I have a 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee, replaced the Crankshaft position sensor still not starting

120

Asked by nico1993 Jan 18, 2014 at 08:29 PM about the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4WD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I found out that my tail lights went out one morning, later that day after driving to and
from work I parked it and wiggled some wires realized my battery temperature sensor
was ripped so I removed the rest of the way,put it back on and vehicle would not start. It
is not getting spark, I can cheat the fuel pump relay and have it work but it is not
getting fuel on it own and its not turning over, only cranking. I need help figuring this one
out. I replaced the crankshaft module and still nothing.

26 Answers

44,635

These cars all develop the same symptoms.. before you try anything else.. locate the ECM. On the 96 GC it is behind the radiator overflow - remove 3 10mm nuts. Lift it out of the way. The ECM has a plastic cover which pops off(forward)and you will see three large plug bundles plugged into the ECM. Here is what a guy told me- disconnect the battery, then there are two torx screws holding the cover on the actual metal ECM - they are 1/2" long..below the plugs in the front of the ecm. With wear and bouncing the board moves and contacts the end of the screws-- back them out half way - reconnect the battery and try to start it - if it works.. put in 1/4" sheet metal screws instead of the 1/2" long ones.

14 people found this helpful.
44,635

ALL of the jeep cherokees have this problem . one cause is the crank position sensor ,mounted on the top of the trans. bell housing near / under the firewall. Some people have had luck with simply unplugging the sensor,waiting 5 minutes,then plugging it back up . In my case ,it had to be replaced .check first the fuel pump relay,located under the hood,pass. side in the fuse box,marked under the fuse box lid as fuel pump relay.the wiper fuse should be the same=check the numbers on the fuse .then check all other fuses with a test light.any blown fuse has a reason for it ,so use the wiring schematic it the back of the owners manual to find all wires in that circuit ,and check those wires for cuts,burns or chaffing (vibration rub marks that cut the wire fot the copper inside to corrode ).also make sure that the battery is not corroded , check the main ground wires for loose nuts that will make them a bad control ground .most older cherokees up to 1996 have a "trick" to getting the check engine light to blink a number of times for the code .turn the switch to the forward on position and back off 6 times then leave on for the code and write down the numbers. unlike chevy ,it only gives one code= no repeats until it is done so write fast . last code means its done

8 people found this helpful.
120

Its not getting fuel nor firing I will try the 1/4 inch trick cause that's what ive read that may work but if not where can I start from there

4 people found this helpful.
120

Also I just recall letter in the mail I'm not sure if you all are aware but its for the rear end, mostly to do with the gas tank. Honestly I was hoping it would be for the issue I'm dealing with because it seems many jeeps grand cherokee have the same issue

4 people found this helpful.
120

I forgot to mention bid2 scanner will not link with my jeep either

3 people found this helpful.
44,635

Check and see if any fuses are blown. This will not let you scan the system if the fuse is blown to the diagnostic connector.

4 people found this helpful.
190

I went through all the same problems with my 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee. after be stranded on the side of the road multiple time one day, I finally figured it out. This might not be the problem on your but it doesn't cost anything to check it. I had replaced the Crankshaft Position sensor, the camshaft sensor, the fuel pump and was about to change the PCM. Each time mine died i was able to plug and unplug the crank shaft sensor by the head and it would start again - after a few minutes. After 4 times in one day I was convinced that there was a problem with that connection and was prepared to cut it out and splice the wires direct. When i pulled the loom back on the plug side that was original to the car, the wires were bare. Three individual wires with no insulation at all on them for about 3 inches down in the loom. I dont know why this happened, maybe it was heat from the engine, or residual oil from a leak (my jeep has over 200K miles) but it was the cause to all my problems and could not be seen until i removed the loom. I wrapped them with some electrical tape and have not had one problem since. This explains all the weird intermittent problems that have boggled me and my mechanic for the past few months.

19 people found this helpful.
150

My freind has a 1994 jeep grand Cherokee limited 5.2 liter and he was driving normally and it sputtered and then died on him, we replaced the fuel filter bc that's what the autozone guy said but that sure as hell didn't work so we did reasurch and replaced the crankshaft sensor just last night, (pain in the fucking ass with a v8) but then we tried starting it and still just cranked, it has fuel going to the motor but no spark still WE NEED ANYTHING THAT CAN HELP!!!!

