Top Contender for "Worst Jeep Day Ever"...long w/ many ?s

[78Chief]

I should have just stayed in bed this morning. A little while ago I followed a friend to drop off his car and almost got in a wreck with him, which is the least of my concerns now. First off, my jeep would hardly start cause of the starter problem. Then it started losing power on the highway, which it does sometimes at about 50 mph, then it cut off, and then it got hot. So here are the questions....

1) After replacing my starter (twice...don't ask) it will sometimes make a grinding sound but will start after I let off and turn it agian. I am thinking it needs shims or my flywheel needs replacing.

2) It never loses power around 35 but it will sometimes around 50-55. By losing power I mean I will be giving it the same amount of gas but it will start going slower by itself. It will go slower then jump back to up in speed. my carb. needs rebuilding but I am just gonna say screw it and get a new one...could these things be related? I am not sure if it is a fuel problem like carb, fuel pump, etc. or electrical....

3) I decided I had to get it off the highway so I took the next turn...when I stopped giving it gas it cut off. It cranked back up but only after pumping the gas many times.

4) Two weeks ago I had the radiator taken out and cleaned and holes filled, and got new hoses and a new thermostat. Since then it never got past half way, never. But oh no, not today. A few minutes after it cut off I started to come home and looked down and the temp guage was getting close to the "red zone"....not real close but too close for comfort. What else could it be...water pump, fan...?

Thanks for all the help. I am going back to school in the Fall...well...really about 6 weeks and sense I am taking the jeep this time it has to be running good..err...better. Thanks for all the help. If I can't fix this stuff or get it fixed I might have to get rid of it and I don't want that to happen.


[This message has been edited by 78Chief (edited June 26, 2001).]

[GaWd]

Well, the grinding starter sound is probably your ring gear. If you remove the flywheel, take it to a shop, buy a new one, and have them install it(unless you want to buy a balanced or lightened flywheel, then go that route). Another method is to try and rotate the motor(remove the sparkies), and spin it 180 degrees. If it works, your motor will stop right there and you might have some more ring gear to chew up before you replace it.

I thought I was going to have to replace the ring gear, but since the darned PO didn't know anything about cars, I just installed shims and the problem was solved.

If you have cats, a blocked cat or blocked Manifold baffle will cause your motor to choke at higher speeds.

Don't know what to say about the cooling system except that the motor isn't running the cherriest ever, and that will cause it to run hot all on its own. If it's your fan, all you have to do is pop the hood to check, but it might be the water pump.

Sam

[JeepFreak]

Sounds like the carb is running lean for some reason. A lean condition can also cause the over heating problems as well.

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JeepFreak

[ClarkGriswald]

Have you replaced the cooling fan clutch? Sounds like it may be bad.. If its hot and you go spin the fan and it keeps spinnin instead of stopping rather quickly.. its bad..


The starter thing is probably a missing or worn tooth on the ring gear and sometimes it stops on that point,, other times it stops on a good spot.. sometimes shims can help but shims are properly used to set the mesh on a nice new starter and gear. which you can actually do if you just engage the solenoid and check how tight the mesh is.. then you may add a shim or two.

As far as your carb issues.. You have a 2150 on there??? Dont buy a new carb unless A: the body is cracked, or B: the throttle shaft is worn so bad there is leakage. Otherwise a good rebuild which you can do yourself really easily is the ticket.. Most kits dont come with new floats.. On an old carb I always buy a new one just for good measure and you will have a spare if the old one is still acceptable.

On your cooling thing again.. If you dont wanna buy a new fan clutch you could switch to a solid fan if ya dont mind the wind noise and a tad more drag at high RPMs.


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88 Grand Wagoneer
D44's front\rear
Warn 20990 Lockouts
AMC 360
TF 727
NP208
BFG AT's 30x9.5x15
http://www.btc-bci.com/~jaserb/images/whoa_nellie2.jpg
"Dont look to close, you might fall thru!"

