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1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited

This just started yesterday.

Instance#1: After about 10-15 of driving (note: It had been about 12 hrs since it was last used) I was waiting at a traffic light when it stalled. I attempted to start would not crank over. A few minutes later I was able to start it right up no issues. Drove it about another 20-30 min to work.

Instance#2: Same day about 11 hrs later. I left for home about 10-15 min into driving on the freeway at about 65 mph it stalled and was able to get it over to the side of the road. I tried to start it right back up, just would not crank over. I opened the hood checked for any loose wires and checked the battery cables. Started right up, maybe a few minutes had gone by. Drove it the rest of the way home about another 30-40 min no issue.

Instance#3: Next day. I started up about 30 minutes before leaving for work. After about 10-15 minutes idling in my drive way it stalled. It would not crank over after trying to re-start it. I tried a few times even after what felt like a few minutes as with the previous instances. Still would not crank over. Went back inside to finish getting ready came back out and started it right up, drove it all the way to work no issues about 40 min drive.

Thoughts? Keep in mind the battery was just replaced two weeks ago along with 8 plugs, wire set, distributor-cap, rotor, pcv and ignition pickup. About two weeks ago battery died, replaced it and car would not crank over had it towed and the replaced the previously mentioned.

Update: Now that I have been at work for about 6 hrs, it will not even start at all.

Update: I took it to another mechanic who specializes in Jeeps. In less than 2 minutes he found an issue, ignition pickup. Hopefully its the only issue. When ever he would just wiggle the wire coming from the ignition pickup it would stall. Supposedly according to invoice it was replaced. However when I observe the wire coming from it, it looks old. More updates to come.

Update: After taking it back to the original place to have them re-check there work they discovered that some of the parts they replaced where bad. Supposedly they replaced the coil, camshaft, ignition pickup. This was on 3/17. Its been driving fine since with the exception the ABS light came either that same day or the next. Then on 3/29 It had a hard time starting, not sure how really to describe it. I turned the key once to start it started to start then made some odd noise (twice). I turned it off and back on again and it started. I noticed today the Check engine light came on and received error code 43. So I am taking it back to them again.

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    I would have the fuel pump checked to ensure it is putting out the proper fuel pressure.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Mar 13, 2015 at 12:17
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    You need to check whether the distributor cap is at all loose (can you twist it with your hand) and that the main lead going into the top, centre of the distributor cap is properly seated down at both ends. I'm assuming that by "would not crank over" you mean it won't start - the engine turns over, right? Also might be worth taking the cap off and cleaning it out. Water, condensation and even a single pencil mark can wreak havoc in there. Another possibility is that the ignition coil could be faulty.
    – Jongosi
    Mar 15, 2015 at 0:44
  • Would the ignition coil be part of the ignition pickup?
    – Tek'eek
    Mar 15, 2015 at 21:15
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    @Tek'eek no, the ignition coil is a self-contained unit that looks like a can of beer with a node on top, usually sits against the back firewall below the widscreen. If you follow the lead coming out of the top center of the distributor cap, you'll end up at the ignition coil.
    – Jongosi
    Mar 18, 2015 at 7:43
  • @Jongosi Thanks, I did however follow the lead coming out of the top center of the distributor cap.
    – Tek'eek
    Mar 20, 2015 at 15:02

1 Answer 1

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The stalling symptoms could be explained by a fuel pump relay that doesn't like heat.

I say this because the vehicle stalled seemingly intermittently, but whenever the car had been running for quite some time, only for it to start up again after a few minutes (allowing the relay to cool down a bit).

If the relay is the root cause, the fix would be to simply replace it with a new unit.

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    I had initially replaced the relay for the fuel pump which had no impact. Thanks for bringing that up since I did not notate that in my initial question.
    – Tek'eek
    Feb 3, 2016 at 18:52

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