Help! My 1991 YJ won't turn over (start)

[Vasily]

1069994

I seem to have run into a problem with my 1991 Wrangler (4 cylinder, 2.5L) I replaced the air filter the other day in route to a major tune-up.
We got the jeep a week or so ago, used. The fluids, including a full tank of gas, had been sitting for awhile. So I started to change out things. 1st was the air filter, old was half soaked with something. Oil was going to be next. I was driving down the road and I could hear a sputtering undertone. I downshifted and kept hearing it. I stopped at a gas station and had a hard time restarting and it wouldn't run if I went into 1st. It was sputtering, as if it couldn't find the right mix. I got it home and now I hear the engine trying to turn over but not being able to. There is a low hum of a motor or something when I first turn the ignition on.
I put some stabilizer in the tank to try and run out the gas. I also changed the fuel filter, the original was still on it. New plugs, also.
It was running fine before all this started. What's up? Any ideas?

Thanks for any help. :-( [addsig]

 

[Vasily]

1070144

No one willing to offer an opinion?


Vasily :-? [addsig]

 

[jterp]

1070147

Are you sure you installed the air filter right? SOunds like the engine is starving for something-- either fuel, air, or spark.. Try pulling a plug and see if you are getting a spark-- could also be bad gas-- fuel stabilizer wont work if you cant get it into the engine-- but you cant get it into the engine without running it-- kind of a catch 22
[addsig]

 

[[]lllllll[]]

1070150

Was the air filter oily? How long has it been sitting for? did you put gas into it? how full was the gas tank? Where was it originaly bought? do yuo know what a tp sensor is? that might be a problem if it isn't firing. check you cap and wires. try starting it with the pedal down to the floor. that humming noise when you turn on your ignition is normal, it is the fuel pump priming the ingector rail. do you know how to test if you have praesure in your injector rail? what do you mean by it not running in 1st? I've got a 91 yj and i've gone through almost every thing that could happen to it. [addsig]

 

[monsterrd]

1070152

I had sort of the same prob. Changed out everything,plugs,ignition sensor, filter, oil,brain,etc, turned out to be a bad o ring on the injector. Hope that helps you. [addsig]

 

[mandarrin]

1070154

i had i problem like this once on my 89 2.5l.i had to replace the coil ignition and the sparkplugs.after that i still couldn't turn it on,but it was only because i had the firing order on my distributor wrong , so if you pull any of those cables off you better make sure you got the wright order.[addsig]

 

[L33TJ33P]

1070156

Will it start if you have a push-off. That is where you hold the clutch and roll a ways and let off the cluthc while in second gear and give it a little gas. If it will start this way, you may be looking at a starter that is going bad. I have had that happen to a few standards that I have had.

When this happens you can tap the starter with a hammer and try to start it. It sounds kind of like a high pitched ****WHIRRRRR**** this means that the starter isn't pushing out the pin with the gear that turns the flywheel. If you still just get that loud whirring then a new starter may be in order.

If it just ***clicks*** then try getting a jump and a new battery.

the little ***buzzzzz*** you hear when you first turn to key is the fuel pump, normal.

for the sputtering, I would personally try taking off the intake tube. ***Do Not Drive like this*** This should unrestrict any airflow problems, like a clogged intake tube. I will not say that is a good thing, just because I have never tried it on a Jeep. So, vacum tubes may be an issue.

If your Engine actually turns and fires a few times then stops, look around the Distributer. Not the Cap but the Ditributer it self. look for loose wiring clips. I personally have spent boucoup bucks on new fuel injectors just to find that 2, 4 and 6 would't fire because a wire had come loose from the bottom of the distributer.

If you do have bad fuel. maybe a good siphon hose and a bucket need to be used. If any auto sits for a long time Condensation will ruin the fuel and all you get to look forward to is buckin and jerkin till it is gone.

These are all solutions that I found on my old 85 Camaro. I haven't had a good reason to dig into the TJ just yet. I figure all Fuel injected engines work the same. They are all Ducks, no??

Hope it helps.

L33T

P.S. Vacum tube tester kits are available at parts stores. Just a box of little caps to block the tubes.



edited by: L33TJ33P, Jun 06, 2003 - 02:29 PM[addsig]

 

[Vasily]

1070157

JTerp,
That was my thought, as well. Yes. Actually reseated 2 more times to be sure. Spark is a set of new Bosch plugs (non-gapped). Fuel was full, but I think the place we bought it from my have added some. I doubt they filled the tank, though.

