My 77 cj5

[CoreyYoungCj577]

So my CJ5 right now is bothering me because either the timing chain slipped or the rotor moved after i replaced the old one and im almost guessing its the first one and then on top of that im waiting for a person is wyoming to e-mail back about two 76-78 jeeps one is great condition and the other is just a body tub but with both those jeeps ill have extra everything so thats pissing me off because its holding me back on working on my jeep because i cant do anything with the fiberglass(worthless) and to get my engine rebuilt thats gonna cost me 1600 dollars and its frustrating how do you all keep calm? you guys and gals must drink alot any advice from fellow veteran jeepers?

 

[coldwater]

Corey, RELAX! We have all come to realize that a CJ is an antique, and stuff happens. You rush the job, you get results, toss a pile of money making mistakes, end up doing the job over again and again, and finally lose interest in it after killing your bank account. Step away from the Jeep and take a deep breath! If you think that broken glass body is too gone, then forget it and move on. There are still plenty of donor jeeps to be found, but you have to be patient. No one here with a nice Jeep made it happen over night, In some cases it took years to build them. Getting there is half the fun of owning a CJ. 90% of the guys here can field strip a CJ blindfolded at this point because we have had them apart a hundred times! You have to learn to enjoy the entire process of research, search, buying waiting, losing out, winning, and building your rig. Learning everything there is to know about it, how it works, what will break, and how to fix it. It's like being in a fight. You get mad or frustrated, It's gonna beat you. Every one of us here has been to the point where we throw wrenches and walk away for a while before we go nuts. When the murderous feeling go away, we go back to work. Save your money, have a clear idea of what you want, and start looking for the right parts with a clear head. We have all been there.......trust me on this..

 

[certifiablejeep]

Yes, drinking does help, but it is not the solution, just a cog in the wheel... you need to take it day by day... I have built a ton of them now, and in the beginning, I was so freaked out over everything, I was keeping myself up at night.

What you have to do is take a step back and diagnose... was it working, what changed, and if possible, go back to the original setup and see if it still works.

If nothing has changed, then you have to start with the basics... spark, fuel, timing, and so on.

Ask questions, we are here to help.

Off to find me a beer...

cb

 

[kicknjeep]

I usually only drink a victory beer, Well OK not always but like everybody else has said part of owning a Jeep is knowing when to walk away and cool off when things go wrong and trust me we have been just as PO'd as you are now ( don't ask). So grab a cold one sit at the computer and get an Idea or ten of what you want then you can begin with a semi clear (beer) head on your dream CJ. Now you know where the term "It's a Jeep thing you wouldn't understand" came from. Oh and if not sure when last time the timing chain had been replaced then for a little change and couple hours it would be a great start because the PO told me mine was pretty new when I bought it and turns out it was seriously stretched and it was double roller style. Just some thoughts.

 

[certifiablejeep]

My math is rusty...


Victory beer = 6 pack
Championship beer = 12 pack

or have I been out of the game for a while?

 

[Petescj]

Ive been known to go into o.t. = 30 pack and friends.

My math is rusty...


Victory beer = 6 pack
Championship beer = 12 pack

or have I been out of the game for a while?

 

[kicknjeep]

Nope OT warrants Jack and coke...:drool: And with double OT just hold the coke

 

[dalefan88]

ive had my jeep for over a year now and i have broken alot of stuff on her, but that is why i like it. break something put something better in its place. i love workin on the jeep. guess i just weird i guess. i beat the snot out of her and then i fix her.

 

[Old Dog]

You know what they say,
Build it
run it
break it
fix it

But really take your time and enjoy building it the way you want it.
If the only problem is the timing chain than just change the timing chain you don't need a total rebuild.

 

[IOPort51]

Drop a chill pill son!! This is supposed to be fun, remember that. Drinking isn’t necessary, it’s just a perk.

What on earth makes you think you jumped timing?? It won’t start or back fires?

Don’t get shook, it’s just a machine. It’s been around for 32 years and with your help it will be around when the H3 down the road is being reprocessed into major appliances on some Pacific Rim third world country.

