Won't start after key blip..

This morning I went out to start my 98XJ and let go of the key before it was started. The engine was starting to fire but needed a couple more cranks I guess.. Anyway, turned off the key, waited about 5 minutes, then tried again. Now it just cranks, and doesn't want to fire.

This Jeep is a bone stock 4.0 with a distributor. Haven't checked spark or anything, just jumped in the wifes car to get to work. Will try to start again at lunch today.

Anyone else ever had an issue like this? It's happened to me once or twice before, but always started after I let it sit for a minute or two. :bawl:

check for spark, if no spark, check the CPS. 10-11 o clock on the drivers side of the bellhousing on the trans.

check out the FAQ article on a no start XJ:
http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=101119

Try starting with accelerator floored. I seem to recall hearing that on some models this cuts the injection while cranking, and helps if it's flooded or fouled.

Thanks for the quick replies! I did mash the throttle once, and it did try to fire, but then gave up. I'll give those a try at noon and let you know. Thanks again!

Thanks again, for your suggestions, luckily the silly pig started at noon when I went home for lunch. It wasn't happy about starting, had to crank it A LOT (about 20-30 sec), but it did start on it's own. No pedal mashing required.

Now, it has happened twice, since then. The first time it just started hard, had to crank about 30 sec again. But this morning, it didn't hardly pop at all. I'm pretty sure it's a spark/moisture issue, as the mornings it gave me issues were EXTREMELY damp.

I bought the truck with 48k and it now has 98k, and I have not changed anything on it, cept for oil and other fluids. I'm thinking it may just be time for new ignition goodies. I figure it couldn't hurt either way. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

wes98xj said:

I bought the truck with 48k and it now has 98k, and I have not changed anything on it, cept for oil and other fluids.

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Tune-ups are due every 30,000 miles. No wonder it won't start.

What can I say.. I'm cheap, and I like getting crappy milage.. :doh:

wes98xj said:

What can I say.. I'm cheap, and I like getting crappy milage.. :doh:

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I started having a similar problem on my 95, along with some spitting under load, and then kind of cast my mind over the maintenance history and realized that I'd put a few miles on since I did my post-purchase once-over. Like about 100 thousand. I was really impressed that an XJ can start and run at all with plug gaps that wide! Might be worth checking.

I had the same prob on my '87. If it didn't start right away, it would take a LOT of cranking to fire it. Swapped the relay and the prob went away!

Matthew Currie said:

I'd put a few miles on since I did my post-purchase once-over. Like about 100 thousand.

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Glad to see I'm not the only one. I swaped out the plugs, wires, cap and rotor, last night. You should have seen the gap on those plugs, yikes! I'd say an easy 1/8", and the electrodes were totally rounded over. It's safe to say it was quite a bit overdue.

I was mistaken about the milage, it has 104k. I have the trip odometer on all the time because I don't trust the gas gauge. It stuck at 1/4 twice, but that's a different topic all together.

We'll see how it starts up after the next thaw. It was below freezing again last night and it always started good when it was cold. It seems to be the 40 degree, super wet mornings that are the worst.

carnuck said:

Swapped the relay and the prob went away!

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Which relay would that be?