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sudden death of a tj

2K views 29 replies 15 participants last post by  info4tim 
#1 ·
about 6 months ago i ahd a roll over in my 1998 tj 4L. i didn't have the money to fix her at the time so it was a work and spend tell I could pay to fix it. so on Friday i started to drive again,and it was all good for the weekend and was going great on high ways and in the city. but come today i was driving my girlfriend home and am slowing down to stop at the lights, and the jeep just dies, so i thought i stalled it, so i tried starting it again but it would only crank over it fired once but then just died, my thought is its a fuel problem. but please help
 
#14 ·
He said it cranks and tries to start. That rules out..
Battery
Alternator
Starter
Not seized

Start with...

Spray starting fluid in the throttle body. If it starts then dies you have a fuel issue.

out of fuel? Gauge may be broken.
pump quit? Listen very closely when you turn the key all the way forward (don't start it) do you hear a buzz or whine from the pump. It's in the tank in the rear of the jeep..

If fuel is good check for spark... not to many ways for our jeep to loose spark with out setting a code. Could be cpu.. or simply a ground came off somewhere
That doesn't necessarily rule out the starter, Its worth a shot to look under at the starter and make sure it looks in good condition, for a piece of mind, change the spark plugs, check your distributor cap, Make sure it is in place correctly, do you have the firing order, ( I would assume so since It did run and drive) Do these jeeps have a Crankshaft position sensor?
There is so many little things to look at.

What you can do is, Take a video and upload it for us, Open your hood, As it is getting started, keep the video facing the motor, Specifically towards your belts, Don't have it to close as to not being able to hear.


Do you have a crack in your fuel tank causing all the gas to have spilled out and you are just out of gas?
it can be a number of things

keep us updated.
 
#11 ·
He said it cranks and tries to start. That rules out..
Battery
Alternator
Starter
Not seized

Start with...

Spray starting fluid in the throttle body. If it starts then dies you have a fuel issue.

out of fuel? Gauge may be broken.
pump quit? Listen very closely when you turn the key all the way forward (don't start it) do you hear a buzz or whine from the pump. It's in the tank in the rear of the jeep..

If fuel is good check for spark... not to many ways for our jeep to loose spark with out setting a code. Could be cpu.. or simply a ground came off somewhere
 
#16 ·
I think that Ratio is a little blown out of proportion.

I have had it be a issue.

Also, It is not wise to rule anything out that hasn't been thoroughly inspected.

Not arguing with you, Just Sayin...

although I do agree, it probably isn't... when your jeep isn't running, and you are on a small budget, you need to check everything twice yourself before paying a mechanic to Diag something a scanner wont.


Also OP, the little scanners you can purchase, will not read everything that a Shop has will.
Im sure if you go to a good shop, they will throw it on there for you and see.
Only issue with that is, Getting it there.
 
#17 ·
Check for spark, check for fuel as step 1. one of the two is 95% certainly the problem. Starter won't cause a jeep to die. You either have a fuel issue or a spark issue.

put a few gallons of gas in it, if you aren't 100% Certain it has gas.
 
#20 ·
Posting for an update? Anything?
And I would think a fouled plug could be ruled out also. Wouldn't die and not restart. Would just run like shit. The likelihood of more than 3 plugs fouling at the same time is not plausible. Hell even with 1 cyl hitting it would try to start. 2 hitting it may run with heavy throttle input.. to me that rules out coil too. Unless the ecu failed and isn't sending power to the coils.
 
#21 ·
Posting for an update? Anything?
And I would think a fouled plug could be ruled out also. Wouldn't die and not restart. Would just run like shit. The likelihood of more than 3 plugs fouling at the same time is not plausible. Hell even with 1 cyl hitting it would try to start. 2 hitting it may run with heavy throttle input.. to me that rules out coil too. Unless the ecu failed and isn't sending power to the coils.
True..but my point was it may indicate a potentially bigger problem...
 
#22 ·
I saw at least 4 posts saying "check for spark" and saw no response? Don't be dumb and start throwing parts at it. Pull a plug. Any plug. Put plug wire back onto plug and lay it on engine to provide ground path. Have someone try to start the jeep. You should see a bright blue spark from plug. Do this first! If you have spark, then you need to check to see if you have fuel. There are a million things that would cause a jeep to die like this and it's happened to most of us more than once. Let us know if you have spark or not.
 
#25 ·
Can't believe nobody has said this yet but...

Check IAC (Idle air controller... there are several write-ups on JF and WF)
Also check your CPS and TPS (Crankshaft position sensor and Throttle position sensor) Again, there are several write ups/youtube videos.


All three of these account for probably 50% of problems when a Jeep doesn't start.
Also, I wouldn't rule out the battery. Clean your battery connections and make sure the terminals/cables aren't corroded. However, you can rule out the alternator because a vehicle will run with a good battery and bad alternator for a while, an alternator alone will not keep it from starting.

Get back to us with the results
 
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