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Spankrjs' 1984 Long Term Project

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
"Hot fuel" issues have been a near constant with this Scrambler since I started driving it. Basically, only down here in the deep South, during the hottest summer months, and only driving on the interstate at high speeds, after half a tank, the fuel starts vapor locking. This is the only time it does it, never around town, never off road, never in cooler weather. I am running an external fuel pump on this Scrambler, 3/8" Supply/5/16" Return (except at factory sending unit where it is 5/16"/1/4")

I have changed fuel lines since I started, I am now running the stock GM flex lines from the TBI unit to the passenger side frame rail, then stainless hard lines to the rear cross member, then a hodge podge of crap back to the tank. The last time I dropped this fuel tank was July of 2013, to un-kink the supply line. I had dropped the tank before this, to do an initial tank cleaning. But, I have never dropped it since I started having the "hot fuel" issues.

I was hoping to find a smoking gun, but didn't really find anything?

So, tank on the ground.

IMG_20181103_093408323.jpg

This tank was perfectly clean when I installed it back in 2013. I had been mud riding a few times since, and the inside of the skid plate had lots of dried up mud. I took a few hours to clean the tank, skid plate, and anti rub rubber mats. If you go mud riding a lot, probably a good idea to drop the tank and clean out the skid plate every few years to prevent rust. There was also some Michigan sand in there!!

The Supply/Return lines at the sending unit were not kinked, but I still don't like this.

IMG_20181103_093414659.jpg

When I originally installed this tank, I had the stock body mounts. So, I ran the lines like stock, across the tank to driver side, then to cross member, then back over to passenger side frame rail. Now that I have a 1" body lift, I can simply run the supply/return lines over the cross member,under the body, straight to the passenger side frame rail. This will remove (x3) 90 degree bends, and really clean up the plumbing. I will have to relocate the fuel pump, but that shouldn't be a problem.

This Scrambler is still running the OEM sending unit. I was curious to see if the pick up tube had a crack/hole in it, causing the system to suck air. No problem there, but the stock "sock filter" did finally fall apart.

IMG_20181103_125449980.jpg

IIRC, the tank is 11-3/8" deep at the stock sender location. The pick up tube runs to the bottom, so the filter does not gain you any "depth" sucking ability. Inside this "sock filter", just hollow.

IMG_20181103_125500048_HDR.jpg

From the factory, this filter comes crimped to the pick up tube. Most/all after market sock filters are a slip fit, which sucks.

IMG_20181103_125506034.jpg

I did not have another "stock style" sock filter, but I had an aftermarket sock filter. It was a "slip fit", but seemed loose. The good thing, it is metal where it slips on the pick up tube. So, using my 60 watt soldering gun, I soldered it to the pick up tube. Not pretty with the big blobs of solder, but it shouldn't fall off.

IMG_20181103_144942235_HDR.jpg

I was really hoping to find a cracked pick up tube, but it was fine. I checked where the pick up tube comes out of the top of the sending unit, looks like it slips through a fitting and is soldered in place. No leaks here, either.

The only "problem" I found was on the rubber fuel supply line. It was not leaking fuel out, but it did have this cut on it. I am not sure it even goes into the "wet" part of the line, but maybe it was allowing the pump to suck in air???

IMG_20181103_125533972.jpg

Besides this one minor split, no other damage to the fuel lines. I was glad to see the 5 year old NAPA rubber lines showed no signs of deterioration. The split/crack was where I ran the line through the metal "loop" that is part of the stock gas tank strap. I won't be doing this again.

The tank cleaned, up new lines installed.

IMG_20181103_151012329_HDR.jpg

I replaced the rubber fuel lines with new hose. Even though the old stuff still looked fine, cheap insurance. The picture above shows roughly how the supply/return lines will be run: straight out the sending unit, over the cross member, directly to the passenger side frame rail. This will make for a much more direct fuel line route, really clean up a bunch of hose/lines, and get the fuel supply lines 100% on the passenger side, away from the exhaust which is on the driver side.

I still need to relocate the pump, and finalize the plumbing. I am also going to check the vapor line for any blockages by blasting it out with compressed air. I did this before, and no problems, but will do it again, just to be sure.

