[StucK5y]

Alright guys, I am having an issue with my 92 wrangler with the 4 cylinder. After searching around on the forum, it seems that it happens to quite a few people, but it is hard to find any posts that actually say what fixed it. They all say "will check and update tomorrow", lol. Over the past week or so, I have noticed the Jeep was taking a few extra cranks to turn over. Until two days ago when it wouldn't start at all. The motor turns over, but just refuses to start. I was able to start it once but it was running at an extremely low RPM and puttering until it died again, almost it was like it was running on one cylinder. Now I can't even get that! Everything ran fine up 'till now. So far I have replaced the fuel filter, coil, distributer, cap and rotor, plugs, and wires, and fresh gas. I even went as far as to purchase an ICM, only to find out they didn't use them in 92 (after 2 hours of me looking for the dang thing). Tomorrow I am going to double check the timing again and rent a fuel pressure tester. I am getting good fuel pressure to the rail and I can here the pump priming when I turn the key. I have also tried to spray starter fluid in the intake but it made no difference. I'm lost guys, and I need some of your expert advice. Can anybody think of anything I might be missing? I also noticed that there is some antifreeze on the engine around the thermostat area. I already have a new thermostat and gasket to fix that. But could that be an indication of something? Also, what is the quickest way you all do timing? I just throw a screwdriver the the spark plug hole and manually turn the engine until it stops moving up and set the rotor at the #1 position. Does that sound about right? Thank you for any and all help!!!

 

[banks316]

Have you check to see if you have spark? Might just need a new crank sensor.

 

[StucK5y]

Oh yeah, I forgot about that, lol. I do have spark, and I replaced the crank sensor but it wasn't any help. Thanks for the feedback banks316!

 

[StucK5y]

Alright this may be out in left field, but it got me thinking...I started thinking about the coolant a saw on the front of my motor. It looked like it was coming from around the T-Stat area, but it's hard to tell. Could that be from a possibly seized water pump? And if the water pump is seized, could this give me a crank but no start condition with the serpentine system? Would I be able to take the serpentine belt off and try to start the engine without harming anything to rule it out? Sorry for so many questions!

 

[StucK5y]

Alright, so here is an update: Today I rechecked the timing and it was good, and also replaced the thermostat, water pump, and fan clutch since they were on there last leg. Jeep still won't fire up. I did notice today that when I turn the key to the "On" position, The warning buzzer only sounds about half the time. One time it came on and was kind of making a crackling sound like maybe there was something loose. But as of now, I do NOT have power going to the coil. I check the volts at the plug both with the key on and while trying to start it and it read zero volts. Can I get any help with further troubleshooting this problem? Here is a better list of all I have accomplished so far:

1. Replaced fuel filter
2. replaced coil
3. replaced distributer
4. replaced cap and rotor
5. replaced plugs and wires
6. replaced crankshaft position sensor
7. Swapped relays with horn relay
8. Put in fresh gas
9. rechecked timing

 

[Blackjack93]

possable bad ground somewhere?

 

[StucK5y]

Thanks for the reply Blackjack93. I double checked and cleaned all the grounds but it still won't start. I went ahead and ordered a new ECM since I don't get a CEL when trying to start the engine, and am unable to even pull up any codes. The only lights that come up while cranking are the e-brake light, and seatbelt light. I know the CEL is good because when I tried to start it yesterday the CEL came on for a brief second then went away. That was the only time I have seen it since it ran. Also, I only get the buzzer to sound about 1/10 of the time when I turn the key to "On". So it definitely has to have something electrical going on by the sounds of it. Hope this works, and thanks for the help so far everyone!

 

[StucK5y]

Alright guys, I finally figured out what was up with the Jeep. The fix ended up being replacing the distributer. The reason I didn't find it out earlier is because when I replaced the crankshaft position sensor and it didn't fix it, I ended up taking off the computer to take a look at it while I was looking for the non existent ICM and I guess i didn't plug the harness in fully. This was the reason that I lost spark and my CEL. Stupid me! haha. Oh well, we are all human I guess. I found this because my new computer came in the mail and I was removing the old one to replace it and I saw that the harness was only half way plugged in. Plugged it in the rest of the way and tightened up it's retaining bolt and it started right up! At least I got the new computer sent back to Amazon today so I can get my full refund. Thanks again for all your help guys, and I hope this helps somebody in the future!

ULTIMATE PROBLEM FIX: New Distributer