1988 Wrangler won't idle

I have an 88 Wrangler 5 speed , 6cyl with carburator . 94000 miles That won't hold an Idle. I can drive it down the road just fine but as soon as I take my foot of the gas pedal it stalls and will start right back up. Any help would be appreciated.

have you checked your idle. maybe its set to low either that or your choke is broke and doesnt work. does it idle on its own at start up?

Thanks for your reply... No it won't idle on a start, your right almost like the choke doesn't work. But it won't idle when the temp is up either. I can drive it and it will run pretty good but as soon as I take my foot off the pedal she dies. Like the gas stops feeding the carb???

My first thought is that it would be the idle adjustment screw on the carburetor. It keeps the butterfly in the carb from closing all the way when your foot is off the gas. You should be able to locate it on the side of the carb where the linkage is, and make an adjustment to keep it running @ idle.

check for loose, cracked or missing vacuum lines going to the carb. i beleive ther eis one on the left side, driver side that will kill the idle if it is not attached

I would check for a vacuum leak first. Make sure that the MAP sensor has a vacuum too.

Also try to reset your computer by removing the postive lead of the battery and turn the ignition key to start and off (three time minimum) then re-connect the battery. Start and drive for a mile

Good points on the vacuum; is it idling now?

ya i should check my vacuum lines and stuff. i just took the idle screw out and so now at cold starts i have to give it gas myself or else it will turn off but once its warmed up it runs at idle. I have another problem that yall might be able to help me with sometimes when i turn my car off it has a really hard turn off like my whole engine shakes and goes all crazy and sometimes it wont even turn off it will just keep shaking and stuff real hard and the car will turn right back on real quick if i turn the ignition...what is wrong?

ya i should check my vacuum lines and stuff. i just took the idle screw out and so now at cold starts i have to give it gas myself or else it will turn off but once its warmed up it runs at idle. I have another problem that yall might be able to help me with sometimes when i turn my car off it has a really hard turn off like my whole engine shakes and goes all crazy and sometimes it wont even turn off it will just keep shaking and stuff real hard and the car will turn right back on real quick if i turn the ignition...what is wrong?

Sounds like it needs a tune up pretty bad.....

evne with a tune up it would do that, thats cuase by many reasons really, Mainly carb operater vehicles, because the engine runs so hot that even spark cutoff on the engine it still fires gasoline, thats called Dieseling, happens alot of old motorcycles too, i ebt ya it happens alot when its really warm. If your fuel injected thats a different story, fel is 100% cutoff on those. but for carbuerated the manifolds going to have some gas in it, a tune it would help, carbon buildup can make the situation worst. i can go on for days.... i had a 1987 dodge omni like that...

88 wrangler are known for crappy carbs. i know i had the same problem till i went completely through my jeep. at a minimum you need to rebuild the carb.
a better thing to do would be buy a new one

1987-1990 wrangler with a 2.5 were throttle body fuel injected.....

1987-1990 wrangler with a 2.5 were throttle body fuel injected.....
what 6cyl were 2.5 lt and he said it has a carb. you need to check your sources.

Perhaps i read it wrong, i thought it was a 4banger alright dude.

Carter carbs are a little troublesome but if you rebuild it and set it up right it should be ok. Has anyone heard of the " nutter bypass " it rewires the ignition and bypasses the computer. My 88 YJ ran like crap most of the time, it would run ok but not idle until I did this bypass. Now it runs great and here in Ontario, Canada we have emission testing and my Jeep just passed easily.

Carter carbs are a little troublesome but if you rebuild it and set it up right it should be ok. Has anyone heard of the " nutter bypass " it rewires the ignition and bypasses the computer. My 88 YJ ran like crap most of the time, it would run ok but not idle until I did this bypass. Now it runs great and here in Ontario, Canada we have emission testing and my Jeep just passed easily.

I jsut rebuilt a carter Carb for a CJ 5 with the 258. its not ahrd to rebuild those carbs at all, but it seems very simple the setup, but i think you can buy aftermarket holley or edelbrock or even weber carbs for that engine, liek a twin barrel or somthing, for mroe performance and more reliablity, fuel mileage will drop though.
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ive remmember seeing carbs on www.4wd.com

Yes, the rebuild kit is very easy and if you set the mixture srews correctly and it will run quite well. You can definately buy aftermarket carbs, I have heard a lot of people use the webber for their 258`s and they are extremely happy with the results. If I could afford one I would probably have changed my carter a while a go.The Nutter Bypass I mentioned rewires the ignition to that of the earlier CJ`s probably like yours. Really makes a difference on performance.

setting the mixture screws is not that hard. i rebuild my carb in the back seat of mine in the rain. you just have to take your time. and watch what you are doing. but if you have no idea what you doing your screwed

I replaced the Carburator and now the problem is solved. Thanks for all your help..

My CJ7 ran poorly and would not rev freely until I did the TFI ignition upgrade. It was the single best thing that I did for the 258.

Just do a google search for "jeep tfi ignition"

does anyone know why this does this i just put the drive shaft back in with new ujoints an i tightend the bolts to specs what could this be could the carb cause it to do this

Hey, all. I've fixed tons of these carbs and there not as bad as their reputation appears. The main idling problem stems from the fact that the carb vents open right above the main idle pickup tubes. Any crap falls into the bowl and gets sucked into the pickup tubes.

If you pop the top off and remove the 2 screws in the venturi area you can lift off the pickup tubes and see the dirt stuck in them. A quick back blast of compressed air will clear it. Clean out the float bowl with carb spray and air. Don't forget to do the jet holes too then button it up and you're good to go. I pull the idle screws and blast them out too before putting the carb top back on.

Most crud came from the AIR tube metal valves rusting out then burping into the carb. They usually burned out the plastic check valves too.

Quick check if your AIR system is still there.. It shouldn't blow back through the two large hoses into the air cleaner housing if you rev it up and drop it back to idle. If your getting air from the hoses into the carb, you're going to plug the carb again.