[J20 project]

Hmmm, worst day in a Jeep (actually 2 days). Back in 1978 I was running a J3000 w/ 232I6, 3spd. I was going on vacation to the mtns north of Casper Wy with my cousin (CJ5 nut) and my Dad asked me to pick up some metal in Casper during the trip. I then needed to pull a trailer. Ok, no big deal, I dropped a 327 Ramb, 4spd into the truck during the week before vacation. I took off from Cheyenne and drove to Douglas where my cuz lived, loaded the CJ, filled with gas and took off to his Dad's place approx 150 more miles north. It took me almost 7hrs to make that leg of the journey. Bad gas. Lotsa H20 w/ my gas. At any rate, dropped the trailer, r&r'd the tank, cleaned out the carb and went to the hills for a week--great no problems. Took off to come home, now hauling approx 10k worth of steel. Started up the on ramp to the interstate at Casper, stomped on the clutch for 4th and the clutch pedal stayed on the floor. I stopped, crawled under the truck and found the centering ball of the throw out bearing arm had disappeared. I replaced it with a small socket(just small enough it fit into the dimple of the mount both sides). Voila, clutch worked. I then went about 5mi down the road and a highway patrolman stopped me because I didn't have PSC plates. He also went around me to stop me and pulled over thinking I could stop. Ha Ha, I didn't have the trailer brakes hooked up. None the less, I got stopped w/ darn near ruined brakes on the truck and about 1/2 in between my bumper and his car. Somehow I was able to convince him I was using the metal for private use in no way connected with commercial use and he let me go. At any rate, I was very happy to get home with no more problems but the trip there and back were pretty tough on me.
J20

[typeO]

im not motor head.. but it could be air sucking in from under the carb... or a lose hose... you can check it with the engine running.. and spraying b-12 around the base of the carb..if it idles up then its sucking air(b12) in
that is what mine was doing... get some ford 2bbl gaskets and change them out and bingo... now i can hear the knocking

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http://photos.yahoo.com/typeotypeo.
cut and paste this maybe "http://y42.photos.yahoo.com/bc/typeotypeo/lst?.dir=/&.src=ph&.view=t"
90 Grand Wagoneer "Bucho" 360 all stock (gone to momma in-laws) :(
got it back - got the death knock, leaks oil, headliner is fallen, but looks nice

75 Wagoneer "Kryptonite" not running yet
working on installing 360 into a 401 hole

98 Dodge Ram quad cab 2x4 360 traded in on durango 4x4 with 319 i think maybe 318

94 dodge ram swb 2x4 360 (167k)
http://www.virtue.nu/yazahx/rand/TypeO.jpg

[GaWd]

Well...

My first and only driving experience with my Wag went something like this:

I went to pick the wag up from the PO(about 50 miles). The wag "just worked the other day" and he can't fihgger out why it won't run now. Sooo...

We had to see about getting the starter to NOT grind, buck, and tear up the starter or the ring gear. The PO had replaced the starter 3 times in the last month he had it.

We worked for over 2 hours, filling the tank, topping off the fluids, and FINALLY, we get it to turn over. BIG puff of smoke, it wheezes to life, and all of the 5 gallons of gas I put in the tank are gone. Just like that *PooF*

So we got more gas and filled her up, and once it was running, we filled it up and left for home...

About 10 miles from home, she starts to sputter and buck from a start. I'm nervous, my partner is nervous, and then it kinda clears up. About a mile from home, the sucker up and dies. Dead, kaput. On a busy 2 lane road, no shoulder.

The hook came out and had to drag it's lifeless body back to the house. And there it's sat, while I correct several PO's mistakes and shady mechanic work.

The real problem? Well, one of the swift owners had some jury-rigged electrical system had a switch on the alternator or something, we never figured it out, we just cut it all out. The alternator was also some little thing, not the right alternator for sure.

These Jeeps will break your heart, break your will, and break your bank! http://www.ifsja.org/ubb/smile.gif Aah...Love at first sight!

[ironroad29]

so gawd you saying a jeep is like a woman ?

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"If a jeep can't take you there, maybe you should think twice about going" visit the C.O.R.E. homepage

[GaWd]

Well, let's look at it, shall we?

Women step all over your heart...So does the Jeep.

Just when you think things are going good...it'll bite you in the Great Googley MoogleyGreat Googley MoogleyGreat Googley MoogleyGreat Googley MoogleyGreat Googley Moogley. Not only will it bite you, but you never see it coming.

Your Jeep fights for your attention. And when you're trying to split time with it between work/school/girlfriend/children/pets Etc, and it doesn't appreciate the fact that it's competing, it'll let you know by not running quite like it should.

When it thinks you're having a commitment problem, something expensive will need to be purchased...Jeeps don't like rings, but they'll gladly let you buy it a rebuild, a new T/C, a tranny overhaul, or blow out a $500 Swamper.

So, ya...I guess they are like our women and like the schmucks we are, we fall for it every time until it's time for the big 'D'(like Snakey did this week) http://www.ifsja.org/ubb/smile.gif

Sam