[Masterbrent07]

ok so my Cj was running fine..... then for some reason it was really hard to start.... I'm talking 5min or more having to pump the gas and finally it would start and once it warmed up it started up just fine, idled fine, ran fine, the only think i have noticed is that if I'm high in the rpm's and back off the throttle it'll back fire a few times....

on the way home i stopped to fill up and noticed my gas gauge wouldn't read full.... with gas overflowing it would only read 3/4 full.

get home and realize one side of the brace that holds my gas tank has come completely unbolted (i felt like an idiot for not seeing it sooner ) so i went and got 4 nuts and put it back in place

that fixed the hard starting problem and it ran for a day no problems

now it won't idle.... it'll start and run but if i get too low in the rpm's down around idle it just dies..

i know very little about jeeps and how to fix them... i can change my oil... with instructions i can add lights and other accessories and even bolt back a falling down gas tank lol but when it comes to performance and engine works I'm ignorant...

thats why I'm here... i'd love to be able to fix this myself.

could having the gas tank lopsided for a few days have something to do with it not idling?

by the way y'all are awesome thank you all for your time and knowledge!!

[Darksidehybrid]

This is the first thing tha comes to mind without knowing what's under your hood.
http://www.jeeptech.com/engine/carter.html

Good luck, and know that the more info the really experienced tech guys have about your jeep the more they can walk walk you through the trouble shooting process, so try to figure out what's in your jeep and put that in your profile.

[logans76cj5]

Have you tried adjusting the idle on your carb? I had this problem with one of my Jeeps and all it took was some small adjusting of that screw

[Masterbrent07]

i know its a straight 6 and yes I've maxed out the screw with no change.... if i just barley give it gas it keep running but as soon as i let off the gas it dies

[Masterbrent07]

so this is what I'm working with.... i managed to start it with one had on the key and the other on the throttle cable and kinda see what was happening... i did notice that with out the air filter on i did hear a loud hiss coming form the carb.... is there suppose to be a loud hissing? and when it stalled out it spit gas droplets straight up and hit the hood... thats my observation

[g8rcrazy]

Looks like the carb is veerry dirty! If you can get some help keeping it running, get a can or two of spray carb cleaner and spray that puppy down while your helper MILDLYrevs the engine up and down. Spray the cleaner into the throat area until it is visibly clean. That should help at least a little, maybe alot.
Also check the vacuum hoses for leaks and spray some wd-40 around the intake manifold connections to see if there is a change in the idle of the engine while it is running, If you can get it to idle.
If you still have the original emissions sticker under the hood somewhere check the routing diagram of the vacuum hoses on the diagram against what is actually on the engine.
Read up some here first on the items I mentioned and get some photos. You can get plenty of info here if you spend a little time digging. good luck.
CLEAN THAT CARB FIRST...IT'S EASY!
Edit: The gasket visible on the carb is wet so it may be failing and the carb may need to be rebuilt. It is usually fairly easy to rebuild that one barrel carb with the instructions contained in the carb kit.
Try cleaning first then go for the rebuild kit if cleaning doesn't help. Don't be intimidated by a carb rebuild, if you follow the instructions in the kit and do your homework here before diving in, you should be okay!

[g8rcrazy]

Oh yeah...check and/or replace the fuel filter also. You could have disturbed some trash in the tank that got sucked into the filter and clogged it so bad the engine won't run.
You could also drop the tank and clean it out when the fuel level gets low enough. If you could rehang the tank before, you can drop it and rehang it again.
If you are going to own an old jeep you need to invest in a repair manual and at least a basic mechanics tool set.

[Masterbrent07]

ok well..... apparently me taking off the air filter a few times and looking at the carb scratching my head was wildly intimating because on my way to HEB to grab some bread and a can of carb cleaner she just started idling again..... like nothing ever happened.....

im stumped.... i don't know what was wrong but it fixed itself...... any ideas what it could have been would be awesome so i can do some PM and fix it before it happens again.

[g8rcrazy]

Still spray the carb clean! and change the fuel filter out. If you can use a screwdriver you can change the fuel filter! Sounds like whatever piece of crud that got thru the system finally became dislodged and is allowing adequate fuel flow now!
Even if you don't buy a repair manual you can go to the library and copy the pages you need. This site is also one of the best resources out there for your needs.