That's it for now.
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
Didn't get to go to Hot Springs this past weekend, had to work/didn't feel well enough to go, but I did get this one running again.

I had the tank assembled and reinstalled, but went ahead an dropped it back down. Made two changes:

IMG_20181110_094209182.jpg

I took the original plastic float off the sending unit and installed a brass float. The plastic float was still good, but.......

I also adapted/reduced/enlarged my fuel lines at the sending unit using these handy brass reducers I found at Jegs. The 350 uses a 3/8 supply and a 5/16 return. The sending unit has a 5/16 supply and a 1/4 return. So, one brass thing plugs into the 5/16 supply out of the sending unit and enlarges this line to 3/8, the other enlarges the 1/4 return line to 5/16. So, I have all the correct sized line, except the last 12" at the sending unit.

I broke down and bought one of those MasterCool flaring tools a while back. Love it. I used it to make the special GM fuel line flare and the "bubble hose clamp anit slip off" bumps on some new metal tube I ran.

The GM fuel line flare:

IMG_20181110_140903752.jpg

And an anti-slip bubble flare. Should be a hair smaller, but it works. If you don't stick the tube out as far as you are supposed to on the first step of a 45 degree flare, you get a nice bubble on the line. This bubble is hair bigger then I wanted, but it works. The brass Jegs reducers have about a 50 thousandths raised ridge, this is about 70 thousandths. But, the hose slips over, so good to go.

IMG_20181110_140913025.jpg

One other flaring tip: After cutting the tubing square, I heated up the end of it with my little torch for about 20 seconds. This made flaring a breeze.

So, off the sending unit, rubber hose goes over the cross member to the fuel pump and the return line.

IMG_20181111_101227375.jpg

Newly mounted fuel pump, new hard lines running behind the shock.

IMG_20181111_101239991.jpg

I have the OEM metal tab/clips holding the lines, but I also put a big tie wrap near the shock, just for the hell of it. There is still clearance between the shock body and the metal lines.

IMG_20181111_101309420.jpg

And my new metal lines running forward, where they tie into the OEM GM flex fuel lines that come off the back of the TBI unit.

IMG_20181111_101319069.jpg

Need to go to the junk yard and pull off an OEM GM truck fuel filter holder, since I am running a stock GM TBI truck fuel filter.

Anyway, bunch of work, but really cleaned up the fuel system. I now have a straight shot, supply and return, running down the passenger side frame rail, from the tank to the TBI unit. Exhaust is on driver side frame rail.

It started right up, runs, doesn't leak, so happy with that.

That's it for now:wave:
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
Alright, this one has been having random ignition related cut outs for the last year or so. I "fixed" it temporarily by running a "hot wire from battery to toggle switch to plus side of coil". With this "hot wire" Scrambler has been starting/running/turning off fine. Until Christmas Eve.

Starts up fine, go to drive around neighborhood, it dies less then a mile from home. Open the hood, the TBI harness "Ignition Fuse" is blown. Pop a fuse in, starts up and runs fine for a mile, then dies. Fuse blown, again. Pop in a fuse, turn key "On", blows fuse immediately, without even trying to start it. So, tow it home.

So, Christmas morning, I wake up, remove all the tape/covers off the TBI harness, and Jeep underhood harness, start checking wires. I figure with it popping a fuse as soon as the key is turned on, it must have a short to ground somewhere. I find nothing.

Picture of the two harnesses exposed:

IMG_20181225_103421459.jpg

The fuse that keeps blowing on the TBI harness fuse block:

IMG_20181225_103431834.jpg

On the fuse panel above, from left to right:

Blue 15 - fuses direct battery connection to ECM
Missing Fuse - fuses hot on Start/Run to "pink wire", more on this in a bit
Red 10 - IIRC, fuse the injectors
Orange 5 - IIRC, maybe the ESCM to ECM

The back of the fuse panel:

IMG_20181225_103441962.jpg

Left to right:

Red wire goes to battery, Orange Wire goes to computer
Pink wire, the one that blows
White wire goes to Jeep harness "hot on Run/Start", Red goes to either computer or injectors, can't remember
Pink wire, goes to ESCM (Electronic Spark Control Module)

Note - the "white wire" (connects to Jeep harness Hot on Run/Start) is attached to a metal bar that also ties into the two Pink fused wires. Only one of these three fuses blows, the one going to the coil circuit.

