New CJ 2A owner

[wadel]

Just brought home a new to me 1946 CJ2A last night.

My daughters and I got to ride in our local Independence Day parade last year, with a friend that has a 1950. Ever since they have been “nagging” me that we should have one as well. My youngest, soon to be 13, has expressed interest in helping with the work.

I had a cj7 when in the ‘90s when in high school and have had a thing for Jeeps since.

As for this one just need to get spark back, safety check it, enjoy for the summer and plan for the winter projects.

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[bmorgil]

A nice find there for sure! I was in the 2nd huge Toledo Jeep Fest parade with my son in his big green crawler known as "Frahnkensteen", I was hooked. Went out and bought a 1950 and got started. I had it finished in time for the next years Jeep Fest parade, running it in that parade the following year. I can tell you for me it was fantastic! Introducing youth to mechanical things sometimes grows things you would not believe! The boy has more projects than I can count on two hands. I show up for local parades and what not when the weather is good. What a blast.

[wadel]

This might be a silly question, but was wondering on how to determine if the electrical system had been, actually converted to 12 volt. Previous owner gave some rather vague info on why no spark, 12 volt conversion with 6volt generator still there, don’t think he actually knew the answer.

Thanks

[bmorgil]

No silly questions exist. If it has been converted it will have a 12 Volt battery. If all is working you should read 13 to 14 volts accrost the battery posts. Once you get it fired up.

That being said it is possible to run it in 12 volts with the "original" generator. There are a few posts in here about this. Search for "Larrbeard" he has written a lot about this subject as have others. Basically you charge the battery by providing a regulated voltage to it. A generator puts out a lot of voltage. By "regulating" it down to the correct voltage you provide the current to charge. The original generator can and has been used successfully to charge 12 volt batteries with a 12 volt regulator. It does not provide the charging capability of a modern "Alternator" however. Take pictures of what you have. I don't see the direct relationship to no spark. In your Jeep finding out why there is no spark won't take long. Let us know if it gives you any trouble!

As far as diagnosing "no spark" start at the coil, look for voltage on the positive terminal with the key on. The coil should say 12 volts right on it if it is a 12 volt system. One thing that happens quite frequently, people leave the key in the "on" position. On a modern car no problem, on a classic with points, big problem. If the points are closed and the key is on it burns the points and can overheat the coil. This leads to "no spark". See if you have voltage at the positive of the coil with the key on. If you have the correct voltage the points become suspect. The correct voltage at the coil will vary slightly depending on what coil is actually in there, and how it was wired. Some 12 volt coils require a ballast resistor to reduce the voltage slightly while running. If the coil needs a Ballast Resistor it will usually say so on the coil. Look for about 5 or 6 volts or 11 to 12 volts with the key on.

[okiemark]

You got a nice find there! This is the place to go if you need help or advise.

[wadel]

Thanks for the info! Will start looking this afternoon...this pesky work thing gets in the way of enjoying the new project!!

[bmorgil]

Thank God you are working my man! Things are getting shaky in this COVID environment.

[wadel]

So I’ve ordered a tune up parts. Plugs, wires,cap,rotor, points, etc. in between all the rain we’ve been getting I snuck out to do a little investigating. I pulled the coil to check on 12v and it is (see attached pic). And then what I assume is the Correct 12v voltage regulator (see attached pic), which has no markings. The old coil has “use” instructions on it. If there were a resistor somewhere being used, where in the “line” would I find it. The new coil says use without external resistor. Can anyone instruct on how to confirm that it is indeed the voltage regulator for a 12v system.
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[okiemark]

The resistor would be somewhere in the wire that goes from the switch to the coil positive side. Look for it to be mounted on the firewall behind the motor. It might have been eliminated. It should say 12 volt somewhere on that regulator.

[LarrBeard]

A. It should look something like the attached picture.

B. The "12V" on the voltage regulator could have been on a label or just a stamp that got lost long ago. For the mean time, I'd assume it is a 12-volt regulator until you see battery charging issues.

[bmorgil]

Good point Larry, you need to fire it up and see if it is charging. At his point it looks like the ignition system was converted correctly. It would be a good assumption the charging circuit is also correctly converted.

