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Help needed!

Help needed!
sound wisdom.:cool:


tarry99 said:
All car systems are grounded to the motor since that is where most of the electrical activity takes place. Secondary grounds to the chassis and another from the chassis to the body so that all your systems are talking to the ground at the battery. If you have a HEI Ignition system it is also a good Idea to ground the Ignition box and distributor back to your grounding path. Also keep in mind that wire size for grounds should be near equal to the positive side it supports. If you have the ability solder all connections.
Good electrical systems work more efficiently when you always use the rule of the "Path of least resistance"
Click to expand...
 
Ok...so from tonight i have learned...

I think part of the problem was the battery. Got that sorted out but now she will crank but won't fire. Replaced distributor cap, rotor, plug wires, coil, and ignition control module. Still no spark.

Thoughts?

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try connecting a test light to the power side of your battery and the ground of the coil and have someone crank it...should flash...if it doesnt then your control module or the pick up coil if you still have one
 
thetank said:
try connecting a test light to the power side of your battery and the ground of the coil and have someone crank it...should flash...if it doesnt then your control module or the pick up coil if you still have one
Click to expand...

Will try that Saturday when I go to work on it. Just frustrated because it was running decent once or twice a week for the last month or so and now alall of the sudden wont.

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Does the ignition control module have to he grounded to the fender? I have glass fenders now, not sure if that affects anything.

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yes.:cool:


kjkorina said:
Does the ignition control module have to he grounded to the fender? I have glass fenders now, not sure if that affects anything.

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Click to expand...
 
Kjkorina, You answered your own question.

As IO stated "YES"

Grounded means just that........everything in your electrical system has to be physically grounded back to your Battery via something capable of carrying electricity. Wire is the most common form. Warn or corroded crimped on connections are your worst enemy. Also Fiberglass does not conduct electricity.
Do yourself a favor and get an OHM meter and check out all your circuits & grounds, very simple to see if you have a connection between the two points. The meter will also tell you the voltage in the wire and any resistance ( corrosion) in its path.
As far as your Ignition box normally the mounts have a small metal ring attached around each hole. Put a wire on it and ground it to a known source.
 
I think your looking for the easy fix and it may very will be an easy fix but trying to fix it over the computer is not that easy.
Go get yourself an Ohm meter........Home Depot, Napa, maybe $10-15 bucks and start tracing wires to see what is "Hot" to your Ignition and what is not. And also what is grounded..........This is not hard to do and would be a great learning experience for you. Motors are simple, Power to the Ignition, fuel in the Carb, and if its timed correctly it will normally start.
If you have no power to your Ignition box I would jump power directly from the Battery. You could always take your Ignition box down to your local parts house and have it tested?
But first go get an Ohm meter. Do some trouble shooting on your own.
 
I call it an Ohm meter , but it is really a Multi-meter. Has the ability to measure several functions.
 
tarry99 said:
I call it an Ohm meter , but it is really a Multi-meter. Has the ability to measure several functions.
Click to expand...

I'm hoping to be able to haul the Jeep back to my house this weekend (has been down at my dad's garage all winter for the body swap).

Once it is home i will be able to start doing some testing and diagnostics on a more consistent basis.

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I think that's a great Idea, Once you have it in front of you with a meter in hand , you'll be able to trace these wires down and get it sorted out.
 
control unit gets its ground from your distributer....mine ran for months just hanging over my radiator support bar
did the test light flash on the ground of your coil? while bieng cranked over?
did you check your coil?
make sure it has power to it and touch a ground jumper from the battery to the ground side of the coil....it will make it fire when you remove it if you have a spark tester on the coil wire
do you have a multimeter?...if so it is easy to check your pickup

last thing....i know you said you just replaced a bunch of stuff.....but in the last month i have bought 2 bad items...a control unit and a pickup coil...so i would start from the beginning and check for power going to everything
 
this is interesting, mine would not hit a lick with out being bolted to the (steel) fender.

One of those things that causes you to say "Huh":dunno:


thetank said:
control unit gets its ground from your distributer....mine ran for months just hanging over my radiator support bar
did the test light flash on the ground of your coil? while bieng cranked over?
did you check your coil?
make sure it has power to it and touch a ground jumper from the battery to the ground side of the coil....it will make it fire when you remove it if you have a spark tester on the coil wire
do you have a multimeter?...if so it is easy to check your pickup

last thing....i know you said you just replaced a bunch of stuff.....but in the last month i have bought 2 bad items...a control unit and a pickup coil...so i would start from the beginning and check for power going to everything
Click to expand...
 
Figured it out. Towed the Jeep up here last week so i was able to work on it more easily.

Got a multimeter on everything and realized one of the wires to the coil was bad.

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Kj,
Well I'm glad to hear you not only got an education but you got it fixed. Job well done!
 
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