Woe_is_Jeep

thanks guys. I'll check those out. currently encountered another SNAFU, pulled the distributor assembly to replace the pickup coil, and the inside of the distributor drop tube/assembly is grooved and pitted, and some of those tines are actually cracking... should've gone with the instinct to buy the complete assembly, but I'll be able to return the pickup coil and ICM since they were never installed.

however, can't seem to locate good source for a new distributor that has the vacuum advance. all the distributors i'll be able to pick up in town "will fit" but seem to be for the s10s that hook up to a computer. this car i'm working on has been stolen a couple times, and they pulled some emissions components so it's actually been running without that vacuum advance for quite some time. is that a major problem? looks like i can get a delco remy dist with vacuum advance from rock auto but there's a delay on it and it's pretty pricey.

Woe_is_Jeep

http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/add...gnition-timing

Woe_is_Jeep

disregard the novice vacuum advance question. sourcing one is proving to be a total PITA unfortunately. checking junkyards etc etc

Woe_is_Jeep

lots of other stuff going on in our lives these days, of course, so this project has been dragging along a bit. but every day is a new day.

distributor will be going in today. I'll be checking and resetting the timing of course. The adjustable timing marks above the grooved pulley had almost fallen off, haha, I guess the last time my Dad messed around with this car (I think I helped him do the harmonic balancer when I was like 15) those marks didn't get bolted back in all the way. So I'll find TDC, move the timing marks "flute" to the TDC notch on the crank pulley, and so on. Fingers crossed that the chain didn't skip timing while it was idling before it died a few months ago, as I've learned on these forums that can happen. One of the many vacuum hoses that were plugged during one of this cars unsupervised trips (stolen twice) has to be the right one... I see one that was dangling near the distributor, and it seems to lead to a hard-line that goes in underneath the carb, I'm wondering if that's the one. (funny thing, I drove this car from NM to TX without realizing the situation with that vacuum advance or other vacuum lines under the hood) Gonna search here and elsewhere for vacuum routing diagrams, but I have a feeling they'll be pretty unintelligible to me. Any body got a pro tip off the top of their noggin for the vacuum line that goes to the dizzy?

I have the rear suspension and front suspension/steering all loosened up and ready to accept new parts when they arrive. doing the front hubs too, and honestly I think I'm going to take the car to a shop once it's running and have them do the rear bearings for me. I have no press, and I don't want to agonize over pulling the bearings, seals, etc etc.
since it's a desert car and a Texas car away from the ocean, the bolts for the leaf springs broke really easily after I soaked them with penetrating oil for several days. all other bolts on control arms, etc, broke very easily. Things are looking up for the trip, once I get this turd running (haha, a pretty important part).

Also... You guys are gonna hate me, but this car is going...stock!!! lol I thought about a modest suspension lift, but I just don't think I have the need and I don't want to potentially complicate my situation further. I mean, I'm not a hardcore 4-wheeler... I'm a camper, backpacker, dirtbag and road traveler and this car has always taken our family where we were going. I used it as a field vehicle all over the state of New Mexico and in AZ, and it's been on expeditions in Mexico, driven across the country from NM to MA a couple times... this thing's a simple beast, and I never needed anything other than stock components to ride the trails that get me from one field site or backcountry campsite to the next.

One thing I still haven't resolved: lack of reverse, blinkers, hazards, and instrument panel lights. Pulled, inspected, cleaned all fuses. Seem to be getting electricity to all the ignition components before I pulled them all off. You guys turned me on to the fusible links, so I suppose they could have something to do with this problem? They don't look burned up or anything, but I realize they might not. I'm really trying not to have to pull the entire fuse box before the trip... I just hate electrical and wiring stuff. When I'm able to redirect focus I want to start mining the forums for good info on simplifying this already fairly basic electronics system.

I hope everyone had a nice Memorial day holiday. Many thank to all those in our families that may have fallen in service to our country.

