96 XJ wont run when cold. Hard start then dies.

Wife's 96 XJ 4.0 Automatic.

At 50 degrees wont start cold unless you give it gas. Let off the gas so it can idle, and it dies. Came home today it was 80 degrees and it started and ran fine.

Replaced the Idle air control valve and now it wont shift right. Shifts way late and wont go into 4th gear.

Jeep now throws a code 24. "Throttle position circuit out of range"
According to the trouble shooting guide all I need to do is give it a drive cycle to fix it???

Anything else this could be??

You might try cleaning the inside of the throttle body. Carbon
can form where the throttle plate meets the housing and the
idle is affected.

I'd erase the code 24, drive it and see if it returns....
(Might be a faulty TPS???)

DJ404564X4 said:

... wont start cold unless you give it gas. Let off the gas so it can idle, and it dies.

Click to expand...

These are the common symptoms of low battery voltage. Either dirty/loose wire connections, bad wires, or a weak battery due to alternator troubles, a failed battery, or just bieng discharged.

Perform your basic trouble shooting of the start and charge systems. Remove, clean, and firmly reconnect all the wires and cables to the battery, starter, and alternator. Look for corroded or damaged cables or connectors and replace as needed. Do the same for the grounding wires from the starter to engine block, and from the battery and engine to the Jeep's frame/body. You must remove, scrape, and clean until shiny, the cable/wire ends, and whatever they bolt to. Jeeps do not tolerate low voltage, bad connections, or poor grounds

DJ404564X4 said:

...... now it wont shift right. Shifts way late and wont go into 4th gear.

Jeep now throws a code 24. "Throttle position circuit out of range"...

Click to expand...

Your Jeep has OBD-II diagnostics, scan for the four digit Check Engine Light trouble codes. They are more accurate and more specific than the generic two digit codes.

Test the TPS.

Begin your repairs with the TPS and see if the starting problems clear up or if they are a separate issue.

Runnin'OnEmpty said:

You might try cleaning the inside of the throttle body. Carbon
can form where the throttle plate meets the housing and the
idle is affected.

I'd erase the code 24, drive it and see if it returns....
(Might be a faulty TPS???)

Click to expand...

How do you clear codes??

Tim_MN said:

These are the common symptoms of low battery voltage. Either dirty/loose wire connections, bad wires, or a weak battery due to alternator troubles, a failed battery, or just bieng discharged.

Perform your basic trouble shooting of the start and charge systems. Remove, clean, and firmly reconnect all the wires and cables to the battery, starter, and alternator. Look for corroded or damaged cables or connectors and replace as needed. Do the same for the grounding wires from the starter to engine block, and from the battery and engine to the Jeep's frame/body. You must remove, scrape, and clean until shiny, the cable/wire ends, and whatever they bolt to. Jeeps do not tolerate low voltage, bad connections, or poor grounds



Your Jeep has OBD-II diagnostics, scan for the four digit Check Engine Light trouble codes. They are more accurate and more specific than the generic two digit codes.

Test the TPS.

Begin your repairs with the TPS and see if the starting problems clear up or if they are a separate issue.

Click to expand...

Battery show 12.9 without the Jeep running. 13.9 running.
It still cuts out when driving and does not want to shift.

I ordered up some new battery cables and I'm gonna replace all the ground cables too.

Sounds like an obvious, typical, bad TPS. The code confirms it. Bad TPS will cause the code, and the dying and the weird shifting.

Sweet. Should have one tomorrow. It wont shift till it hits 5000 RPMs.

Re wired the battery cables with 2 gage. New 4 gage engine to fire wall and battery to fender well.