>Are you sure you installed the air filter right? SOunds like the engine is starving for >something-- either fuel, air, or spark.. Try pulling a plug and see if you are getting a >spark-- could also be bad gas-- fuel stabilizer wont work if you cant get it into the engine-- >but you cant get it into the engine without running it-- kind of a catch 22
[addsig]

 

[Vasily]

1070159

[]lllllll[],

The side facing the inlet to the grill (outside air) had something soaked in. That could be from the welding shop. Steering box was "replated" to the frame. They sprayed it black to coat the weld and material. Possilby spray over. We bought it used about 3 weeks ago. (My 1st jeep!!) Yes I do. My thought is to clean up the throttle body when I get home. Thanks for the info on the noise, I thought it was normal but didn't know what it was.
How do you check pressure in the injector rail?
I only mean that I tried engaging the gears whil it was sputtering. I shifted to first and it sputtered and wouldn't pick up and then stalled.
Any advice on Mikey(the jeep) would be appreciated. I plan on fixing him up.

Vasily

Was the air filter oily? How long has it been sitting for? did you put gas into it? how full was the gas tank? Where was it originaly bought? do yuo know what a tp sensor is? that might be a problem if it isn't firing. check you cap and wires. try starting it with the pedal down to the floor. that humming noise when you turn on your ignition is normal, it is the fuel pump priming the ingector rail. do you know how to test if you have praesure in your injector rail? what do you mean by it not running in 1st? I've got a 91 yj and i've gone through almost every thing that could happen to it.

[addsig]

 

[[]lllllll[]]

1070198

there should be a cap screwed on to the top of the rail. take it off and very carefully push the pin inside with a screwdriver. fuel should spray out. If fuel doesn't come out, try turning on the ignition twice but not starting it, and then check for presure. if there is just a tricke, check the fuel lines for leaks, and check to be sure you intalled the fuel filter proprely. Is the check engine light on? Also, often the fuel gauge on the yjs can be bad due to a faulty sensor. good luck on it,

james[addsig]

 

[Vasily]

1070200

Hi []lllllll[],

The engine light does not come on. I took the intake hose off and cleaned the plate. It was dirty. Sprayed some starter fluid mix in. It would turn over and die as soon as it used up the starter fluid. Think it may be the TPS. What do you think?
I'll try pushing the pin in, next.

Vasily[addsig]

 

[Tug-n-pull]

1070252

I would chim in here and say something really smart but do not have a clue. Yousay it will run with starter spray so we know it is not spark or air. That leaves a fule problem. I would drain the tank, change the fule filter check the fule pump and lines for a start. Trying to start it after every task is completed. If the gas is old and has lost it's good no ammount of stabilizer will make it good again. it stabilizes, it will not turn water into wine. Good Luck with this mind boggleing thing. tug[addsig]

 

[[]lllllll[]]

1070422

It is definitively the fuel system. did you find the ingector rail valve? Do you have fuel preasure? Try this: siphon the old gas out and replace it with about 3 gallons min. and try to start it about 5 or 6 times. if that doesn't work check your conectons on the fuel filter and on the fuel lines. good luck![addsig]

 

[[]lllllll[]]

1070423

It is definitively the fuel system. did you find the ingector rail valve? Do you have fuel preasure? Try this: siphon the old gas out and replace it with about 3 gallons min. and try to start it about 5 or 6 times. if that doesn't work check your conectons on the fuel filter and on the fuel lines. good luck![addsig]

 

[BertYJ88]

1070555

Take a good look at the ignition module...this little box is under the engine coolant. I changed and moved it in my '88 YJ near the horn. My engine was able to crank but didn,t start...or it will start but dies later (cut-off) after changing the cap distributor, the spark plugs, the s.p. wires, the ignition coil with no succes it ended to be the ignition module...[addsig]

 

[64Jeeper]

1070556

Two other things to check. I have a friend with a 93 YJ, and he had a bad Throttle Position Sensor. In his case, it just ran rough. One other thing could be a bad Crank Position Sensor. If that sensor is bad, then it won't start at all. Check those out.[addsig]

 

[Joopin]

1070559

Same thing just happend to my 91 YJ... turned out being a blown EFI Fuse... which is a heavy duty fuse that usually doesn't blow. So if it does then that means there is a short somewhere. [addsig]

 

[jps4jeep]

1070637

It sounds like a fuel problem, totest for fuel pressure, look at the fuel rail, there is a schrader valve on the rale that has a black cap (looks like the valve on the valve stems on your wheels), remove the black cap, and use a rag to push on the center of the valve, if gas is sprayed all over the rag, you got pressure.[addsig]

 

[Vasily]

1071593

Sucess!!!

It turned out to be several things. The hose clamps I bought to attach the new fuel filter were bad. That solved one. The vacumm (?) hose on the rer of the injector rail had a bad boot. I duct taped that to tighten it.
It runs! Mikey lives! Put fuel injector cleaner and refilled the tank and he is purring.
Anybody know why fuel gauges aren't reliable on jeeps?

Thanks for all the advice. You guys are the greatest.

Vasily [addsig]

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

1071599

On a YJ you need to pull the cover off the center guage cluster and remove the guages. There is a circuit board on the back that powers all the guages. Carefully clean the contacts that power the fuel guage with an eraser or similar contact cleaner. Carefull not to short it out, you'll have to replace it.

It worked for mine, usually the cause. A bad sending unit in the fuel tank is rare.[addsig]