

just made my list for the tune-up
-spark plugs
-air filter
-wires
-rotor & cap
-fuel filter (already done)
I'm also going to just put on a new exhuast system starting at the Cat then back since I'm going to need to do it when I get to Cali anyways (smog check)
As I was making my list earlier I thought pf something. Do you guys think since the gas guage is broken the computer thinks its on empty and maybe cuasing it to conserve fuel and not letting me accelerate ? I have to bring the tank down anyways for the fuel pump might as well fix it all right....

[shooter04]

sounds like a fuel flow problem. have ur local garage check it. fuel filter, fuel pump or fuel injectors are the most common culprit

[Gene]

Does this have a carb? I haven't rebuilt one in about 25 years, I recall there's a part that acts to pump extra fuel in when you accelerate quickly and may need cleaning. The float could be dirty or out of adjustment. I suppose they still make rebuild kits for carbs. Good to go with a major tune up.

I hate to tell you this, but older Grand Cherokees have had for a long time bad reputations for reliability. You can expect plenty of repairs, or sell it, and get any other brand. I hope this works out for you.

Gene