76 304 TFI DuraSpark upgrade
richardoutwest
Jeeper
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- Location
- Southern Arizona
- Vehicle(s)
- 76 CJ5 304 all stock T-150 D20 4.10 gears
First thing was researching thru articles after articles and deciding on the DuraSpark or the HEI module. I chose the DuraSpark simply because I wanted a clean factory look and I did not want to fabricate a box and heat sink needed for the HEI module. I also like the sealed system of the DuraSpark module. Keep in mind this is a mid level upgrade, and argued the HEI is more appropreate upgrade designed for the use of the e-coil without the need of a resistor wire or resistor pot. My plan is to adventually install the resistor wire and eleminate the resistor pot. This is a complete system designed from scratch spacifically intended to replace the Prestolite ignition system.
I have been running this system for two years and simply love it, it is really nice to know when I turn the key my old Jeep starts!
TeamRush, JunkYardGenius, have some very good in-depth articles on the swaps.
I am more of a picture person, diagrams and drawing don’t always make since to me. I could not find a good picture step by step layout of the project for the V-8, just the I-6. So I will attempt to help out those like me. I also enlisted the help of my good friend Greg Fody.
I could have done the upgrade cheaper but I figured that I am doing this for a reason so I opted for top of the line parts. I bought the distributor from NAPA (79 AMC 304 part #48-4891) since I have never had any luck with other remanufactured distributors. The distributor was about $20.00 more but you get what you pay for.
I got the base, large cap and tall rotor for the distributor from SummitRacing.com as a package (part #MSD-8414) and the MSD 8MM Heli-Core plug wires (part# MSD-3119 ).
The TFI E-Coil was also from NAPA (part# IC24SB) as well as the E-Coil wire adaptor (part # ICC1), Resistor Pot (part #ICR23), Duraspark module (part #TP40SB) and Dielectric Silicone Compound. Pick up some wire separators and wiring loom while you are there. I already had new Autolite plugs so I did not purchase new plugs at this time.
You will need to round up the male wire connectors from a donor vehicle (76-85 Ford truck, car or Jeep 79-?) for the module and distributor. CarQuest did have some aftermarket connectors (part #S-629 & S-698) (note; they may have changed the part #’s to 574603 and 574629) but for a good price.
You will also need to pick up some wire in assorted colors, Black, Red, Red W/Blue tracer, White, Orange, Violet, in 18 gauge, and Green in 16 gauge. Try to pick this up at a shop that will sell it to you by the foot. 3 foot of White and 12 foot of the rest will complete the job as we did it
Now that you have the parts and you have down loaded the wiring diagrams, you can start to make a game plan on where you are going to install the DuraSpark module and E-Coil. Since the E-Coil is not liquid filled, you can mount it in any fashion that suits your needs, even up-side down.
We chose to locate the DuraSpark module next to the Voltage Regulator. This severed several reasons for me. 1) I wanted the space where the old Prestolite module was located for an overflow bottle from the radiator. 2) It made since because the factory wiring harness ran to the Voltage Regulator and the Starter Solenoid, both of which we would be using for the swap. 3) It was at the end of the factory wiring harness so we would not have to splice into the middle of it. Jeep placed the DuraSpark module on the drivers side wheel well.
This was the wiring diagram we came up with (thanks to John Strenk and JunkYardGenius) that was easier for us to understand. It is laid out as if you were standing at the front of the Jeep looking at the engine compartment. The distributor, coil, voltage regulator, and starter solenoid are all in their original locations.
Once we decided on the location for the Durasprk module, it was time to drill the holes. Placing the module on the outside wheel well, we were able to line it up across from the Voltage Regulator and mark the holes to be drilled.
Once the holes were drilled, we were able bolt the module in place.
We decided that the original coil location would work well for the new E-Coil. It was next to the factory wiring harness needed for the tie-in and gave us a short shot for the High Tension Wire (coil wire) to the distributor. We just had to fabricate a housing for it.
