Why won't it just run...?

If the crimp is done correctly there's not an issue. I've done more of those than I want to think about and lots of them are still around. HOWEVER: they do tend to gather dust and lose connection.

The way to be sure is to get a voltmeter, turn the ignition switch on and check the voltage on each side of the coil. The reading should be the same (or very close). If the distributor side is dead (0 V) diconnect the wire to the distributor and check the coil again. If it is still 0 V you will definitely need a new coil. If it comes back with a real value you're grounded at the distributor/points. Check that wire using the OHM part of the meter. Touch the two probes together and note the reading. Then you'll want to pull the cap and rotor bug. That will let you get to the wire from the points to the coil. place the probe on both ends of it. It should be real close to the reading on the OHM meter.

NOTE: If your distributor is like mine there is a metal stud/bolt that runs through the distributor wall. It has some non-conducting material there (kinda looks like dense cardboard or asbestos) that keeps the stud from grounding out. Verify that this material is there and don't lose it. As far as I know they don't sell it anywhere. If it's missing you'll have to fabricate something to replace it or rob it from another distributor.

 

you say you have weak spark, i would defenitle change the condenser, its only a couple bucks, and will make the ignition system do all kinds of crazy things, examples run for a few minutes and quit, run rough, not run at all, backfire, by it running about 10 minutes or so the just quits it sounds like ideal condition to be a condenser, the condenser acts as a capicator, sometimes they just go bad and wont run at all, and then on the other hand they go about half bad they will heat up and short out, after it cools it prob starts and runs for another 10 minutes or so, sound familar?

 

pulled apart the destibutor today and rewired it to the coil...no ground problem. The rotor and points are either new or like new. I am getting a new coil and condensor tomorrow. Any chance that a igniton switch wiring problem could be involed? It something that I know that I messed with previously. Also, the battery was only a year old, granted it sat dead for 9 months parked, but now it seems that it won't hold a charge. I am replacing it tomorrow, but am curious if there is something wired incorrectly involving the generator and ignition and such... I believe that I am second guessing everything that I have touched on this jeep, although I have yet to find anything that I have grossly messed up yet. Multitester should be here this week, and will help me really troubleshoot. I will be getting the pertronix upgrade soon, but am most interested in getting it running before I go and spend a $100 on a new coil and ignition.

 

just for test purposes you can bypass the entire wiring by disconecting the coil + side and running a jumper wire to the battery+,depending on whether you have a coil that needs a ballast resistor you may need one or if it is internal you wont, either way it should work for a test run, but be carefull the key wont shut it off, you have hot wired it and must cut the power source where you created it

 

Just tested what I could think of...Here's what I got.
battery at 12 volts when no ignition

battery at 10 w/ ignition on

10 volts at left side(+) of coil

0 vots at right of coil

no measurable resistance between + and -(digtial tester gave me a 1 between them)

tested from positive side of coil and the point of the destributor and got a reading.

A question I have is why if the battery has a 12 V charge, why it doesn't want to turn over, where as if I hook it up to my other truck, with the engine running, it acts like I have a full charge and attempts to turn over as much as I would like. I can't even try to start the car now with the battery as it just Uh Uh over maybe twice and then nothing from the starter.

I believe from my results, that I will definately go get a new coil, but what is the deal with the battery??

 

just read some more threads, and it does sound as if my battery is bad. It is what I thought before testeing the voltage. Will take it to flaps and get it tested under load, and I suspect that I let it sit for nine months and it has gone bad...

 

your battery is only for start-up and should not affect your spark IMHO.

 

I believe a good battery will read around 13+ volts.

 

I just went through some of this with my 55. What I would do:
1. The battery voltage is low. By all means have it checked or put a load checker on it. I'd bet that it is bad, but it's not the whole problem and it won't stop it from starting.
2. Voltage on the + side of the coil is good. The zero voltage on the right side means either a bad coil or you're grounded out. Disconnect the right side from the distributor and recheck the coil. If it reads around 10 Volts you've got a bad ground in/around the distributor. If it reads 0 Volts replace the coil. If you get 10 Volts on the coil disconnect the wire to the coil and continue working down. It's probably grounding out at the stud going through the distributor housing. I think I have a spare (or part of one) here somewhere. I'll try to find it and figure out how to add a picture to help you out. Let me know what you come up with.

