I purchased a 1990 Jeep Cherokee Laredo at a steal . . . thank goodness too, because I’ve already replaced the head gasket sealant (thank goodness too for a set of mechanically inclined friends). My biggest current concern is the fuel pressure. The car either starts up beautifully or sputters and gurgles for a good 5 seconds before finally idling normally (either occur during cold or warm starts). The sputtering at start-up has become more commonplace as of late. If I drive away without providing a good three-to-five minute warm-up, the car will drive as normal while applying gas pressure to the peddle, then once gas pressure is no longer applied, the car dies silently; The battery stays on, but all power steering and engine power disappear and the car coast into nothingness. If I allow the Jeep to warm up significantly, it will drive as normal for hours, except for it’s struggles to compensate long upward hills.
The fuel regulator has a slight leak. Worse at start-up, lessens up over time. The seal may be improperly seated, but is in physical working condition as I can tell. Spark plugs were replaced. Battery was replaced. Injectors have been tightened. There is a slight oil leak (it seems to move around a bit), but is far better since the Head Gasket was replaced.
Could this be a bad fuel regulator or something else that I have missed? Your thoughts?