Mine ran rough so I rebuilt the carb, changed plugs and plug wires and swapped out the distributor for a new electronic one. It all helped but it still ran rough. I was listening to it run one day and rested my fingers on the key for a second before killing it and engine smoothed out. A new ignition switch made it run great.
Jeff
'51 CJ3A
'47 CJ2A
"... just the sound of the engine overall, as in the new exhaust valve IS working....
It's not whistling through a gap in its front teeth!
Yes!! Exactly. And that was a big gap!Originally Posted by LarrBeard
Ok here's my still-slow progress report. First, see the photo. I did a compression test just so I know for sure, and was pleased to see the results. The #1 is at the firewall, counting back. It's nice to see my readings fairly close.
I ruled out all I listed before but checked the coil since now it won't even try to start. Pulled the output from the distributor cap and held it near ground and only got a microscopic spark, then no spark when I repeated it.
I think I have a bad coil. Either way I must replace it now since I beat the sh*t out of it trying to unfreeze it from the bracket.
Happy Monday everyone.
Last edited by Mark J; 06-28-2021 at 10:40 AM.
It's the Willys Way. Tasks that are so simple, i.e. removing a coil from the bracket, turn into major sources of aggravation.
Well hell it wasn't the coil. It was the condenser wire contact, making contact where it should not have! The connector was touching the metal protective cap on the distributor. This happened before and I thought I had fixed it. So I killed a good coil.
Either way, it's sparking now and running. Now I'm back to timing and carburetor, I hope.
Shes trying to come to life! Sounds like your almost there Mark. Good catch on the condenser short.
Last edited by bmorgil; 06-29-2021 at 06:28 AM.
I'm lost, again.
1. The jeep runs very rough. I've changed/moved nothing, in terms of timing since it ran before, with the exhaust valve issue. If I shut it down after running it awhile, it won't restart unless it's cooled off considerably.
I pulled out the coil wire from the distributor cap, held it near a good ground and only get a tiny spark - maybe 3mm at the most. This is what I saw from the old coil.
Shouldn't I get a hefty spark?
2. I'm now thinking that this issue was actually what happened when I was driving the jeep and it suddenly lost all power and started backfiring. And, that the exhaust valve may already have been in the shape it was in (notched!) , and that this current issue exacerbated that problem.
I'm somewhat lost as to why the spark is weak and I feel I need to attack that issue before fine tuning the timing. My coil is getting proper voltage to the + side. I even hot wired that directly to the battery to rule out any ignition key/wiring issues.
Does the case of the coil need grounding via the bracket? The coil is painted but so was my old one.
I've done major work on this jeep in the past, but I've never ever had any tune up issues. It really never needed much! Set gaps, change plugs, adjust timing by "ear" and jeep ran fine for nearly two decades.
Ideas?
A. You should be getting a fat blue spark that should jump a lot more than the 3mm you mention. It should "POP" and be big enough to make you want to be careful.
B. The case of the coil is not a ground. As shown in the attached diagram, both the primary side of the coil and the high voltage secondary are returned to ground through the - terminal of the coil and the condenser when the points open.
C. Make sure the condenser ground strap is spot welded to the case - mine wasn't. Get a new condenser - they're cheap and not that hard to change. Make sure all the wires are tied to the right place and not shorted to something else. We've all connected up something where it doesn't belong at one time or another.
Thank you LarrBeard!
Right after I posted today, I went to the garage, stared at the coil and realized that I've only tested it assuming all was well in my distributor. I had that issue with the contact touching the metal dust cap and thought it was resolved when the jeep started. I didn't tie in that it could still start and run (poorly) with the weak spark.
If no one had posted back I was going to just make my own contact point, release it and see if had a spark. Or better yet, just stick a spark plug on the coil output wire, ground the plug and see if I get a spark along the gap of the plug.
Well anyway... I'll check my grounds in the distributor. I did check the condenser with my cap checker and the reading was good. This was back in November just before my surgery. I had just bought the points/condenser/cap so really they're like new. But I will check the condenser again if I don't see any ground issues.
I spend the rest of the day sanding teak outdoor chairs. Boy do they sure suck up that teak oil!!
You are welcome.
The idea of taking a spark plug cable, plugging it into the tower on the coil and using a spark plug to check for spark as you make and break the points is a good idea.
That checks everything but the cap and rotor.
You haven't swapped a wire to the plugs have you? 1 - 3 - 4 - 2 .... 1 - 3 - 2 - 4 doesn't work all that well. Ask me how I know....
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