Search the Community

Hi Everyone, This is my 1st post. I picked up this Comanche a little over a month ago(My first!). It is a 88 2wd/lwb Pioneer 4.0/Aw4. 222k on the clock. The original owner purchased it in Missouri. Lived there for a few years before moving to Florida. Then recently made its way to Michigan to his granddaughter here. When once she realized the amount of work needed. She sold it to the shop she took it too. And I purchased it from them. It still has most of it's original window sticker. it is 100% rust free. It has been repainted at some point. The AW4 was rebuilt about 18k miles ago. The shop I bought it from redid the top end due to a bad HG. all new Cooling system. Still the closed-loop. full tune-up. What I've done: replaced the self-destructing balancer, Timing set, TPS, Starter, Starter relay, Cables, re-freshed grounds. added a ground to the core support from the battery, and I left the body to engine ground strap. but added with it a cable from the body to a intake heat shield bolt. Now here is the issue, which has been present since before I purchased it...It starts just fine when it has sat for several hours(overnight, or while I'm at work. Once it is warm. It struggles to start. It will start cranking strong, then it will slow down like the battery is almost dead, and then pick back up, slow down etc. Sometimes it will start while doing this. Or it may take me a couple tries until it lights off. Then sometimes it will fire up with no issues. But that is very rare. I checked the timing, seems to be where it should be. Battery was load tested and passed. The Alt. charges as it should...14.4v. I jumpered the ballast resistor, no difference. Fuel pressure is at 30-31psi w/ vac. 37-38 w/out vac. the vac line to reg. does smell of fuel, but is not damp. I also disconnected the A/C Clutch and no change. When it happens. There is a large voltage drop when it slows. I've noted with my volt meter on the batt. It will drop to 9v, even 8v when it slows, then voltage will come back up to over 10v when it speeds back up. I've even tried hooking a jump box to it, and still happens. I feel that it is some sort of "Heat Soak" Issue. A buddy mentioned possibly the coil. It does appear to be original. I've lurked on this site and have checked countless others. And haven't seen anyone else having a similar problem. I'll post/link my youtube video so you all can see for yourself what I'm dealing with. https://youtu.be/fAZT_wsADR0 <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fAZT_wsADR0"frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

ok. I had a feeling my starter was about to go and yesterday, it happened. thank God I was home. it took me an hour to find one on Oreilly's website, pull mine, call a friend, get it tested and buy a new one, go get groceries for dinner, and reinstall. love those 4.0's! however, when I went to start it this time, I got a click and then lost all power. please help. waiting for rain to stop so I can start checking fuses, relays and wires. the complete loss of power has me a little lost though. any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!