We used a piece of flat stock ¼ x 2 x 3 ½ for the bottom plate. We used 2 pieces of 1 inch angle iron 3 ½ inches long for the up-rights to bolt the E-Coil on and welded them in place. We raised the E-coil off the bottom of the mounting plate about ¼ of an inch for air cooling. This gave us a place to bolt on the Resistor Pot also.
Make note that you have very little room if you decide to use the original location. Notice the clearance for the fuel line on the far side and the clearance for the valve cover on the near side.
Now it’s time to get a look at the wiring harness to see what you will be taking off. We pulled off the loom that covers the wires to see if there were any splices from the previous owners. We did not want to place an upgrade on a spliced up mess! Now would be the time to correct any wrong doings. Lucky for us, all the splicing was done on the section we were removing!
Once the wires are exposed, you are looking for one specific factory (3 way) splice that is located in the area of the old coil. You will be keeping the Red W/Black tracer wire going to this splice as well as the Black wire on Jeeps with Ford alternator and voltage regulator. (I am not sure of the color on Jeeps with the GM system.)
Once the factory splice is found, you can start removing the old Prestolite system.
It is a very good idea to have found T.D.C. prior to pulling the old distributor.
Now that the old system has been removed, you can put the new Motorcraft distributor in place. You will need to line up the oil pump slot with the new distributor.
Once the distributor is in place and the cap is on, check for clearance and vacuum advance movement.
Now it’s time install new spark plugs with a gap of 45 (be sure you do not pry down on the plug rod as damage to the plug may happen) and to line out your spark plug wires and cut them to length. (Many use Ford 460 cut to fit prefabed wires with good luck, ours must be fitted) Separate the different lengths of plug wires, and decide what length is going to go to what cylinder. It would be a good idea to keep them a tad long.
I hate making spark plug wires and may try the fitted Ford 460 next time as this was the most time consuming part of the whole process. Be sure to follow the directions to a “T” and use the Dielectric Silicone Compound. We used the Dielectric Silicone on the wire and inside of the boot to slide the boot onto the wire.
Make sure you bend the edge of the wire crimp over 90 deg. To ensure a good crimp!
Once the wires are completed, make sure to install good wire separators such as Moroso and do not leave them bunched up like this.
For the new electrical wiring, we took all the wires in factory color code, Red, Red W/Blue Tracer, Orange, Black Violet and Green (not the White wire) and taped them together as one assembly approximately 10 foot long. (The Red with Blue tracer will be tied in last to the (I) side of the starter solenoid later) This new assembly will run right next to the factory assembly.
The Violet, Orange and Black wires will “Y” off to the distributor.
Once the new wiring assembly is laid into place, it should look something like this.
We started the tie in at the DuraSpark module working backwards. Solder or crimp your new wiring assembly to the new or donor male socket pigtails going to the Duraspark module. Pretty simple stuff following the factory color code, Black to Black, Orange to Orange etc. and connect the new wiring assembly to the module.
The White wire off the module was tied into the Starter Solenoid on the (S) side (power when cranking). The Red wire will go to the Resistor Pot that will tie into power from ignition (Red W/Black tracer). And the Black wire off the module was grounded at the mounting bracket bolt of the Starter Solenoid. Be sure to double check RUN and CRANK on the Starter Solenoid prior to connecting. This can be done with a test light.
The Black wire from the module was not cut in two for the tie in. We pulled slack in the new wire assembly so we could bare approximately ¾ inch where we planned to tie in and crimped on our “eye” connectors.
We then moved over to the distributor side and once again solder or crimp on your new or donor plug for the distributor. Following the color code (Orange Violet and Black from the module) and connect your new pigtail to the distributor socket.
Now we went up to the (3) way factory splice and made a new (3) way splice for our system. At this splice we tied in the factory Black wire (on the Ford system, GM system will have a different color) from the Voltage Regulator. The other side of the new (3) way splice, we tied in the factory Red/W Black tracer wire (power from ignition).
