Jeep Grand Cherokee Won't start

[stefiegirl17]

I have a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo that cranks but won't start. In the past it would start but shut off in the middle of intersections and when going up hills but it would fire right back up.


Now it won't start at all just cranks like it wants to start but it won't.



The check engine light is not on when it was running and all the gauges would show everything was fine.



I would appreciate what ideas everybody has of what could be the problem and how much it would cost.




Thank you very much.

[Hemlock140]

There are so many possibilities for those symptoms, one can only guess without testing. Does it still have the original fuel pump? I would start there. The dying fuel pump will often stick at times, especially going up hills, then stop completely. I have had them replaced in two different vehicles, at $500-600. The pump itself is $150-200, but the labor may have to include draining and dropping the tank. Most have no access through the floor. It could also be the $10 fuel pump relay, but that is rare good luck.

[stefiegirl17]

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate the suggestions. The fuel injectors were replaced a few years ago along with the fuel pump. I also forgot mention it has 98,000 miles on it. The radiator and the shocks were just replaced.

[Nlambert]

There is a list of things that could be the culprit. Remember, an engine needs 3 basic things to start.

1. Fuel

2. Spark

3. Air

To make sure it is getting fuel (and enough of it) you have to make sure the fuel pump is turning on. If the pump doesn't turn on, check the fuel pump relay first. If it's not blown and you can hear the fuel pump kick on when you turn the key to the "ON" position, then you will need to verify fuel pressure. If the relay is good and the pump doesn't kick on, the pump is bad. If the pressure is too low, either the fuel pump is bad or the filter is clogged.

If it has plenty of fuel pressure, then move on to spark. If it were running rough I'd say check ignition coils, but if it doesn't run at all it could be the crank position sensor. You can check for spark with a spark tester, or remove one spark plug, place it into the ignition coil (coil over plug), lay it next to something metal and turn the car over while having someone watch to see if the spark plug makes sparks. If it does, it probably isn't spark. If it doesn't spark, the crank position sensor is the likely culprit.

Air is fairly simple. You could have a completely plugged intake (unlikely), or one heck of a massive vacuum leak, which should be large enough to see if it doesn't start.

OR....... it "could" be the neutral safety switch that doesn't let the car start because it thinks the car is still in gear.

There are a myriad of things to check, so it might be best to take it to a mechanic unless you are mechanically inclined. I would start with getting the ECM scanned for stored codes. It doesn't necessarily have to throw a Check Engine light to have stored codes. That will likely pinpoint the problem.

[Carolina Knight]

Has the fuel filter been replaced? Fuel filters should be replaced every 15,000 miles and should be accompanied by a complete fuel system cleaning.