no spark from ignition coil

Asked by firefox750 May 07, 2009 at 09:49 PM about the 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

not getting spark from ignition coil, replaced coil, still no spark

43 Answers

750

So your engine is cranking..fuel is ok and needless to say your car has not seen a new shiney new part in awhile. Simple things are the obviouse! Grounding straps and connections. Most folks forget that makin that engine shine means water and solvents can creep in and disconnect the " bond " between engine and ECU....check grounding locations between engine block and body. If the engine cranks but, does not fire...think about the many times the " ignition switch " is used....1000x's. Hope this helps.

75 people found this helpful.
3,610

I have a 94 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4x4 straight 6 4.0. It started dying on my while driving. It did it periodically for a couple months then it started happening even more. Finally it would die while I was driving and as soon as I shut it off it would crank but not start. Normally after it sat for about an hour it would start back up. Replaced cam sensor/distributor pick-up, crankshaft sensor and fuel filter. Among changing u-joints and fixing the exhaust. Drove it after that it did great....drove for about 20 minutes and it didn't die. Well I decieded to shut it off about a mile and half from my house like an idiot I listened to my uncle and did it. Well it wouldn't start, ended up towing it home. Replaced the coil and nothing....replaced thermostat, found out it was stuck almost completely shut, engine barely had water in it. Started up fine a couple times then back to just cranking. Switched relay for fuel pump and ignition and starts up runs great then after about 20 minutes shut it off and back to just cranking again. Fuel pump does work. Replaced distributor cap as well. If anyone has any idea what it could be please tell me. Thank you

232 people found this helpful.
3,610

I forgot, my coil isn't firing but its new, not sure if its because of the wiring from the cranksensor or what but both are brand new will check wiring though.

129 people found this helpful.
560

this forum is probably old and no one is still watching this post but my 97 jeep grand cherokee was just doing what everyone is complaing about and i had replaced all the same stuff. coil o2 throttle positioning sensor all that and it finally took a shit today in the rain and i was reading these posts and checked my computer conection and they were fine but i jiggled connection while running and it stated messing up and put back and was fine. eachtime i moved harness it would act up and harness is realy loose at the comptuer at the connecter closest to the fender. check it out and see if it helps you.

56 people found this helpful.
1,320

My 96 has the same problem and there's no power to the coil and a changed the crankshaft sensor and still nothing the fuse box clicks and so does the evaporation canister

101 people found this helpful.
530

my 97 Cherokee has the same problem many parts been replaced

53 people found this helpful.
460

I have a 95 oldsmobile 98 modile it was driving fine only had it a few weeks it started cutting off while driving it like it just lost power no noise no knocking slight vibration from time to time but would crank back up in less than a minute but then one day it did it same way but this time it want start back up turns over all lights come on but want start has fuel pressure fuel pump working,starter fine,battery fine changed crank shaft sensor and spark plugs n wires and coil pack but still not spark I'm lost .......

35 people found this helpful.
470

My escort had the same and after replacing coil pack, wires, checking all connections it turns out it was a bad ignition switch. Too many keys caused tumbler to short out

8 people found this helpful.
470

Also check power relay which is inline between ignition switch and I ignition module. Ford used these often found behind glove box

13 people found this helpful.
460

It was ignition module it runs now but still stalling occasionally but saw somethin bout a coil pack housing

11 people found this helpful.
505

It's most likely the crankshaft position sensor. It's mounted on the bellhousing. Easiest way to change it is with a really long extension and swivel socket from the bottom. Looking at the engine from the rear, the crank sensor is at about the 11:00 position. They're a little tricky to get at the mounting bolt, but if you're fairly handy with mechanical things, it's not too big of a deal. I did one in about a half hour on my '96.

30 people found this helpful.
250

Had the same problem same year of Jeep. Changed the crank position sensor and seems to have cured the problem. Is a bit of a bugger to change but it is do-able.

17 people found this helpful.
470

crank sensor bad which lets the computer know the engine is rotating so start feeding fuel and send power to coil

26 people found this helpful.
620

1996 Jeep Cherokee 4.0. Cuts off while driving. Losing signal to fire between distributor and computer. When running stops firing and loads up with gas and starts back backfiring exploding the muffler. My jeep has been to 7 different shops. Every wire has been traced down and connectors checked. Majority of these jeeps are the same. They were built with electonics equevelent to most house hold electronics and they just dont hold up. Most mechanics wont touch it when i say its electrical problems on a jeep cherokee. I have replaced the following. distributor distributor cap rotary button cam sensor throttle position sensor crank sensor wires and plugs Altenator coil oil pressure sensor radiator thermostate Computer battery added a 75 amp fuse to the conectors on the fuse box under the hood from the battery. Antitheft relay in the interior fuse box. Rebuilt transmission rebuilt 4 wheel drive I wasted a lot of time and money on this jeep. The only thing i now left to do is part it out or crush it.

