1988 Grand Wagoneer (201K miles) intermittently dies while driving

[CharlesButler]

My 1988 Jeep Grand Wagoneer (201K miles) intermittently dies while driving. I have replaced the ignition control module and the starter solenoid and the problem persists. The engine will usually re-start without much difficulty.

I have corresponded with another GW owner with the same problem. He had replaced the original distributor, coil and ignition control during an HEI distributor upgrade and the problem persists.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Ryan]

could be coil, starter solenoid on fenderwell, ignition switch, neutral safety switch, ICM, etc. Does it sputter when it dies, or just cuts off? Any loss of power / lights?

[CharlesButler]

ICM and solenoid didn't solve the problem.

It just dies. The radio continues to play, not sure about the lights. I have replaced the ICM and the solenoid located on the firewall.

My next thought was the coil until I spoke with another GW owner with two 89s with the same problem. He had upgraded to an HEI distributor, which also replaces the coil, and he still has the same problem.

My thoughts now are ignition switch, but I am open to ideas.

[Ryan]

if it was the solenoid, usually you'd lose more than just the motor. With the ICM, we've seen new ones fail right away.....but, I'd go with coil. While it could be one of the two ignition switches, the fact that the radio stays on tends to point away from that.

[72c5]

Hi Charles.....

Did you ever solve your stalling problem with your Grand Cherokee?

[Ryan]

Did you ever solve your stalling problem with your Grand Cherokee?

That would be 'Grand Wagoneer'

[72c5]

Yep Ryan, you are correct that I meant Grand Wagoneer. You'd think that I'd get it right by now considering we bought it new in 1984. But we had a 1974 Cherokee prior to the Wagoneer, and then in 1994 we got a Grand Cherokee.....so the old '84 often gets called a Cherokee or a Wagoneer but its the only Jeep we have these days......

I just bought a new Facet electric fuel pump, a new coil and a new Duraspark box. Have not yet installed them, but i'll bet my stalling is vapor lock related and the electric fuel pump ought to do the trick. Carb is original, but I took it off last year and it was really clean, but I still douched it out with a few cans of carb cleaner.

[CharlesButler]

Did you ever solve your stalling problem with your Grand Cherokee?

I haven't checked the forum in quite a while, but no the problem is not solved. I replaced the coil and thought I had the problem solved, but that didn't do it either. So far the coil, ICM, solenoid and ignition switch have been replaced, but it still dies. It usually dies at slow engine speed without sputtering or warning. It runs well once it restarts.

[Ryan]

Ok, a few things left to check:

1. fuel filter sock inside the tank on the end of the pickup tube (they fall apart, then the sock material gets sucked up into the tube, cutting off fuel....after a few minutes, the fuel in the line flows back into the tank and pushes it out)
2. ballast resistor for distributor (rare, but I've heard of them intermittently going bad and cutting off the truck)
3. wiring short (it's possible that once the wiring heats up, there is a melted spot in the sheathing that allows the wire to short out; once it cools down, the sheathing around the wire solidifies again and keeps it from making contact with metal; longshot, but it is a possibility)

[CharlesButler]

I gave up and took the Jeep to my mechanic. It idled for five hours at his shop and never failed, even though it died on me three times the night before and once on the way to his shop. He checked the engine wiring and found a heavily corroded connector on the pick-up coil. The pick-up coil has been replaced. Perhaps that will solve the problem.

[Ryan]

any update?

[CharlesButler]

Problem Solved

It has been a year since I had the pick-up coil replaced. I guess that means the problem has been solved.