jeep fire excitment

My jeep has been hard to start when it sits for a couple of days.. and the problem is getting worse.. I was trying to get it started and the battery was getting low.. so I figured with the last bit of juice I had I better get it started.. so I sprayed some starter fluid into the air box and clamped it back down and tried to start it. It back fired through the intake and blew the lid off the air box.. I could see flames in the engine bay from sitting inside the jeep.. I started thinking about how the water hose was rolled up.. and where my extinguisher was. I ran to to the front of the jeep and the paper air filter was on fire, luckily I was able to blow it out. I plan on.. number 1.. never using starter fluid again.. and number 2 getting a big extinguisher in my garage so I don't burn my jeep/house down.
About the starting problem.. maybe the fuel pressure is bleed down? Over time..

It's really hard to help you with no idea what year and engine you have. It's also very helpful to let us know anything that you have tried to fix it, and also any mods you have done.

stephenspann27 said:

..., I ran to to the front of the jeep and the paper air filter was on fire, luckily I was able to blow it out. I plan on.. number 1.. never using starter fluid again.. and number 2 getting a big extinguisher in my garage so I don't burn my jeep/house down.

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Yep! That 2.5 lb. bottle mounted behind the seat comes in real handy,...



...,if it's there.

While you're out getting the garage ext, get one for the jeep as well. Fires don't happen just within walking distance of the garage. Don't bother with H-D/Lows. Find a place around you that services fire extinguishers. They can sell you used ones with a fresh inspection/charge for about 1/2 the price of new ones.

Sorry about that.. I probably need to do more trouble shooting before I hit you guys up for help.. it's an '87 4.0 auto 4x4 all stock.. 260k miles. I plan to check out the IAC.. TPS.. clean the throttel body.. and maybe CPS... If the fuel pressure was bleeding off.. what would cuase that? The FPR?

about 3 summers ago in the outer banks of NC (you can drive your jeep up and down the beach on the sand) I saw a guy with a really nice XJ... 5.5" lift, 33's, a bunch of mods... well he was to lazy to deflate his tires for driving on the sand and got stuck. Instead of digging himself out (had a shovel on top of his jeep), he decided to gun it... which resulted in his jeep catching on fire. With all the mods the guy had on his XJ, he didnt have a simple 5 dollar extinguisher... Neither did anyone else. About 20 of us watched him as he cried as his XJ burnt all the way down to the frame (fire trucks couldnt drive out on the beach and their hoses didnt reach.

GET AN EXTINGUISHER.

SurfXJSnow said:

about 3 summers ago in the outer banks of NC (you can drive your jeep up and down the beach on the sand) I saw a guy with a really nice XJ... 5.5" lift, 33's, a bunch of mods... well he was to lazy to deflate his tires for driving on the sand and got stuck. Instead of digging himself out (had a shovel on top of his jeep), he decided to gun it... which resulted in his jeep catching on fire. With all the mods the guy had on his XJ, he didnt have a simple 5 dollar extinguisher... Neither did anyone else. About 20 of us watched him as he cried as his XJ burnt all the way down to the frame (fire trucks couldnt drive out on the beach and their hoses didnt reach.

GET AN EXTINGUISHER.

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That is one screwed up story!! Very good reason to have a means of putting out a fire!!

Where can I buy a Co2 extinguisher? None of the home improvement places carry them. Hmm.

The one I keep in my rig I got from walmart it's rated for A, B, and C and was $30.

Back to your darned slow start problem. Turn the key on and slowly count to ten before starting to crank the engine. This gives your fuel pump a few more seconds to build pressure before you try to start it. There is a fix on this site (search) involving a checkvalve from a BMW in line close to the fuel tank as I remember.

Thanks for the advice. The fuel pump on my camaro went out this morning :-( in a busy intersection.. so I'll be working on that first.. But I'll cycle the key a few times and see if that makes a difference.

90Blue_XJ said:

Back to your darned slow start problem. Turn the key on and slowly count to ten before starting to crank the engine. This gives your fuel pump a few more seconds to build pressure before you try to start it. There is a fix on this site (search) involving a checkvalve from a BMW in line close to the fuel tank as I remember.

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I've noticed on my 89, that the fuel pump only runs for about 2 seconds after turning the key on. It does not run the fuel pump up again until it sees a signal from the CPS. Upgrading your battery cables can make a huge difference, as the Renix engine computer needs to see a certain rpm before it lites off. The ignition module will also not work if the battery voltage is too low (9-something volts I think). In the long run though, the older Renix jeeps do crank longer than the HO Jeeps.

dj99xj said:

Where can I buy a Co2 extinguisher? None of the home improvement places carry them. Hmm.

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dave92cherokee said:

The one I keep in my rig I got from walmart it's rated for A, B, and C and was $30.

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I see them all the time, I have 3, one for each level of my home. Most of them are chemical extinguishers, i.e. a powder in them to spray on the fire, mine are rated for a A,B,C.

Not sure how effective a chemical extinguisher is on electrical fires, it is C rated, C is for electrical isn't it?

ABC is for wood/trash fire, chemical (gas) fire, and electrical fire. A dry chemical extinguisher is best for liquid and electrical fires, you don't want to spray a liquid on electrical circuits and liquid on a gas fire could possibly spread the gas making it move instead of going out.

The C rating just means the extinguishing compound is non-shorting and can be used on energized equipment without the risk of electrocuting yourself. Not a huge concern for a 12-volt low voltage system. For a vehicle that may have either an interior fire or a fuel/oil fire, you want an extinguisher with an ABC rating. Size matters, so get the biggest one (highest AB numbers) that you're comfortable handling and can get to quickly.

Dry chemical extinguishers leave a huge mess, and the residue can be caustic. You really don't want to spray that in the intake of a running engine. C02 really leaves no mess, but may not be ineffective on oil/grease fires as those can reignite as soon as you run out of C02. Dry chemical leaves an oxygen barrier on the surface to smoother the fire.

In the garage, home, or kitchen you might want both a dry chemical and a C02, but you absolutely must known which one to use.

Some good info here: http://www.fire-extinguisher101.com/
Notice the new labeling: http://www.hanford.gov/fire/safety/extingrs.htm