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‘81 Cherokee. I have a fuel issue, I believe.
I can drive it and then park it and then it will not start back up unless I spray starter fluid in it. It also just started dying when you let off the gas to slow down. Any help is greatly appreciated. I just wonder why it’s not priming and starting without help. Any ideas or where to start.
Has a new fuel tank, and pump.
Thanks in advance.
It will not start by pumping the gas. I’ve only had it less than a year, so I’m not sure if it’s had these issues prior.
Once I get it started it will run fine. Sometimes when you let off to slow down it dies, but you can hit the ignition and it will fire back up.
It almost seems like it’s missing something in the fuel system.
My guess is the accelerator pump is leaking. It's a small enough leak that it doesn't impact you restarting the truck engine right away but large enough that if it sits for a while the accelerator pump empties out. This would explain why you have to use starting fluid to get it going again.
Get the truck running. Turn it off and look down the throat of the carb while moving the throttle lever quickly. You should see a jet of fuel pumped out.
Restart the truck and let it run for a minute or so. Then turn it off and let it sit for a day or however long it usually takes for the no start condition. Then look down the carb throat again and move the throttle lever again. You should still see a jet of fuel, if you don't your accelerator pump is leaking.
Accelerator pump is possible if it's the original Motorcraft carburetor. I have found that these leak to outside when they fail, so the OP should look at the front of the carburetor for a possible leak. Kinda think you'd notice a bad accelerator pump while driving though.
Any car this old with a carburetor almost certainly needs the carburetor rebuilt, if it has not been rebuilt already.
I would start with the fuel pump. There is a procedure in the TSM for testing using a pressure/vacuum gauge, cheap from Amazon or local store. A new fuel pump does not rule out a fuel delivery problem.
Your TSM also has flow charts for no start that covers fuel and ignition. You need fuel and spark to start and run.
You can also test for fuel volume delivery, but it's probably not safe if you don't understand how to go about it and the risks involved.
Tim Reese
Maine beekeeper's truck: '77 J10 LWB, 258/T15/D20/3.54 bone stock, low options (delete radio), PS/PDB, hubcaps.
Browless and proud: '82 J20 360/T18/NP208/3.73, Destination A/Ts, 7600 GVWR
Copper Polly: '75 CJ-6, 304/T15, PS, BFG KM2s, soft top
GTI without the badges: '95 VW Golf Sport 2000cc 2D
Dual Everything: '15 Chryco Jeep Cherokee KL Trailhawk, ECO Green
Blockchain the vote.
Had a similar problem with the BBD on my j10 258. It appears to have been resolved by a rebuild. Took it to Edmonds Auto Parts and Marine in Edmonds Washington.
Marc
J10 1984, very stock with AMC 258.
Truck appears to have been rebuilt or restored at one time
I replaced the fuel pump already. I’ll check the accelerator pump.
It is original carb. I’m not sure if it’s been rebuilt or not.
Thanks for all the help!
This may not work for you, but I've been having the same problem with mine. If it sat for more than a day, it needed a spray of starter fluid. Also, would not start if I first pressed the gas pedal to close the choke. I thought I was flooding it.
Turns out it was starving for fuel. The gas was draining back into the tank when the electric fuel pump was turned off. So, I put a check valve in to keep some fuel and pressure at the carb. It's working right now.
Got this check at NAPA, it's all brass, compact and can be taken apart to clean out if needed. https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NNPA0001Q
Hope this helps.
77sj 401 warmed over
72 Commando basically stock
07 Siena should last forever
76 FLH just for fun
Being it is a new rig You might consider doing what was already spoken about, the carb in these old of rigs are likely crapped Up inside and any inline filter in them partially or mostly clogged.
I realized early on, two things in jeeps and older vehicles, 1-fuel systems are almost almost all crapped up, tank to carb, and the vacuum lines especially the miles of them in jeeps are always leaky everywhere.
Like was said, Redo your carb anyway for your peace of mind and quality of future ownership, the filters underside to. Change it again in about 3-6 months too.
Then replace 100% vacuum lines in the entire rig, under dash and hood both, every single thing!
That will eliminate a lot of issues those two systems will definitely cause you.
It's your rig, Invest in the time, labor & parts. It's really not all that much if you do the labor.
Welcome to the club!