98xj surging, burning cap & rotors up. HELP!

I posted about this a few weeks ago. I went through some really deep water afew times (over my front bumper) and a few days later, went on a 300+ mile road trip. After I got home from the road trip, my 98 xj started surging (well, cuts out, then surges). No check engine light. It seems to do it after 30 seconds to 1 minute of driving, warm or cold. When I start it up, it idles a little rough, barely noticeable, and once it starts cutting out, if I let it idle, it idles really rough at like 350-450 rpm. This goes on for about 30 seconds, then it runs fine. I replaced my TPS, MAP, cap, rotor (firepower ign. kit) under warranty because the cap and rotor were all burned up.

Same problem. Checked the cap and rotor again after about 50 miles (many hours run time though cause i was off roading for quite a while) and thy were already turning black!!

Contacted Performance Distributors about the problem, they told me to check the resistance across the plug wires. Should be 300-350 ohms per foot. Two of them were complete open circuits!! The rest were within spec.

So I got the whole kit sent to me under warranty. Replaced the cap, rotor, coil, and wires. Checked the plugs, they're like brand new (only like 4k miles on them.) The coil i got had a "+" and "-" marked next to the terminals with an marker, the old one did not. So i checked the plug that goes into the coil and found out that the coil adapter wiring that they sold me had the wrong polarity!! Easy fix, popped the wires out of the plug, replaced them in the correct configuration. Yes!!! I fixed it!!

WRONG.

It STILL has the same problem!! I only drove it about 15 miles and the cap and rotor are starting to show signs of burning!!

So I replaced the ignition pickup, no change. Cleaned out the IAC and throttle body, no change. Still no codes. I'm still pissed off.

Could it be the CKP?? Possible O2?

I thought problems were supposed to happen when your DONE with the car payments, not when you still have years left!! :exclamati

maybe water got into the coil?

Sounds like gases from the crank case comming up along the dis. shaft.

Water in the coil could explain it, but it still has the problem with the new coil.

Sounds like gases from the crank case comming up along the dis. shaft.

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Think it could be a PCV issue??

oh, the firepower kit comes with a coil...right

thats a high voltage coil...did you open up the spark gap?
also check your grounding, engine block, body etc. especially engine block. and coil.

I opened the gap to their specs, .060 or .065 i forget. Yeah, never thought about a bad ground. Thanks, I'll check.

TRSCobra said:

I opened the gap to their specs, .060 or .065 i forget. Yeah, never thought about a bad ground. Thanks, I'll check.

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Did you check to make sure you didn't get a little water in the oil?
Just a little would cause steam and water vapor to work it's way up the distributer shaft.

Oil is fine, crankcase ventilation is clear, IAC works fine, I'm frustrated.

I may just replace the upstream O2 and pray it works.

It was the upstream 02 sensor. Who woulda thought it would make it run like that without setting a code. Jeep's happy, I'm happy.