I am powering the TBI harness "Hot on Run/Start" white wire straight out of the Scrambler bulk head connector big Blue wire, that originally fed the stock ignition control module IIRC. Anyway, this wire is hot on start/run, and fuse protected in the stock under dash fuse box. This stock fuse never blows. I inspected this wire, no shorts or loose connections to be found. So, the switched power source that goes to the TBI fuse panel is good. I also base this assumption on the fact that TBI harness fuse that is directly tied to this wire never blows.

OK, so assuming the white wire is fine, the problem must be on the Pink wire that goes out of this TBI harness fuse block into the TBI harness. Tracing this one pink wire, it does the following:

Single Pink wire out of the TBI harness (fuse that keeps blowing) runs out a foot or so, then splits/junction:

IMG_20181225_103455863.jpg

This diversion runs to the EGR solenoid. OK, maybe short here, So, unplug EGR solenoid, install a new fuse, turn the key ON, fuse blows immediately. OK, assuming problem is not on the EGR part of the Pink wire circuit.

From this EGR junction, the Pink wire runs to the + side of coil. In the below picture, my temporary Blue "Hot" wire is on the coil, with fuse removed.

IMG_20181225_103511878_HDR.jpg

From the + side of coil, ithe Pink wire splits/junctions down to the Two Pin connector on the HEI.

IMG_20181225_103518597.jpg

No damage evident on this part of the wiring. With the two pin connector on the HEI removed, key ON, fuse blows immediately, again.

So, I pull out/disconnect the entire "Pink Wire" circuit out of the harness, including the fuse holder wire, no problems found.

IMG_20181225_105948298.jpg

At this point, I am praying for a Christmas miracle. Anyway, plug in the Pink wire back into the fuse holder, leave all three "branch off/connectors" disconnected:

1) Pink wire to EGR solenoid
2) Pink wire to coil
3) Pink wire to HEI

Insert a fuse, key ON, fuse does not blow.

Plug in the EGR solenoid, key ON, fuse does not blow.

Plug in HEI two PIN connector, fuse does not blow.

Hook up the coil, fuse blows. OK, so the coil is bad, maybe an internal short.

The two coil connectors, ring connectors, do have some corrosion on them. This happens frequently. I usually clean them up every once in awhile.

Anyway, cleaned the connector, hooked up another coil, fuse does not blow. Turn the key to Start, Jeep fires up and runs fine. Yeah, problem solved, bad coil.......................

Spend 2-3 hours re-wrapping the harness. Hook the two coil wires back up the old coil, it starts up and runs fine......................................

Drive Scrambler around for an hour, check the coil with the multi meter periodically, the coil checks out fine.


So, did I fix it :shrug:

Could corrosion on the coil connectors cause enough resistance to blow the fuse????????
How did my temporary "hot wire" work, if corrosion was present, and did not blow the fuse???????????

Right now, everything works perfectly, and I am not using my toggle switch jumper wire. I left it wired up, with the jumper wire disconnected from the coil, fuse pulled from HOT lead.

A few notes about coils:

1) I am using a regular CJ/Ford style "can coil". Some of these coils require a ballast resistor, to I guess knock down full system voltage. So, 12 volts only at Start, reduced voltage at Run. IIRC, I am running a NAPA 12 volt coil that does NOT require the resistor. I have also ran Accell Super Coils that say they are 12 volt rated. Could I be burning up these coils by running full system voltage to them at all times?

2) I am wondering if I would be better served with the "correct coil" for a TBI 350, the more modern "high energy style"? Those coils at least use the "weather pack connectors", so more corrosion resistant then the ring loops I use now.

3) My coil is mounted to a stainless steel bracket which is bolted to the power brake booster bracket. So, it is grounded through the fire wall. Would I be better served running a dedicated ground strap to the coil mounting bracket? On a stock CJ, the coil bracket bolts direct to the engine block, very near where the battery negative cable connects to the block, so well grounded I would presume?

4) I do get some rain/water leakage at the hood/firewall gap. This is what corrodes the coil terminals. Maybe moisture is entering the coil and causing corrosion/problems? I would find this hard to believe, since the coils are "sealed", who knows?


