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About to call it quits and part the damn thing out. Please help!!

Well, I officially don't have anything clogging my exhaust and I finally got the rotor to move one tooth over but that didn't help anything. It did the same sputtering, back-firing, popping out the intake thing but now also tried to die every couple of seconds or so. Could something in the head be causing this? When I hook a timing light up to the number one plug wire what reading should I be getting at the crank?
 
There is a tube on the timing cover. Point your light down that small tube. The mark will be visible once the light flashes. The timing mark should should be visible through the tube only. If it is outside the tube, then your motor isn't timed.

Has anyone mentioned the timing chain jumping a tooth? I went through similar trouble with an AMC 401 powered Wagoneer. The timing chain jumped 2 teeth, and wouldn't run. It would cough through the carburetor, and all that. Checking your timing will tell if the valve timing is off.
 
beater_xj said:
I've got a timing light but I can't find the spec anywhere. What sort of timing am I looking for? And once again, if the timing was off wouldn't it have ran poorly when I first got it? Or can it just move on its own?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Your timing chain could jump anytime it wants to.
 
Is the chain jumping a common thing? That still just doesn't sound right to me though. Since I initially thought it was a fuel issue and that was ruled out now I think it might have been more of a heat issue because it only started running like this while idling after driving around for a while. When I came back later it would run fine and I could drive it home. But then it happened more quickly until now where it does it right off the bat. And as for the heat, my temp gauge does not work. I replaced my gauge cluster with one from another model that acutally has gauges for everything but the temp gauge never has worked. Both the temp sensors have been replaced since this problem started but the gauge still doesn't work.
 
Timing chains and gears will jump on a high mileage engine. The gears and chain wear and stretch over time until they finally jump. You certainly could have an overheating problem that caused the head to warp, or something like that.
 
Did you check the air filter? I'd also put the distributer back to the original timing location since moving it did not help. Possibly go back one tooth the opposite direction than you already went.
 
deisenba said:
Did you check the air filter? I'd also put the distributer back to the original timing location since moving it did not help. Possibly go back one tooth the opposite direction than you already went.
Click to expand...

Not much sense in going back 2 teeth, as he has already proved it was set right. Just put it back one tooth to where it was. Then time too lock elswhere.

Could be the CPS is on its last legs. A lot of others here have reported that a bad CPS caused your sort of problem. The Ignition Control Module (ICM) & HV coil could still be the problem.

But if I were you, I would get out the volt ohm meter again and start monitoring TPS, MAP, CPS, and ICM voltages while reving the engine and while wiggling harness wires!!!!!! There a number of harness wire splices, and connections that can go bad, and can cause your problems too.

You have done too much work on this beast to give up. Do you have an analog meter or digital? Analogs are cheap, and can give you better data on a CPS and TPS live test. They display noisy wire and harness connections better than digitals do.
 
Go through and clean all those electrical connectors male and female plugs around the engine compartment. ESPECIALLY THE ONE COMING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE DISTRIBUTOR I use brake cleaner, just be carefull around paint. (Ah--the smell of Acetone in the morning...) Apply dialectric grease to the connections. Check and clean the ground connections and clean, test and apply dialectric grease to all those relays--especially the ones on the passenger fender. The typical resistance for a relay coil (pins 85 and 86) is 75 ohms +/- 5 ohms.

This sounds awfully like a bad MAP sensor or MAP sensor connection. :peace:
 
Last edited:
you say the CPS is checkin out good? hmmm. almost sounds like when my 89 xj just died & wouldnt start. it was a bad CPS.

when was the last time you checked the computer in the silly thing? at the garage i worked in we replaced A LOT of computers when it would give us a different code everytime we fixed "that problem". the problem was the computer.


just my 2 cents.
 
The CPS was at the very low end of the suggested range but most of the problems I have read about with the CPS were non-starting issues. I have been tempted to just replace it though. I've been going back over all the things I've done and especially things I did before the problem started to get a slightly better idea of what's wrong. When I had the tranny out I had to disconect the CPS and that was the only sensor I messed with. The only other things I did was install a new ignition switch and swap out the instrument cluster.

According to my Haynes manual you can't really test the ICM with a voltmeter and the coil I put in, although it did come from a junk yard, looks pretty new.

I'll try cleaning up some more wires. I ran two new grounds from the battery and I'll probably go ahead and replace the strap at the end of the block as well. The MAP sensor is brand new.

And I did pull the computer the other day just to give it a look. I didn't see any leaking capacitators or fried resisters or anything out of the ordinary.

Thank you everyone for your help!! I really don't want to have to get rid of this thing but damn I'm gettin' sick of working on it! hahaha :explosion
 
IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Looks like it was the CPS afterall. It must have been just gone enough to royally screw with me. I also cleaned all my electrical contacts as well. But the big hunk of Jeep is back on the road, much to the worriement of other drivers, hahaha!
 
beater_xj said:
IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Looks like it was the CPS afterall. It must have been just gone enough to royally screw with me. I also cleaned all my electrical contacts as well. But the big hunk of Jeep is back on the road, much to the worriement of other drivers, hahaha!
Click to expand...

And I was gonna suggest changing out the cup holder....:gee: Glad you're rolling!:clap:
 
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