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died wet... now runs ruff

G.B. 98 XJ

NAXJA Forum User
After changeing all fluids today was the test drive. It starts up fine, but after a few min it starts to sputter. I dried out the distributor and it started fine then sputtered. Almost acts like its a fuel problem, but I set on electrical. If anyone has any ideas I would like to hear them.

P.S.
The water was over the seats.
89 4.0 5spd
 
How long has it been since the distributer was dried? It's possible that it's still a little wet.

Also..long shot..but did you put any fresh gas in it? It's possible you have water in the gas (although not very likely)
 
"Died wet"??

By chance, do you mean the engine sucked in water and hydro-locked? If so, there is a possibility of a damaged piston or rod. Step 1 I think should be to run a compression check and find out of all cylinders have good compression. If compression seems okay, try a leakdown test as confirmation, then remove the valve cover and check the valves visually for proper operation. If they seems to go up and down okay, remove the pushrods (one at a time, they should always go back in the hole they came out of) to look for a possible bent pushrod.

Oh, yeah -- you might also pull the spark plugs and inspect the tips. It's a remote chance, but if they were fouled before the "incident" perhaps the water knocked loose a shred of carbon and it got stuck between the tip and the contact.
 
sounds like you had that thing really sunk. I would love to hear that story if it was over the seats . Anyways I am by no means an expert but you may be onto something with this fuel issue. When you first start your Jeep doesn't it run a bit rich for cold idle then when it warms up it leans out because it comes up to temp.SO maybe it is running good while it is giving it extra fuel during initial start up and then when it leans out it starves for fuel. I dunno I am sure someone will either back me up and expand on this issue or either explain how I don't know what I am talking about, but anyways it was just an Idea that I had and figured it may help or get more people to chime up.
 
eagle, it didn't hydro lock. I think it just took a drink and died. when it was rescued it started right up. There was no water in the oil nor any oil in the plugs.

Moto, not much to the story. I picked the wrong trail and sunk. To say it was over the seats is not a tall tale. there was actualy water in the second drower of my toolbox that was in the cargo area. When I jumped out to get the winch it was chest deep and cold as h311.
 
no. it was a last min trip, because I had a fever of 102.3 that morning. Forgot the camera, think I was delerious. Jumping in that isecold water was a heck of away to break a fever tho.
 
well if all else you check fails i'd check for a shorted out TPS, it will make it run very rough when it shorts

eric
 
After I washed my engine bay last week mine ran really funny too. Felt exactly like my old FSJ when the carb was dying out.
I figured I had some water somerwhere it wasnt supposed to be so I let it warm up at idle for 15 mins and then drove it around all out a full throttle a couple of times, then drove in traffic across town. Voila. I guess the heat evaporated it out? Runs fine now.
 
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