[wadel]

So far I think I’ve diagnosed it too being an ignition problem. Got some wrong parts, my mistake, and have the correct ones on the way. I’m going to take the carb off and clean as well just as a precaution. Fuel pump checked out good, compression is good, it ran briefly but didn’t sound like it was running on all four. Used the old cap and points, just cleaned and re gapped them. Will update once correct points and cap/rotor get here.

[wadel]

So I used a spark tester and saw very weak spark across all four cylinders. Took the cap off and cleaned the “contacts” and cleaned the points, cleaned the contact on the rotor, re gapped and put back together. When I was putting the cap back on it seemed like it took more pressure to snap the closures shut. It felt the same the last time but I ignored it. Opened back up and realized that the new condenser I had put in was not installed to allow clearance for the cap to sit right. ( should have checked first time!). Moved it a touch in the holding bracket, cap snapped on right. Flipped the key and boy did it sound nice!!! She’s now officially a runner!!!! Will still put in the new points cap and rotor when they arrive. Super excited!

[bmorgil]

Nice work man! Good catch on the condenser.

[gmwillys]

Great to hear that she is purring right along.

[LarrBeard]

Check the new condenser and make sure the strap is welded to the case. Things don't run right if it isn't and it's really hard to figure out.

[wadel]

The replacement that I put in was not welded to the bracket. The one I removed was not either. I actually used the older bracket as it allowed for better clearance inside the distributor. If I may ask, what is the issue? Vibrations/movement?
Thanks!

[bmorgil]

The new stuff may not be welded to the case. The strap usually has "indents" to make good contact as it clamps down. If you look at the one picture Larry has posted you can see the cracks in the top of the condenser. Definitely something to look at if it is causing you trouble. A bad condenser can be really hard to spot. The best way to see if the condenser is bad is by the condition of the points. Badly pitted points and indications of arcing spark are the signs of a bad condenser.

[LarrBeard]

The replacement that I put in was not welded to the bracket. The one I removed was not either. I actually used the older bracket as it allowed for better clearance inside the distributor. If I may ask, what is the issue? Vibrations/movement?
Thanks!

The case of the condenser is the other electrical contact. The clamp needs to be in very intimate contact with the case to make sure that the case of the condenser is connected to ground - the case of the distributor. Mine was just slipping around loosely and when it lost contact, the truck would almost run. It acted like a carburetor/fuel problem for a month, the it cleared up and ran - for a while.

Then we threw up our hands and went to find a really old guy. We told him the symptoms and he said "Bad condenser". We said "But, it is a brand new distributor with all new parts."

He replied; "Do you want to argue or so you want the da#$ed thing to run?"

We quit arguing, replaced the condenser (obviously the problem) and it has run ever since.

Score one for the really old guy!

[wadel]

Ahhh...grounding it, that makes sense. This one seemed to be nice and tight within the strap/bracket. Score one for the “old guy” with the experience! I’ve always enjoyed those discussions. I’ve been riding/restoring vintage BMW motorcycles for quite awhile now and have met many a person with those same kind of stories/advice! Always worth listening too!

[bmorgil]

OK Larry, time for the definition of a "REALLY old guy"!

[5JeepsAz]

Dirt is the compar-o. If dude is older than that, they qualify,.

[wadel]

The case of the condenser is the other electrical contact. The clamp needs to be in very intimate contact with the case to make sure that the case of the condenser is connected to ground - the case of the distributor. Mine was just slipping around loosely and when it lost contact, the truck would almost run. It acted like a carburetor/fuel problem for a month, the it cleared up and ran - for a while.

Then we threw up our hands and went to find a really old guy. We told him the symptoms and he said "Bad condenser". We said "But, it is a brand new distributor with all new parts."

He replied; "Do you want to argue or so you want the da#$ed thing to run?"

We quit arguing, replaced the condenser (obviously the problem) and it has run ever since.

Score one for the really old guy!

Add another point to the “old guy” score sheet. Replaced the condensor bracket with a new one and up and running again!!! Still need to fine tune, but now it starts consistently and runs so it will be able to be tuned!!!
Thanks again for the simple yet solid advice!!!

Also installed a new fuel pump as the oil smelled heavily of gasoline. That was before the the condensor swap so, yeah, it was a spark issue that definitely seems like a fuel issue!!

Thanks again!!!