 

Ihaven;t pulled the point arm off of the distributor. I pulled the plate off of the top of the distributor to rewire the connection from the coil and the condenso. I assume somewhere that the point arm is grounded and that is okay. I will check it out, bur would like to get a picture of what the ground on the distributor looks like. Send me a pic of what you can, any pics of any of this would help...

Ben

 

Here's a picture of my distributor. What you can't see is the nonconductive packing material around the stud. If the coil shows 0 Volts on the Distributor side it's grounding out between the coil and points. The first place I'd check is the stud going through the distributor. Just disconnect it, turn the switch on, and test.



I hope that loaded the pic....

 

Don't forget that the points have to be in the open position to read 12 volts at both pos and neg terms on coil. When points are closed you will read a reduced voltage on the pos and no voltage at the neg. Also remember that a dead battery will freeze during a Col winter. Hence killing it beyond repair. Afully charged battery will not freeze.

 

Okay, I think that uploaded..

Agree, with the points closed you will most likely read 0 Volts (I'd have to check).

The first pic is the distributor on my L-Head (1955). Note that the wire goes from the coil to the stud on the distributor and then to the points. Of particular interest is a piece of material on either side of the distributor wall where the stud goes through the distributor housing. If the stud touches the distributor housing you will get a direct short and the coil goes dead and hence no fire to the plugs. What you don't see is the insulating material that goes THROUGH the hole AROUND the stud. Make sure that it is there.

The second picture shows the L-Head and some more of the wiring. This is more or less how it came to me about three years ago. On the lower right you can see the Chevrolet Alternator that was added. YES someone started a 12 V conversion and since they had stripped the wiring harness for me and I had to rewire it....

The third picture is me and my son shortly after I got the jeep running the first time. He's a lot bigger now and likes to think that he can drive the jeep (as long as he doesn't have to change gears). ;-) Of course another piece of that is that the only place it REALLY gets driven is on my hunting lease. It's already there for the season and I use it to get to my deer feeders and to fill them. I put a Harbor Freight boom crane on it and use it to retrieve, gut, and bone out deer. It works great.

I hope that this helps. If you need more pics I think that I have located my spare distributor. It came with the jeep and I don't know if it is functional or not but it's good for demonstration and/or spare parts.

 

Thanks,

My distributor is slightly differnet and the wire that goes to the points goes straight through the housing of the distributor and then hooks up to the points, so it isn't grounding there, as it is new wire and actually also has a little rubber plug that it goes through when it passed through the housing also.

Thanks
Ben

 

1. Did you disconnect the wire from the points and check the voltage? Was it okay?
2. Is it possible the spring of the points is grounding out against the wall of the distributor?

How about a pic of distributor?

 

Got a new coil, condenser, and battery today...Installed everything and it still doesnt start


I checked the voltage at the positive of the coil and it is 12v, the - is 12 v, except when the points are closed, in which it is 0. I have a spark at the points, but the engine never turned over, the best I got whas a pretty good backfiring.

I messed with the timing a couple of times, have a timing light, but also worried about the possibility of being 180 off. I realize that I just need to turn engine over until the #1 is at the top of its compression stroke, then open distributor and put the #1 plug at the nearest position going counterclockwise, then put the 3 then the 4 then the 2. I have a timing light that I can fine tune it with.

Is it true that if I have the bolts to the distributor loosend to adjust it, that the groung won't be good, and that the spark will be weak?

Seems like i am getting closer, but want to go ahead and get this over with.'

Thanks

 

thinking you awnsered your own problem, see if you are 180 out, make sure no plug wires are in wrong order and go from there, wouldnt worrie too much about the dist ground till you got it running, rember it has a shaft that goes to the oil pump, it can ground good enough thru it to set timing

 

Still working on it...I have the firing order correct(1-3-4-2 counterclockwise on the distributor cap looking at if from the passenger side), have gaped it to a matchbook cover, and brought the #1 piston to tdc by feeling the pressure with the plug off. The rotor was sitting at about 9 or 10 oclock...I then put the #1 cable at about 8 or 9 oclock, with 3 next, then 4, then 2. I then set the distributor rotor to be just barely open.

The best that I got with this is that the engine started to run, but I had to hold the throttle all the way open and it died as soon as I let off the slightest bit. I am borrowing a dwell meter from a friend, to get that set perfect, so that I can then get it started to and idle and use the timing light to finsih.

Hopeful about tomorrow.