40 people found this helpful.
270

1993 grand Cherokee 4.0 eng has similar problem. Problem started with failure to start but if I left the key switch on, in a few minutes I cud hear the fuel pump come on and then it wud start. But there was no spark in the ignition til that point. It finally bit the dust and does not start at all now Replaced crank sensor, Distributor emitter, coil, and computer. I will try the ignition sw now

27 people found this helpful.
620

Mine finally quit too. I said what the hell i backed the two screws out in the computer housing located underneath the computer plug. Not the mounting screws but the ones in the actual case. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT ACTUALLY WORKED. LIKE A NEW CAR.

22 people found this helpful.
470

!!!Help i bought this 1996 jeep grand Cherokee limited v8 4x4 5.2 318with a hydrolocked motor. I bought the same motor 318 5.2 out ofa 95 and put it in everything went smoothly also bought a fuel pump fuel filter computer ,spark plugs ,wires, new battery. It has fuel pressure turns over but doesn't start ...no spark to coil im lost i checked all my grounds and fuses wiggled all the wires and relays.... im really stumped someonE anyone could give me some advice id appreciate it. :)))

47 people found this helpful.
230

Lol on all these jeeps it is a funny fix after all the time and money look under plug #5 others a stud on the block with several grounds on it even if nut is tight take those wire ends and clean the geese off problem solved

23 people found this helpful.
340

ne coil pack, new plugs, new fuel filter, air filter,, you name it , its been put on and all the Cherokee tricks have been tried., unplug neg cable, 3 time turn the keys, put code reader on reset code,, Jeep runs bust still shows the same code P0351,,, Im at at a loss..PJ

16 people found this helpful.
340

Mine is a 1999 grand Cherokee Laredo inline 6, 4x4 automatic. Started misfiring with one code coming up P0351, which is cylinder#1 secondary ignition fault code. I replaced the complete coil pack and same code came up , then several other codes would come up all in relation to cylinder misfires. DO NOT replace you ignition coil pack with Autozone. The staff stressed that it was the correct one , that that's what it shows on the computer and that's what it calls for and that the harness was needed for the upgrade. That pack is for a 2000 model and the harness is so that it will fit to connect to your 99. DONT DO IT!! Oreillys has the right ignition pack for 99 , no harness needed. never the less, the misfire is still present with same code. Tries all the tricks, unplugging negative cable, hit the ignition switch 3 times, it will tell you your code, Ive used a scanner to check the code and to try and reset the code. it will tell you the code but not reset the code which means that part is still bad. , and yes I have purchased new parts that were bad to start off with, so Im hoping that's what it is , because Ive tried just about everything I can think about, this is my 4th Cherokee, so wish me luck or shoot me some ideas..If I can help somebody let me know,, Ive had Cherokees and wranglers and sometimes believe it or not, a plug was the only thing needed to be unplugged for 2 minutes and then plugged back in and my wrangler ran great..

18 people found this helpful.
170

I have a grand Cherokee 4.7 left side not firing

17 people found this helpful.
480

i have a 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4.0 that i have just finished rebuilding and tried to start and the situation i am in is crank no start i have no fire and my fuel pump relay isnt kicking on the fuel pump i have checked the ignition coil all fuses and i have replaced crankshaft position sensor and i still have no spark can someone please help?

48 people found this helpful.
310

I came here looking for answers but seems I'm not the only one with this problem. My 93 jeep grand Cherokee started off by stalling while driving but would start right back up and was fine for awhile. Then one day it just wouldn't start back up. We replaced the coil, distributor, spark plugs,wires, crankshaft and much more. Still won't start. turns over but no spark to start. We also checked all wires and connections. We are officially lost on what to do.

31 people found this helpful.
1,320

everyone on here will think im crazy but ive solved my problem and it was something so simple it was actually my ignition fuse in under my passenger side dash. maybe this will help?

24 people found this helpful.
100

I have a 1993 jeep Cherokee Sport 4.0L. This car is possessed. It has been stalling randomly at speed, an abrupt and sudden drop to 0 RPM, sometimes it would catch itself and go back to normal, other times it would stall out. After some research I suspected the crankshaft position sensor. I took it in to the mechanic, and they said my PCM, the main computer in the jeep was faulty and they couldn't test to see what sensors might be at fault. Ok, so I bought the new computer, they drove it for 20 miles and didn't record any error messages from anywhere in the car. EXCELLENT! Problem solved right? Only for the evening. The next morning my car stalled out on the highway, wouldn't start. It did crank over, and no dimming of dash lights or signal lights were noted. When I got it back to the house I took the battery in and had it tested. Bad battery. Bought a new one, car started, ran well for 20 minutes at idle, then died. It started up each time afterwards. But I still have issues with it stalling out on the road. Just had the alternator tested, it appears to be operating properly. My suspect list: - The crank shaft sensor over heats after a while and fails, but when cool indicates no problems. - The ignition coil is going bad and causing the plugs to simultaneously cease firing. - I've checked my ground wires, but maybe I missed one that is bad? - some other electrical demonic presence? HELP! This car is driving me insane.

