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91 XJ Laredo won't start

W

wb0rur

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Arkansas
Need some help! Wife was driving the XJ and says it lost power and engine died. She coasted into a parking lot. I arrive and try to start it; no luck.
Towed to a local mechanic. He says he "had to replace the distributor" before it would start but engine made such a racket that he turned it off and pushed it out of the bay. Says it's probably a broken rod. Now, it's towed back home and I wanted to hear the noise myself. But it won't start, won't even try to hit...sounds exactly like it did when I was originally helping my wife in the parking lot. Anyone have any thoughts? 205,000 miles. BTW, engine doesn't make any unusual noises when I'm cranking it. I honestly thought it was something like the CPS initially....
 
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First off, don't ever go to that mechanic again. He doesn't know squat. Most likely the cps needs replaced. Then go and verify the spark plug wiring order. It is listed on the intake manifold. My bet is he screwed it up.
 
Start with the basics...check for spark while cranking. If you have spark, then check for fuel by checking pressure at the rail and insuring that the injectors are firing.
 
Okay, I replaced the CPS-no change. There's definitely no spark. Double checked the plug wiring; all good. I've ordered a new ignition coil pack and will update in a couple days.
 
Well the crank position is one CPS, the other is the cam position in the distributor, which sucks on the 91 because you have to pull the distributor to replace it. But I wouldn't jump to replacing it just yet. did the shop actually replace the distributor already?






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Pull the cap on the Dizzy, check the rotor to make sure is installed properly and then crank it and make sure the rotor is rotating.

Check for spark from the HV coil itself to ground using a plug wire and spark plug.

Check for fuel at the fuel rail, check fuel pressure in Run only, do not crank.

Then check the fuel injector plugs with a NOID light or spare loose injector see if their is firing signal for the injectors.

For starters.
 
He says he "had to replace the distributor" before it would start but engine made such a racket that he turned it off and pushed it out of the bay

so did it run after it died?
 
My rotor is not spinning in the distributor when I crank the engine. Yes, the shop installed a
new distributor. I've not seen the engine run. Since rotor doesn't spin....what's that mean? I'm actually starting to question whether the thing ran or not at the shop. I certainly can't get it to even try to start now. (I towed it home.)
 
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Off the top of my head.
Either bad distributor missing the bottom gear, rotor not attached correctly, broken gears that drive the distributor or broken timing chain.
I'd start by checking the distributor out fully. Make sure it's intact and not just a housing.


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PS
If you're really are checking in depth you can check the valves up top to see if the are moving or not when you crank. If they don't then I'd guess the timing chain broke .

But this is all just a guess


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Yes or broken cam shaft . Possibly crankshaft, are the belts turning as it cranks? If the are then from flywheel to harmonic balancer is intact.

Can't remember if these are non interference engines. Meaning the pistons hitting the valves if it's out of time.


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Green Mesa XJ said:
Yes or broken cam shaft . Possibly crankshaft, are the belts turning as it cranks? If the are then from flywheel to harmonic balancer is intact.

Can't remember if these are non interference engines. Meaning the pistons hitting the valves if it's out of time.


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Click to expand...

As I recall I was told by the experts here the 4.0 is a non interference engine. At least until something breaks and goes flying around?
 
Just did a search it should be a non interference motor. So you should be fine if the chain broke.
I'd check the accessories are turning as you try to start then you will know the crankshaft is intact.

If that fine, and I can't recall hearing about a 4.0 breaking the crank or camshaft, then I'd pull the timing cover and check that out.

If it's any bigger than a timing chain you might want to replace the motor.




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Needs to check the dizzy bottom end as it runs off the oil pump that runs off the Cam shaft. Needs to make sure they turn freely and pull the pan to check for chunks of metal and other issues.
 
If the mechanic had to replace the dist, then its probably the cam sensor aka pickup coil. That sensor and the crank sensor provide signaling data to the computer, which then generates spark and injector timing. Its not hard to replace, just pop the rotor and then there's a little metal cap inside that has to be removed (two screws). The cam sensor is right below that.
 
It may have been at first, but now the valves don't move and the distributor doesn't turn when the engine cranks so something else is wrong.

Ecomike is right about dropping the pan and checking. I'd still pull the timing cover first just to see what's going on, if it's just a chain the engine should be easy to repair, of course checking for other problems as you go.
once it gets to a certain point youre fighting a uphill battle to fix the motor in the car and might be better replacing it.


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Well...this weekend was the first chance I had in daylight to check the thing out. Turns out there are a couple of good size "exit" wounds in the oil pan. So I assume it's time for a new engine.
 
Yep. Probably the noise the last mechanic said he heard then hurried to shut it down.

Used motors are plentiful. I pick one up to rebuild for our jeep that's the same age with 300k on the original motor, so it's going to need it some time.

If you're going to buy a rebuilt keep in mind if they charge a core you might not get that deposit back depending on how bad the old motor blew up.


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