Still running rough

Sunday I started the CJ. It started... ran as rough as when I started it last (NOV? )

I applied the Magic Box.
I forgot to take pics

This thing is called an Ignition Eliminator, used for troubleshooting or emergency-limp-home. It's a box about 8"x10" 2" thick, made somewhere in Florida by a company called A.M.E. It has a "coil" wire that you feed into the dist, a + and - batt cable, an on/off switch and a remote starter button. Thats all there is to it. You remove your coil wire, put this in place, crank the engine and turn it on.
Pretty cool, it worked! (I forgot to disconnect the + and - to the coil, you should have seen the blue sparks coming out of that!! ) OK, shut it down, pull of the coil +/- wires.
So I cranked it over again, my wife threw the switch, it started and ran, but only slightly better, if at all.
The Magic Box told me my problem isn't ignition.
And it's not carb either... I get no bog, cough or hesitation when I blip the throttle, say turning at 1000 - 1500 rpm... the carb is set right.... it's just a pretty steady miss.
When I run it up to 2200/2500 rpm, it smooths out at first, the other cylinders are carrying the one or two that are not firing, then I start to get some popping. Unburnt fuel (black smoke) in the headers/muffler popping off. If I hold it there, the popping gets worse and in a minute or less, it pops of BIG out the exhaust

What is puzzling is that last May it ran excellent offroad. Towed it home. Started it, pulled it into the driveway to was it. Did hose down the engine, but covered the dist.
Some water may have drained down along the air cleaner center bolt... not much if any... when I started it after that, it had the miss.
I've replaced the Pertronix with a new unit, rebuilt the barb, put in new cap and rotor. Initially the miss was only on the passenger bank. Now it seems to be in both banks, I've got the big pops out the drivers side as well as the pass side.

Seems to have happened too suddenly to be the cam or a burnt valve.

Can't seem to track this down. Next I'll verify the timing is still on... after that I'll do a compression check, then pull the valve covers and fire it up, see if maybe something looks amiss in the valve train movement...

Feel free to post any ideas :?

 

X2. Although mine was my F4. But it sounded like the same type of
symptoms. I swapped out the plugs, wires, points, and coil. Was
preparing to put in the Petronics but it ran so smooth I didn't get
the new ignition in yet. Will do it some day. But I was totally
suprized how much better it ran.

 

Put the ole Vac gauge on it Lynn

 

I am so not getting in the corner with you

 

I just spent some time re-reading Sparkys marathon thread.
I need to get a vac gage.

 

Going to buy a vacuum gage after work.
Looks like I should be able to get one at FLAPS for ~$20.
Jim, I couldn't have ingested much water at all... I had a puddle in the depression on top of the air cleaner. Some may have seeped down, but it didn't drain the depression, I used a towel to absorb it.
But, if that did happen, the vac gage will point to it, and pulling plugs as you describe will isolate it.
Tubes were painted with heat resistant silver now rusted won't see any discoloration.

So right now my plan is to first verify timing, then hook up the vac gage, see what that points to.
Not sure when I'll get to that, hopefully some night this week.

 

Good advice Will do.