No start, use starter fluid, then runs fine?

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cjm1347

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Nov 12, 2021
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CO
Hi, new member. First post.
I recently purchased a 1998 TJ 4.0 with 53,000 miles on it. It runs phenomenally well but won't start without starter fluid. I checked the fuel pressure at the rail and I'm getting 0psi. The fuel pump fuse and relay are good. After starting with starting fluid it runs like normal and has no issues otherwise. Is it normal for the fuel pump to fail in a system with such low mileage? Obviously it's a relatively old Jeep, but I wanted to see if anyone has any insights here before I drop the gas tank to replace the fuel pump.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. (I know there are numerous posts similar to this one, but none seemed to have the exact set of problems I'm having.)
 
Sounds like your fuel pump is toast. Have you tried leaving the fuel pressure gauge on while you start it and watch. Intermittent fuel pumps are giving you a warning to replace them before you get stranded. Mine is on order right now and every time I check pressure it is within spec, but it will randomly fall on it's face pulling grades and lacks power.
 
nuffsaid said:
Sounds like your fuel pump is toast. Have you tried leaving the fuel pressure gauge on while you start it and watch. Intermittent fuel pumps are giving you a warning to replace them before you get stranded. Mine is on order right now and every time I check pressure it is within spec, but it will randomly fall on it's face pulling grades and lacks power.
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The most confusing thing to me is that it runs fine and does well on steeper grades/higher RPM. No lack of power or strange throttle behavior. I haven't left the gauge on once started, so I can't be certain. I'll try that though.
 
Put the gauge on , start the engine and then turn the engine off. Watch the pressure on the gauge, spec is to stay above 30 psi for 5 minutes. You could have a bad check valve in the pump module allowing the pressure to fall off.
 
cjm1347 said:
The most confusing thing to me is that it runs fine and does well on steeper grades/higher RPM. No lack of power or strange throttle behavior. I haven't left the gauge on once started, so I can't be certain. I'll try that t
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Try the key method to check, turn the key to run for a few seconds then off again 3 or 4 times without cranking, then try and start and see how she responds.
 
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