Hi Jeepers! I recently bought a 99 Sport 4.0L w/ 108k miles from a very good of mine. He's owned it since he was 4 (yes, four) years old. This issue is new and unknown to him.
The issue: When accelerating, and sometimes just steadily cruising, when hitting some random bumps, sometimes the engine seems to just cut out for a fraction of a second and then come back to life as if nothing happened. Sometimes just one hiccup, sometimes a series of hiccups depending on the road conditions. The Jeep was stored for about 5 years, and the original owner said that ever since coming out of storage, the fuel gauge has not worked properly. It drops to E randomly, seeming some time after it reaches 3/4 tank. Sometimes it randomly returns to what seem like a correct level indication. I can do without a working fuel gauge but I need the engine to not cut out for any reason.
I spent 25 years as a commercial driver and have driven hundreds of different fleet vehicles and I'm very good at diagnosing problems- but this one has me baffled. All signs point to (in my opinion) a loose connection/bad ground somewhere in the fuel sending unit or other wiring in the rear of the Jeep.
At some point the original owner replaced the fuel sending unit. The jeep displays no engine or other dummy lights.
I've developed a habit of letting off the throttle in anticipation of bumps in the road- it seems less likely to sputter if I left off the throttle as I hit bumps. Worth mentioning that the Jeep has a bit of a squat on the right rear side. I plan on replacing the springs and shocks (and many other things), and my mechanic will soon be giving everything a thorough inspection. But I don't want to throw money and parts at this issue that seems like one of those things that will be difficult to track down. Any advice will be appreciated.
The issue: When accelerating, and sometimes just steadily cruising, when hitting some random bumps, sometimes the engine seems to just cut out for a fraction of a second and then come back to life as if nothing happened. Sometimes just one hiccup, sometimes a series of hiccups depending on the road conditions. The Jeep was stored for about 5 years, and the original owner said that ever since coming out of storage, the fuel gauge has not worked properly. It drops to E randomly, seeming some time after it reaches 3/4 tank. Sometimes it randomly returns to what seem like a correct level indication. I can do without a working fuel gauge but I need the engine to not cut out for any reason.
I spent 25 years as a commercial driver and have driven hundreds of different fleet vehicles and I'm very good at diagnosing problems- but this one has me baffled. All signs point to (in my opinion) a loose connection/bad ground somewhere in the fuel sending unit or other wiring in the rear of the Jeep.
At some point the original owner replaced the fuel sending unit. The jeep displays no engine or other dummy lights.
I've developed a habit of letting off the throttle in anticipation of bumps in the road- it seems less likely to sputter if I left off the throttle as I hit bumps. Worth mentioning that the Jeep has a bit of a squat on the right rear side. I plan on replacing the springs and shocks (and many other things), and my mechanic will soon be giving everything a thorough inspection. But I don't want to throw money and parts at this issue that seems like one of those things that will be difficult to track down. Any advice will be appreciated.
