Cold weather starting

[jimoshel]

I got it started. It was 2 above and altho it turned over just fine it didn't want to start.It wud just sort of gallup along and quit when I released the key.Ether was no help.After 10 minutes, I'm surprised the battery lasted, It fired and ran just fine. '89 2.5,

[Dirteatr717]

yeah man i hate the whole cold weather starting thing lol it was only about 30 this morning but it still took a few seconds for her to start, then by the time i get to school the heat is finally warm -_-

[daltonmcgill7]

dang 2 above its 72 here :yes:

[jimoshel]

I meant for this post to go under the 'What did you do to youir MJ today' thread but obviously I hit 'New Topic' instead of WDYDTYMJT.Well since it's here let's hear the rest of the story.Then it probably shud go under Tech instead of The Pub. I'll let Pete worry about that. Back in Aug,this tear, I was looking at some property to buy in the mountains. When leaving I got a glimpse of something in a group of trees. It was a Jeep P/U, a Comanche.I didn't know a Comanche from a canoe but I knew Jeep. Asked the fellow if it was for sale. 2 minutes later he had a $100 in his pocket and I had a MJ, LR flat tire, other 3 low, motor buried under 7 years of wildlife inhabitation,interior stunk so bad couldn't stick my head past the door, and a bed full of construction material garbage.Last registered and drove in '02.Home to get the trailer 60 miles.Got it loaded and home that nite. The first mile down the highway all you cud see were critters bailin out. Get to the point, First a real good and thorough cleaning.Finally found the engine, determined it to be 4 cyl.First thing I was gonna do was pull it and replace it with a V8. Never happened. Replaced all the wiring and several relays under the hood. Got half a dozen Cherokees for parts so no problem there. Removed and cleaned out the gas tank. It was rust free but full of gunk.All the rubber was dissolved. I think the guy had put some Ethenal or something in it.Replaced fuel pump, all rubber hoses and gaskets and filter.Fresh gas.Battery, checked fluids.Hit key.Third try it fired off and ran like a champ. No smoke, No noise, just a smooth runnin engine. So far so good. I've had this thing up to 80+ and no problems, Everything works.Now, the problem. It doesn't always start. When it starts it runs fine and no trouble for the rest of the day. However sometimes it doesn't start and nothing I do helps.It gets spark, weak but still spark.Haven't put a pressure guage on the manifold yet but when I push in the valve fuel shoots out. I get disgusted and walk off. Come back later, some times it starts, sometimes it don't.Thing is when it starts it starts right off. When it doesn't nothin helps. We're talking about a 1989 SWB, 2WD,2,5L.5speed AX15,Dana 44, 4:11. and 99% rust free.Only rust is under the rear fender flares and you have to take them off to see it. I have already copied all the hints an tips posted under "Truck suddenly won't start" and "Hard starting Renix" from the tech forum. So don;t repeat 'em. Stay tuned for further mishaps and perhaps a chuckle or two. Jim :headpop: :mad: :headpop:

[WBKrazy]

I meant for this post to go under the 'What did you do to youir MJ today' thread but obviously I hit 'New Topic' instead of WDYDTYMJT.Well since it's here let's hear the rest of the story.Then it probably shud go under Tech instead of The Pub. I'll let Pete worry about that. Back in Aug,this tear, I was looking at some property to buy in the mountains. When leaving I got a glimpse of something in a group of trees. It was a Jeep P/U, a Comanche.I didn't know a Comanche from a canoe but I knew Jeep. Asked the fellow if it was for sale. 2 minutes later he had a $100 in his pocket and I had a MJ, LR flat tire, other 3 low, motor buried under 7 years of wildlife inhabitation,interior stunk so bad couldn't stick my head past the door, and a bed full of construction material garbage.Last registered and drove in '02.Home to get the trailer 60 miles.Got it loaded and home that nite. The first mile down the highway all you cud see were critters bailin out. Get to the point, First a real good and thorough cleaning.Finally found the engine, determined it to be 4 cyl.First thing I was gonna do was pull it and replace it with a V8. Never happened. Replaced all the wiring and several relays under the hood. Got half a dozen Cherokees for parts so no problem there. Removed and cleaned out the gas tank. It was rust free but full of gunk.All the rubber was dissolved. I think the guy had put some Ethenal or something in it.Replaced fuel pump, all rubber hoses and gaskets and filter.Fresh gas.Battery, checked fluids.Hit key.Third try it fired off and ran like a champ. No smoke, No noise, just a smooth runnin engine. So far so good. I've had this thing up to 80+ and no problems, Everything works.Now, the problem. It doesn't always start. When it starts it runs fine and no trouble for the rest of the day. However sometimes it doesn't start and nothing I do helps.It gets spark, weak but still spark.Haven't put a pressure guage on the manifold yet but when I push in the valve fuel shoots out. I get disgusted and walk off. Come back later, some times it starts, sometimes it don't.Thing is when it starts it starts right off. When it doesn't nothin helps. We're talking about a 1989 SWB, 2WD,2,5L.5speed AX15,Dana 44, 4:11. and 99% rust free.Only rust is under the rear fender flares and you have to take them off to see it. I have already copied all the hints an tips posted under "Truck suddenly won't start" and "Hard starting Renix" from the tech forum. So don;t repeat 'em. Stay tuned for further mishaps and perhaps a chuckle or two. Jim :headpop: :mad: :headpop:

 

 

 

 

 

sounds like a good find..... i don't drive mine in the snow (trying to keep my rust free status, so it stays indoors all winter) but i have started it at temps around 2 degrees, and it didnt want to start either, so i had to hold the gas pedal down a little bit while i cranked it, and after it fired up until it warmed up a little bit and would run on it's own....

[xjrev10]

i still have the truck itself but it still had the 2.5 in it. (now it sits waiting for a 4.0) I started and drove 30 miles to school for 2 weeks with it in -30 temps in Febuary. Never had much of an issue starting. I don't think i have ever had a jeep that had issues starting at all. Just need to have a strong battery i think is the key.

[jeepcoma]

How's the timing on it, as well as the advance mechanism? A few degrees here or there you might not notice when cruising but can make a huge difference when starting, especially when extremely cold. Also a sticking EGR valve that doesn't close all the way could cause "sometimes it starts sometimes it doesn't". You also need to rule out the obvious ignition problems like bad plugs, wires, cap, rotor, battery, etc. If you're noticing weak spark, it's possible to get good cranking speed from the battery but not enough juice to run the rest of the ignition, this also would be more of a factor in the extreme cold.

[87Warrior]

My TJ will fire up, with a slightly slowed crank, no problem at -15 (Fahrenheit). Thank you Sears DieHard Platinum P4!!!! The MJ struggled to life this morning at -5 (Fahrenheit) but only required more starter time. Battery is kind of weak on a 75 (Fahrenheit) day. Did not drive the MJ, just had to move it so I could plow the 32" drift out of the driveway.

[jimoshel]

Went out this AM and tried it. 10 degrees colder -8 than it was yesterday.Hit the key and it fired right off. Gotta be something intermittant. an it's just to dang cold to mess with it now.