Now we have the Red and Green wires from the module that “Y’s” off from the wires going to the distributor.
The new Red wire from the module will connect into the same side on the Resistor Pot that we ran the red wire from our new 3-way splice. (RED W/BLACK TRACER GOES TO THE 3-WAY SPLICE WITH BLACK WIRE TO THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR, NEW RED WIRE TO THE RESISTOR POT SAME SIDE OF RED WIRE GOING TO MODULE. The Green wire simply goes to the (-) side of the E-Coil.
In the picture below you can see the Resistor Pot with power from the Red W/Black tracer (ignition Source) and our Red wire from the Module on the bottom. (Remember this is powered from the new (3) way splice).
On the top of the Resistor Pot is the Red W/Blue tracer wire that is power from to the (I) side of the Starter Solenoid and then loop out to the (+) side of the E-Coil. TWO RED WIRES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE RESISTOR POT / ON ONE SIDE IS SOLID RED, POWER COMMING OFF THE RED W/BLACK TRACER AND MODULE / THE OTHER SIDE IS RED W/BLUE TRACER THAT IS POWER FROM THE (I) SIDE OF THE STARTER SOLINOID AND POWER TO THE (+) SIDE OF THE E-COIL. BE SURE TO USE A RED W/TRACER THAT COMES FROM THE (I) SIDE OF THE STARTER SOLENOID TO THE RESISTOR POT AND (+) SIDE OF THE COIL! IT IS REALLY EASY TO CONNECT THE WRONG WIRES AT THE RESISTOR POT.
You can see 2 Green wires in the picture below off the connector for the E-Coil. One side is to the module and the other will go to a tach or you can just cap it off.
Double check all your connections following the color code and you are ready to start it up. We set the timing at 10 deg advanced. Place your new wiring assembly in the new wiring loom and you have a very clean factory looking set-up.
This pic is why I placed the module by the voltage regulator. I wanted a clean place to put my overflow bottle I got from Pep-Boys for around $14.00.
Thanks to all that helped me out on this project Team Rush / Junk yard Genius / JeepHammer / Greg Fode
DISCLAIMER, THIS IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY ON HOW I UPGRADED MY IGNITION SYSTEM. USER TAKES SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY MODIFICATIONS TO THIER VEHICLES.
I have been running this system for two years and simply love it, it is really nice to know when I turn the key my old Jeep starts!
TeamRush, JunkYardGenius, have some very good in-depth articles on the swaps.
I am more of a picture person, diagrams and drawing don’t always make since to me. I could not find a good picture step by step layout of the project for the V-8, just the I-6. So I will attempt to help out those like me. I also enlisted the help of my good friend Greg Fody.
I could have done the upgrade cheaper but I figured that I am doing this for a reason so I opted for top of the line parts. I bought the distributor from NAPA (79 AMC 304 part #48-4891) since I have never had any luck with other remanufactured distributors. The distributor was about $20.00 more but you get what you pay for.
I got the base, large cap and tall rotor for the distributor from SummitRacing.com as a package (part #MSD-8414) and the MSD 8MM Heli-Core plug wires (part# MSD-3119 ).
The TFI E-Coil was also from NAPA (part# IC24SB) as well as the E-Coil wire adaptor (part # ICC1), Resistor Pot (part #ICR23), Duraspark module (part #TP40SB) and Dielectric Silicone Compound. Pick up some wire separators and wiring loom while you are there. I already had new Autolite plugs so I did not purchase new plugs at this time.
You will need to round up the male wire connectors from a donor vehicle (76-85 Ford truck, car or Jeep 79-?) for the module and distributor. CarQuest did have some aftermarket connectors (part #S-629 & S-698) (note; they may have changed the part #’s to 574603 and 574629) but for a good price.
