Just purchased my 2nd MV...M38A1

[porkysplace]

Last night I decided to break new ground in my automotive experiences. I opened the distributor and did some maintenance. This was my first time to EVER open a dist. I cleaned all contacts, set my points gap (.020), and lubricated everything before re-assembly. The whole process was much easier that I thought it would be. Apparently distributors are pretty simple things, but in my mind I had them made out as some super complex machine which will break if I touch it wrong.


Unfortunately it wasn't all butterflies & roses.....I had one casualty. One of the spark plug wires decided to get stuck in the distributor cap (when I was removing the wires to open the dist) and the tip broke during forceful removal. Unfortunately a new set of wires is between $220-$250 and they are only sold in sets of 4....because why wouldn't they be.


I don't really want to dish out $250 for just one wire if I can avoid it. I posted up on my M38A1 facebook group asking if anyone had a spare wire they would sell me. It looks like I found a guy who will sell me one of his spares. Once it arrives I can hook it up and see if my plugs have spark. If I still don't have spark then the issue is probably related to the condenser. Thankfully, a distributor repair kit is only $40 and comes with new points, rotor, and condenser. So if I have to go that route it will be a super cheap fix.

For another $10 you can upgrade it to a solid state ignition from Eriks.
http://www.eriksmilitarysurplus.com/m1sostigki57.html

 

[Maverick1701]

Porkys: The solid state ignition is something I am researching. From what I have read, the kit fits well in the m38 & m151 dist units but requires a little work to squeeze them in the m38a1 dist housings. It's not a deal breaker but it is something I am looking into.
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The other day I installed two new wiper arms and blades on the windshield. I also installed the hand-brake rod which connects the in-cab handle to the x-fer case mechanism. Thank god for the military manuals. They made the process super easy and explained the required tolerances between the brake shoes & x-fer case mounted drum (.010).
I have the M38A1 re-assembled (front clip & windshield) for the first time in just over 2 years. All I have left is to zip-tie up a few unused wires under the dash and install my new spark plug wire. If I have spark, then I'm ready to go enjoy my Jeep.
I need to test and see if my dist cleaning fixed my no-spark issue. I want to open the dist and see if I can see spark jumping the points...but it takes two people. I can not press the under-dash foot starter button and see the open distributor at the same time. I am going to bug a co-worker of mine to see if he can swing by and hit the starter for me (I'm an unmarried man so I can't just ask my wife or kids for an assist).
I just ordered a dual battery monitor (NOT the controller model w/the solenoid) made by National Luna, a south african company. Sierra Exped had them on sale for $70. They do play nice with 24v systems which is a huge plus. I have always wanted one in my vehicle (not for any particular reason...I just think they are cool & handy) so I finally pulled the trigger.

Link to the instructions (24v at bottom of pdf): http://www.nationalluna.com/Datasheets/Dual Monitor.pdf

I'll report back with the spark test results and some pictures of humpty-dumpty finally back together again.

 

[Maverick1701]

I COME BEARING MAJOR JEEP NEWS!! IT'S ALIVE!!!

Today the last few parts I needed arrived via snail-mail (distributor rebuild kit, spark plug wire, & YOM plates).

When I made it home from work I installed my 1952 TX license plates (I am going to run YOM plates). I then changed the guts of the distributor and BOOM I had nice, solid spark. I then re-assembled the dist. & spark plug wires. I hopped in and after about 20seconds of cranking she roared to life!!! This is the first time it has been re-assembled in 2 years and only the 2nd time it has run since the early 90s (the first time was when I did a compression test when I first purchased it).

So naturally I removed the jack stands, grabbed my co-pilot (my chocolate lab) and drove it around town, down some county roads and gave it an all around good shake-down run. I have a few more things I would like to do (new exhaust system, shocks, etc) but none of that is required. It is drive-able in its current state...and let me tell ya.... I am planning on driving the snot out of it.

This could not have happened w/out help from everyone on this forum. Thanks y'all so much for answering my dumb questions & listening to me rant about my jeep progress.

Attached are some pictures of the maiden voyage. Enjoy!!!

 

[wilfreeman]

Nice!! Congrats

Sent from my SM-J320V using Tapatalk

 

[Another Ahab]

Yeah, she looks sweet. Congratulations!

 

[Maverick1701]

I took the Jeep for a drive today and ended up doing a partial "walk of shame".
It began mis-firing and then...poof...he's dead Jim.


I called a local buddy/farmer who towed it back to the house while I steered. During the tow I tried popping the clutch to see if the jeep would start. The Jeep would start but it wasn't happy. I could hear it mis-firing and would only run at higher RPMs.


