96 xj Fuel injector problems???

Hey quick question. im having some problems with my jeep right now. hard time starting and as of now no start. It is around -20 to -30 celsius right now up here but i can charge the battery and still no go. its not the starter as it turns over fine, just isnt getting fuel. pretty sure the fuel pump is fine so was just wondering if the fuel injectors would cause this. When i do get it running it idles rough and back fires and sputters a little when letting off the gas. Just thought id get a couple other opinions of what it can be before i throw more money at it. Im only 18 and a little low on funds so i dont really want to replace somethin if its not the right thing. im not in that big of a hurry to get it going again soon as i only need it to go to school and back but i could just walk for now lol.

But any advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated thx greatly.
CodyMinary96xj

Purchase the FSM for your year.

You need to determine if the issue is spark or fuel.

Spark is fairly simple to check with a spare plug. Spark should be HOT, BLUE, and SNAPPY. If it isn't you will have starting problems in cold weather with crappy winter-blend fuels.

Fuel is another issue. You need the correct pressure, the correct volume, and you need to determine if the injectors are even firing.

FSM sorry im kinda stupid today and thx

Speaking of plugs, how many miles on the rig, and how old are the plugs/distributer cap?

she's got 230 000km/s and its a 96. i got it 2 summers ago but havent repalced plugs so dont know how old they are, just got a used distributer and cap in the spring but we checked the plugs in the spring to and they were fine

Best to have fresh tuneup hardware, so that you are not chasing your tail. Worth the investment. Fresh champion copper plugs gapped to .035, new plug wires, new distributor cap, rotor.

As Joe mentioned, you also need to VERIFY fuel pressure is correct with a fuel pressure gauge. You can rent them from many big box parts stores. It installs on the schrader valve on the fuel rail. Compare your readings to factory spec.

Verifying a strong, blue, snappy spark is never a bad idea. Pull a plug, keep it attached to the plug wire, place the electrode near a good engine ground, have a buddy crank the engine while you watch. Yellow/orange/white indicates a weak spark and you would need to isolate the root cause of that (coil, etc).

checkin plugs first tomoro hopefully just them if not ill check the other things( fuel injectors, TPS Crankshaft position Censor...) hopefully its somethin cheap lol

Checking the plugs isn't going to do you any good. Replace them and be done with it, and get a cap and rotor while you're at it.

Thats wut I meant, startin with the cheapest stuff and workin my way up till i find out wut it is

While replacing the plugs, cap (brass, not alloy contacts) and rotor are always a good idea for routine maintenance, you need to FIRST determine the main issue.

Are you generating a spark? Is the spark HOT, BLUE, and SNAPPY?

Do you have the correct fuel pressure?

Are the injectors receiving a firing impulse from the PCM?

You can TEST for those answers. Or you can spend money that MAY NOT get you where you need to be.

Cold weather stresses everything--marginal components will bite you in the butt. Carefully positioning a 100 watt light bulb under the hood and covering the hood with a couple blankets can do a world of good.

As usual Joe nailed it - TEST FIRST.
Changing parts by guess and golly gets $$$$ And can cause new problems, or a weak repair that fails soon.

The FSM, Factory Service Manual, is a must if you are keeping the XJ, (effectively pays for itself!) Be sure to get the factory, Mopar one.
The others are lousy, trying to cover several years, really vague in areas or wrong.

-A 1996 IS different than a 95 or 97, so be sure to get your year exactly.

A multimeter (basic low $ is fine) saves a LOT of guessing ($$$$)

A fuel pressure gauge, owned, rented, borrowed, helps a bunch on fuel.

Some of the above will go to next vehicle later on.

-----
As per Joe- TEST the spark.

Should be blue, etc.
If spark is good then the CPS is good in most cases.
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With all the electronics in aXJ, the battery MUST be good.
It MUST hold the volts, at the battery, above 10 volts or so while cranking the motor over.
(The starter can keep turning the motor over below 10v, but to no avail, as electronics have shut down.)

Cold really drops the strength of batterys fast so keep a close watch on batt.

1996- You can read the OBD2 codes via the ignition key method-
-do NOT start-
Turn key off-on-off-on-off-on. Leave at third on and wait and wait... takes about 30 seconds+ to chug thru.
watch CEL check engine light. it blinks each digit then pause, then blink next one of pair, then longer pause to next pair. count and write down numbers. 12 and 55 are ok, others are troubles if any.

Auto parts stores can pull the codes with a scanner (free)- call around and ask.

GOOD LUCK,
Orange

P.S. a XJ IS a educational experience!!!

Never had time to check yesterday, gonna check the spark today and hoping its just the plugs, if not ill keep searchin, i could use my bros superchips to scan for problems but my check engine light aint on so nuthin will prob come up. It has been warmer these last few days here so ill try to start it again and see wut happens. I have the haynes repair manual, but not specifically 96 and ya It definately is an Educational Experiance but I cant complain i still love it. ill let ya know wut i find out today PS thx a lot for all the help save me from all the headache of searchin

You are correct in that XJs are an education. Bootstrap education.

But they are addicting buggers eh?

Stay on it. And dump that Haynes manual for an FSM as the Haynes is very generic and is not that accurate IMHO.

But really get your tuneup hardware freshened before looking elsewhere. It is what a technician would do if you brought it to a shop.

Well figured out today that its not the fuel pump, injectors, plugs but that it is most likely the Coolant teemp Sensor, im gettin a new one for 21 bucks on wedsday so if it isnt it its not a big loss as we are certain that it is most of the problem, got it started today after a couple dozen attempts and after it idled for 5 mins it started to ide really rough and shoot black crap out exhaust, i researched the CTS and its says it can cause that, plus I have been having some problems with my coolant temp guage saying its over heating when its not. But thx for all the help with everything

Rules are you have to let us know how things turn out.

We're all still learning here.........regardless of experience level.

The coolant sender is just a thermister (a resistor with a negative temperature coefficient, ie the resistance goes down as it heats up).

So, with the engine off, you disconnect the sensor, read the sensor with your ohmmeter, and get an idea if it is giving you the correct resistance value.

http://www.angelfire.com/my/fan/CTS.html

It doesn't have to be exact, but it should be in the ballpark to give you an idea.

Ya for sure we never stop learnin till the day we die, hopefully itll fix it as i have another progect vehicle i gotta get workin on again and a few more little things to do to my jeep(lower control arms possibly header due to slight manifold leak and so on) and need a little more money to get done, like the rest of us. God dam this economy oh and jonnycat ill check that out too thx

make sure you dont crack the thermostat housing when you screw it in like i did It has a tapered pipe thread not a normal thread

thanks for the heads up with my luck i probly would of ennded up doin that so thx a lot :guitar:

it went in good but i found out there is a clog in my rad hose or rad somewhere, no fluid in upper hoses. It starts a lot better now just gotta get rad flushed and possibly a new water pump, then I can get back to some well waited for snow wheelin, all this snow up here is tempting me hahaha.