You will also need to pick up some wire in assorted colors, Black, Red, Red W/Blue tracer, White, Orange, Violet, in 18 gauge, and Green in 16 gauge. Try to pick this up at a shop that will sell it to you by the foot. 3 foot of White and 12 foot of the rest will complete the job as we did it
Now that you have the parts and you have down loaded the wiring diagrams, you can start to make a game plan on where you are going to install the DuraSpark module and E-Coil. Since the E-Coil is not liquid filled, you can mount it in any fashion that suits your needs, even up-side down.
We chose to locate the DuraSpark module next to the Voltage Regulator. This severed several reasons for me. 1) I wanted the space where the old Prestolite module was located for an overflow bottle from the radiator. 2) It made since because the factory wiring harness ran to the Voltage Regulator and the Starter Solenoid, both of which we would be using for the swap. 3) It was at the end of the factory wiring harness so we would not have to splice into the middle of it. Jeep placed the DuraSpark module on the drivers side wheel well.
This was the wiring diagram we came up with (thanks to John Strenk and JunkYardGenius) that was easier for us to understand. It is laid out as if you were standing at the front of the Jeep looking at the engine compartment. The distributor, coil, voltage regulator, and starter solenoid are all in their original locations.
Once we decided on the location for the Durasprk module, it was time to drill the holes. Placing the module on the outside wheel well, we were able to line it up across from the Voltage Regulator and mark the holes to be drilled.
Once the holes were drilled, we were able bolt the module in place.
We decided that the original coil location would work well for the new E-Coil. It was next to the factory wiring harness needed for the tie-in and gave us a short shot for the High Tension Wire (coil wire) to the distributor. We just had to fabricate a housing for it.
We used a piece of flat stock ¼ x 2 x 3 ½ for the bottom plate. We used 2 pieces of 1 inch angle iron 3 ½ inches long for the up-rights to bolt the E-Coil on and welded them in place. We raised the E-coil off the bottom of the mounting plate about ¼ of an inch for air cooling. This gave us a place to bolt on the Resistor Pot also.
Make note that you have very little room if you decide to use the original location. Notice the clearance for the fuel line on the far side and the clearance for the valve cover on the near side.
Now it’s time to get a look at the wiring harness to see what you will be taking off. We pulled off the loom that covers the wires to see if there were any splices from the previous owners. We did not want to place an upgrade on a spliced up mess! Now would be the time to correct any wrong doings. Lucky for us, all the splicing was done on the section we were removing!
Once the wires are exposed, you are looking for one specific factory (3 way) splice that is located in the area of the old coil. You will be keeping the Red W/Black tracer wire going to this splice as well as the Black wire on Jeeps with Ford alternator and voltage regulator. (I am not sure of the color on Jeeps with the GM system.)
Once the factory splice is found, you can start removing the old Prestolite system.
It is a very good idea to have found T.D.C. prior to pulling the old distributor.
Now that the old system has been removed, you can put the new Motorcraft distributor in place. You will need to line up the oil pump slot with the new distributor.
Once the distributor is in place and the cap is on, check for clearance and vacuum advance movement.
Now it’s time install new spark plugs with a gap of 45 (be sure you do not pry down on the plug rod as damage to the plug may happen) and to line out your spark plug wires and cut them to length. (Many use Ford 460 cut to fit prefabed wires with good luck, ours must be fitted) Separate the different lengths of plug wires, and decide what length is going to go to what cylinder. It would be a good idea to keep them a tad long.
I hate making spark plug wires and may try the fitted Ford 460 next time as this was the most time consuming part of the whole process. Be sure to follow the directions to a “T” and use the Dielectric Silicone Compound. We used the Dielectric Silicone on the wire and inside of the boot to slide the boot onto the wire.
Make sure you bend the edge of the wire crimp over 90 deg. To ensure a good crimp!
Once the wires are completed, make sure to install good wire separators such as Moroso and do not leave them bunched up like this.
For the new electrical wiring, we took all the wires in factory color code, Red, Red W/Blue Tracer, Orange, Black Violet and Green (not the White wire) and taped them together as one assembly approximately 10 foot long. (The Red with Blue tracer will be tied in last to the (I) side of the starter solenoid later) This new assembly will run right next to the factory assembly.
