WW2 Willys - Greetings from Alsace!

[Willys_Alsace]

New to the forum - glad to be here! Recently reunited with WW2 Willys Jeep which made its debut in our wedding in France (27+ years ago). My wife's French uncle had been the proud owner of this beauty until March of this year, when I brought it back to her new home in Alsace. Cheers!

[LarrBeard]

Wow! She looks very nice. Good looking bride too!

[bmorgil]

Very nice WW2 Willys! Super history. That one will bring generations together! What a great heirloom. Welcome!

[gmwillys]

Welcome Alsace!
Great story. We look forward to hearing more on your Jeep!

[Willys_Alsace]

Thanks for the nice comments! So, here we go! Made some minor tune up adjustments to kick things off. Replaced plugs, rotor, batteries and carb. She is pretty happy now, but I have 2 (minor issues - I think) which I would like toss out to the group.

1) Carb replacement:
Carb fuel line leak brass fitting not seating properly (see pic). Gas leaks from around the fitting. Tried (gently) 3 times to reseat the brass fitting, no luck. Any suggestions?

2) Starting when cold:
When starting, it takes 2-3 attempts for starter to engage / turn over. At first I thought it was a low charge on the battery (but check shows they are fully charged). The starter makes a slow growl on the 1st / 2nd attempt. Usually on the 3rd attempt, it engages and turns and the engine starts. I plan to clean all the connections tomorrow (leads / starter, etc.). Not sure if this is the issue?

Many thanks!
Tim

Carb - After pic 2.jpg

[LarrBeard]

[QUOTE=Willys_Alsace;11918]Thanks for the nice comments! So, here we go! Made some minor tune up adjustments to kick things off. Replaced plugs, rotor, batteries and carb. She is pretty happy now, but I have 2 (minor issues - I think) which I would like toss out to the group.



Welcome to the Forum. It looks like the right angle brass fitting wants to tighten up about 90-degrees past where it should to mate with the gas line. Try some Teflon tape on the threads where they go into the carburetor body. Uh-oh, is that a Solex carburetor?

Twice in the post you mentioned "batteries". Do you have one or two batteries? WWII Jeeps should have only one six-volt battery - unless they have been modified later on as radio Jeeps.

As for the start problem, I'd check for a "flat spot" on the starter. That means there may be a place on the commutator bars that have been burned or corroded and if the starter stops in that spot, the brushes do not make good electrical connection the next time. Check the brushes as well, they do wear out eventually.

It's never a bad idea to clean all of the connections between the battery and starter - and check how well the starter is grounded to the bell housing and engine block.

[Willys_Alsace]

Thanks for the nice comments! So, here we go! Made some minor tune up adjustments to kick things off. Replaced plugs, rotor, batteries and carb. She is pretty happy now, but I have 2 (minor issues - I think) which I would like toss out to the group.

1) Carb replacement:
Carb fuel line leak brass fitting not seating properly (see pic). Gas leaks from around the fitting. Tried (gently) 3 times to reseat the brass fitting, no luck. Any suggestions?

2) Starting when cold:
When starting, it takes 2-3 attempts for starter to engage / turn over. At first I thought it was a low charge on the battery (but check shows they are fully charged). The starter makes a slow growl on the 1st / 2nd attempt. Usually on the 3rd attempt, it engages and turns and the engine starts. I plan to clean all the connections tomorrow (leads / starter, etc.). Not sure if this is the issue?

Many thanks!
Tim

Carb - After pic 2.jpg

[QUOTE=LarrBeard;11919]

Thanks for the nice comments! So, here we go! Made some minor tune up adjustments to kick things off. Replaced plugs, rotor, batteries and carb. She is pretty happy now, but I have 2 (minor issues - I think) which I would like toss out to the group.



Welcome to the Forum. It looks like the right angle brass fitting wants to tighten up about 90-degrees past where it should to mate with the gas line. Try some Teflon tape on the threads where they go into the carburetor body. Uh-oh, is that a Solex carburetor?

Twice in the post you mentioned "batteries". Do you have one or two batteries? WWII Jeeps should have only one six-volt battery - unless they have been modified later on as radio Jeeps.

As for the start problem, I'd check for a "flat spot" on the starter. That means there may be a place on the commutator bars that have been burned or corroded and if the starter stops in that spot, the brushes do not make good electrical connection the next time. Check the brushes as well, they do wear out eventually.

It's never a bad idea to clean all of the connections between the battery and starter - and check how well the starter is grounded to the bell housing and engine block.

Reporting back: Great news - the Teflon tape on the threads did the trick! No more fuel line leak. Further good news, after completely cleaning all the leads / connections, no further starter issue either. She fired right up and is running like a top! Thanks again!

[bmorgil]

Great news indeed!

I would go back after that fitting with a new flare and a new nut if it acts up again. A fuel leak is never good.

[Willys_Alsace]

Will do! Thanks again for the helpful advice.

[bmorgil]

On the fuel leak, it looks like the male flare nut has been rounded off, possibly someone used an open end wrench with a lot of torque. When the wrench rounds the nut it causes it to deform. It will not seal again after that. Probably a prior repair. I would cut off the flare and install a new nut. Make sure to use a flare wrench when tightening.

That is an inverted flare fitting It seals around the flare and relies on a uniform flare nut. Sealant is not used on flare fittings. The flare itself looks pretty smashed. It could be cracked at the flare.