15 people found this helpful.
30

I'm having the same issue I've replaced the computer cap and rotar,coil, crank sensor still doing the same thing. Have not tried backing the scrwes out of the computer it is from a salvage yard. Any ideas???

3 people found this helpful.
40

I have the exact same symptoms like nico. Getting no spark or fuel. Security light stays red 10 seconds after i put the ignition on and my scanner wont link to the car. All the car does is crank over

4 people found this helpful.
70

I have a 97 GGJ 5.2 v8 and same thing. I have replaced the cps, pickup coil/cam shaft sensor, ignition coil. All it does is crank. I get 12 volts on the connection that plugs into the bottom of the coil for about 1 maybe 2 sec then it dissappears. Fuel pump is coming on and I don't have a security light coming on but that's not saying it's not the problem. I am completely lost for words cause I don't know what else to do. If somebody can help me I sure would appreciate it. Thanks alot guys

7 people found this helpful.
170

I realize this is an old thread but maybe my two cents may help someone else. Turn the ignition key to on (not start) and check for the check engine light. If it is not on and all the fuses are ok replace the capacitors in the engine control unit. I removed the ECU on my 93 GC, removed the board and took it to an electronic shop. For less than $40.00 they replaced the 3 capacitors. I re-sealed the unit with clear silicon.

9 people found this helpful.
30

I fixed my 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the same issue we all have. It took awhile .. So, I replaced the CPS, and Sensor under the distributor it's the cam position sensor and the PCM from ACE on Ebay. It took several PCM's but it works well and I put 600 miles on it so far. I hope this helps! I would have loved to see a post like it!

1 people found this helpful.
10

Why did it take several pcms glasshopper? I'm having similar issues with my 97 Jeep zj and I'm thinking about doing this also. I've heard the numbers on the pcm has to match the numbers on your original pcm.

1 people found this helpful.
30

AdamHill77 - I grabbed several PCM's from the wrecker, they would work for a few days then die. The company I went through, ACE in Florida from Ebay, ask for the mileage and VIN. I'm not sure why it took so many PCM's, defective or not rebuilt properly, or something in my Jeep killing them?? I got the lifetime warranty, they covered shipping, but, it was frustrating.. After I swapped the cam position sensor under the distributor, then put on the latest rebuilt PCM it worked and is still going strong!

2 people found this helpful.
40

Someone help.... 1998 Jeep Cherokee. Having pretty much the same problem as everyone else. While driving to work it just died. Leaving me stranded on the side of the road. Had it towed home. So far.... We have replaced the crankshaft positioning sensor. That was pretty much everyone's first guess as to what's wrong. Still nothing. Removed a spark plug to check for fire and nothing. It turns over fine. Just no fire at all. Read a bunch of the comments following this post and a bunch of people seem to have similar problems. Don't want to dump a ton of money and not fix it. Where do I start? After replacing the crank sensor and it still not starting we did run plug in the obd2 scanner and it reads the jeep fine. It says the crank sensor, but we just replaced it so should I reset it and go from there? Should I try the cam positioning sensor and the PCM? Could the distributor itself be the problem with no spark? Help me please...

3 people found this helpful.
40

I would start with the PCM, but it did take me replacing the cam position sensor under the distributor now my 97 JGC is working great for over a year now! It was really frustrating but it works now!! Best of luck to you!!

1 people found this helpful.
20

So I have a 97 jeep grand Cherokee as well and I am having the same issues. Mine will start but sometimes it takes several long turns of the ignition. It has been stalling out while I'm driving and even dies. Today it started backfiring and all of these symptoms are just getting worse. I bought a crankshaft sensor and waiting to have it replaced so my question if that doesn't fix my problems what should I do next? My check engine light is not on so I have not had codes read.

2 people found this helpful.

I'm having same problem with a 96 jeep Cherokee turns over great butt will not crank has hot to distributor butt no fire at plug also fuel pump wrks butt no fuel at engine if u get answer please mesage bk iv not tryed crank sensor yet can it cause this

40

It’s probably the cam position sensor inside the distributor! Crank position cuts the motor on and off. It s a possibility but, I would start with that cam position sensor.. An other thing could be the ECU. Try that last! Let me know if you have any other questions. I still have mine and love it!

3 people found this helpful.
20

I have a 96 5.2 gc. It has no spark, i have replaced my cap and rotor, cam position sensor, and coil, also the ecm. I have replaced the crank position sensor 6 times, and for a while this seemed to fix it but this last time it has not. It has fuel at the rail. What could cause this no spark???

2 people found this helpful.

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