***TJ stubling at idle Need HELP***

[LittleBlueTJ]

Hey guys I really need some help on this one. For the past month my TJ with a
2.5L has not been idling that great and today it has worsend and feels like a carburetor. I change the oil very often. A few days ago I put that SeaFoam stuff in the vacumm hose, didn't really fix it.

I bought a thing of lucus fuel cleaner tonight, I dropped a little in the gas and then tomarrow I am going to put some in the throttle body, how do I go about doing this. How much do I put in?

Do you guys think I should replace the fuel filter, and when I do that I have to replace the fuel pump as well right?

[wrangler4x4_97]

pullin any codes?

[Stick89]

I would start with the fuel filter....is it easy to access....check for vacumn leaks???

[TX_LJ]

How many miles? I had the same type of issue on my 88 YJ and it got so bad that it wouldn't even stay started unless you held it at wide open throttle.

Turned out to be a clogged cat. converter.

[LittleBlueTJ]

Turned out to be a clogged cat. converter.

Well I hope and pray that this is it. Because the dealer ship is going to replace it due to a recall.

[LittleBlueTJ]

Ok it's the cat that is bad. I took it to the dealership today due to a recall letter I just so happend to get it two days ago for replacement of the cat. Guess what, they are telling me it's the cat that's throwing the check engine light on and they won't replace it because it's an aftermarket cat. They flashed the computer as well. The original owner had to have it put on or they are straight lying to my face. the owner kept records of a tune up and new tires at 100,000 miles when I bought the Jeep a little over a year ago. I'm going to try to get a hold of the owner tomarrow to see what she says before I head back to the dealership to pick it up tomarrow and then take it to an exhaust shop to spend $245 on a new cat that could have been replaced for free. They want me to sign paperwork too when I pick it up. But due to the lack of trusting the dealership I'm debating not signing anything then taking it to the exhaust shop and letting them tell me if it is or isn't a factory cat. It's been a mess.

[TX_LJ]

Is your entire exhaust aftermarket?

If not, I would be suspiscious - why would someone replace just the factory cat with an aftermarket one?

[LittleBlueTJ]

They just said the cat.

[RedRubiconLJ]

Aftermarket as in high perf or just a replacement that is not a DC product?

High perf aftermarket cats are more free flowing, less back pressure, better mileage etc...

Before you sign anything look at it and get a part # and or name off it. Then find out where it came from if the previous owner doesnt know/remember.
I would suspect the signature they want is to verify that they couldnt perform the recall on yours because you didnt have the factory cat installed that is the subject of the recall.

[LittleBlueTJ]

Well I picked it up right now and all the exhaust shops don't have time to get me in this weekend.

[LittleBlueTJ]

Ok well I got the cat replaced today and it still doesn't run right. It sounds like it is starving for gas. The check engine light is not on so I don't know what to do, I'm stuck. Do you guys think it's the fuel filter? Can I just replace the filter, because I know the filter is in the gas tank a long with the fuel pump.

[wrangler4x4_97]

dunno man maybe still check o2 sensors even if no code. cause mine is running bad because a exhaust manifold leak is causing o2 sensors to go bad.

[LittleBlueTJ]

well the dealership said when the check engine light was on it was throwing a catalyst code. So should I replace the manifold and both 02 sensors? or what would you guys think. I know I have a cracked manifold and I had a few exhaust leaks.

[Lonestar TJ]

Awhile back I had a hole in my exhaust from where one of the mounts had broken off. This caused my jeep to run terrible and bog down on long distance trips much of the same stuff your referring too. I thought it was the fuel pump/filter as well but luckily didnt have the money to fix those things so i had the exhaust fixed first and that was the problem. And you have to replace the whole fuelpump assembly which runs about 250 bucks at autozone if i remember correctly.

[wrangler4x4_97]

well i took mine to a shop to have em look at it and had the injectors cleaned. was running lean now running rich. im now thinking the cracked manifold is causeing the air/fuel mixture to be off enough to make a difference in how the four squirrels run.