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I-6 'TeamRush Upgrade' (definitive)

359K views 804 replies 248 participants last post by  moto450r 
#1 · (Edited)
*
I NO LONGER RECOMMEND AUTOLITE PLUG WIRES!

I HAVE HAD REAL TROUBLE WITH THEM IN THE PAST TWO YEARS AND I NO LONGER RECOMMEND THEM!

IF YOU WANT 'OFF THE SHELF' WIRES,
Then Use 'Motorcraft' brand wires instead,
They seem to still be fairly well made...


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PARTS LIST, Advance Auto,

Advance Auto, DISTRIBUTOR CAP p/n C193 from Borg Warner.

Advance Auto, ROTOR p/n D219Z from Borg Warner.

Advance Auto, CAP ADAPTER p/n C193AP from Borg Warner.

Advance Auto, PLUG WIRES p/n WR4050 from Motorcraft.
(Comes with BOTH coil wires, E-core coils are NOT recommended with stock ignition modules)

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PARTS LIST, Auto Zone

Auto Zone, Cap Adapter, $4.99, p/n F960
Auto Zone, Distributor Cap, $20.99, p/n F2104G
Auto Zone, Rotor, $3.99, p/n F953
Auto Zone, Plug Wires, Motorcraft p/n WR4050
(Comes with both types of coil wires, E-core coils are NOT recommended with stock ignition modules.)

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YOU DO NOT HAVE TO CHANGE COILS!

The Factory canister coils is perfectly fine for 99% of the I-6 engines this is going to be used on,
And if you switch coils,
I suggest you use an MSD Blaster 2F, p/n 8205

Fits right in your stock bracket, connects directly to your factory harness and works better than the orignal from the factory.

Keep in mind that most of you have a 25+ year old coil in your vehicles!
This might be a good time to retire it for something a little better and a BUNCH NEWER!
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Decide on CANISTER COIL or E-core coil.


MY Suggestion is to use your FACTORY STYLE COIL

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=MSD-8205&N=700+115&autoview=sku

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO CHANGE COILS OR BUY A NEW COIL.

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Some people upgrade to an MSD factory style coil (Blaster 2F)
OR,
They use a Ford E-core coil, or an MSD E-core coil.
(Ford, junk yard for about $5. Don't forget to get the coil bracket and coil electrical connector plug if you do!
MSD coil p/n 8227

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=MSD-8227&N=700+115&autoview=sku

If you buy a new coil, you will need to fabricate a bracket,
AND,
You will need to purchase a coil connector,
NAPA p/n ICC1, $15.

PLUG WIRES,
Factory Ignition Coil, Autolite p/n 96171

E-core coil, Autolite p/n 96624

NEW PREMIUM PLUGS FOR YOUR YEAR/ENGINE.
All years are different, so I can't give specific part numbers for all variations, altitudes, ect.

Suggestion is to use Autolite or Denso, and gap to 0.045" regardless of the engine you have or what the book says.

Tube of 'Never-Seize'.

Tube of 'Tune Up Grease' (Dielectric Grease)

Tube of Butyl or Silicone caulking, or Weather Strip Adhesive (optional).

TOOLS.
One medium sized flat blade screwdriver,
One medium sized (#2 Phillips) cross screw driver,
One plug socket and drive tool,
Plug gap checker,
Needle nose pliers.

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This is about what your 'PIG' should look like...



TAKE NOTE of where the #1 (front) cylinder plug wire is located on the cap, and then mark that location on the distributor base...
(so you can find it again with the new cap!)
This is showing me marking the distributor cap #1 terminal, but you need to MARK THE DISTRIBUTOR HOUSING, not the cap like I'm showing...



(My mark on the distributor HOUSING wouldn't show up in pictures, so we marked the cap to illustrate that you need to know where #1 plug wires terminal is located RIGHT NOW!)

*IF*, and this is a BIG *IF*...
Your distributor is installed correctly, your #1 terminal mark will be on the housing where the rotor is now pointing. (your rotor will likely be pointing someplace else, but I have this one turned to point at where the #1 plug wire terminal MARK should be for illustration purposes.)



Start with the DISTRIBUTOR CAP ADAPTER...
That would be the GRAY THING on the RIGHT in this picture...



I often put some 'butyl' or 'silicone' sealer on the bottom edge of the adapter before it screw it down to the distributor.
This helps keep A BUNCH of water out of the distributor.
Your ignition distributor won't by any means be 'Water Proof', but it WILL help keep a large source of water in the distributor OUT!