The Violet, Orange and Black wires will “Y” off to the distributor.
Once the new wiring assembly is laid into place, it should look something like this.
We started the tie in at the DuraSpark module working backwards. Solder or crimp your new wiring assembly to the new or donor male socket pigtails going to the Duraspark module. Pretty simple stuff following the factory color code, Black to Black, Orange to Orange etc. and connect the new wiring assembly to the module.
The White wire off the module was tied into the Starter Solenoid on the (S) side (power when cranking). The Red wire will go to the Resistor Pot that will tie into power from ignition (Red W/Black tracer). And the Black wire off the module was grounded at the mounting bracket bolt of the Starter Solenoid. Be sure to double check RUN and CRANK on the Starter Solenoid prior to connecting. This can be done with a test light.
The Black wire from the module was not cut in two for the tie in. We pulled slack in the new wire assembly so we could bare approximately ¾ inch where we planned to tie in and crimped on our “eye” connectors.
We then moved over to the distributor side and once again solder or crimp on your new or donor plug for the distributor. Following the color code (Orange Violet and Black from the module) and connect your new pigtail to the distributor socket.
Now we went up to the (3) way factory splice and made a new (3) way splice for our system. At this splice we tied in the factory Black wire (on the Ford system, GM system will have a different color) from the Voltage Regulator. The other side of the new (3) way splice, we tied in the factory Red/W Black tracer wire (power from ignition).
Now we have the Red and Green wires from the module that “Y’s” off from the wires going to the distributor.
The new Red wire from the module will connect into the same side on the Resistor Pot that we ran the red wire from our new 3-way splice. (RED W/BLACK TRACER GOES TO THE 3-WAY SPLICE WITH BLACK WIRE TO THE VOLTAGE REGULATOR, NEW RED WIRE TO THE RESISTOR POT SAME SIDE OF RED WIRE GOING TO MODULE. The Green wire simply goes to the (-) side of the E-Coil.
In the picture below you can see the Resistor Pot with power from the Red W/Black tracer (ignition Source) and our Red wire from the Module on the bottom. (Remember this is powered from the new (3) way splice).
On the top of the Resistor Pot is the Red W/Blue tracer wire that is power from to the (I) side of the Starter Solenoid and then loop out to the (+) side of the E-Coil. TWO RED WIRES ON BOTH SIDES OF THE RESISTOR POT / ON ONE SIDE IS SOLID RED, POWER COMMING OFF THE RED W/BLACK TRACER AND MODULE / THE OTHER SIDE IS RED W/BLUE TRACER THAT IS POWER FROM THE (I) SIDE OF THE STARTER SOLINOID AND POWER TO THE (+) SIDE OF THE E-COIL. BE SURE TO USE A RED W/TRACER THAT COMES FROM THE (I) SIDE OF THE STARTER SOLENOID TO THE RESISTOR POT AND (+) SIDE OF THE COIL! IT IS REALLY EASY TO CONNECT THE WRONG WIRES AT THE RESISTOR POT.
You can see 2 Green wires in the picture below off the connector for the E-Coil. One side is to the module and the other will go to a tach or you can just cap it off.
Double check all your connections following the color code and you are ready to start it up. We set the timing at 10 deg advanced. Place your new wiring assembly in the new wiring loom and you have a very clean factory looking set-up.
This pic is why I placed the module by the voltage regulator. I wanted a clean place to put my overflow bottle I got from Pep-Boys for around $14.00.
Thanks to all that helped me out on this project Team Rush / Junk yard Genius / JeepHammer / Greg Fode
DISCLAIMER, THIS IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY ON HOW I UPGRADED MY IGNITION SYSTEM. USER TAKES SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY MODIFICATIONS TO THIER VEHICLES.
out of the rotor, cause all kinds of ionization problmes,