more CJ problems

[trw]

ok, I put this thread in here because I want to cover several different areas without having to make a new thread for each.

starting. The CJ is hard to start when hot, it will crank over just fine in the mornings while priming, but after a good drive, the starter will act like its having loads of trouble turning the engine over, and it will finally turn over normally and fire up when I work the throttle some. The engine will fire right up and run smoothly, no sputtering or stumbling.

I, for the life of me, cannot get the draglink ends out of the steering knuckle or pitman arm. The draglink was bent by the original owner so I have a new one ready to go in, but I just cannot get the old one out. I've tried beating the darn thing to death with a pickle fork, let it sit overnight in PB and

also, will P235/75R15 tires fit on the factory rims?

and I think that covers all of it for now.

 

[LongHorn]

ok, I put this thread in here because I want to cover several different areas without having to make a new thread for each.

starting. The CJ is hard to start when hot, it will crank over just fine in the mornings while priming, but after a good drive, the starter will act like its having loads of trouble turning the engine over, and it will finally turn over normally and fire up when I work the throttle some. The engine will fire right up and run smoothly, no sputtering or stumbling.

I, for the life of me, cannot get the draglink ends out of the steering knuckle or pitman arm. The draglink was bent by the original owner so I have a new one ready to go in, but I just cannot get the old one out. I've tried beating the darn thing to death with a pickle fork, let it sit overnight in PB and

also, will P235/75R15 tires fit on the factory rims?

and I think that covers all of it for now.

Have you checked your timing? You may be running to much Advance. There is a tool that presses the tierod ends out. Some times it works better than a pickle fork. All depends on which "Factory Rims you have. I don't think they will fit on the "Wagon Wheels" that came on up graded models, but I think they will fit on the Base models plain wheels.

 

[LongHorn]

On your staring problem, as hot as it has been you could be experiencing Vaporlock.

 

[CJ]

If it's turning over slow (as in the starter dragging) I don't believe it is vapor lock. I bet either the starter is getting heat soaked or as LH said, timing.

 

[trw]

•I figured it wasnt vaporlock, I had vaporlock on my YJ when the fuel pump died and the pressure went down, the CJ doesnt act like it has vaporlock.

yea, its pretty much starter lag, I even put my spare Optima battery in today and cleaned the cables and it didn't change anything.

as soon as I can get a timing light, I will try resetting the timing.

•as far as the wheels, yea I have the wagon wheels since my CJ was the Renegade , but since I cant afford new tires right now, I will have to find some wheels that will fit these current tires.

•on the draglink, is it safe to use a torch on the knuckle and pitman arm? I worry about the cast iron cracking. (I have a torch on hand, so thats easier for me to try first vs. going out and getting a puller).

•And I've run into a new problem, the rear driverside taillight does not work....half way? the taillight and reverse light functions actually do work, but the brake light and turn indicator functions dont. The front turn indicator on the same side works, so I assume the stalk on the steering column is not the problem. Problem is, I cant trace the wiring up into the dash real well because its all tucked into a conduit. All functions on the passenger side rear light work, so I'm thinking its a wiring problem somewhere perhaps? any thoughts or ideas?

•Did CJs have coolant recovery bottles at all? Mine has the overflow tube just draining out onto the ground and that doesn't seem right to me

•On the passenger side fender, below the battery is this weird black box, it has 2 outlets to plug in regular household items such as a lamp or what have you, its almost like a power inverter and its wired to the alternator, what exactly does that do?

•And does anyone know what the correct bulb is for the underhood light? Mine is missing and the haynes manual doesnt list it at all.

•The fuel gauge has gone wonky, it reads empty at half a tank of gas and the Jeep has a new sending unit, so am I to assume the gauge itself is faulty? If so, what are my options besides replacing it? are these gauges repairable?

LOL sorry for the long list and possibly some items, I know I could have researched a bit first, but I just walked in from the garage with this long list of things to tend to

 

[CJ]

~~ on the draglink, is it safe to use a torch on the knuckle and pitman arm? I worry about the cast iron cracking. (I have a torch on hand, so thats easier for me to try first vs. going out and getting a puller).

You can heat them up, just don't over heat them and ruin the heat treatment (annealing). Even better, how about an air chisel with a tie rod separator attachment? They work wonders. Can you get access to one?

And I've run into a new problem, the rear driverside taillight does not work....half way? the taillight and reverse light functions actually do work, but the brake light and turn indicator functions dont. The front turn indicator on the same side works, so I assume the stalk on the steering column is not the problem. Problem is, I cant trace the wiring up into the dash real well because its all tucked into a conduit. All functions on the passenger side rear light work, so I'm thinking its a wiring problem somewhere perhaps? any thoughts or ideas?

Sounds like it may be a loose or disconnected wire at the turn signal. The rear brake and turn signal wires are separate from the front ones. Do you have a meter or a test light?

Did CJs have coolant recovery bottles at all? Mine has the overflow tube just draining out onto the ground and that doesn't seem right to me

Cj's had no bottle until 81 ->> http://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f49/coolant-bottle-1671/

On the passenger side fender, below the battery is this weird black box, it has 2 outlets to plug in regular household items such as a lamp or what have you, its almost like a power inverter and its wired to the alternator, what exactly does that do?

Sounds like you answered your own question - I bet someone added an inverter.

And does anyone know what the correct bulb is for the underhood light? Mine is missing and the haynes manual doesnt list it at all.

Got me on this one - just have to try a few until you find what fits.

The fuel gauge has gone wonky, it reads empty at half a tank of gas and the Jeep has a new sending unit, so am I to assume the gauge itself is faulty? If so, what are my options besides replacing it? are these gauges repairable?

I doubt they can be repaired - I have never tried. Morris has a new set for your CJ if you decide to replace them (use our Jeep-CJ coupon code at check out for 10% off) -->> Fuel & Temp Gauges Pair (Inside Speedometer Assembly)*8126919K

 

[Zuni]

235/75-15 tires will fit on the wagon wheels. That's what came on my CJ7 , as a matter of fact mine still had the original spare on the CJ with the factory lock and had never been removed since new (confirmed by first and second owners).

 

[trw]

235/75-15 tires will fit on the wagon wheels. That's what came on my CJ7 , as a matter of fact mine still had the original spare on the CJ with the factory lock and had never been removed since new (confirmed by first and second owners).

awsome that is great to hear, because new wheels would stress me and tires are out of the question.

as an update, the starting issue is fixed, it was indeed the timing, and adjusting that not only fixed the starting, but the obscure skip at idle and brought the idle speed down and fixed pretty much every problem the engine was having lol.

 

[dave123]

I bet you just need a new starter.
You can easily buy or fabricate a coolant recovery bottle for the Jeep.
As far as the fuel gauge, CJ's are famous for problems. check this site out for advice:
Troubleshooting Jeep CJ Gauges and Senders