Rough start when first cranking up

[polish85]

I am having 2 problems here.
#1 When i get up in the morning to drive the jeep for the first time it cranks up no problem! After it warms up from driving it for about 15-20 min it really drives great! My problem is when i turn it off and leave it for 5 min and try to cut it back on, it doesnt want to turn back on? Last time i got it rolling and and forced it. Any idea why its struggling to turn back on after being warm?

#2 When i first start driving it in the morning it feels like the gears are completely messed up! I start rolling forward and everything starts shaking so i have to push the cluch back in and try again. After about 5 minutes of driving it has no problems ! Am i low on Transmission fluid? Has anyone had this problem before?

My last quesiton is i havent replaced the distributor and spark plugs yet, what kind should i go with...i was reading the build forum and noticed a lot of people going with the hei distributor. Should i go with that or just any random one from local parts store?

If i didnt explain something correctly let me know.

 

[Cheepjeep85]

#1 when you say it doesn't want to turn back on, does that mean the starter won't engage, or it does (the starter engages) and it just won't start up and run?

#2 could be a couple different things, oil on the flywheel, or broke spring in the pressure plate. both can cause it to shake when you let out on the clutch, i think a worn out pilot bushing can cause same thing. i'm assuming its a manual tranny.

you have three options for ignitions 1 give it a simple tune up, new dist. cap, rotor button, plugs, and wires 2 do the team rush tfi upgrade 3 hei. hei is probably the most expensive if you buy a new DUI dist, or you can find a factory chevy 250 hei dist. and put an amc v8 drive gear on it. tfi is cheaper but a little more complicated. they both have their benefits, ive used em both and they give pretty similar results, increased spark over the factory stuff.

here is a couple of write ups on doing the tfi:
TFI ignition upgrade - Jeepz.com
I-6 'TeamRush Upgrade' (definitive) - JeepForum.com

and here is some info on hei
GM HEI distributor in an AMC V8
GM HEI Distributor on Jeep 258 I6 Engine

 

[polish85]

#1 when you say it doesn't want to turn back on, does that mean the starter won't engage, or it does (the starter engages) and it just won't start up and run?

#2 could be a couple different things, oil on the flywheel, or broke spring in the pressure plate. both can cause it to shake when you let out on the clutch, i think a worn out pilot bushing can cause same thing. i'm assuming its a manual tranny.

you have three options for ignitions 1 give it a simple tune up, new dist. cap, rotor button, plugs, and wires 2 do the team rush tfi upgrade 3 hei. hei is probably the most expensive if you buy a new DUI dist, or you can find a factory chevy 250 hei dist. and put an amc v8 drive gear on it. tfi is cheaper but a little more complicated. they both have their benefits, ive used em both and they give pretty similar results, increased spark over the factory stuff.

here is a couple of write ups on doing the tfi:
TFI ignition upgrade - Jeepz.com
I-6 'TeamRush Upgrade' (definitive) - JeepForum.com

and here is some info on hei
GM HEI distributor in an AMC V8
GM HEI Distributor on Jeep 258 I6 Engine

#1 the engine turns over it just wont run. But if i let it cool down it turns over and runs on the first turn over.

#2 i do have and oil leak and the fly wheel inspection cover is off but i didnt think that would cause it to slip and shake like it does. Especially when it only does it when the jeep first starts up in the morning. Yes manual tranny.

I will have to decide which way i want to go with the distributor. 4wd has a HEI distributor with cables for 122, HEI Distributor and Wire set by 4Wheel Drive Hardware® and Other Jeep Parts and Jeep Accessories by 4 Wheel Drive Hardware-RH3 would you recommend this or go another route?

 

[Cheepjeep85]

sounds like a vapor lock problem to me.

i don't see anything wrong with that hei setup, looks like the china made dist. though. but hey i ran one for a while with no problems, caused by it (in fact i might wind up putting it back in) i had other problems that made me suspect the cheap hei dist. anyhow go for it.

oil can cause it to chatter like that. i had a combination of oil and a broke spring, which caused it to chatter really bad at times and other times it was as smooth as silk. the flywheel can have bad spots to, caused by the clutch slipping to much, mine looked like a severely overheated brake rotor when i pulled it, but it still had pad on the clutch disk.

