89 MJ

Needing to hold the throttle open would indicate too much fuel in the combustion chamber. That should evaporate though after a period sitting and then wouldn’t want to start if you were just running it. I would lean to it being either an ignition issue or it’s not getting fuel to the injectors quick enough, something like the check valve in the fuel pump being no good. If you cycled the key three or so times so that the fuel pump runs without cranking the engine, that would answer that quickly.

Don’t take that as gospel though, I have only worked on Renix Jeeps. I’ve only pulled parts off of HOs, never actually worked on one.

To me, it sounds like you should probably upgrade the pump to one with the pressure and flow rate of an HO one and then swap to the return style fuel rail found on the HOs.

@ghetdjc320seems very knowledgeable when it comes to the fuel system on HOs.

I probably didn't look at it close enough, looks like there wasn't a bid. I agree, there should be way more pictures.

Bubbling paint, painted b-pillar vents, and a 20k reserve. Ok then. I see it’s already bid to 10k though.

Still no trip to the parts store? Without that, I’m just guessing, but I suspect your slow cranking issue is the end of the battery cable that wasn’t fixed yet and your intermittent stalling or not starting is an ignition component that isn’t liking the moisture.

My dad used POR15 on the rocker panels of his 2000 Silverado plow truck. The rockers eventually rotted away anyways. We’ve started using Chassis Saver instead. It seems to work much better and is only a one part product.

Rear bumper had been chosen and a filler panel between the bed and bumper has been started. It is a 55-59 Chevy or GMC stepside pickup rear bumper that has been flipped upside down.

This is the route I went in my MJ. I actually used an Explorer Sport Trac 8.8, which is a little bit wider than an MJ rear. The only problem with it is the size of the pumpkin. You can run a much smaller tire on an 8.25 or Super D35 and have the same ground clearance as you do with an 8.8.

It seems like you're on the right track then. I think its definitely worth getting the negative cable off and cleaning it up. Might be worth checking that engine to chassis ground again, but a visual inspection will do for that one. A visual inspection is not always sufficient for the battery cables though. They could be corroded inside the casing. Best way to check that would be comparing your cranking voltage at the battery, which you've already done, to the cranking voltage at the solenoid. They should be just about the same. In my opinion, that's not cold enough to where you need to worry about having a heater hooked up. I'm curious as to what the parts store will tell you. In the meantime, and if you wanted to, next time you go to start the truck, cycle the key a few times so that the fuel pump will prime the system a couple of extra times. You cranking and it not starting and then your son cranking it and it starting almost makes it sound like the check valve in the fuel pump is letting the fuel drain back into the tank. That said, cranking speed is definitely a battery, battery cable, or starter issue. It could be such a situation where if the battery is bad, the sensors for the engine aren't getting enough voltage and preventing it from starting.

Penetrating oil and/or heat. Did the engine turn over any quicker? Shouldn’t the positive cable go directly to the starter solenoid, not the firewall? is the chassis to engine ground at the back of the intake cleaned? Did you try boosting it with another vehicle or a jump pack? How cold did it get? I really don’t think that you need the heater. How did you determine that the battery cables were in good shape? Have you taken it to a parts store to get the battery and starter tested?

I didn’t, I went with one of the master colder and slave cylinder preassembled deals for an external slave XJ.

Happy belated birthday! Glad to see you posted on this thread again

I believe that there is. The Luk part number for the external slave is LMC206. The internal slave Luk number is LMC205. My external slave AX-15 clutch feels the same as the internal slave Peugeot that was in my MJ previously.

I’d bet that it needs to come apart. You should be able to get it positioned right so that it won’t rattle. They have a metal frame and can use the stock gasket.

I can get pictures of my 4 piece slider stuff in about a week in a half. I can’t recall any rubber there, but mine will rattle unless I have both windows square in the frame.

The fuel sender is on the side of the tank, so you might be able to see where it is leaking from. Getting that seal in the right place can be tricky sometimes, so I would lean towards it being the sender. But it would also leak before the tank is full too.

Might be worth checking in to see how much more it would cost to bump up the insurance to where they want it. Better to have it over insured.

Something like this. Doesn't need to be this exact product, but it would say medium cut on the bottle somewhere. I'd use that with a microfiber towel.

This is what I was getting at earlier with my comments about the temperature. Also why I asked for the video. He said it’s cranking slowly (might’ve been in the other thread though), making it seem like a battery/battery cable/starter issue. I agree that this issue doesn’t sound like a cold issue anymore though. My Eagle has a 590CCA battery and it would start the same at -10F and 70F. It sounds a lot more like an ignition issue if the issue is worse with higher humidity.

How's progress, Tim?

I don't think that regearing is terribly difficult, it just takes some time. It is also way easier with the axle out of the vehicle, in my opinion.

It seems odd to me that it started on the second try when it was 53 degrees, but no start at all at 47 degrees. I think the video and battery testing will help a lot.