Looking for Mechanic

    Happy Holidays folks! I am in need of a mechanic and wanted to see if anyone could recommend one in North Wilmington. I am having a starting issue that seems to only happen when it's cold out. I've tried to address it by replacing parts, and throwing money at it, but i'm giving up on it. At this point i'm willing to take it to a shop and pay to have it corrected finally. Does anyone recommend a shop up this way that deals with jeeps and wouldn't be a waste of my time and money?


    It's a 1998 TJ, manual, 4.0 with about 140K on it. It's been throwing a Small Evap Leak code, but I didn't think that would cause it to not start.


    Thanks for any info!


    Scott

    There's a few guys that could help ya out...
    1. Astape - Wilmington
    2. Shadyluke - Pennsyltucky
    3. Dugan - New Castle


    I'll hit up Luke and Joe on FB to check this post. PM Astape here.

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

    It only gives me trouble when it's cold out. It sat in my garage for about 2 months last winter because it wouldn't start, and now it started giving me trouble a week or two ago. It will crank and crank and crank and almost start, but usually coughs a little, and quits. It's sometimes almost violent, as if it's "bucking" a little. I'm no mechanic so it's hard for me to describe.


    I've changed a lot of parts since I got it almost two years ago, more to just learn how it works. I don't mind throwing some money here and there towards it if I can learn some things.


    But basically here is a list of things replaced - water pump, thermostat, serp belt, radiator, hoses, muffler, cat, exhaust, header, distributor and cap, wires, plugs, air filter, 02 sensors, starter, crankshaft position sensor, throttle body position sensor, idle air control valve, ignition coil, fuel pump assembly, new fuel injectors, map sensor, oil pressure switch, bunch of fuses and some relays, and recently changed oil (Mobile 1 full synthetic 10w30), cleaned the throttle body, brand new battery with higher CCA's, and upgraded the alternator.


    It runs all summer long with no issues. I am getting frustrated. If there is an electrical gremlin hiding under the hood somewhere, would the cold make it worse during the winter? The only code is P0442 (Evaporative Emission System Small Leak). Would it do any good to try a 5w30 oil? I even tried to jump it today with my other car, just to see if it made ANY difference, and nothing. So it sits in the street, laughing at me.

    Different oil won't make any difference. This sounds like it is temperature related. Nothing in that list would be affected by temperature and cause a no start condition. I'm thinking the coolant temperature sender (CTS) is the most likely culprit. It's really the only thing that tells the computer that the engine is cold. When it is cold, the computer richens the mixture like an old-time choke. It will likely buck and kick when trying to start if the mixture is not right.
    I would suggest a scantool which reads real-time data. There are units available which plug into the diagnostic port and send data by Bluetooth to your phone where you view it on an app.
    I would look at the temperature reading being given by the CTS, I would bet that it is not accurate.
    The vacuum leak should also be corrected. Again, in the cold the mixture needs to be richer, and a vacuum leak makes it leaner. I don't think this is the major problem, but it is a contributor. With even a small vacuum leak the engine will not get the correct mixture, and the computer will be compensating for it all the time.
    You could also test this theory without a scanner by pouring a small amount of fuel into the throttle body before starting. It should "try" to start a lot better than it did. This would tell you the computer is not compensating for the cold by adding more fuel.
    If you get a scanner, the temp reading before starting should be roughly the same as the ambient temperature. Look up Bluetooth scan tool on eBay, these things are pretty cool, and not all that expensive.

    Quote from SG1998

    ...distributor and cap, wires, plugs...

    Did you replace the distributor yourself? Are you sure it was installed correctly? Just spitballing here b/c I can't see how the Jeep would run in warm weather (unless it ran poorly) but not cold if the distributor was 180* off or even a tooth or two off.

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

    Yes I installed the distributor (me and a friend). It took a little bit of learning but we got it in there. This was last year, and it runs like a champ when it's not winter. So I don't see how it would be related to the distributor. And I replaced the gas cap as well, so I think I ruled that out.


    I will try today and see if I can get a video uploaded somehow of what it is doing. I appreciate all the responses.


    I only mentioned the oil because I didn't know if it became thicker when the temperature dropped, maybe making it harder for certain parts to move around. Again, i'm no mechanic, just trying to learn as I go.


    I will try and dump some starter fluid in the throttle body to see if it makes a difference. I don't have a scan tool, and I don't see myself trying to figure that out by myself right now.

    Good example, it hasn't started in days, so when i tried today around 1130, after it had been sitting in the sun for awhile, she was able to start. It wasn't pretty, but it eventually fired up. Once it ran for a little while, turning off and starting back up wasn't hard at all. It fires right up after it's warm, and runs good. did it 3 or 4 times. I don't understand it.

    my offroad jeep has a stand alone non emisions harness that also has a real hard time starting under 40*. because it has no O2 sensor it doesnt have a cold start program. im thinking andy is on to something with either the coolant sensor or the computer is not is not recognizing the cold start condition.

    I searched around on an automotive forum I'm a member of. Many found issues with the coolant temperature sensor. I would say try that if you feel up to it. I'm really surprised with all the parts that have been thrown at it without going back to basics. Do you know it has spark? Do you know it has good fuel pressure? Have you checked compression when cold? If there are no codes present in the computer it would also help to have someone with a scan tool to hook up to it and just read what all the sensors are reading when it won't start. That would give you a better direction to go rather than just throw more parts at it based on what others have found works. Just my 2 cents as a mechanic.

    1999 Grand Cherokee WJ 3" lift JK Moabs 31" tire
    1993 Grand Cherokee 7" Long Arm, Badgeless, SOLD
    1981 CJ-7 4" Lift, 31" MTR's, Pretty Blue

    Does it start better if you prime the fuel pump by keying on and off a few times before starting? The fuel pump has a check valve that could be failing and leaking down.


    The coolant temp sensor and intake temp sensor work the same way and can be probed with a multi meter to check them out.


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