Jeep ZJ 5.2 V8 1997 No start

Hey guys,
ok so here is my problem..
Maybe som kind soul out there could give me some guidance or direction ?

I have a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ 5.2 V8 that ran great.
No problems at all except that the alarm system-door locks would be hard to engage or disengage sometimes..
I found out that this was a fob issue after having deep cleaned the remotes and changing batteries. It now works much better..
Although the driver door motor will NOT work properly.
Sometimes it locks with the FOB but never unlocks. But as the manual control master control lock switch in the car opens the lock i have not adressed this issue yet. Although i will try to replace either the motor or the DDM. Whichever is out or order.
But I no longer think that the door is relevant to the car not running issue.. Which i thought in the beginning. = imobilizer..


So..

I was on my way to the gas station here in Sweden..
I only got about 300 yards from my house ( in the woods ) when the Jeep just died.
No hickups, stalling or any warning. The engine just stopped running.

All electrics seem to work, the engine cranks but will not start. Not even on starting gas.
I first thought that i ran out of gas but none of the normal things happened.
I also filled up the tank with an additional 5 liters of fuel but no difference..

The Jeep was towed back home, backwards, with my driving my other Jeep on the narrow road.
Of course two of my neighbors passed by and got a laugh..:lol: :lol: :lol:

So here is what i know..

No spark to the plugs but spark from the coil when checked.. Sort of hard to see..
I am on my own..
All the fuses are ok, as well as the relays..

The 5Volt reference circuit is intact on the Camshaft position, Throttle position and MAP sensors.
Learned this quickly watching several of the great Scanner Danner videos on You Tube..
Could not reach the Crank Position sensor but will soon now that several rusted bolts holding the heat shield,
coolant tank etc are out of the way.

I have a new icarsoft BCCII diagnosis tool and ran a check on the Jeep.
I had only 1 DTC which was:
P0123 THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR INPUT ABOVE THE MAXIMUM ACCEPTABLE VOLTAGE ( shorted high )
DTC STATUS ACTIVE

Nothing else

I cleared this code after properly measuring the sensor which works fine...
No spikes going up or down and within the voltage tolerance.

The P0123 DTC has not come back since while trying to start the car...

I have put a new 80 AMP battery in the car and have also checked the ground and + connections near the battery
as well as the sensors.


So..
I am thinking this issue must be related to me cleaning the engine bay a couple of days before this happened.
Moisture in the distributor, in the the computer or somewhere?

Although the Jeep had been driven several times after the motor cleaning with no issues.
Started and ran fine..

Of course i would have checked the distributor earlier but the bolts holding the cap are rusted stuck and I
really dont know what to look for anyway. Its also very hard to get to.

Anyway..
I can hear the fuel pump working and the diagnosis show no problems.
Or maybe i am reading the results wrong?

I was going to attach some pictures here but the file sizes are too big.
So here are some bullet points.

DTC´s in this ECU 0
Ignition SPARK
Fuel system monitor. OK
Comprehensive component monitor. OK
ASD relay sense. LOW
Veh theft security FUEL ON
Veh theft state NOT SEEN
DES ASD RELAY OFF


I have been thinking that it is the classic Crank position sensor as being the problem but i have not seen any codes
so I have been more focused on the other stuff. Maybe i am wrong?

My plan is to get the distributor off and checking everything. But as it is a tight space i have been putting it off.

Oh yeah,
its winter here in Sweden and i have no garage.. and i am also a beginner when it comes to car electrical systems.

Any ideas anyone ?
Would greatly appreciate any advice on where to look and what to repair-replace.

.

God bless

Bobby

No spark to the plugs but spark from the coil when checked..

Seems like cap and rotor problem at the distributor. Redo the test and make sure you have spark coming out of the ignition coil but not coming out of the wires.

Will check it out and update with the results!
Thanks

Hey Deejay...
Just did another check on the engine.
I do have a spark from the coil but nothing from the plugs.

No one here that can help?

What electrical testing tools do you have? Have you checked injection pulse? How good is the spark at the coil? The spark has to jump from the rotor to the cap then the plug gap a week spark at the coil will not make it through all that especially of you add corrosion in the cap/rotor

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

Also there are dozens here that can help we are all very busy technicians so be patient for responses and bump your topic if it gets a day or 2 old

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Problem solved.
It was the connector to the ignition coil that was the problem.
Bad connection on one of the wires that probably burned the coil as well.
I soldered the wire and put a new coil in and the Jeep started right up.

Thanks Ben,
( and everyone else here for the overwhelming help!