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New to me 83 CJ8 Laredo!!

Thanks bigwalton, This jeep is interesting in the fact that it looks like it hasn't been abused just neglected. I'm in no hurry and willing to doctor it along the way to see whatever obstacles come. I'm pretty handy but also not looking for a Mint Perfection Jeep! I don't mind a little character..
as long as its healthy and will last FOREVER!:P
 
Do not buy the Chinese made eBay HEI... a replacement cap and rotor would be better than that. I bought an eBay HEI once, then cursed it until I threw it away.
 
sdsupilot said:
Do not buy the Chinese made eBay HEI... a replacement cap and rotor would be better than that. I bought an eBay HEI once, then cursed it until I threw it away.
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Yeah.?.? I was seeing that.. what’s the difference and what would you recommend?
 
bryrambler said:
I do suspect the distributor... And I do want to change to a HEI. Just not sure if I wanna do the Ford or the or the Red HEI they have on Ebay for 99 bucks it comes with wires.
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The distributor in these jeeps are so basic I doubt there is a problem. They use an external ignition module, and the distributor only dictates which plug gets the spark. With a new cap and rotor, it should be just fine, unless it has bad bearings. These distributors dont have points that can be problematic.
 
I'll admit to running a cheap eBay HEI on my '77 Cherokee's 360 when the brand-new "quality" Mallory unit that came with the Jeep died (have since found out about Mallory's quality issues) Been on there for a year or so without issue :shrug: (for those who might ask, I moved over the dizzy gear.)

I'm sure there are plenty of bad examples out there, I risked it because I just needed the cheapest method to getting it running and it was already wired/plugs gapped for HEI. I keep a spare ignition module in the glove box.

I like the dead-simple wiring you get with the HEI over stock and you can find ignition modules for them on the shelf at any part store anywhere (assuming you stay away from proprietary setups like the Mallory :angry: that require their own modules)

That said, I think you need to prioritize what you're going to do to this thing and change one thing at a time after getting it up and running. If the stock dizzy/wires/plugs look ok, run them until you get all the other maintenance items done and have it running reliably. My :twoents:
 
I would keep the current/stock DuraSpark ignition on it for now :twocents:

Pretty simple to diagnose, parts are easy to get. I would check to ensure that the mechanical and vacuum advance are working like they should. If the stock stuff is working correctly, no real performance gain in going to HEI. BUT, the HEI will clean up a lot of wires :twocents:

If you must go HEI, I recommend the D.U.I. set up, Davis Unified Ignition:

https://performancedistributors.com/product/amc-inline-6-cylinder-dui-distributor/

Unlike BigWalton, I had more problems with GM HEI set ups then the stock Jeep/Ford stuff, your mileage may vary.

Also, unlike BigWalton, I worked on a Scrambler that had one of these eBay/Chinese distributors on it, and it was a P.O.S. I had to redo all the mechanical and vaccum advance stuff on it. It was way off base. Once dialed in, it worked OK, but it was a bunch of work getting it there :twocents:

Starts around Post #65:

https://www.cj-8.com/threads/1984-sl-yard-scrambler-ii.45883/page-4

The whole thread might be useful. On that Scrambler, I had to clean out gas tank, rebuild carb, bent pushrod, reconfigue HEI distributor, to get it running well.
 
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Thanks guys for the info. Bigwalton you’re right I need a bit more research and prioritize. I did notice the previous owner put a different ignition control module. The original one is under the coolant overflow bottle and disconnected the newer one is
stationed above it on fender with some wanky wiring.. not sur if he did a nutter by pass but he obviously had some trouble.. I willl try and take some pics ASAP.. the Jeep is in real need of the basics.. clean/rebuild carb, replace all gas and air tubes (cracked/old) change oil. Drop oil pan and see if gas pump spoon is in there. Drop gas tank and clean it out! Change sparks. Just to give a chance to start. Somehow clean out gas lines.. maybe with air?.
 
See how it goes from there... I will report back once I get to those things.. with weather being the way it is here.. south Texas does it ever stop raining!??
 
bryrambler said:
See how it goes from there... I will report back once I get to those things.. with weather being the way it is here.. south Texas does it ever stop raining!??
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Rain is a good thing. About 20 years ago I was camping out in west Texas in the Big Bend area in February and Texas was going through a bad drought and the aquifers were drying up and it was about 103 and thousands of acres were on fire
 
Wow! guess your right.. Makes for a good spring.. Well after researching how to drop the oil pan, It looks like i won't be doing that first or even 5th.
 
Now after some research what I think he was telling me was the fuel pump "Push Rod" is what fell down in the pan ?? That doesn't sound common and how can that happen? Did it break? Can it be fixed? I will try to get time and pull the fuel pump tomorrow.:unsure:
 
Pretty sure the fuel pump arm runs off the cam shaft. Maybe the arm broke off the pump. Pull the pump and verify. If broke, drop the pan. It's not that hard to drop the oil pan, one frame cross bar and a bunch of oil pan bolts. Remove metal from pan, new pan gasket and pump, done deal.
 
Hmm.. I thought i saw also had remove passenger side motor mount and lift the motor a bit?
At any rate this is why he said it has an electric pump.
 
But yeah your right I'm gonna pull the pump tomorrow.. and check it out. if anything is missing.. I will need to pull the pan otherwise I will never be able to get it out of my head!
 
We'll be interested to see what your fuel pump looks like when you pull it out!

Some fuel pumps, like on a Chevy small block, use a push rod that connects to the camshaft. Others, like on a Jeep 258, have a long arm that rides directly on the camshaft.

I wonder what, if anything, actually fell in to the oil pan? :shrug:
 
Took it off this morning. ???
 

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The pump arm looks intact to me. I would drop the oil pan and see if anything is in there since the previous owner mentioned something in there. I think you are right about the motor mount removal for oil pan removal. Put a bottle jack on the bottom of the bell housing, loosen up the one sides motor mount bolts, slightly raise the engine, remove the mount. You can put a jack stand under the bell housing if it makes you feel better.
 
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