10 people found this helpful.
20

I too have a Grand Cherokee it always seems to start again if I move wire harness just right but Connor trust it to go anywhere is there an answer auto repairs won't touch it what can I do??

2 people found this helpful.
130

Check the fuses behind the battery. <<< 96 Jeep GCL shut off in traffic, cranked but no fire,, changed coil senor, crank senor and computer, still nothing. Turned out to be a 20a fuse.$1.00. OMG! Something related to the gas gauge which I noticed had stopped working when it shut off.

13 people found this helpful.
190

I have a 2006 Cherokee and engine cranks but, does not fire. The mechanic was troubleshooting an electrical failure in the headlights, checked the fuses and he disconnected the main harness and after that wont start. He pulled out one of the spark plugs and cranking with the spark plug out and pluged into the coil. Found no spark at alll. Sounds likes some thing wrong with the harness... Any clue? Really appreciate.

19 people found this helpful.
30

Hi my names mike and I personally have a problem with my ..... 2002 jeep grand cherokee larado 4x4 iv been doing everything I can do to get this dam jeep running right first of all I lost my keys then I had a key programmer come make me a new key everthing was perfect antell the other day it was idling outside and started acting funny and I shut the jeep off the started it again.... same thing so I popped he hood and took the battery cables off connected the pos and nag battery cables togther and rest the ecu /ecm and after that it started just fine now #2 injectior will not fire and iv tryed ever this except swiping the ecm / ecu anyone have any ideas cam shaft sensor and crank chat sensor both are new and I'm doing O,2 sensors tomorrow

3 people found this helpful.
100

Hey guys, I’m having some similar issues with my 98 grand with 4.0 auto. Yesterday I was driving, and out of nowhere it just died and wouldn’t re start. I have no spark anywhere. I hooked my OBD2 up and it wasn’t showing any codes. Just said it’s an emissions problem which made me think o2 sensor, but after talking with a few people they seem to think that an o2 sensor wouldn’t completely shut me down like that. I automatically assumed when it happened that a crank sensor was more than likely what caused it, but usually a check engine light or code would pop up for that, and i didn’t get a code or an engine light. I don’t have a lot of money to just start throwing new parts at it, so any advice would be great. Thanks.

6 people found this helpful.
60

We had the same issues with the jeep. It was nothing more than a code read that tells it not to spark when the fuel pump goes out, to prevent fires. It seemed a bit odd, but it has not had problem since we replaced the fuel pump & reset.. The guy at the garage said, most shops won`t tell you it`s that simple. There is a reason we use the same shop all the time. Honesty works.

6 people found this helpful.
40

I have a 91.... I'm sad after reading all that because I literally tried almost all of that, replaced about every electrical. I just replaced the computer and crank position sensor, have no spark. If anybody has an idea please throw some ideas at me

4 people found this helpful.
70

my 94 jeep Cherokee has same ploblem some times it runs and some times no fire at coil chg coil icm crank shaft sensor,fuel pump.chking wiring harness at icm today maybe it will fix it

1 people found this helpful.
1,320

I no longer have my jeep but to fallow up from my problem with no spark as ceazy as it is ive spend a good hour or so going through pulling every fuse imaginable and checking then and by dumb luck i found a blue fuse which was the ignition fuse and it was shorted out i replace that and it was fine ran like a top! Not sure if this will help anyone but its worth a shot

7 people found this helpful.
70

well today after reading all these post I reset anti-theft by turn to lock and unlock at hatch.turned key jeep fired right up,shut it off ,resarted it ,it did this 3 times,now back to original no spark,no fuel.tried to reset antitheft by locking and un locking hatch did not wrk this time when it runs it is smooth running eng, dougk

2 people found this helpful.
70

if it was a fuse blown it shouldn't run at all thinking the relay &ign relay clicking out dougk

2 people found this helpful.
70

k I got a new relay for ign & fuel pump started right up backed out of garage died has ran since any idea's would be great doug k.

70

well today after putting new batt inand chk all fuse's under dash plus main fuses un hood turn key started right up back up 25 ft pulled back in garage still running smooth walked around in frt it died anyone have any ideas???????????????????? please

2 people found this helpful.
100

My guess would be the PCM has a bad connection. Right behind your coolant reservoir , there are 3 wire harness connections on the firewall. Pull all 3 and blow them out, check for corrosion and plug them back in. I had a very similar situation and my PCM had gone bad. I drive a 98 4.0 ZJ with 318,xxx and that was my problem. Too bad I didn’t figure that out before I literally replaced every electrical part on the damn thing. If you find the PCM is your problem, flagshipone.com will flash one to your vin number and have it shipped to you in less than 2 weeks ready to plug and play. Hope this helps.

4 people found this helpful.
20

Try unplugging the trans plug and then plug it back in this helped me with the driving 20 min then shutting off problem

2 people found this helpful.

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