piper87C

Thanks for the info, I hadn't really thought of a fuel leak. I was actually thinking there might be some kind of a "start circuit" that was malfunctioning. Whenever I find an answer I'll post it here in case it will help someone else.

The plugs only have a few thousand miles on them but the Jeep itself has 100,000 and I was thinking I might try changing the wires and distributor cap. The fuel filter is a good idea too, I'll have to figure out where it is on it. I tried something just awhile ago. I let it turn over a few times and stopped for a second, when I hit the key again it fired right up. I sure appreciate everyone's comments to date. thanks

HELP ! I know this is not the right forum but with the extensive knowledge base here I thought someone might be able to help. I have a 1997 Jeep Wrangler with the 4-cylinder engine. recently it has started being hard to start, By that I mean it takes more and more cranking to get it to start, once it does it runs fine and if you shut it off it will start right up. It kind of acts like the old carburetor days when you didn't set the choke before starting. It has gotten noticeable worse the last couple of weeks. I put some injector cleaner in the tank along with premium gas but it didn't help. Any words of wisdom will be much appreciated.

That is a pretty nice looking vehicle. My dad had a couple of El Caminos and a 1968 Ranchero. They were great. Of course they had full frames and V8 engines so they could actually pull a trailer. We had a 2001 Ranger with the 4 litre engine. It was a sweet truck. 4 wheel drive, extended cab, step side. I traded it last summer for a new Chevy 4x4 extended cab Z-81. It has been a great truck so far. I had looked at a F-150 in Findlay OH, which is about 350 miles from where I live. I had been dealing with them on-line and it was a great deal but I admit to dragging my feet. Going that far to purchase a vehicle and just the idea of buying when the economy was going down. I was serious though, but they quit answering my emails so I went with the Chevy from the local dealer. I did email the local Ford dealer to see if they could trade for the truck but they never got back with me. Anyway, the new Ranchero looks interesting but I would prefer something with a full frame and more motor then a Focus has, still it would be a handy runabout

I'd like her to test drive the Escape, the one we have has been a really good vehicle. No complaints from my end except that I wish the steering wheel would adjust up and down a bit more and slide in and out. I try to stay out of her car buying on the hopes that she stays out of mine..

I'd be interested in seeing what they look like myself. We have a 2004 Escape that my wife is getting ready to trade in. she hasn't decided what she is going to get but is leaning towards a Jeep Liberty. She had actually been looking at a Nissan Xtera and Toyota Rav4 but in her own words" I just wouldn't feel right buying an import the things are right now".

The one thing I am surprised about is how much better the Hyundais are compared to just a few years ago when they were rated the worst cars. It makes me wonder why Chryslers always seem to have quality issues. My dad drove Chryslers way back in the 60's and more often then not they had quality issues. There were only two of them that were really good cars, and they were outstanding.

In the most recent Consumer Reports they tested among other cars a Saturn Aura and a Hyundai Sonata. They gave the Saturn faint praise but ranked the Sonata as a best buy. Well in the past few months I have rented Two Saturn Auras and one Hyundai Sonata plus put several miles on a Ford Fusion. The Saturn 6 cylinder I drove was a great car with outstanding power and good fuel mileage. The 4-cylinder was a very good car with adequate power. The Hyundai was a decent car but a giant step below the Saturns, plus it had a lot of wind noise from the passenger side for some reason. How on earth it was rated higher then the Saturn is beyond me. The drive, ride, was way below the Saturn. The Ford Fusion was a very nice car but I have to say I liked the steering feel of the Saturn a bit better and the Fusion had a bit more road noise then the Saturn but still a very nice car. So I do not know whether CR is biased or just plain wrong. I sent them a note but have never heard back from them.. My two cents

I saw the new Fords, with the new trucks highlighted at the OshKosh,WI air show. They were all fine looking products and the F150's were especially nice. I sure hope they sell well

Actually I think Dodge, GM and Ford all make great trucks. I have just gotten to really like Ford products. I sold my beloved 1997 Explorer Sport to a friend for his daughter a few years ago and it still looks great and is going strong. A good friend of mine works at the Princeton, IN Toyota plant making the vans. Not to get on a soap box but I do think that the products from GM, Ford, and Chrysler are the equal of most if not all the Japanese brands and superior to many of them. It will be a bad day if our automakers fail....

