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Mystery Sudden Death & Resurrection


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So my Comanche left me stranded for the first time since I got it last week. Was running down the road to pickup lunch and it died after going about 2 miles. No sputtering, no struggling, it just quietly shutoff the engine. I did my normal figuring out why my jeep won't run routine, checked that no wires or hoses shook loose, and checked that fuel was in the rail. Fuel pressure seemed low to me, as not as much as normal shot out all over the place. It would turn over just fine, maybe sound like 1 cylinder would fire then just nothing.

 

So I assumed it was low fuel pressure, bad pump or regulator, got a pressure gauge and tested it today after charging my battery. Pressure read 31 psi and it started right up. I don't think it was a bad battery because I cranked it a lot when I died, probably 2 or 3 minutes of cranking in total while trying to restart it on the side of the road. I couldn't really hear the pump priming on the side of the road but it was super loud with all the cars going by, but I can hear the pump now in my driveway.

 

Also, I have done all of Cruiser's tips over the years, not to say something couldn't break or degrade in that time.

 

I replaced the fuel pump when I got the truck in 2019, think it could be a dying pump? or am I missing something obvious?

What should I check first?

 

Really hate that I can't trust my truck now.

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1 hour ago, BizarroStormy said:

Pressure read 31 psi and it started right up

 

Is that 31psi with engine running or 31psi without engine running? Should read 39psi without engine running. Check vacuum hose on Fuel Pressure Regulator (FPR).

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15 hours ago, BizarroStormy said:

Got nowhere near 39, maybe 35 for a second. Noticed it was leaking down slowly after the prime. Just ordered a new pressure regulator, hopefully it isn't the pump as that would be super annoying to replace. 

The pump is very easy to replace :holdwrench: finding a good replacement pump, on the other hand, can be more difficult

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Replaced my CPS, still no start. New one is worse than the one it replaced, only reads .25v while cranking. Think I got a dud or could my flex plate be defective? I had the trans off the engine last year and the plate looked fine other than some slightly damaged teeth. New pressure regulator seems to have helped, reading 35psi now.

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On 7/20/2023 at 8:02 AM, ghetdjc320 said:

My vote would be dying pump. Very typical symptoms. Fuel pumps can just go out completely but I’ve noticed most that I’ve had go out in the last 10-15 years do so sporadically

Still sounds like bad fuel pump to me. Install your old cps back on. If the new one is giving you issues. 

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Not all. I would ensure cleaned at housing, and perhaps clean connection or could hard wire it as this has resolved some interminting issues before for myself and others. I would pull on the connection of cps while someone tries to start it up. Just jiggle the wire a bit to ensure its not that. 

 

Fuel, spark and air all at the right time starts  everytime. :holdwrench: 

 

 

 

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Yes. Any electromagnetic sensor (CPS) decrease in gap will increase AC voltage output, but to close can confuse it. Engine cranking or engine running speed (RPMs) has a greater effect on AC output. Increase RPMs increases AC output.

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Haven't checked spark, but I shouldn't be getting any if the CPS is not reading. I have been checking the voltage directly from the CPS unplugged so wiring is not the cause of the low voltage, I have replaced the wiring harness plug with a new one though. Have a NTK sensor coming in today, if that doesn't work I will try the boring out trick that I missed on Cruiser's site.  Fuel is fine, 35lbs.

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The ac voltage test on a variable reluctance sensor is somewhat subjective without a reference cranking rpm. The voltage is going to vary based on your cranking rpm and not all 4.0’s crank at the same speed as you well know. Battery voltage, ground and power cable condition and many other factors could greatly affect this reading. Try a fully charged battery with no spark plugs in the cylinders. My guess is that you’ll see a higher voltage. But again, try pulling out a plug and checking for spark before messing with the cps. You could get better sensor resolution when lessening the air gap, but it should still run just fine at the factory gap. 
 

Out of curiosity, did it start taking longer and longer to start recently?

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  • 9 months later...

So I finally fixed my issue after my truck sat for about 9 months. In the end it was the ignition control module. I figured that out after replacing the flex plate, crank position sensor, doing the cruiser crank position sensor mod to increase voltage, and the coil. Jeeps are fun.

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Glad to see it's fixed. 

I'm suspicious of new parts anymore. I keep a good used spare ICM/coil around. They rarely fail. 

 

I have to ask. Did you ever do the contact refreshing on that ICM before replacing it? 

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