Setting timing...

I have an freshly rebuilt F-Head with the Pertronix Kit so its slightly different but here goes:

I set the motor at 5* BTC with the v-notch in the crank pully lined up with the mark and i checked through the spark plug hole to make sure both valves were closed and that it was indeed on the compression stroke. I alined the oil pump so that the notch is at 11 and 5 with the larger half facing up. I put the dizzy in and plugged in the plug wires in the 1-3-4-2 counter-clockwise order. The motor fired right up but i notice that cylinder 1 & 2 are not firing, which I can prove by pulling out the plug wires and it makes no difference in how it runs. The motor will not run on its own i have to hold the throttle open and you can hear the popping in the carb from the cylinders not firing.

I am wondering what the issue is here i have been fiddling with it all weekend. The original dizzy cap looks fine as do the plug wires but ill order new ones anyway. I have the original Carter carb that I recently took apart and cleaned and made my own gaskets but i did not get a rebuild kit so the jets and diaphram pump is original, I will be ordering this kit now also. Is this simply a timing issue or should I install these new parts and see what happens???

 

first off all, when its at TDC, is the rotor aiming at the #1 spark plug? ON ALL ENGINES, when they are at TDC the rotor ALWAYS points at the #1 spark plug.

Check that.

 

ok yes it is i have been making sure that it is set correctly.

 

You state 1 and 2 are not firing, I would start there, figure why not. Is there spark to the plugs. There are several ways to check. The way I do it is take a good spark plug, plug it into the wire and with the ignition on crank the motor while positioning the electrode of the spark plug near a good ground. Be careful here, YOU CAN GET SHOCKED. I use some spark plug pliers that are insulated on both the grip end and the handle but insulated pliers will work. You should have a strong consistent spark as the engine turns over. If you don't have good spark you could have cap, wires coil or even a problem with your Petronics unit. If you have good spark it could be timing fuel or compression.

 

I do have spark at all plugs i have checked already, and yes i was shocked a couple times by accident.

I had been setting the cylinders @ 5* as the service manual said but ill try directly at TDC. This is the only thing that I could think of although im pretty sure I have tried this also in my hours of fiddling. Ill try again though.

I should not have a blown head gasket. i just had the engine rebuilt and has 0 miles. havent even put it in gear yet so i dont think so. How would this be possible anyways, crappy install of gasket?

 

Wow i will not be a happy camper if that head gasket is bad at least i wont have to pay to have it fixed.

So at lunch I ordered the dizzy cap & rotor from krage and the univesal cut to size wire kit from taylor and i just discovered the page about the Carb Shop on the cj3b page. the guy says he sells a higher quality rebuild kit than the normal jeep sites do. he needs to know the carb # so ill order that 2moro.

ill try the tdc thing 2nite

 

Did you adjust the valve tappet clearances yourself or the shop that rebuilt the engine? Incorrect clearance won't let the (2,3) valves close/open properly and so it would seem that they are not firing. I just rebuilt mine too and ended up rotating the "dizzy" to point( rotor) at the number 1 plug wire in the 5 oclock position, actually just before the points open. Keep trying it's gonna fire up!

I pulled the plugs and let compression push my finger out of the #1 plug hole while bumping the starter that way I know it's at TDC on the compression stroke.

 

ok I say fowled plugs. pull all the wires and make it so that the end of the plug wires are all teh way inside the boot, then slip the boot over the plug just enough to keep it on. This will help clean off the plugs.

I had about 80 psi on the compression for my engine when I rebuilt it. After I got it broke in its now ~105 PSI. don't worry about the compression.

 

OK you said the engine will start put runs poorly, you have spark to 1 and 2 which are not firing. Since the engine starts and runs I would guess you are not 180 degrees off on timing. Check your compression, this could be a leaking head gasket or a problem with the rings or valves. These are solid lifters so if not adjusted properly they may not be closing resulting in low or no compression.

 

I had the rebuild shop do all the work including machining and re-assembly so i have not checked any adjustment in the valves.

 

doing what i said makes the voltage "arc" to the plug. This caused the voltage to increase greatly, like a lightning strike, thus cleaning the plugs. A professional engine builder told me about this, and did it for my engine, and it solved my problem when it had some hard starting.

 

alright i will try that too.much better temp. fix than buying more new stuff. i didnt get to work on her tonight i was fixing a friends car and i did some maintnance to my truck. early day tomorrow gotta get some sleep. thanks for the help so far

 

Definately check them then

 

I finally got some time after work today and I borrowed a compression tester. I had low readings on cylinder 1 and 2.

#1 was 45 and 70 psi 1st and 4th crank readings.
#2 had 0 psi
#3 was 70 and 100
#4 was 70 and 110

Could be the head gasket? Thats what im thinking. Or valves mis-adjusted or combination.

 

I believe I would let the builder know, I would think they would want to know there is a problem and correct it right away, If you want to check a few things yourself I would re-torque the head bolts and check the valve lash. If those check out I think 'you will need to tear into the engine.

 

Yea I tried calling his shop at lunch break today and the number is "un-reachable"wtf is up with this im saying, i just called a week ago. So now im more f^*%#@! mad. I will be leaving early today so i can drive to the shop and give him a peice of my mind, if the place is even there still. if i can get a hold of him i will be asking him to come to where i keep the car and help me get it running, he does warranty his work so this is the least he could do. ***** im so close now i dont need this crap. I dont have a problem doing the work its just the principal of it all.