Another bad CKPS

Well my 97 stopped dead on me the other night as if some little gremlin turned the key off while going down the road. There was no sputter or nothing, the engine just shut off. I pulled over and was able to start it after about a minute. It was running fine for the rest of my AM commute. It started right up after work, but on my ride home it shut off again. This time it wouldn't start for about 5 mins. It ran for 2 miles then shut off again and would't start this time. Of course I'm sitting in traffic with my hazard lights on with people waiting behind me. Thankfully a couple nice guys helped me push it into the ACME parking lot about 50 yrds away. My first though was maybe a bad coil, cause there was no spark at the coil when cranked. I checked all the fuses, just in case, but all was good. So, I changed the coil. Unfortunately that was for nothing, because there was still no spark. Then I thought fuel. So I opened the Schrader valve on the fuel rail, but it sprayed about $0.43 worth of gas out, so it's getting fuel. I could also hear the fuel pump run when I turned the key to "on". At this point I was ready to have it towed, but I remember reading on here about the CPS (crankshaft position sensor) can cause these symptoms. So, I swapped out the CPS right there in the ACME parking lot. Not too bad to do, but a couple 10" ext. and a wobbly joint definitely helped. I crossed my fingers and turned the key. It started right up and has been running and starting great for almost a week now. $*&*&$$% SENSORS!!!!! This should almost be on a maintainance schedule for replacement or something. Type in CPS or crankshaft in the search and see how many threads you get. Seems like a common Chryco/Plym. problem. Too common. Anyone have this sensor swapped out at a garage? I'm just curious what they charge for this.

Misc. tools-$35
New coil - $38
New sensor $104 (OEM)

The look on people's faces who saw me all greasy-grimy in the ACME parking lot. -- PRICELESS

$104 for a CPS?

Makes me glad I still drive a Renix. My last one cost me $33 from the dealer.

The aftermarket OEM replacement one was $85 plus tax at the parts store. I bought this one first, but of course it was not the right one. (I had nothing to compare it to because the bad one was still on the jeep) I'm not sure which one they gave me, but it was way too big. My intention was to get everything that I would need to do the job so that I wouldn't have to stop in the middle of it and run for something. So I had to return that one and get my $ back. Then I had to run to the Stealership for the stock part. There's an hour of my life I won't get back!

By the way, the XJ has been running fine since.

!@#$%^ !!! SENSORS!!!!

The CPS is the weak point in ALL ECM systems they just go bad but really never should.
That makes it tough because a new one may not last any longer than the old one.