• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

XJ won't start

Syd07

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Illinois
My 1997 4.0/AW4 XJ wont start. It had bottom end problem so i put a good used block in it new timing chain blah blah blah... So i got it back in the jeep and now the thing wont even run. It's getting gas and spark but im not sure if the spark is hot enough. How possiable is it i screwed up the CPS while sticking the motor back in? I also forgot that the battery was still hooked up twice and grounded +pos lead and shot sparks is it possiable i screwed up the comp from that?

I'm 99% sure the timing is correct when i had the motor i checked it sevral times cause i knew it would come back to bite me in the ass if i screwed it up. The spark plug wires are also on correct i checked that about 8 times allready. and i sprayed starting fluid in the TB still nothing.

So any ideas on what to look for?
 
Just thought i should add this...

When i changed the timing set i pointed the 2 dots at eachother at the top of the compression stroke. And when i put the Dist back in i aimed the rotor at the #1 terminal on the cap when it was fully seated. thats the correct way to do it right?

And another thing all it does is crank it dont fire at all and it dont backfire.

If i hooked a OBD scaner to it would it tell me if the timing was right or not?
 
I checked the dist and it was off so i reset it and it runs now. But you have to crank the hell out of it to get it to start. It idles fine but when you give it gas it backfires and stumbles. Any thoughts?
 
Sounds like timing is off. Let me look for a write up from way back. EDIT: Sorry, I could not find it. I thought I transfered everything to my new computer, guess I missed some things.
 
Last edited:
I figured it out... I had the dist way off and wouldent even fire. Then i rechecked it and i ended up geting it 1 tooth off and it wouldent rev past idle. I was pointing the rotor directly at the terminal when it was supposed to be just coming off the trailing edge of it.
 
Back
Top