There are so many things that could cause you to run poorly, distributer, carburetor, EGR valve, vacuum leaks.

I’m glad to see you have decided to tank the fiberglass, I would suggest you put it on Craig’s list and figure out a way to crate it. There is more than likely some one who would give you serious money for it.

Are you building this as a restoration project or as the jeep you want to drive?
Some people would freak at the thought of upgrading the distributer or carburetor.
But I guess if you were thinking about keeping the fiberglass you are not exactly a purest.

Good luck

 

[CoreyYoungCj577]

Drop a chill pill son!! This is supposed to be fun, remember that. Drinking isn’t necessary, it’s just a perk.

What on earth makes you think you jumped timing?? It won’t start or back fires?

Don’t get shook, it’s just a machine. It’s been around for 32 years and with your help it will be around when the H3 down the road is being reprocessed into major appliances on some Pacific Rim third world country.

There are so many things that could cause you to run poorly, distributer, carburetor, EGR valve, vacuum leaks.

I’m glad to see you have decided to tank the fiberglass, I would suggest you put it on Craig’s list and figure out a way to crate it. There is more than likely some one who would give you serious money for it.

Are you building this as a restoration project or as the jeep you want to drive?
Some people would freak at the thought of upgrading the distributer or carburetor.
But I guess if you were thinking about keeping the fiberglass you are not exactly a purest.

Good luck

Well i think it jumped the timing because i just put a new tune up on it and i was driving it around and when i parked and turned it off it started but ran like the next day like it was missin and now it doest start at all and im in the process of trying to acquire a new tub and two parts jeeps its just a pain waiting on e-mails and i plan on makin this a jeep im gonna drive the hell out of hunting and mudding and rocks also i have not checked if the rotor turned off of TDC im going to do that tomorrow night.

 

[IOPort51]

how about some details?? engine size etc.
I have a 77cj-5 with a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l l6, three speed with a few tasteful modifications. I bought it new in 1977.
I sounds like you have things under control. What kind of shape is the carb in??

 

[certifiablejeep]

As I said before, what did you do and what was the cause... if you did a tune up, perhaps something popped off... check all wires, make sure all the plugs are tightened down... it is so easy for a wire to not be seated properly. Make sure your cap/rotor are on right... so easy to do so many little things to cause an issue.

Oh yeah, make sure the wires aren't melted anywhere... that is my favorite.

cb

 

[kicknjeep]

Back to the tuning, First when you installed plugs did you check gap before installing them? second like certifiablejeep stated make sure plugs are snug and not in contact with anything ( esp manifolds and/or headers). And last but not least check TDC to check timing.
And IOport51 we are just having fun and joking about drinking this is about the most responsible forum when it comes to that.

 

[certifiablejeep]

One other thing, check the base of the distributor to make sure that is snugged down and hasn't turned at all... sometimes those can walk on you and put you out of time just a little bit. That, or really bad, you could have this issue... A crack at the base of the distributor that causes the distributor to wobble... had that one as well, that was fun to diagnose, since the only time it did it was when I was in 3rd gear or so and it is hard to see under the hood when that is happening.

cb

 

[IOPort51]

I second this one, the distributer on the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l is difficult to tighten well, I have a 9/16 box end that I bent just for that reason,
While we are talking distributors I would like to add that the biggest bang for your buck engine upgrade I have done on the 4.2 is to go to the autolite distributor, It is well worth the time and money.
1977 Jeep 232 MotorCraft Distributor Conversion - JeepHammer
In this incarnation my CJ is getting the MSD-6 CDI module .

 

[CoreyYoungCj577]

I second this one, the distributer on the 258 is difficult to tighten well, I have a 9/16 box end that I bent just for that reason,
While we are talking distributors I would like to add that the biggest bang for your buck engine upgrade I have done on the 4.2 is to go to the autolite distributor, It is well worth the time and money.
1977 Jeep 232 MotorCraft Distributor Conversion - JeepHammer
In this incarnation my CJ is getting the MSD-6 CDI module .

Well right now i have my distributor cap off because i am going to TDC it today and check all my wires and my plugs and hopefully it will start back up if not them im guessing its the timing chain so