Woe_is_Jeep

HOLY SMOKES (literally, pretty smoky. gotta figure that out.) it's running! Back to life with a new distributor and the ignition timing set. mentioned before, when I disassembled the distributor to replace the ignition pickup coil in there, the drop in assembly was on the verge of falling apart. gouged, cracked, and pitted. so i returned parts and bought a whole new assembly with ICM and pickup coil pre-installed. that was harder to track down because I was hunting the wrong part number based on model year, not what was actually on the car. I also installed the new ignition coil I was sitting on because 4.3L XJ helped me test the resistance on that, and not just rely on the 12V power supply the coil was getting and putting out to the ICM. it's running great (for what it is) and I'll fine-tune the timing when I can run it for long enough to get the engine nice and warm. still up on jack stands currently and a bit too smoky off the exhaust for the old man's garage.

so, I've got the car pretty much back to where it was when I left it. starts right up at the turn of a key, engine sounds good. new steering and suspension incoming to make it highway worthy again. I can see the road between me and Florida.

after getting steering and suspension components on, passing TX inspection is the next hurdle.
still chasing this issue regarding lack of reverse, hazards, and blinker lights.
also realized today that the dashlight illumination isn't working when I have the headlights on. that's probably not a change, I just hadn't noticed before.
brights still work.
left the new ignition switch on there, although that did not resolve my blinkers/hazards/backup lights problem. oh well.
went in and pulled wiring harnesses attached to tail lights, inspected, reinforced pretty hilarious factory wire connections, reinforced factory ground from drivers side wiring to tail light, reinstalled all. brake lights and running lights still work (no change), only they're much brighter! bonus.
I checked all the fuses in the fuse box with a test-light, and they all check out. I haven't tested the relays that sit in the fuse box yet, but just watched a video on how to rig up some wires so the relays can be checked inside the fuse box just like a regular fuse. also going to re-read, again, some posts about the blinker/hazards switch in the steering column, but not convinced that's it.

just hunting this lousy electrical gremlin, as you all call it. otherwise I'm ready to put the front and rear end back together (parts pending) and test the old turd's legs on the highway and find out what else will go wrong. surely something.

oh yeah, where the heck does the hose to the vacuum advance on the distributor route to? I still have the diagram under the hood of the car, but it means nothing to me. I am still researching this.

Lol, at this point I definitely recognize I'm screaming into the echo chamber, but I have gotten lots of good info from this forum still so I'll keep updating. after I have it all figured out, I do plan on writing a more intelligible "step by step" of the particular (convoluted) process I've been going through. maybe it will help another non-mechanic who is mechanically inclined like me.

Don X

There's never a reason to apologize for how you have your rig set up. Everyone's needs and uses are different so be true to your school. I typically run stock or close to stock Jeeps off road. I experience the trail better because I have to pay a lot more attention in some situations. I'm not a great driver but I'm much better than I would have been if I mostly relied on my build to get me through.

Woe_is_Jeep

Thanks DonX, much appreciated, and cheers to that!

I realize that I posted lots of information in this thread that is unrelated to my no spark problem, which was resolved and the car is now running. Apologies for muddying the waters. I appreciate the comments/tips that I got here, as usual.

Lessons learned:
Doing my research (with a helpful tip from 4.3L XJ about checking resistance not just voltage) helped me determine exactly what was wrong with the ignition system, and enabled me to buy internal parts for the distributor (dist pickup coil is what I really needed, but the ignition coil was also out of spec, thanks again 4.3L XJ). HOWEVER, when I pulled the distributor drop-in assembly and took it apart to replace the components, I learned that the drop down tube from 1986 was severely degraded (cracked, pitted, waiting to basically fall apart into my motor) and warranted a full replacement. I purchased a replacement distributor assembly that wasn't much more expensive than the sum of the parts I had already purchased (which I returned)
So really, I should have pulled the whole distributor right off the bat to look at the inside of the assembly, that would have saved me some time and grief.


I'm rebuilding/replacing other stuff on the car, and plan on updating about that in an old thread of mine.

4.3L XJ

Glad you got it sorted out

dave1123

There should be a port (hose nipple) on the side of the carb near the bottom that the vacuum advance hose hooks up to. It only pulls vacuum when the throttle plate just begins to open. The vacuum advance is designed to advance the spark quickly until the engine rpm reacts to the opening throttle, then the centrifical advance inside the distributor takes over.