Jeep's Hard to Start

    For the last 3-4 days it has been extremely hard to get the Jeep started. The starter cranks and cranks and at times the engine will spark but then it is sputtering violently hard (shakes the entire Jeep) like there's only 2 cylinders firing. I also have to hold the skinny pedal to the floor to get it that far like it's not getting enough fuel (even though I can smell fuel). Eventually it will fire up and when it does it runs smoothly. This is what's baffling me. Wouldn't it continue to run rough after it the motor turns over? This morning, after several failed starts, I took the top off the air filter housing and there was some white smoke wafting out of the top of the carb. Eventually with the top of the top off it started up. I've never seen this smoke before but was a little worried about continuing to start it. Anyone got a clue about this? It's my DD so I really can't afford to have it down for repairs too long. I also noticed that at times I'm running at 8-10 volts. Guess it never ends... :bang: Also it stalled out at the light this morning and it took several more attempts to get it restarted. :shrug:

    Specs:
    258 ci 4.2L Inline 6 cyl
    Carbuerated :(
    New E3 Diamond Fire Plugs
    New rotor-cap and wires
    Optima Red Top- about a year old

    Your life is made up of 2 dates and a dash... make the most of the dash!

    Edited once, last by Kuntryboy816 ().

    did this start right after you changed the plugs? are you sure you have the number one cylinder right on the top of the distributor? i had a friend change 2 wires and it had problems but ran and that was on a 4 cyl i figured it wouldnt run at all. he did it while changing his oil dont ask because im not sure how he did that one.

    I had an issue with stalling before I changed the plugs and upgraded the battery. I changed the plugs back in October and haven't had an issue until lately. When I changed the plugs it was one at a time to avoid connecting the wires up incorrectly. Also the wires are all differnt lengths so it's hard to get them wrong.

    I did buy a new fuel filter last week. I'm going to install it here in the next day or so. Can't hurt right?

    how is your coil and coil wires? try taking wire connections appart and blasting some wd40 in there and mayb some emery paper or light sand paper. a lot of times when working on your own vehicle you look over the problem and its a pain becasue i know i get sure something is fine and dont check it sometimes. do you still have the spark control module under the washer reservoir check that connection see if its corroded.

    Aaaaaaaaaaaaand... you have successfully lost me. :laughing:


    Coil? Coil Wires? I'm guessing the emery/sand paper is to remove corrosion if found? :shrug:

    The SCM under the washer resevoir should be an easy find and I'll check that.

    Your life is made up of 2 dates and a dash... make the most of the dash!

    Quote from Keith_C


    [quote author=Kuntryboy816 link=topic=o35008.msg284140#msg284140 date=1333988577]
    Also I've put in a K&N filter and I just cleaned and oiled it last week as well.


    Did the problem start after this?


    Not sure what sensors the YJ has, but over oiling will cause problems on TJ's.


    K&N isn't really a good thing.
    [/quote]


    there really are no sensors, its a carbed yj. the kn is not effecting the start up. chances are ther is some issue with the carb. the carters are not known for their reliability. a lot of time a vacuum leak or a cloged jets will cause these issues. the smoke from the carb is from excess fuel in the carb. it sounds like it is flooding the motor. try starting it with the gas peddle all the way down. ths will help carb vacuum.


    aaron

    Or double check your fuel lines for cracks or leaks. Manual fuel pumps can be kinda touchy with holding the vacuum.... mine is a Pita to start after it sits a bit. Point is, it may be sucking air intermittently and causing it to stall.


    Sent from my VS910 4G using Tapatalk

    Step 1- Cleaned and oiled filter (lightly) :up:

    Step 2- Leave air filter top off before starting :up: :up:

    Step 3- Start with pedal to floor :up: :up: :up:

    Jeep started up well just like it usually does. I will get into the carb cleaning and checking the SCM hopefully this afternoon.

    I did notice again that the gauge is still reading around 10 volts at idle. When I put it into drive it's around 8-9 volts. Could this be due to the alternator going bad? Loose serp belt? Bad battery? This is happening even with everything else off (ie. defroster, stereo/amp, etc.).

    Has anyone here upgraded the Carter to the MC2100 w/ Nutter bypass? If so is it actaully worth the time and effort?

    Your life is made up of 2 dates and a dash... make the most of the dash!

    I have changed my carb to the weber clone. I also did the nutter bypass it seemed to make a slight difference. The carb was a bit of a pita to tune but now its running great. Since I have an older CJ I also did the team rush upgrade on the distubitor cap and rotor. The coil upgrade is next. You should be holding around 14 volts at idle on the voltage with nothing on, since the voltage regulator and the altenator are all one unit it may be time to replace it. The low voltage can cause all kinds of issues to pop up. Best way to check it is by using a multi meter and testing the output on the back of the altenator. Good luck I hope this helped some.

    The easiest way to check if your alternator is bad is to use a voltage meter on your battery should be around 12 amps . Then start your jeep if its reading the same the alternator is bad... should read around 14 amps if the alternator is working. The amps will drop down when you use your headlights or radio etc. That's normal.

    i as well did the weber and chevy ignition opened my spark gap up a bit got a roaring blaze in there now. i rebuilt my motor at the same time and dont know how much difference there is to it all but it runs great. bypassed the computer and all that stuff is laying off the jeep in a pile. if i had to do it again i would go mc2100 i thought about buying one from a junkyard (about 25 bucks) and rebuilding it. i didnt have any major problems with my carter but it runs good now. the mc2100 i have heard works better at angles than the weber only reason i got the weber was because i wanted to get better gas mileage because its a progressive carb but i stomp on it a lot to get that power back so its kinda pointless

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