[luckycheesehead]

OK guys...here's what's happened over the course of two hours.

I got my timing light out to check my timing and it was around 14* so I went to adjust it. Well...I was doing it myself and it took quite a while. Before I got it all squared away, the Jeep overheated on me. It started sputtering and just all out gagging, then just quit. I was probably working on it at least 5-10 minutes before it did it's whole pissy rant.

Now I can't get it to crank. It's been resting about 1 hour 45 minutes so it's cooled down. I get multiple rotations but never even the slightest nudge of a fire. When I let off the key it sounds like it rotates one more time then 'coughs'. So I hooked the timing light back up and set it to where I could see it flash while trying to crank. I hooked it to #1 wire and then #2 wire, I never got a light blink. Of course, I'm not sure I'm supposed to see one during ignition, but I would think so. Could I have done something that would cause the dissy to not send spark at all?

I needs me some JeepHammer...

[JeepHammer]

Sounds like the 'Crank' or 'Start' side of your ignition module has given up, or maybe the entire ignition module quit.

Every once in a while the 'Crank' side of the module will give up, and if you get the key swtich turned back to 'Run' fast enough, the ignition will 'catch' and run...
Sounds like you may be having that problem...

First thing I'd do is....

Hook your timing light to the coil wire.
This will tell you very quickly if the coil is doing it's thing or not.

If not, I'd have the module tested and/or replace it.

"Known Good" parts are great to have, so I use a 'Stealth HEI' when I'm diagnosing module problems.

Tell me what you get at the coil wire, and then if you have the module tested what does it show?
Remember, all those discount places will test the module for free, and you can take it to a few and get a consensus since any one store is a 50/50 chance the kid is wrong...

AND FIX THAT OVER HEATING PROBLEM!

[luckycheesehead]

Thanks...I think the overheating came from me jacking with the ignition timing so long. I read in my Haynes manual that incorrect ignition timing can cause that. This is the first time it has EVER overheated on me.

I will check the coil tomorrow and post back to let you know.

[luckycheesehead]

Well, I hooked up the timing light to the coil wire. I got nothing until I let off the key and then it blinked so I think you're right on. It's probably the crank side of the ignition module. I'm not even going to have it tested...I'm just going to get a new one. Autozone has one for $23...

I'll report back and let you know if that fixes it.

[JeepHammer]

Originally Posted by luckycheesehead

Well, I hooked up the timing light to the coil wire. I got nothing until I let off the key and then it blinked so I think you're right on. It's probably the crank side of the ignition module. I'm not even going to have it tested...I'm just going to get a new one. Autozone has one for $23...

I'll report back and let you know if that fixes it.

The problem with those 'AutoZone' $20 or $30 modules is they may only last a minute or two!

Have yours tested, and it's usually a good idea to have it tested at more than one place, since the kids often don't have any real clue what they are doing...

Virtually all ignitions will flash once when you turn the key off... You cut the power and the coil discharges.
That just tells you the coil isn't (completely) shot yet...

Try this, pop the coil connector off.
Hook up a test light to the positive on the battery, and the other end to the green wire side of the coil connector.
Crank the engine.
If the light flashes, the module is working.

If the light stays on during cranking, the module isn't working.
If the light won't light, the wiring is probably shot or the module isn't getting 'ground'.

[luckycheesehead]

Hey Jeephammer! Just got her running again...ended up not being the ignition module at all. I'm taking the one from AZ back. I took my old one off and realized that my carelessness when running the Nutter wires had caused the issue.

When I took my IM off, I pulled it out and the wires for my nutter had burnt through in two spots and were pretty much touching wire to wire, once on the exhaust pipe coming off the manifold and the other that rested on top of the exhaust manifold itself. I fixed those wires, hooked them back up to my IM and it cranked right up. I fixed my timing and let it idle for about 20 minutes and never once did the temp gauge go past it's norm.

I appreciate your insight! I'm sure I will need the information in this post sometime in the future. Hopefully by next month I will have done the Team Rush upgrade also!

Thanks much!!

Brian

P.S. Yes, I also re-routed my Nutter wires so that problem won't happen again!