# Help me if you can!!!!



## newguy18 (Oct 3, 2007)

I have a 1988 jeep comanche inline six cylinder automatic transmission.Sometimes it will run and sometimes it won't.Today I was checking for spark quailty and the pick up coil and with the distributor completly unhooked it fired up and ran.It sat there for 15 minutes and ideled perfectly until I shut it off then I tried it again and it ran while the distributor was unhooked!If you have had this happen to you or if you can help me I would appreciate it.


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## RDT (Oct 3, 2007)

Let me see if I understood you right. You distributer was unhooked and your jeep still stayed running . What do you mean un hooked


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## newguy18 (Oct 3, 2007)

RDT said:


> Let me see if I understood you right. You distributer was unhooked and your jeep still stayed running . What do you mean un hooked



I unhooked the pick up coil thats inside the distributor.The only wire going to it was the coil wire.


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## newguy18 (Oct 3, 2007)

I checked and there are no other hot wires going to the distributor.I tried it a little while ago unhooked the pickup coil and it still starts could it be a bad computer signal or bad crank sensor?


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## RDT (Oct 3, 2007)

Thats odd


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## newguy18 (Oct 3, 2007)

ha ha he ho har smart aleck.


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## TDunk (Oct 4, 2007)

Im not sure if this applies to your Jeep, but i've seen alot "hall-affect" switches go bad in those Jeeps before. It sits right under the distibutor cap. The two other things i've replaced alot on those are MAP sensors, and crank sensors. (the cranks sensor is on the bell housing, not by the balancer like most). I have a '96 cherokee in the shop right now, but i'm to sure if the electronics are close or not. Good luck.


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## pelhamjeff (Mar 19, 2008)

I am sure that a 1987 cherokee does not have self diagnostic capability. At least not with any scan tool I ever saw. I would almost bet that a 1988 is no different. As far as it running with the distributor disconnected, I would say that the distributor is only a CAM position sensor, and since the engine still runs with it disconnected, the CRANK position sensor tells the computer, or a separate module, when to fire the coil. You said you had the distributor disconnected, which some readers probably thought meant the spark plug wires. Anyway, the part that will fix a bunch of intermittant no-starts on these earlier cherokees is a crank position sensor. It's found in the bell housing at about the ten o clock position. Of course this wont help if you dont have fuel pressure. This is easily checked at the schrader port on the rail. Can you hear the pump running on those times when it doesnt start?


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## RaisedByWolves (Mar 20, 2008)

Hell, if it runs now just drive it.



.


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## fubar2 (Mar 20, 2008)

newguy18 said:


> I have a 1988 jeep comanche inline six cylinder automatic transmission.Sometimes it will run and sometimes it won't.Today I was checking for spark quailty and the pick up coil and with the distributor completly unhooked it fired up and ran.It sat there for 15 minutes and ideled perfectly until I shut it off then I tried it again and it ran while the distributor was unhooked!If you have had this happen to you or if you can help me I would appreciate it.



Your all balled up man. Seems to me Cherokee was the only vehicle Jeep put the inline six in. Commanche had v6.


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## cjk (Mar 20, 2008)

I have a Haynes shop manual for the jeep cherokee I sold a few years ago if you would want it. 84-97 Cherokee, wagoneer and comanche. Pay the shipping and its yours.


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