We got it back home and I started troubleshooting. Fuel= check. Compression= check. Spark= nada. I removed the plug wires and opened up the dist. I immediately noticed that my points were not opening far at all. I re-re-adjusted the points and this time I made double-triple-extra sure I tightened down the securing screw this time extra tight. Once my points were adjusted I did another spark check. I noticed that my spark would start out strong and quickly decline to no spark at all.


I checked my contacts where the condenser, points, & coil all connect. I cleaned it up a little and had no change in my spark issue.


I am thinking my issue is possibly a bad condenser since it seems to not be holding the charge required to give me a good solid spark. What are y'alls thoughts? Thanks.

 

[Dieseljeeper]

It sounds like a bad condensor. One more possibility is a carbon track on the coil. If thats it there will be a faint line like a pencil line from the coil wire to the terminal from the distributor. It usually acts up as the coil heats up. I had the problem with a f head powered CJ5

 

[wilfreeman]

That's a good place to start. Is your coil new? When they start going bad they will get weak/quit when they get warm.

 

[Maverick1701]

It sounds like a bad condensor. One more possibility is a carbon track on the coil. If thats it there will be a faint line like a pencil line from the coil wire to the terminal from the distributor. It usually acts up as the coil heats up. I had the problem with a f head powered CJ5

That's a good place to start. Is your coil new? When they start going bad they will get weak/quit when they get warm.

The coil is not new....and it looks to be older than dirt.


I went ahead and ordered a new 24v coil & condenser. I figured I might as well replace both while I have the dist opened up.
They should be here either saturday or monday (hopefully saturday) depending on how quickly USPS works their magic.

 

[wilfreeman]

I know they aren't cheap and I always hate throwing money at problems, but if that doesn't cure the problem at least you know you have a good spare! Try replacing one at the time to see which one was the actual problem so you'll know for sure. Wes posted a write-up on how to check a coil over on willysmjeeps.com some time ago. Might be worth a search.

Sent from my SM-J320V using Tapatalk

 

[Maverick1701]

The saga (headache?) continues.
I went to install my new coil and it turns out my replacement coil is too tall and blocks the dist from properly closing/sealing against the housing.

Where have you purchased trouble free and well fitting replacement coils for you M38A1?

Also the coil I removed looks like it is an original military unit (based on the markings). I'm surprised it ran for this long. It looks to be in rough shape.


Pics:

 

[Maverick1701]

alright gentlemen....it turns out the fix was (somewhat) simple once I figured out what the deal was.


Apparently there is a in-line resistor which sets under the original coil at the bottom of the dist housing. This resistor is not mentioned in ANY military technical manual I have in my library and is the same color as the housing. Also the new coils are not marked with anything explaining that the resistor is now internal (had I seen that I could have put 2 & 2 together to assumed there was an external resistor).


I only found ONE forum thread (on another forum) mentioning it which tipped me off as to what my issue actually was.


I was able to remove the old resistor & install the new unit...which now fits perfectly. I had to do some hacking of wires during the removal (the resistor wires are molded/melted into the unit). I thought about extending the wire to the new coil contact but I don't really want my vehicle operation to be reliant on my splicing (So I ordered a new capacitor/wire unit) which will solve that issue.


I also need to clean up some wiring hacks I did yesterday between the coil & the points. A wire broke yesterday during my work and I did a quick/temp fix. Once all that is taken care of I should be good to go *knock on wood*

 

[Dieseljeeper]

Thar is good information that will save many others from bitten buttocks, thanks

 

[Maverick1701]

Thar is good information that will save many others from bitten buttocks, thanks

I sure hope so. This forum has been such a wealth of information to me...I would like to think this could be my
chance to "give back" to others.


There has not been much progress on the Jeep in terms of work. However, parts have been arriving in the mail.
The one thing I have done is install my top bow set on the Jeep. I don't have a top...yet...but I'll get one eventually.

My dual battery monitor arrived, a new capacitor (not condenser which I replaced earlier), and also some sharp looking 75 year anniv. jeep emblems (see attached pics). I also scored some 2002 & 2003 editions of military vehicle magazine off eBay. One has a main article about the M38A1 and the others main article covers the M35A2.

I ordered two sets of the 75 year jeep badges. One set in black and one set in brushed bronze finish. I am personally liking the brushed bronze look (it matches the data plates & stands out a little better vs the flat black). At this point I'm going to go with the bronze badges. What are y'alls thoughts?

