Why wont my jeep cherokee start?

Question

ok, this should be simple, right?

my 88 cherokee wont turn over, it cranks and cranks

and itll keep doing that until it floods or whatever

but what is it that i need to fix to get it started??

it used to occasionally turn over and run for 10 mins and die and crank but not start again for days

butnow it doesnt even do that

with this info can someone tell me what to do

Answer 1

pickupman is right  3 things that make a car run air, fuel, and spark. if it keeps cranking then you know your batterys good, and like he said be carefull when checking the coil, that little spark packs a punch. good luck.

Answer 2

Ok.. if it cranks and cranks well then the battery is good.  

An engine needs basically 3 things to run..

Air--hard for an engine NOT to get air.

Fuel-- Turn your key to the run/on position, you should hear the pump kick on for a few seconds. If not your pump or the pump relay maybe bad. Test pump relay first by replacing it with another from under the hood.  If this doesnt do it, I would try to pull the plug to the pump and test it with a multimeter and verify it is getting power. If it is then most likely the pump died.

Spark-- Your coil may have gone out not providing power to your distributor.  Pull a spark plug and have someone crank the engine and see if it sparks, but be careful ignition systems put out alot of energy.  

There may also be a fuse or a relay under the hood that is failing or has failed. Carefully check each one.

Another good resource for Cherokee info is http://www.cherokeeforum.com

Answer 3

Bad juju

Answer 4

try connecting the engine to another working car, with the red and black connectors, and then press the gas pedal on neutral. Do that until the car starts. Also, for a car like that, be sure to turn on everyday, especially in cold weather.

Answer 5

try a new battery?

if the battery is new, it may be defective or the terminals are very dirtied (not sure how that would happen).

or it could be ignition timing/spark plug, alternator, even a wiring problem, lots of things really.