CJ7 not turning over.. waterlogged??

[UKCJ7]

My 1980 CJ7 seems to have been affected by rain the last few days.
When I start the jeep it clearly wants to turn over but the fuel isn't
reaching the engine hence why the car doesn't start up all the way.

This has happened before during the rains. Last time I drove the CJ was 2
days ago to put some gas in. The following day I went to start it and as I
described it wouldn't fully start.

I checked the carburator and it was dry. I was told to try using a "hairdryer"??
Uh.. don't think this would help!?

Honestly I feel the car needs a "dry out day", but with another day of rain
ahead I need to get my jeep going.

There's no coverage I can put the jeep under to keep it out of the rain..

Any suggestions are GREATLY appreciated!!

 

[KenB]

Can't figure out how rain would affect fuel delivery. Sounds more like fuel draining back to the tank.
Fuel filter position? Vent line on top?
Electric fuel pump?
Electric choke?

 

[BusaDave9]

I don't think it's a problem with fuel delivery. Maybe a problem with fuel mixture. Some carb engines have trouble starting and running in rainy wet weather. I don't have an answer but I think it may be a problem with the choke.
You say the carb is dry. Of Gas?
Pump the gas pedal. Have someone watch in the carb to see if gas squirts in.
It could also be an electrical issue when it's wet.
To help narrow down the problem try a spark tester.

 

[cerrajero]

i had a old mustang.....same thing....it was a crack in the dist. cap...letting moisture get in:dunno:

 

[UKCJ7]

After getting a few other opinions it seems like it could be the distributor cap.
I wiped down the contacts of the cap and the connectors from the distributor and my jeep still would not turn over all the way.

Another thought is that the jeep is parked on the incline of a hill and quite
possibly gas isn't getting "fully" through because of the angle.
Can't really do much about that without it starting.

The rain has been coming down hard and hoping for a break tomorrow so we
can see if there is a "spark" coming from the distributor, if this is the case.

Once this issue has been solved, is there anything I can do in the future to prevent this from happening? I was told to consider purchasing a high end distributor cap appox.$250 as some the older CJ's have been known to have
problems with distributor caps.

Appreciate more feedback! I learn so much from fellow CJ'ers and my own CJ.

 

[BusaDave9]

Another thought is that the jeep is parked on the incline of a hill and quite
possibly gas isn't getting "fully" through because of the angle.
Can't really do much about that without it starting.

I don't think that's it unless there is no gas in the tank.
If you were to run out of gas and put a gallon in the tank, it takes a bit of cranking to get the gas pumped back to the carb.

Once this issue has been solved, is there anything I can do in the future to prevent this from happening? I was told to consider purchasing a high end distributor cap appox.$250 as some the older CJ's have been known to have
problems with distributor caps.

Let's first find out what the problem is before we try to prevent it in the future.
Yes they are good aftermarket distributors but yours worked from the factory and should work now.
Tomorrow if you find out you aren't getting a spark then we can look at that. Actually if your cap and rotor haven't been replaced for a while now is a good time for that anyway. If you have replaced it a year or so ago then lets do some more troubleshooting before replacing anything.
That spark tester can help there.

 

[UKCJ7]

After loosing sleep last night over this. I recall something from last
month and a thought that my roommate had about this issue.

There's a (good) chance that because of the jeep "parked at an incline" that
the 1/2 tank of gas I have is not fully reaching the carburator.
I remember last month where I was visiting that it did rain for a few days,
but being that the jeep was on a level surface (possibly!) the car DID start
with no issues.
So with that said I will call a tow truck to have them help me level the car
off and can only hope that it will start after a while. It's still raining here
and concerned that it may take a while for the car to get going again since
it has been driven since this past Saturday.

BusaDave9: Yes,since I didn't have time yesterday) I will check to see if
there is a spark coming from the distributor. And was told (by a custom
car builder) to spray a little WD40 into the carburator while starting the car
to "ignite" the jeep to start.

I'm hoping one and/or both of these of these things will get my CJ grooving
again.

It's been hard with the weather and a disabled vehicle to get things done
before the holidays.. T- minus 3 days!!!

Continued feedback until I can confidently say problem solved! :

 

[UKCJ7]

My update is a few weeks late in lieu of the holidays.
It ended up being a replaced distributer cap and the ignition cables. Since then the car has had a MUCH smoother start up!!
We like this as it doesn't feel like I'm choking my CJ beforehand.

Also went in for the biannual smog test and it gratefully PASSED!.. whew. Though the levels across the board were quite a bit higher
so I will have to get this checked before 2013.

Thanks for the previous support, and Happy New Year!

 

[gert]

:booze:Thats great time to celebrate