I sure liked my Ranger and told the dealer that it would make someone a great truck. We always kept the oil changed and serviced the transmission, etc. I don't want to say the dealer gave me problems as I exchanged several emails with a very nice lady, and I did drag my feet. But it was a long way from home and I don't buy many cars so it is a huge deal. But I did ask for their final out the door price and never heard back.. The dealer was Findlay Ford in Findlay, OH. So, I guess I will accept responsiblity for not calling them and pursuing it myself, but it was a few hundred miles from home and the local Chevy dealer is a very good dealership.

I picked it up today and the running boards and pin striping did help it out a bit I think. The on-star is kind of neat but I don't know if I will keep it after the year is up or not. I have had both general motors and Fords, and in fact my last three cars purchased new were all Fords ( can't count the old jeep wranger) I sure like them and loved the Fx4 I almost got. but yes the good reputation and my previous experience sold me in the end. It is funny you mentioned the older trucks having a longer extended cab, I thought the new ones looked shorter but didn't know they actually were. Your truck is certainly a good looking vehicle... I still feel kind of guilty not purchasing a Ford, I used to do a lot of work at the refinery in Detroit and it is just a stone's through from the plant. At least it says Chevy and not Toyota or Nissan.

I pick it up tomorrow. It is a nice truck I think. An extended cab short bed 4x4 in a metallic brown. It is the LT1 package with the mid size v8 with active fuel management. It does have the Z81 package also and XM radio. It was odd driving it and seeing it go from 4 cylinder to 8 cylinder, you sure couldn't feel any change. You are right that my first choice was the Ford Fx4, My goodness that was a beautiful truck, and I will admit to thinking I should have just bitten the bullet even if they had put me off a bit and bought the truck... The local chevy dealer is really good on service after the sale and the sales manager goes to the same church I do ( when I go), I live in a small town and it was kind of nice having the owner shake your hand and thank you for purchasing from them. I'm sure it will be a nice truck and all. The incentives were very good. The list for the truck was 33,500 or so and I had a little over 1,000.00 worth of extras. Bed liner, running boards, pin stripes, put on. With my trade a 2001 Ranger ( great truck) the out the door price including tax, license, and incentives was $19, 117.00. So while it is a bad time for the manufacturers it is a good time to buy a full size truck. I will close by saying my heart goes out to all those folks in the auto industry whose lives are being impacted by the fuel prices. It seems the domestic companies can't catch a break. Their products are outstanding and equal to their foreign competition, and just when it seemed their might be some light at the end of the tunnel we have this gas thing going on.

Well, the search is over. I signed the papers for a new Chevy 1500 extended cab 4x4 today. It is a very nice truck with good incentives. If I had been asked a year ago if I were going to purchase a Ford or Chevy I would have said Ford. The dealer in Findlay Ohio that had the Ford truck I wanted just quit replying to my emails. I had asked what their final out the door price was and never heard back. since they are over 300 miles away I couldn't just drive over there. I did contact my local Ford dealer through Ford.com to ask if they could find me an Fx4 like I wanted. I received a automatic response that said I would hear from them in 24 hours and never heard a word. Now I realize I could have stopped by but I figured if they didn't care anymore then that about selling a vehicle they probably wouldn't care about servicing it either. My last three vehicles have all been Ford and have all been great.. I actually feel a little guilty about purchaing another brand. Anyway. the search is over.......

Did I hear correctly that toyota is ceasing production of the tundra and sequia temporairly? Switching all tundra production to San Antonio and making RAV4 at the princeton, IN plant???