First of all, this is a Jeep I am looking at buying...not mine so I don't know alot of history. It is a 97 4.0 auto. I go to look at it and the body is in great shape, then I pop the hood. The first thing I notice is the valve cover is gone. Since it was off, I checked everything and all the arms were tight and the oil showed no signs of coolant. Everything else seemed intact, so I went to start it. The battery was dead so I jumped it and the starter only popped. I removed the key and the starter continued popping (without the key in) until I disconnected the jumper cables. I pulled the starter relay and it did not appear burnt, so I manually jumped the starter with a screwdriver and it just spun and didn't kick the plunger out.
The problem sounds as simple as a bad starter, but with the missing valve cover I am usure of any underlying problems. It is being sold from a repo place so they have no mechanical input or history information on it.
I want to try to get it started to make sure there is no internal damage, but how do I do it without buying a new starter and replacing it?
Thanks for all the help in advance.
The problem sounds as simple as a bad starter, but with the missing valve cover I am usure of any underlying problems. It is being sold from a repo place so they have no mechanical input or history information on it.
I want to try to get it started to make sure there is no internal damage, but how do I do it without buying a new starter and replacing it?
Thanks for all the help in advance.