So I got a call from a buddy of mine tonight saying he had replaced his distributor cap and rotor along with his plugs and wires, but the Jeep wasn't starting (98 XJ classic, 4.0). When he removed the old stuff, the rotor was broken. When the new stuff was installed, it ran for a minute, then he cut it off because of a misfire. When the new cap and rotor were removed, the rotor had dug into the side of the cap and broken (used BWD parts from O'Reilly). Went and got them warrantied out, and installed the new pieces. Same thing happened. When everything was installed we checked to make sure that it was right, there's only one way for the rotor to go on, which is how it was put on, same deal for the cap, both went on without any trouble at all. Everything went together smooth. I'm out of ideas except for the possibility of the shaft coming out of the distributor being FUBAR. And ideas?
98 XJ distributor woes
- Thread starter JRT1393
- Start date
Lowrange2
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Abbeville, SC
Pull the distributor out and spin it by hand and see if it's bent? I had this happen once a LONG time ago. Replaced the rotor and it never did it again.
That's what I was thinking to do next if we quadruple check everything else and none of it is screwed, hopefully the distributor is alright
- Location
- Harrisburg, NC
I've seen the shaft in the distributor go bad as well on my buddy's old 98. It never bent or destroyed anything, but it was actually wobbling around enough to create a distinct knocking sound.
Point is, the shafts in the distributor can and do go bad. Might be time for a new distributor.
Point is, the shafts in the distributor can and do go bad. Might be time for a new distributor.
That what I was thinking and afraid of. We may be making a run to Pullapart soon. The shaft has a little bit of wobble when you move it around, but it doesn't seem like enough to cause any problems, but it is pretty tight tolerances in there
- Location
- Harrisburg, NC
Yikes! I'd definitely swap in a new distributor and see what happens.
Not sure what years will work with a 98, and when I was at PAP this weekend they had no late model XJ's on the lot. Remember the cam sensor is part of the distributor as well, and with the change from OBD1 to OBD2, the way the computer gets that signal may have changed as well.
Not sure what years will work with a 98, and when I was at PAP this weekend they had no late model XJ's on the lot. Remember the cam sensor is part of the distributor as well, and with the change from OBD1 to OBD2, the way the computer gets that signal may have changed as well.
That was my reaction as well haha. Pap has been slack on late model XJ's lately. Before I pull anything I'll make sure about what years work with what
Similar threads
