I have a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee (4.0L)@ 120k miles. I have replaced almost everything as usual with the Jeep. But, the Jeep is now shuttering and cutting off. My Mechanic tells me the ignition coil went bad, and replaced it. After 2 replacement coils, I am still having the same problem - He is now putting in a bottle of HEET into the gas tank to take care of the suspected “water in the line” problem and replacing the burnt coil again. Does anybody have any clues, I don’t think a bottle of HEET is the answer, and I don’t want to go the dealership for the obvious reasons.
(it’ll cost more than the value of the vehicle). THANKS
Well, it sounds like you are about to put good money after bad with this mechanic. Find a mechanic who is really familiar with Jeeps of this vintage. I have a '98 with the same engine (with 125K miles) and a '00 Wrangler with the same engine. The Wrangler started to have similar symptoms and ended up needing a new crankshaft position sensor. That fixed everything.
If the ignition uses a standard coil system then see if there is supposed to be a ballast resistor in the circuit to limit the current to the coil. Some coils have this built in them. Be sure the coil is the correct one for your vehicle. Also check the plugs and plug wires for a problem.
Any time somebody blames “bad gas” or “water in the line” for operating problems without some actual data to support it, it’s time to go elsewhere.
This problem is solvable. First question is “did the new coil(s) make any difference?”. If so, Cougar may be on track. If not, it’s time for an ignition analyzer.