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View Full Version : i smell gas and bad engine shuddering...



Jpdst29
01-20-2005, 06:35 PM
hey guys...i need some help

went to start up my jeep today and out of nowhere i smelled gas really strong and the idle is extremely rough and almost stalls, and the engines shudders violently when you press on the gas.

i diagnosed for codes and it came up with none.

i checked the fuel line from the pump up to the fuel rail and there are no leaks...i just replaced the fuel filter 6-8 months ago...so i dont think that would be it

any ideas would be great...i have a slight split in my PCV valve hose...but i have duct tape around it for now...and have been driving like that for a month or two with no problems...so i dont think a vacuum leak is the problem

could it possibly be my fuel injectors??? and how would i check to see if they are good or not?

any insight would be great...

OverkillZJ
01-20-2005, 07:05 PM
I bet you have a cracked line going to your charcoal canister, or a cracked canister altogether.

I'll fix it, if you paint my hallway and boarders (yes.. I'm still putting it off... LOL)

Jpdst29
01-20-2005, 07:08 PM
would that make it idle like crap??? and if you want to fix it...i would be more than welcome to paint your hallway and borders...even this weekend if you wanted....cuz i dont put things off?

are you sure that is what it is though?

OverkillZJ
01-20-2005, 07:27 PM
Mine wouldn't even run when my canister was cracked, and it smelled like gas, so I think there's a pretty good chance that's it. Or the evap pump went out, that's possible too.

LordAthens
01-21-2005, 12:52 PM
Hey Matt, is that the little black box we spent a day in the junkyard looking for?

OverkillZJ
01-21-2005, 01:06 PM
Hey Matt, is that the little black box we spent a day in the junkyard looking for?

Yup! Jerome's is a pre-96 though, so it should be a lil' black canister.

I found that my ZJ runs just fine (emissions and all) by taking the box out of the loop. But when the lines are plugged or open to air, no go.

Jpdst29
01-21-2005, 05:05 PM
well....bad news....lol

took it down to work today to work on it in the heated garage

pulled off the bumper and checked the evap canister and lines...no problems at all...

pulled the spark plugs...and what do you know...5 out of the 6 spark plugs were covered in gas and were black as night... :(

figure faulty fuel injectors...took it down to our works auto shop and they are going to take a peek at it...

hope for the best...

OverkillZJ
01-21-2005, 07:07 PM
Told you I was wrong some times.

This is one time I wish that I was right though!

Bill
01-21-2005, 08:47 PM
I am not sure about how the ZJ are set up specifically, but I do have a little experience with an XJ having this same issue. If the XJs and ZJs have similar set ups (I am assuming they do...) the injectors are seperate. So, I doubt that all the injectors are bad, I assume that it is a bigger issue than that. (Not trying to be negative here.) I am guessing it has something to do with the computer that controls the injectors.

Just guessing... but I am going to say it is not going to be cheap! :cry:

Jpdst29
01-21-2005, 08:54 PM
yes...bill...you are right...the injectors are seperate...

this is going to be worse than i thought...

time to buy a WJ!!!

:lol:

OverkillZJ
01-21-2005, 10:26 PM
Injectors are seperate in every fuel injected engine known to man...

regardless, it's not a computer problem. No way, no how. Sensor, injector, head gasket, blah blah blah etc etc, but engine computers work or they don't... nothin' in beteween.

Bill
01-22-2005, 12:03 AM
Injectors are seperate in every fuel injected engine known to man...

regardless, it's not a computer problem. No way, no how. Sensor, injector, head gasket, blah blah blah etc etc, but engine computers work or they don't... nothin' in beteween.

A glitch in the system could not be responsible for Jerome's problem? A faulty sending unit of some sort maybe?

OverkillZJ
01-22-2005, 12:27 AM
Injectors are seperate in every fuel injected engine known to man...

regardless, it's not a computer problem. No way, no how. Sensor, injector, head gasket, blah blah blah etc etc, but engine computers work or they don't... nothin' in beteween.

A glitch in the system could not be responsible for Jerome's problem? A faulty sending unit of some sort maybe?

A faulty sending unit does not a fried ECU make...

Bill
01-22-2005, 12:44 PM
Injectors are seperate in every fuel injected engine known to man...

regardless, it's not a computer problem. No way, no how. Sensor, injector, head gasket, blah blah blah etc etc, but engine computers work or they don't... nothin' in beteween.

A glitch in the system could not be responsible for Jerome's problem? A faulty sending unit of some sort maybe?

A faulty sending unit does not a fried ECU make...

That is exactly what happened to a buddy's XJ. The symptoms sound similar to what Jerome is describing and he was told by the mechanic at Jeep that it is a common problem in the I-6s (Although, I have only heard of his incident, now Jeromes, and no others.) :cry:

Jpdst29
01-22-2005, 12:48 PM
so what do you guys honestly think is wrong?

i could see if one injector went bad or got clogged to the point of insteading of misting gas it was shooting a straight stream and making the engine run rich

but when i pull 5 out of 6 spark plugs and see that they are jet black and they smell of gas saturation...i have to wonder what is going on...5 injectors couldnt have went bad that quick...

i am just as stumped as you guys...hopefully i will get a verdict from the shop this coming week... :?

LordAthens
01-23-2005, 04:35 PM
I talked to my buddy who's big into engine's.

He said with 5 out of the 6 being black and gas covered and the rough idle and shuddering, he'd put money down that it's the ignition control module in the distributor. Basically, it's not firing, causing the heavy gas smell and the black plugs or misfiring, also causing the above.

He said he wasn't sure with the Jeep motor, but the ICM for Chevy's is a ~$15 part and quite easy to replace.

Wish I would have found this out sooner, sorry Jerome.

Jpdst29
01-25-2005, 05:03 PM
well guys...i got the call today from the shop about the ZJ

there is no compression in cylinder number 1 and they are going to pop the valve cover and take a peak

any insight on to what would cause this???

thanks

Jpdst29
01-25-2005, 05:08 PM
heh...while i was posting my last reply the shop called me again...on of my valve springs was broke...he said he is going to order a new spring and hope that it seals properly now

he said worst case scenario is that the valve touched the piston and that the valve bent but he said that that shouldnt be the case

trying to keep an optimisitic outlook on this whole thing :D

he did say that valve springs breaking werent that common...he said possibly due to over - reving which i try not to do...kind of hard to do on an automatic tranny too....i guess

LordAthens
01-25-2005, 07:19 PM
Well, that's a problem, but no compression and a broken valve spring still doesn't explain why 5\6 of the cylinders are running wet.

Jpdst29
01-25-2005, 07:30 PM
you make a good point brandon...i think what i will do is replace some stuff on my own when i get it back...as long as it is running better...maybe that ignition control module and some other stuff if need be...