My Car Wont Start!!!

[Gonz32]

I parked my car today for 2-3 hours and when I came back it would not start!

Before parking the car, i noticed that the check engine light turned on again and it was idling high (1100rpm).

The battery cranks strong and the car is getting fuel, but it will not start! I tried jumpstarting it with my friend's car and the J wouldn't start.

It think it is something electrical, so I checked the fuses and cleaned the battery connections, but the car is not responding....

I had just changed the oil on the car including the oil filter, but I cannot think of anything I might have altered while changing the oil that would cause the car to behave like this...

I'm going to run codes tomorrow, but I would like to hear your opinions on what it might be.

Many thanks,Gonz

[yodawill2000]

gotta be a no spark thing. or the injectors aren't operating.Report back with those codes !

[Gonz32]

I went to restart the car today and it started right up and idled fine. I drove it home and started pulling apart the passenger side area to access the ecu.

Although the car drove fine on the way home, I tried restarting it while it was in my driveway and it shut off shortly after. The check engine light did not turn on.

I noticed that the floor beneath the carpeting on the passenger side footwell was wet! Is this normal? where should I look for leaks?

Anyways, it looks like I have an OBD2 equipped J30, because the ECU did not have a diagnostic switch like on the OBD1 cars. Did all '95 J30s have OBD2 or did they start having it after a certain date?

I guess I'm going to have to take it somewhere to get it checked with a diagnostics tool....

[yodawill2000]

Interesting.There was a thread on here awhile back where somebody was getting a wet ECU.

Did you take the ecu out ??the switch and led are on the back.. the end facing the front of the car.

[Gonz32]

How do you take the ECU out? I saw two screws on the bottom that look like they are holding it in place, but they are very hard to reach....

[driverdriver]

If you drive the car for a short burst without fully warming it up, the car won't start. The injectors are flooded. Its a known J30 problem from when the car was introduced. The engine is simply not designed for short trips. Always warm the car up fully before shutting down.

The reason why your passenger side footwell is wet is because your sunroof drains are clogged. This is common. Get yourself some "canned" air, open the sunroof and look for the two venturi holes facing the windshield at the corners. Gently blow canned air to remove any obstruction. You may have to repeat the application.

[yodawill2000]

Weed wacker line works as well.Just be gentle.

[Gonz32]

If you drive the car for a short burst without fully warming it up, the car won't start. The injectors are flooded. Its a known J30 problem from when the car was introduced. The engine is simply not designed for short trips. Always warm the car up fully before shutting down.

The reason why your passenger side footwell is wet is because your sunroof drains are clogged. This is common. Get yourself some "canned" air, open the sunroof and look for the two venturi holes facing the windshield at the corners. Gently blow canned air to remove any obstruction. You may have to repeat the application.

I dont think that is the problem. I always warm my cars up 10-15 minutes before driving them, especially in the wintertime.

Where can I find instructions to remove the ECU?

[gotspeed]

I also take short trips in my J and i have never had this problem. Also when was the last time you changed your fuel filter?

[yodawill2000]

Must be a cold weather thing.I drive a few miles to get a newspaper every morning.Never had a prob restarting.

[Midwest_Drift_Shop]

Hey, im getting this same problem right now.

I pulled the ECU and got codes 21 and 43, which I believe are Fuel Temp Sensor and Ignition Circuit.

I've tried unpluging the battery and letting the computer clear it's self, but that didn't work.

At first the car would start and idle low and rough, and after a few hours of troubleshooting it wont even do that.

I don't hear the fuel pump turning on when i move the key to the on position.

Before I parked the car, I drove about 20 miles to drop off a couple of friends, the car was running great, and it started after driving 20 miles before that.

I remember my car doing this a few years ago, I left it at the gas station over night, came back for it the next morning and it started.

Also my gas gauge has been going crazy lately, it reads totaly empty when there is plenty of gas in the tank (about 1/4 a tank to 1/8th of a tank).

Any Ideas?