Mechanical question...I am stumped. Looking for insights into this engine issue

[Autism Family Travels]

My friend has a 2009 jeep patriot for a cabin rig. He parked it after using it fine all weekend, went to start it the next weekend and it sputtered and just shut off and would not start. Been through the entire electrical system etc. The funny thing is that it seems to have compression when the plugs are out. put a drop of oil into the cyl and crank, it will shoot the oil back out of the plug hole, but when the plugs are in it's like it has no compression. Any help to diagnose this little rig would be helpful. I am thinking either head gasket, timing is jumped somehow. The gasket would show signs of leakage, as would a crack in the block etc. It really got me stumped

thanks

 

[madcratebuilder]

Use a compression tester and report back.

 

[JJbyrd]

Also do a cylinder leak down test.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

The Patriot does not have a timing chain.

So it's not that.

How many miles?

We swapped ours after 165,000.

I was actually more concerned about the sealed transmission (6 speed) which was flawless the whole time.

 

[bgenlvtex]

No codes?

My money is on rodents.

 

[North American Sojourner]

Mice? What are the codes? Have the battery checked. You have to ask yourself what changed since you "drove the car" to the stopping place? How did the compression change in a week? Battery health is very important to a car that has several "modules" to keep the car alive.
Just because the motor turns over doesn't mean it will stay running.
Hope it gets fixed.
Zim

 

[cody92595]

Check basics. If it sat I’ll bet there’s a mouse nest in the air box. No air, no start.

 

[smritte]

Retracted my diagnoses.
As everyone said.
Start simple.
Major mechanical issues give you strong symptoms with clues leading up to them.

 

[Psfracer]

If something didn’t eat some wires - then use KISS method. Engine needs air, spark, fuel. If its getting air, take a spark plug out and keep it hooked up the the ignition wire. If you have spark, then its fuel. I vote fuel pump.

 

[Flamewave]

I vote fuel pump.

Quite possibly that or fuel pump relay. But crank no start situations can be tough to diagnose with all the electronics in modern engines getting in the way.

Anecdotally, my buddy's '06 Ferd Exploder is going through a similar thing. It seems to be getting fuel, air and spark but still won't start, after replacing damn near everything we could think of we had to admit defeat and send it off to the shop. I mean we tried cam sensor, crank sensor, fuel filter, fuel rail pressure sensor (definitely getting fuel pressure at the rail, found out the not smart way ), new plugs and coils... Codes said it was rich one cylinder and lean on another, it'd start and run for two seconds very roughly after sitting for a day and then not start again and that's all we had to work with, then it refused to throw any codes at all after the battery died and was replaced. I think it's either timing or VVT-related but we didn't want to pop the valve covers off to replace the VVT solenoids and called it quits at that point.

The Patriot does not have a timing chain.

Pretty sure it does.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

Pretty sure it does.

Can't remember.

I'm old, so there's that...

 

[Murphy Slaw]

You're right.

It didn't have a belt, it had a chain.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

I was actually more concerned about the sealed transmission (6 speed) which was flawless the whole time.

The "sealed" trans can actually be serviced. Just need the proper techniques. I am doing the fluid change in a couple of weeks.

 

[Psfracer]

So what ended up being the issue? What was the fix?

 

[Autism Family Travels]

So what ended up being the issue? What was the fix?

Don't know yet. they are just getting ready to get up there after the winter. Really muddy etc right now with snow melt.