engine wont start its reving strong but wont turn over

its not the battery all the power and lights work fine plus i tried to jump it still no start

theres no clicking noises or anything...

what do you think im dealing with here

 

So it cranks but doesn't start? When you turn the key to the on position, do all your gauges stay bottomed out?

Do you have fuel pressure at the rail? This would be the first thing to check. If you do, then pull a plug, stick it to the block and see if you get spark. If both of those check out, you might check your Crank Position Sensor.

 

when in the on position the gauges are fine, batt looks a little lower than usual and so does oil gauge but still looks okay

i noticed a small puddle under the front, but idk if its just antifreeze that usually leaks a little.

could it be the alternator?

 

x2 on gpXJ. Always check for fuel and spark first. When you first turn the key on you should be able to hear a light humming coming from the rear of the Jeep, this is your fuel pump. If you dont hear it, it is probable that the fuel pump went bad. Do you run your fuel low? I have plugged up many of fuel filters caused by running the tank dry and caused no start. Make sure you have spark coming from the coil, take off the wire in the middle of the distributor stick a screwdriver in it while a buddy tries to turn it over(DONT HOLD IT...you will get shocked if there is spark!). Also check for broken wires connecting to all of the sensors. A Chiltons manual has been a very helpful reference as well as these forums. I hope this helps and happy Jeeping!

BTW the alternators only job is to keep your battery charged while the vehicle is running.

 

just noticed the oil gauge stays bottomed out at zero, but the gas and battery gauge seem to be normal...

 

The oil gauge measures oil pressure while the Jeep is running, it should be at 0 when the motor isnt running.

 

Either CPS or fuel pump.

 

well i went to check it and i broke a peice off of the distributor cap so i just replaced it, and no help... i put a screwdriver to the middle sensor on the cap and i see no spark...

 

did you get a buddy to crank on it w/ screwdriver touching... w/o putting a charge to it there will be no spark!!

 

yeah i held it while he cranked... nothing.

 

can anyone else help?!?

 

Did it just die, or won't start? On my Grand Cherokee the crankshaft position sensor failed and it basically would turnover all you wanted but absolutely would not start. I've read that these can be intermittent in some cases. Please read the following diagnostic, it might help. Also you can test it. It's at the top back of the engine. A SOB to get to, but I used a couple LONG extension and a swivel and did from underneath. Do you have a scan tool to do a test and pull codes?

http://autorepair.about.com/od/faqs/l/bl651h.htm

 

Yeah it sounds like a case of no spark. Btw you have to hold the screwdriver close to a ground so that it will arch if the coil is good. Checking to see if you have fuel is easy, just look at the rail that the injectors are on there will be a cap that you can unscrew, just put your finger nail to the little needle if you have fuel pressure you will have gas flowing out, In he case of no finger nails just use the screw driver. If you have no fuel or spark then I would look into the Crank position sensor, most cases if the ecu can't find where the crank is you won't have spark or fuel, my suggestion before spending any money is do the simple tests and come back to us with more imformation so that you will have the best possible solution.

 

i checked and it seems to have no spark, the spindle on the distributor seems to have no spark and same with the spark plug wires... what do i do? im not sure if its just me doing it wrong or what, also i think i need a new battery now from all these revs with no start... UHHHGHHGHG!!

 

Okay, one thing I am curious about is if you pulled the wire from the center of the cap, and with the wire in hand you aimed to end of that wire towards a ground, like a bolt on the vavle cover, about an inch above it and had a friend try and start it. If it arcs you have sprak, if not you dont.