Since the adapter doesn't have to be removed very often, you can 'Glue' it down with 'Weather Strip Adhesive' if you want to keep a BUNCH of water out!

I DO NOT use the blue 'RTV' sealer or 'Form-A-Gasket'
, since they off gas a LOT of acids while curing... ACIDS & Electronics don't get alone well!
....................

Here is what the adapter and new rotor look like installed...
Put a 'Dab' of 'Tune Up Grease' on the rotor NOSE. Just a little 'dab'.
'Tune Up Grease', or Dielectric grease IS NOT never sizes or caulking/sealer!



Once adapter and rotor are installed, slap the cap on the adapter...
DO NOT forget to put some 'tune up' grease in the groove on the UNDERSIDE of the distributor cap!
(In the groove only.)
This will seal the cap to the adapter and keep one source of water out of the distributor, but still allow you to get the cap off at any time.



Now, with distributor 'Tune Up' parts in place,
You are ready to do the plugs...

Make sure they are properly gapped,
DO NOT Pry on the center electrode to gap them!
DO NOT bang on the 'Ground' electrode to close up the gap!
Modern 'Resistor' plugs are VERY SENSITIVE!
Use a pair of NEEDLE NOSE pliers to bend the 'Ground' electrode instead of PRYING on the center electrode! That's the WORST thing you can do to a spark plug (Prying on the center electrode or 'Tapping' the gap closed!)

They have a 'Carbon Pile' resistor inside the insulator, and if you break that very fragile carbon, 1/6 of your horsepower and torque goes right out the window!



IF YOU DROP A PLUG ON THE GROUND, REPLACE IT!
I can't stress this enough!
This is probably the #1 reason for 'Loss Of Power' or 'Poor Economy' complaints after a 'Tune Up'!
People just don't realize how fragile the plugs are!

You don't need a ton of 'Never Seize' on the threads, but you DO need to use it (Copper if you can find it, but zinc is OK if you can't turn it up easily or Copper is too expensive for your project)

PLUG WIRE TIME,
Use AT LEAST Autolite brand plug wires!
The cheap 'Store Brands' or 'Private Label' brands are CRAP!



MSD wires are without question the best wires on the market, but they are $65+ !!!
For a low revving I-6 engine, the Autolite wires should do you fine.

Use a 'Q-Tip' and put a little dab of dielectric grease (Tune Up grease) in each end of each plug boot.
(If you use factory coil, DO NOT grease the coil end of the coil wire, everything with a 'Spark Plug' terminal gets it!)

This will help keep the water from your connections, and that will keep the ignition from grounding out, and it will keep the terminals from corroding.
The grease also keeps the boots from drying out and cracking.

NOW, If you take a CLOSE LOOK, you will see I mark the FIRING ORDER, starting with the #1 plug wire position, on the cap.
this makes things A LOT MORE SIMPLE! (Old racing trick!)



AMC I-6 FIRING ORDER... 1-5-3-6-2-4 CLOCK WISE!
Cylinders are numbered 1-2-3-4-5-6 Front To Back.

SOMETIMES, when I'm doing this upgrade,
I notice the factory coil connector has seen MUCH better days!
The terminals in the connector are shot, the wires are about broke off the terminals from vibration and corrosion, and it's generally in BAD SHAPE!



These are cheap (around $7) and available from Auto Zone or NAPA.
This one is from Auto Zone...
EASY TO INSTALL, clip the wires to the old one, and use crimp connectors with heat shrink tubing to seal up the splice, and you are DONE!

BAD COIL CONNECTOR is a VERY COMMON PROBLEM, and the cause of that mystery 'No Start' or mystery 'Shut Off' problem so many people experience,
BUT,
Since it's an INTERMITTENT problem, it's VERY hard to trace!
.............................................

Unless you changed the coil to an 'E-core', you are DONE!
That's all there is to it! A simple ignition 'Tune Up' but using PREMIUM PARTS!
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*IF*, you did change the coil to an 'E-core', you will need a new coil connector.
Clip the wires going to the factory coil connector,
Match up the wires to the E-core coil connector, RED TO RED, Green To Green.

Don't forget mount the coil!
(Yes, I've got every thing done, and test drove, just to get back and find the coil hanging by the wires!)
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WHY YOU ARE DOING THIS UPGRADE, AND WHAT IT'S DOING FOR YOU...

