stallingg problems....please help daily driver

I have just the last two days had problems with my 88 xj stalling. first time i went through a very small mud hole then the engine died, would not start for about 1/2 hour, and when i rocked it back and forth it seemed to help out. then today io go wheeling and it dies 3 times, 2 times i was just driving, and the first time today it seemed to help rocking it around also, second time it didnt help to rock and giving it gas worked, all the other times i didnt give it gas and it helped. and the 3rd time i went thro a small mud hole and it died, lots of smoke when i tryed to start at first, then i had to be towed out, where i waited a while then it finally started again. went to town , a couple miles, and shut it off, went into the store for a few mins then it started right up. i thought it might have been something in the fuel filter, but now idk, also it will sometimes, not everytime, but when im going stright from a stop it will spudder. and when coasting down hill the rpm's will fluctuate 2 or 3 hundred. but if i put it in nutreal and coast it wont do that...any help is greatly appericated.

4.0? automatic? How are your spark plugs? New? Color (black, tan, white, etc). Is the condition of the cap, wires, and rotor known?

yes 4.0 auto....new plugs, but the wires cap and rotor are all old, I don't know the color or the plugs as i didnt have a wrench at the time and now its around 20 degrees out, so that will ahve to wait till morning

While the plugs are out, a baseline compression test will verify that your rings and valves are providing the needed compression to run good. If your compression isn't good enough, you can waste time and money replacing parts that will not do any good.

ok i will check that tomorrow when i look at the plugs. thanks for the tip.....

what i have been reading is it could be the crankshaft or cam shaft position sensor causeing this problem

Always start with tuneup hardware when symptomatic. Plugs, wires, cap, rotor. Failure to do this can result in the chasing of your tail. Simple stuff first. Keep in mind that you may have more than one thing going on here.

Also on the list would be verifying electrical including load testing of your battery.

Yes, crankshaft position sensors can suffer from "thermal failure" where the engine heat creates a fail condition, which goes away when it cools down. Those can be tough to find because of the intermittent nature but testing it when symptomatic can be helpful. This does not sound like a cam sensor problem.

Check crankshaft or cam shaft position sensor

changed the cps, ran fine for a day then its is dieing again, this time only about 3-5 mins before it will start again. i have noticed that a few time that it has quit, i had got through a puddle right before it died. i dont kno what to think the problem is, there are so many possiblities, but all cost alot of money. or replacement parts

Ok, no problem until you went mud-holing, right?

Start by pulling apart all of the electrical connectors in the harness under the hood. Use compressed air to dry them out, use electrical contact cleaner on them, then apply dielectric grease. Once ALL of them are done, report back if the problem persists.

Old saying: when you are up to your a** in alligators, just remember whose idea it was to drain the swamp--or drive through one.

yes, the very first time it happened it was right after i drove thro a big pothole of water and mud, then the other times were one a muddy/ snow covered road. and then the last time was this morning about half a mile after i went through a big pothole of mud and water right at my house

Ok, make sure to get the CPS/CKP connector, and really check the condition of the wiring.

Seen a couple posts that after having hit mud holes the steam off the exhaust melted the hydraulic line for the clutch master/slave on manual transmission equipped XJs. No telling what might happen to your wiring.

ok, i changed my cap and rotor and spark wires and fuel filter, cleaned 95 % of all electrical connetors, but made sure to get the fule, cps, and ignition wire for sure. its a new cps so the wire itself is fine. today it was going around 10 miles an hour, which is around the speed it always happens and it died. i tryied several different things when it stoped including trying to start with out touching the gas, with touching the gas, letting it sit, giggling wires, prime the fuel pump sereval times and not priming it....nothing seemed to help, finally it started to catch and mumble a few times then drove fine another 10 miles to my house. idk what to make of it, the things i have been thinking now maybe , are the cam shaft sensor, fuel pump, coil, or fuel pump relay. when i turn the key i can hear both the fuel pump and relay, but not every single time, but most of the time. and i have trieed to get it to stop but i never can, drive throuh puddles bouncing around on bumps, driving faster or slower, nothing i do can i get it to die...and when iot dies it is like i turn the key off, no spuddering or anything just dead

it also cranks over just fine when it does it, i was talking to a buddy who mentioned that the distributor gears being messed up could throw everything off and and be internet also.... and i have tried starting in nutral with no luck

check ignition coil & fuel pump.

ok, its been along time and it had only did this problem 2 or 3 time but started within 5 or so mins. all times it was pretty dry outside, but today it died for 30 or so mins. I was driving to a buddies, and my road is a half mile of dirt, so its full of potholes, and its been pouring rain here, so they all have water, drove through them, went about 2 miles on the highway, then when i slow down to turn, my jeep starts sputtering, i thought it died, turned off the road, and gave it gas, and it started going again, but sputtered untill it finally died. i had my fuel pressure gauge, check and it was around 40 or so psi. i could hear the relay and pump both click. it would crank but no luck starting. i was unable to check the spark since i was alone. iafter a while i cranked it over, and each time would start to fire more and more untill i got it to start. i drove it home, everything still wet from the rain, and when i got home shut it off and on a few times with no trouble. i have replaced cps, fuel filter, cap and rotor, plugs and wires, and dielectric greased all the connections i could find. my question is could the coil cause such random problems? i noticed 2 of the screws on the top or the coil were missing, but it was to dark to till if they were just tie down screws. i thought i had it all fixed, but i guess not, it seems the worse when its raining or really wet, but has happened when its dry out too.

Ok, you really need to get into the dead condition and then identify what is missing from the running condition.

The CPS/CKP is the only sensor that will prevent the XJ from running. Next time it is a no run try un-plugging and plugging it back in a few times.

You also need to spend a couple bucks. Buy a NOID light, $3, and the next time you are in a no-run condition use the NOID to check for an injector pulse signal at the end of the injetor harness. Also, carry a spare spark plug with you and a medium size jumper wire with clamps on both ends, one end being large enough to grasp the metal body of the plug--around the threads is Ok. Pull a spark plug wire, insert the spare plug, ground the body of the plug and lay things across the valve cover (in case you are alone again) and then try and start the engine and watch for spark and the condition of the spark.

Where can I find a noid light for a 88?

Standard Bosch type, simply plugs into the harness end after you remove it from the injector, used on Ford, Volvo, and just about anything else with Bosch type injectors, it is an EV1 style connector.

Even the new guy behind the counter in an Autozone should be able to hand you one.

I got the noid light, and it did it when i was at home and i put the light on 3 differnt plugs, and when i crnked it, it flashed idk how fast they should, but it was about one flash every 2 or 3 seconds. just to say again it did this, after i drove home in rain and went splashing through puddles on my road, sould the coil be cracked or something aloowing moisture to get in and mess it all up?