2002Laredo

Hello All,

I have a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4.7 L V8 4WD, 170,000 miles. Recently I have been having issues with cold starts. At cold start, the car will take up to 3 tries to start. The engine will turn over and crank but may take several times to start. Sometimes whitish smoke will also come from the exhaust when the car actually does start up and it smells of gas. When the engine is warm and the car has been driven recently the car will start fine, no issues. I haven't begun looking at any diagnosis so Im starting from scratch. I would like some advice on where to start looking given these symptoms.

Thank you

PatHenry

You might get better, or at least more specific, advice in the grand cherokee part of the forum - www.cherokeeforum.com/f5/

That said I think that I would do the following:
1) Check and clean your engine grounds and battery terminals - this is standard maintenance and should always be done if for nothing else than to eliminate the common/simple stuff.
2) Test the battery. Your local Autozone (or other parts retailer) should be able to do a "load test" for free.
3) Check your fuel pressure. I'm not sure of the V8 system specs (you can find them online or in the FSM for your Jeep), but again, hit up your local parts retailer to get a test gauge (usually available as a free loaner tool) and verify that it holds pressure to spec.

I'd suspect fuel delivery from your description, but until you get into it and start narrowing down, there are too many possibilities to speculate.

2002Laredo

Thanks Pat, I will move this thread and try those bits of advice.

PatHenry

Anytime brother!

Another thing you might try is to turn the key to the "on" position for a couple seconds before the first try starting and see if that makes a difference. If you're not familiar with why, basically the fuel pump primes when the key is in "on" and by going to "on" for a few seconds give the fuel pump a chance to build pressure before attempting to start. If it starts right up after doing this, it is very likely that the fuel pump is starting to die.

2002Laredo

Yes, thanks, I have actually tried the method of turning the key on and off and it does not help with start up. I am around the mileage for a dying fuel pump though. I do suspect I may have a leak somewhere in the fuel delivery system, I can often smell not-combusted gas when the car is running. Could this cause a loss in pressure while the Jeep has sat for hours, while when it is recently driven it does not? I have moved the thread FYI, thanks again.

PatHenry

Yes, especially if it's a very slight leak. If you haven't changed the in-line fuel filter (if your Jeep has one, the XJ does and it's on the frame under the rear seat) in a while, you might start looking there - could be as simple as a clogged filter. While you're under there you can get a good look at any rubber hosing that might be deteriorated over time.

Leaky injectors is another possibility that's pretty common on Jeep vehicles.

2002Laredo

I'll add that to my to do list, Thanks, you're the man!