The small cap and short rotor from the factory allow the SPARK ENERGY to bounce around inside the distributor cap like crazy!
If you ever cut a hole in the distributor cap, and run the engine at night so you can see it, those small caps look like a fireworks display!

The spark energy jumping from the coil terminal to the distributor housing is called a 'Ground Fire'.
This means one of your cylinders, 1/3 of the power for that engine revolution, went right out the exhaust pipe without ever contributing!

Using the TALLER ROTOR lifts the spark energy up, away from the housing and distributor shaft, virtually ELIMINATING the ground fire problem.

In fact, you can actually feed MORE spark energy through the taller rotor without fear of ground fires!
It's FREE ENERGY going to your spark plugs instead of going to ground fires where it does you NO good!
.............................

The spark energy jumping to the WRONG terminal at the very least is 1/3 of the power for the RPM going out the exhaust....
IF YOU ARE LUCKY!

You see, if that spark jumped to a cylinder that was on the EXHAUST STROKE, the spark was wasted, and didn't fire the cylinder it was supposed to...

BUT...
IF that spark fires the cylinder AHEAD of the one it's supposed to,
It's firing the cylinder 120° TOO SOON in the firing order!

Think about that for a minute...

3° or 4° too much timing can cause detonation in your engine,
But people ROUTINELY allow 120° TOO MUCH TIMING ADVANCE without doing ANYTHING ABOUT IT!

That's like hitting the piston with a SLEDGE HAMMER and can break pistons, break valves, ruin rods and bearings, and a HOST of other things you don't even want to know about!

The WIDER cap spreads the terminals farther apart, making the CORRECT plug wire terminal the more attractive for the spark energy to jump to!
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#368 ·
Hey guys, I've tried searching with as many variations in wording to my problem as I could with no result. I've been trying to read all of the post as well to find my answer and haven't had any luck with the time I have. Basically just need to know if I'm doing something wrong because the rotor (p/n F953) will not fit. When I take off my old rotor the little spacer inside that's designed to fit over the distributor gear is about half as big as the spacer in the new one. Just trying to figure out what's going on or if I need a different part.
 
#370 ·
Do you have a motorcraft distributor? It won't work without that particular type. When I had my CJ7, I bought one on Ebay out of a '81 CJ and everything worked fine.
 
#369 ·
JeepHammer, My 79 CJ has been Team Rushed and I have been having problems with the coil adaptor. I bought a MSD blaster 3 coil last night the instructions said to install a ballast resistor on the positive side. However, the wiring diagram shows a resistor wire in the system, so do I still need the ballast resistor? Will this coil fry my new control module, if I just hook it up with out doing anything?
Thanks
 
#371 ·
I didn my TR upgrade over the weekend and my jeep is running nice. One question though...Maybe I am missing something, but where exactly does the dedicated ground come from at the distributor? Am I tapping into the black wire that runs with the purple and orange wires on the distributor? Or am I tapping into the black wire on the ignition mod side of the engine bay?
thanks for the help
 
#372 ·
Team Rush

So JeepHammer,
I currently have the HEI dizzy, (5000 miles), so I would assume im out of danger with the gear issue? My question is about the team rush. I have a 84 cj7 I6 I think it came with the prestolite dizzy. I ripped out all the computer stuff and even the old hook up to the dizzy. I think i want to go the team rush. So if i got a reman dizzy from an older cj how would i wire the modual to the dizzy. I will have to check put think i still have the harness and most of the wires and the coil bracket.
thanks
 
#373 ·
Hello Everyone, I am doing the Team Rush Upgrade, I have read almost everything I can about this, "I-6 'Team Rush Upgrade' (Definitive), very helpful, was able to order all the parts with the parts order list, I also decided to replace the coil with the MSD Blaster 2F Coil, part number PN 8205, and reading the coil instructions it tells you that it needs a ballast resistor, or resistor wiring, my question is this resistor needed if so where does it wire in, in all the Team Rush instructions, nothing is mentioned about this resistor, so any help here would be great...
 
#376 · (Edited)
Upgrade ordered today

Thanks to all the nice folks that give us information.

I ordered said parts today from Auto Zone.
Maybe this has been mentioned but I discovered
that the dist. cap # F2104G from Auto Zone is a "kit"
and it comes with the rotor # F953...

