98 Cherokee runs like s***

Raven79

New member
I bought a 98 Jeep Cherokee on the Facebook marketplace last year. Went to Nevada and looked it over in person, did a test drive, and decided to buy it. Because of my inexperience in buying vehicles I ended up sitting on this jeep for six months while waiting for previous owner to get me a title. Anyway...drove the Jeep from Nevada to Arizona and it started and ran beautifully. This was in March while the weather was still cool. I mention the weather because outside temperature seems to be what causes a problem with this jeep. Cue to getting the title six months or so later and being able to register it to drive. It’s now summertime...in Arizona...which means it’s hot outside. Drive the Jeep to work in the morning, runs fine, but it’s cool outside. Leave work, stop at the store, get groceries, head home. Jeep starts running very rough. Push gas pedal, it’s still running but doesn’t move and eventually stalls. Start it up runs rough, stalls. Start it up, runs rough but starts moving. Oil pressure and battery gauge start swinging back n forth but it’s still chugging along. Okay, finally get home, runs really rough, put it in reverse with engine still running push gas pedal doesn’t want to move. Okay figure it needs an alternator because of the fluctuations with the gauges. Drive it again a different day same thing happens. Runs fine in the morning when it’s cool but runs like shit when the weather warms up in the afternoon. This time it dies on the side of the road multiple times on the way home. After it sits for a few minutes it fires right up and will go a bit further. This time I have to push it into my driveway issuing my other, old reliable, Jeep. So it mostly has sat all summer. My friend decided to try driving it this past fall & all this winter and he had had no issues with it dieing on him. So outside temperature seems to cause the problem. If it’s colder than 60 degrees it runs fine. If it’s any warmer it runs like shit. The gauges on the dashboard aren’t showing that it’s overheating. It acts like it’s not getting gas. It’s been suggested that it may be a fuel pump relay. So had a new alternator put in and it still has issues when it’s warm out. At this point it’s going to wait till next month and I get a tax refund to have cash to have it looked at. It has multiple other issues which didn’t show up till after I got it home. But at this point first priority is getting it to run in all types of weather. Any thoughts on what it could be or where to start looking? It’s been suggested fuel pump, fuel pump relay. From looking online I’m wondering crank sensor maybe? It also has the check engine light on, the airbag light comes on but only sometimes. I’m told it needs a neutral switch. And my friend who’s been driving it this winter said that the heater no longer works. Heater and ac both worked when I test drive it in Nevada.


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^^agree^^ what codes?

Load test the battery.
Clean the battery terminals and connectors. Clean the opposite end of the grounds and their contact points.

What rpm do you idle at?
Is the idle smooth but sputters in gear?
Does it sputter if you depress the gas peddle slowly?


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