Why has my progress been lacking? Well I have been pretty dang busy with work. On Tuesday I ended up driving to houston & back again in one day. The whole trip covered just over 1100 miles and we were in the car for about 19hrs.
I threw by GoPro camera on the dash of my patrol unit and played with the timelapse feature on the trip. I stitched everything into a video last night. If you have ever wondered what it is like to drive 1100 miles in 7 minutes I can put your mind at ease.
Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMLWL57Rhz8

 

[Another Ahab]

The techno-vibe soundtrack is a hoot.

And the lightning flashes. I liked those, too!

 

[Maverick1701]

The techno-vibe soundtrack is a hoot.

And the lightning flashes. I liked those, too!

hahaha thanks. royalty free music is hard to come by so I am somewhat limited when it comes to background music options.

 

[Maverick1701]

4/20 update:


I am still dealing with spark issues. So far I have replaced my Coil, condenser, points (properly adjusted to .020), rotor, and capacitor. My spark still starts out strong and fades to a weak spark (I can still see spark but it's not the bright/strong blue spark I had originally). ***pulls out hair***


I'm going to check my coil & condenser w/a voltmeter to see if any issues show up there...maybe I bought a bad coil? What other tests/checks can I try to help me narrow down my "problem-child" ignition component?


Last night I did an oil change because I noticed my oil seemed a bit too light (I was running 10-30 vs my usual 15-40). I think it smelled of fuel but I couldn't really tell due to the other aromas all around. When I removed the filter I noticed A LOT of sludge in the bottom of the canister. I spent about 30min using a screwdriver & pick slowly removing 60-ish years of built up sludge. It was the consistency of 1hr old permatex. I'm going to replace the oil (this time w/my usual 15-40)& filter and closely monitor my oil status. I figure worst case scenario, I have a leaking diaphragm in my fuel pump which is pumping fuel into my crankcase. It might be time for a fuel pump rebuild if they still make rebuild kits.


This weekend I am off work and will be knocking out a few Jeep jobs:
1. replace all seals in the fuel tank (sending unit, pickup, and the bottom tank/body seal (they leak when tank is full)
2. install my lockout hubs (dualmatic 10-spline)
3. install my blackout drive light & bracket on fender
4. pick up my spare tire from the tire shop (when they originally mounted the tire, they apparently pinched the tube which failed when I installed it on the Jeep)
5. oil change w/filter change

 

[Dieseljeeper]

This is where the detective work starts. I would start, as you said by checking the coil and condensor. If they check out I would check the supply voltage to the coil and work back toward the ignition switch. Barring a bad coil, which at this point is doubtful, I would look for corrosion at connection points, check the cap for carbon traces. Im more diesel related, but electricity is electricity. That being said it is like me, kind of lazy and always looking for the path of least resistance.
As for your sludge, I assume you havent had the engine apart, it might be the detergent in your oil doing its job
Sounds like a cool project and when you find where your spark is going it will be something simple, just well hidden. One more question, have you tried watching it run in the dark? Good luck and be happy its not can-bus

 

[Maverick1701]

This is where the detective work starts. I would start, as you said by checking the coil and condensor. If they check out I would check the supply voltage to the coil and work back toward the ignition switch. Barring a bad coil, which at this point is doubtful, I would look for corrosion at connection points, check the cap for carbon traces. Im more diesel related, but electricity is electricity. That being said it is like me, kind of lazy and always looking for the path of least resistance.
As for your sludge, I assume you havent had the engine apart, it might be the detergent in your oil doing its job
Sounds like a cool project and when you find where your spark is going it will be something simple, just well hidden. One more question, have you tried watching it run in the dark? Good luck and be happy its not can-bus

Awesome tips sir. I also come from the diesel world (7.3s & 465LDTs) so this points-thing is new to me.
I'll tear into it this afternoon and report back with results.

 

[Maverick1701]

Well I come bearing good news & some pretty disappointing news.

good news: I was able to get the motor running (for a few min) and my spark is solid.

BAD news: I was ONLY able to get the motor running after adding some oil into the cylinders to raise compression. Once compression was raised, the motor ran GREAT..but only until all the oil burned up and compression fell again. when I purchased the jeep I did a compression check and the numbers were...ok but not great.
I did a dry/wet compression test and the results are disappointing
Dry Results: 1-65 2-60 3-85 4-45
West Results: 1-120 2-140 3-155 4-100

This is telling me that my piston rings are probably tired (there shouldn't be much of a change in compression if the issue is valve related, right?).
What are y'alls thoughts? At this point is my only option a rebuild (or replacement of the motor)? What other options are out there?