 

[polish85]

sounds like a vapor lock problem to me.

i don't see anything wrong with that hei setup, looks like the china made dist. though. but hey i ran one for a while with no problems, caused by it (in fact i might wind up putting it back in) i had other problems that made me suspect the cheap hei dist. anyhow go for it.

oil can cause it to chatter like that. i had a combination of oil and a broke spring, which caused it to chatter really bad at times and other times it was as smooth as silk. the flywheel can have bad spots to, caused by the clutch slipping to much, mine looked like a severely overheated brake rotor when i pulled it, but it still had pad on the clutch disk.

Where do i start looking for the vapor lock problem? I talked to a mechanic and he said the if it had vapor it would miss fire rather then not turn back on and run.
Also i just got off the phone with a jeep specialist and they said to check the return line from the carb to the fuel filter to make sure its facing upward. Does that sound right?

 

[Cheepjeep85]

the filter part yes, vapor lock can cause it not to restart. vapor lock is caused by the fuel line, or other part of the fuel system getting too hot and vaporizing the fuel in the lines Vapor lock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia its not a more common problem in the winter, but can still happen if your fuel lines are too close to the exhaust manifold.

 

[polish85]

the filter part yes, vapor lock can cause it not to restart. vapor lock is caused by the fuel line, or other part of the fuel system getting too hot and vaporizing the fuel in the lines Vapor lock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia its not a more common problem in the winter, but can still happen if your fuel lines are too close to the exhaust manifold.

Thanks for clearing that up. I will look at it this weekend when i have some times. Any suggestions what to look for? Any solutions ?

 

[polish85]

#1 when you say it doesn't want to turn back on, does that mean the starter won't engage, or it does (the starter engages) and it just won't start up and run?

#2 could be a couple different things, oil on the flywheel, or broke spring in the pressure plate. both can cause it to shake when you let out on the clutch, i think a worn out pilot bushing can cause same thing. i'm assuming its a manual tranny.

you have three options for ignitions 1 give it a simple tune up, new dist. cap, rotor button, plugs, and wires 2 do the team rush tfi upgrade 3 hei. hei is probably the most expensive if you buy a new DUI dist, or you can find a factory chevy 250 hei dist. and put an amc v8 drive gear on it. tfi is cheaper but a little more complicated. they both have their benefits, ive used em both and they give pretty similar results, increased spark over the factory stuff.

here is a couple of write ups on doing the tfi:
TFI ignition upgrade - Jeepz.com
I-6 'TeamRush Upgrade' (definitive) - JeepForum.com

and here is some info on hei
GM HEI distributor in an AMC V8
GM HEI Distributor on Jeep 258 I6 Engine

I was reading up more on the upgrades and made a few more calls and got some bad news. Spoke with a jeep specialist and he said that for my '77 it has a different distributor then all the other jeeps. Jeep decided they were going to try to make the distributor better in '77 but really it was a pile of . He said to replace the whole setup before doing anything. Im guessing the teamrush upgrade is out of the question since i have to change the whole thing out. Also the TFI upgrade says its for '78 and up so thats out of the quesion. You said the HEI from 4wd is made in china and not the best so I was wondering what would be the best set up now that i know i need a whole new distributor. Which route would everyone take at this point? Thanks.

 

[bullpup10]

If it is a vapor lock problem just disconnect your fuel line and that should take care of it until you solve the issue of why it was caused. Had that issue a few times when I first started trying to get my CJ7 going. Also make sure the fuel filter is properly located.

 

[polish85]

I will walk down to my jeep in a few minutes and take a picture of where its located. Maybe thats the issue.
Got a rain delay. Will have to wait till 530 when i get home.

 

[Cheepjeep85]

you can buy a later model dist. for a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l and still do the tfi if you want to. yeah the hei is china made but i think it will do fine for you, if your not comfortable with it go with a dui hei they are about $200.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_Distributor-Cardone_5630657-P_218_R|GRPTUNEAMS_1582566695___

 

[polish85]

you can buy a later model dist. for a 258 and still do the tfi if you want to. yeah the hei is china made but i think it will do fine for you, if your not comfortable with it go with a dui hei they are about $200.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_Distributor-Cardone_5630657-P_218_R|GRPTUNEAMS_1582566695___

Ended up going with the China made HEI with Wires kit and dist pigtail and tach pigtail ($148 for everything). Hopefully this will be a start. I heard that it might be difficult to line up the timeing with the new distributor. Is there any easy way to mark it somehow?

 

[Cheepjeep85]

you just want to put the motor on TDC on the compression stroke, point the rotor at or close to the #1 cylinder and go from there. you will have to have timing light to set your timing right.