Stalling+sputtering+oncoming traffic=DEATH!!!

I have a 97 4.0 auto. And was stopped at the end of my street going to turn onto the main street. When i put my foot on the gas to go, It went and then immediatly felt like it was stalling. But i dont have a manual (stick). Then when i put the pedal all the way to the floor it caught and accelerated as usual. I was like wtf? The oncoming traffic slammed on there brakes and it almost made me deploy seal team in my seat.
Why would it lose sputter like that?
Is it a fuel pump, tranny issue?
I do need to clean my SN switch but i dont think it would be because of that.
Now whenever i try to start my xj it takes forever. Almost like im outa gas.
Any ways to test the pump?

anyone?

Search for checking the pressure at the fuel rail. Something I need to do, as well.

another thought is, how much gas did you have left in your tank at the time, and were you turning left?

The last generation XJ's are well known for sputtering and stalling like that, if you take left turns too sharply or too abruptly with 1/4 a tank of gas or less left. Mine's done it a couple of times when there's alot of traffic coming like that and it's no fun at all.

I had that happen to me a few times when my fuel pump was dying. I wasn't sure what was scarier, the situation that you described or driving at 75 mph in rush hour traffic and then suddenly having the engine go dead without any warning. I first thought it was the CPS/ignition coil, but I changed them out and had another "seal team deployment" moment, as you would call it. The fuel pump finally solved it.

I will check the pressure and cps. I had 3/4 tank and was turning a sharp right and uphill. Should i replace the fuel filter first since thats a cheap fix?What brand and kind of gage do i need to check the pressure. Or is it cheaper to just take it in somewhere?

Your 97 pump and filter should be a single assembly in the tank, so it's not a cheap fix.

OH SHITE!!!
guess ill just check the pressure first.

gotta a part number for the pressure tester?

I've seen generic ones before at Harbor Freight. I think it's just a pressure gauge with the right fitting...or maybe make your own...

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/quickfpg.html

I don't think a pressure gauge will help though. You said you've only had the stall while cornering...kinda hard to drive around a corner while looking at a pressure gauge hooked up to the fuel rail under the hood. An in-cab gauge would be handy.

Maybe check your CPS first. Seems like a lot more people have problems with that.

Mine would do that once in a while upon initial acceleration. It turned out to be the upstream O2 sensor. I had no codes at all and I also have a 97.

My 97 XJ 4.0 has been doing that for 7 years now since the day I bought it, only on left turns with 1/4 tank or less. I've never bothered to figure it out, and have changed both O2 sensors for other reasons and it didn't help. I chalk it up to a quirk of 97 XJ ownership as I've heard numerous other with the same issue.

I have a 97, weekend I bought it (2 years ago) the stalling on the hi-way happened to me. would start back up and go on, but whenever the tank was 1/4 or less it was something I had to deal with. I thought maybe there was some crap inmy tank, but then it went away, hasn't happened in a year or so and I didn't make any changes so never figured out what it was.
is this a 97 problem?
hmmm will keep an eye on this one in case it re-appears in the future.

on the 97 up it is something you can count on. Seems to be a constant with that year range.

I AM BOUND TO DETERMINE WHAT IS CAUSING THIS STRANGE OCCURRANCE!! damn it!
My acceleration sucks from 1st-3rd. I just got it regeared to 4.56 so it should be more getty on the go. I do have a nice exuast leak crack in the header. And my exuast is all foobared from the cat back. Might as well pressure check fuel rail, replace the header, check and replace injectors as need be and replace the exuast pipe back. Then drive it off a cliff.

beakie said:

I have a 97, weekend I bought it (2 years ago) the stalling on the hi-way happened to me. would start back up and go on, but whenever the tank was 1/4 or less it was something I had to deal with. I thought maybe there was some crap inmy tank, but then it went away, hasn't happened in a year or so and I didn't make any changes so never figured out what it was.
is this a 97 problem?
hmmm will keep an eye on this one in case it re-appears in the future.

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My situation exactly. I would be driving at 70-75 mph, then the engine would completely die w/o warning. Happened about maybe 2-3 times a year. It would sometimes start right back up, but other times I had to wait 1-2 hours. By that time, the tow truck had come. One time, I tried it one more time and it started, so the tow truck just left. Another time, it wouldn't start, so we put it up on the tow truck. The guy thought I was out of gas, so we stopped at a gas station and put gas in it while on top of the tow truck (really fun thing to do) and then it started right back up at the gas station. Another thing I noticed was that the stalling seemed to happen more often when I was under 1/2 tank of gas. The problem was so rare and left no codes, so debugging was hard as hell.

I finally dropped the tank and found my filter sock filled with black gunk. My theory is that the filter got clogged and the motor in the fuel pump overheated and stalled (commutator probably all fouled up). Sometimes the motor would start working again, sometimes not (electrical gremlin). A full tank of gas probably acted like a heat sink and kept the fuel pump cool. Putting new fuel in might have helped because it's nice and cool in those underground tanks and it also might have sloshed around the tank semi-cleaning the filter sock.

JEEPTUBE said:

Then drive it off a cliff.

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Those are my exact words last night while replacing all my brake hardlines to pass state inspections. I told my friend I should just lease a new BMW with all maintenance covered.