Jeep randomly dies when driving

I have been searching threads for over an hour with not much luck. It sounds like it may be a crank position sensor, but maybe not.

I have a '99 XJ w/ 155k on the clock. My wife is now the main driver of the XJ since I take the small car to work. Whenever I drive the Jeep, it runs flawlessly and it has never died on me. It's a different story for her. It started about a month ago when it randomly died on her while stopped at a red light. Took about 30 seconds for it to start back up after cranking it.

We thought it was a fluke because it didn't happen again for weeks. Then it died while she was driving down the road. Took longer for it to start back up, but it always starts. Today it died on her twice, but luckily the second time it was in the driveway. She filled it up with gas today but the gas gauge is not even close to being accurate. It jumps all over the place with just the ignition turned.

I read that this may indicate a bad CPS if it's bad. I disconnected the Crank Position Sensor and turned the key on, but the gauge is still reading all over the place, and it's supposed to read correctly if the CPS is the cause of the problem when it's disconnected. I have no idea if these two issues are related, but at least it's a new development in trying to figure out the issue. The XJ will still crank and fire just fine, so I can't even replicate the problem with it dying, but the fuel gauge is something that's going on right now. What do you think?

Okay, scratch the part above about the fuel gauge being wrong. Apparently it wasn't filled up all the way the last time, but now that I filled it up, it's reading full and true. Back to the issue of it dying...

Bump

I had a similar problem with one of my Jeeps. It turned out to be a wire harness problem (harness connector on the coil was not tight). I found it by wiggling wires while the jeep was idling in the driveway.

Check the harness connector that plugs into the ECU as well. Pins should be clean and straight. Make sure the connector is good and tight when you reattach.

Are you throwing any codes (DTCs)? Reading the codes may provide a clue.

The CPS can have intermittent failures and test 100% good. Typical CPS lifespan is approximately 150,000 miles. Preventive Maintenance prevents roadside break downs, tow fees, and/or sleeping on the couch for week.

Buy and install a new Genuine Jeep CPS. Cheap CPS from Advance/IdiotZone/eBay have been proven to be be out of specification or failed right out of the box, or to have a short lifespan.

I'll check the wiring on the harness this weekend. I would like to replace the CPS for preventative maintenance, but is there a difference between the CPS for manual and auto transmissions, or are they all the same?

Bump. Any difference between the auto and manual transmission CPS, or are they all the same?