Funny, Auto Zone can't cross reference the wire numbers given
for either sets mentioned; MotorCraft #WR 4050, AutoLite #96171.
*Called Advance Auto and they cross referenced the AutoLite wires.
Looks like I'm in business! edit to add; I purchased the MotorCraft
wires from Advance today. Appears there are a few different ways to
look them up...

Thanks again!

Merry Christmas!

JP
 
#379 ·
New subscriber - sounds good

Hello all
I appreciate the advice and information here. I am a jeep owner first and a part-time and poor mechanic (I would even call it that) second. I have a 89 woody with 360 AMC v8 and am interested in the TR tune-upgrade. The dist cap/rotor listed "don't fit the 89 woody". Is there a sure-fit parts list?

Thanks in advance,
Kb
 
#382 ·
Thanks Jeephammer.

I took a risk and a budget hit and replaced the like new o.e. cap rotor and wires on my cj7 a few weeks ago. I cheaped out and grabbed the cap adapter from the JY got the autozone cap and rotor set and cheap wires from advance (because they were in stock and $30) I already had new champions gapped to .45 in there. the idle smoothed noticibly, and I rev clean past 3,000 on the factory tach with noticably more power. and I havent set the time except by feel. I had no problems with the instructions and evrything fit great. the hardest part was finding the five dollar cap adapter at the JY! all the fords I looked in had the small cap...
 
#383 ·
Won the parts on Ebay for $15.00. Guy said he had it installed for a weekend before he noticed the crack in his block. All parts to my suprise where, as listed, clean and new. Bought new plugs, gapped as instructed and she is running much better, still have some problems with it dieing occasionally when I push the clutch in to stop. But am glad I did the TR upgrade.
 
#384 ·
For those in post 369, 373, 375...

If you have the OEM wiring, there is a resistor wire already there. If you have an aftermarket harness, there is probably a ceramic ballast resistor somewhere. Think of it this way - the factory coil needs the resistor, if it worked, you don't need to do anything different.
 
#385 · (Edited)
For those in post 369, 373, 375...

If you have the OEM wiring, there is a resistor wire already there. If you have an aftermarket harness, there is probably a ceramic ballast resistor somewhere. Think of it this way - the factory coil needs the resistor, if it worked, you don't need to do anything different.
I had a resitor mounted on the side of the factory coil mount bracket (atleast I think that is what it is). It was wired to one of the 2 red wires going to the top of the factory coil connector. I did not use this when I wired for the new e-core coil connector. I spliced Greenx2/green and Red/red on the e-core coil connector. Should I reinstall the resistor to one of the red wires?
 
#387 ·
no MSD or similar. cap, cap adapter, rotor, 8mm wires and e-core coil with connector. I think it is the "juice box" kit sold on ebay. All made in China, I am sure, but got it all for $15. I am thinking it would not hurt to rewire the resistor.:dunno:
 
#391 ·
hit a snag on the upgrade

I have an 83 CJ7 with the 4.2. The p.o. for some reason replaced the stock distributor with an older points distributor. I thought that I would just find the correct dizzy and swap it out and put all of the upgraded parts on it and be back in business. Not really the case. The 3 prong plug from the jeep is no longer there. Can I just wire the ground from the new dizzy to the coil and get a switch 12 volts and hook it to one of the other two wires (not sure witch one) from the new dizzy?:confused:
 
#392 ·
Pulled the Jeep in the garage today so I can try and change the intake/exhaust gasket 2 morow to fix the massive leak and add a few designated grounds, so I figured I would take a quick shot of the TR upgrade I just purchased and installed. Did not have a bracket for the coil, so this is what I came up with for now. Hope I did it right!
 

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#393 ·
Just installed my TR upgrade 2 days ago.It is an improvement.Most noticeably in the lower end hitting my shift points a little faster with less pedal pressure. Went with the Blaster 2f coil in the stock location.The numbering of the cap and firing order in the instructions really made this a simple and quick install. Thank you for the info.
 
#394 ·
Wow, I just read the longest thread ever!

I have searched to no avail, and was wondering how the "Team rush" upgrade would work with the Junkyard TBI I am planning on doing later. Would a "Stealth HEI" module work with the newer wiring harness and ECM to control spark timing? Will I have to make it fixed by removing vacuum advance and centrifuge weights also? :thankyou:
 
#396 ·
Auto Zone
Cap Adapter, $4.99, p/n F960
Distributor Cap, $20.99, p/n F2104G
Rotor, $3.99, p/n F953

i looked up these parts for my 84 cj7 258 and it says that they wont fit
 
#397 ·
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