08 liberty

[Steven E Wright]

I just bought this liberty for cheap knowing it wouldn't start. Figure I can get my money back if I have to part it out. It has the 3.7 4x4 looks great 180 k miles. Here is what is going on: hasn't been running for couple of months after running like crap and left the previous owner stranded. Battery dead and won't take a charge. Put in good battery, cranks over but not firing up. Smell gas. Replaced the usual, cam sensor, crank sensor, plugs and all 6 coils on plugs. Now it will sound like it wants to start but doesn't. Strong smell of gas, found out gas is dripping out of the muffler, and it is parked nose slightly down slope. Not sure we're to go from here. P.S. was very low on gas, so I added 5 gallons of fresh gas.

 

[LibertyTC]

Scan for OBD2 codes, any stored codes?
Bad fuel pressure regulator? Connect a fuel pressure gauge to fuel rail, key on, what is psi reading?

 

[Steven E Wright]

No codes. Just figured fuel pressure was okay since I smell it and it is coming out the muffler drain hole. I will rent a pressure gauge and check.

 

[Steven E Wright]

Just thinking about what you said. If the regulator is bad and allowing pressure to get high, could be flooding before it had a chance to start?

 

[LibertyTC]

Yes and the way to tell after cranking lots is to remove a spark plug, and see if it is wet/smells like fuel.
The spark plugs need to be dry & clean & gapped properly.
Also if flooding you can keep the pedal to the floor while cranking, which is known as the flood clear mode.
What spark plugs are in there? Should use- ZFR6F-11G (Gap 0.043 in [1.1 mm]

 

[Steven E Wright]

Yes NGK gapped at .044

 

[lfhoward]

Good idea replacing the coils, but do you know for sure there is spark? If no spark, then no boom.

 

[Steven E Wright]

That's the other thing I am going to check tomorrow. The liberty is at work so not working on it on the weekend.

 

[Steven E Wright]

I was able to check the fuel pressure today. Key in on position, goes to 50 psi. Wasn't able to check the Sparks because had nobody to turn the key for me. But it acts like it's going to start then just doesn't. New detail I did find out. It has an after market remote starter for cold days.

 

[lfhoward]

Now that’s interesting. I wonder if the remote starter is causing the no start issue.
First, does the remote starter turn the engine over? If you don’t have a remote for it, try locking the doors with the OEM remote three times in a row. That’s how my remote starter works.
You could try disconnecting the remote starter and reconnecting the jeep’s wire harnesses to each other the way they were before it was installed. That would take the old remote starter out of the equation.

 

[Steven E Wright]

Yes it has a remote but can't figure out how it works. Gonna do a little research to figure out where it is and disconnect it. I press the buttons and nothing happens.

 

[Steven E Wright]

After doing a lot of reading, I found out that the dead jeep battery can make the system need to be reset. Can the system needing reset keep it from starting with the key? Never had a remote starter before. Don't want to rip into the steering column if I don't have to lol.

 

[Steven E Wright]

I am going to try the reset process today. Neither the normal key and fab or the remote start will lock or unlock the doors. So hopefully resetting the system fixes the issues. I don't have high hopes though, my luck doesn't work that way.

 

[lfhoward]

I’ll have my fingers crossed for you.

 

[Steven E Wright]

Not the python remote start. It really acts like it wants to start, but the gas flowing out of the muffler drain has me baffled. The mass air flow sensor couldn't cause this, could it?

 

[Steven E Wright]

Gonna throw this out there and see what y'all think. If this was an older car I would be thinking timing. Is it common for timing to be able to jump in these 3.7s

 

[Steven E Wright]

Guess everyone is as confused as I am. Thinking about just flipping it and making a hundred on it. I don't have the time or space to start tearing into the timing. Really was hoping for the easy fix, but I don't have that kind of luck lol.