I have a '96 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo that recently stalled. At the dealer, it started just fine. Diagnostics showed nothing. Last night it failed to start. A little later, it started right up. What’s the best course of action in pinpointing the cause of this intermittent problem?
I would begin by taking the car to a well-reputed independent mechanic in your area, mainly because there is no reason to take a 13 year old vehicle to the dealership. A good independent mechanic will be cheaper, and based on your experience, may also be more competent than the mechanics at the Jeep dealership.
I agree with VDCdriver’s recommendations 100%. Find an independent mechanic to help you take care of your Jeep. Search the Internet and your local phone book for such a shop. They’re out there, you just have to find them.
That sounds like a good idea. Thank you both.
A repairer needs details of the occurrance: weather, speed, driving conditions. How did it stall? Suddenly? With warning? Did the engine stumble before it stalled? Were there any dash indications? After it stalled, was it easy to restart? Any other details?
Well, I felt it stutter a couple of times before. It was hardly noticeable. There were no dash indications. Then one day while I was traveling about 25-30 mph, it just stalled. The engine might have stumbled just before it stalled. I couldn’t start it right after it happened (the engine was turning over, but didn’t fire). The next day, the dealer started it right up the next day. They even drove it around for a while, but it drove and started fine. One night it failed to start. After an hour or so, I started right up. I’m wondering if it’s a faulty sensor that could be causing this, perhaps a MAP or Oxygen sensor? Maybe my fuel pump? I might have to leave it somewhere for a few days. I just wonder what the most likely candidates are, and if I should just start replacing them.