So, what did I figure out? Not a damn thing, except that "maybe" corrosion on the coil connectors causes enough resistance to blow the fuse?

Thought, prayers, suggestions welcomed LOL:wave:
 

jammer1

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
City
Maple Hts.
State
Oh
Before you got to the last picture I was thinking the same thing. Wondering if coil heats up and somehow does a internal short, blowing the fuse. I read after the last pic and realized you were thinking the same thing. I'm no expert but coils can do some funky thing (intermittently). I hope this solves the problem.:knockonwood:
 

don87401

Original Owner
BENEFACTOR
Gold Member
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Farmington
State
NM
I know my 83 had a resistor wire in the coil circuit. I tired one time to power a 12 volt relay for a fuel pump from it and it did not work. But I don't kow what happens if you run 12 volts to them.
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
Before you got to the last picture I was thinking the same thing. Wondering if coil heats up and somehow does a internal short, blowing the fuse. I read after the last pic and realized you were thinking the same thing. I'm no expert but coils can do some funky thing (intermittently). I hope this solves the problem.:knockonwood:

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking, either the corrosion or some type of weird internal short :shrug:
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
I know my 83 had a resistor wire in the coil circuit. I tired one time to power a 12 volt relay for a fuel pump from it and it did not work. But I don't kow what happens if you run 12 volts to them.

Some coils have to have the resistor, or they burn up supposedly. Some coils are made to run on 12 volts all the time. SInce everything else under the hood is stock 88-93 Chevy TBI 350, including the ignition system, might as well swap in the "correct" coil. The square body HEI coil is fed by constant 12 volts, no resistor.

The current coil might be a resistor coil, that finally is malfunctioning after several years of constant 12 volts, will have to check the part number and see :shrug:
 

bigwalton

Alaskan Postal nutjob
FORUM MANAGER
SOA Member
City
Dexter
State
MI
Always say, you can't go wrong grounding something better (as long as it's supposed to be grounded), relative to your coil ground question.

Maybe an excuse to go to a "performance" coil? I at least like your thinking about matching it up to the 350.
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
Always say, you can't go wrong grounding something better (as long as it's supposed to be grounded), relative to your coil ground question.

Maybe an excuse to go to a "performance" coil? I at least like your thinking about matching it up to the 350.

I swapped in the "correct" coil the other day, need to update :thumbsup:
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
OK, my OCD got the better of me and I decided to install the "correct" coil. The engine in this Scrambler is a TBI 350, they came in millions of pickups, SUV's, vans, Caprices, etc., 1988ish-1994ish. Even though the engine has an "aftermarket" harness, it is bone stock GM TBI, uses all the features of a stock TBI equipped GM car/truck of this vintage. That means:

Stock GM ECM
Stock GM throttle body
Stock MAP, Coolant, Throttle Position, O2 sensors
Stock Small Cap HEI distributor (no mechanical/vacuum advance)
ECM controls timing via Knock sensor/ESCM (even has the same brown wire/connector you unplug when setting timing to 0)
GM Diagnostic connector
Vehicle Speed Sensor (different then stock GM, hooks up the Dana 300 at throttle cable)
Stock GM EGR solenoid/EGR system
No Canister Purge Solenoid (like earlier TBI vehicles)

So, even though this aftermarket TBI harness mimics stock GM, it did not come with the "correct" coil connectors. IIRC, the instructions mentioned just using a "can" style coil, so that is what I have always done, and it has worked fine.

Anyway, in order to use the "correct" coil, I needed two items:

1) stock coil mounting brackets
2) stock coil connectors

So, a quick run to the junkyard to find the coil brackets. There are always plenty of GM vehicles of this vintage at the junk yard, but they are/have been picked pretty bare. No sensors, no throttle bodies, hacked wiring, etc. After looking at 30-40 vehicles, finally found what I needed:

IMG_20181228_155208359.jpg

Someone had even started to remove it, pulled a bolt out, then stopped. I am not using the junkyard coil, but I might keep it as a spare. The coil on this truck is original, it was still riveted to the mounting brackets!!!!!!!!

New coil, old coil still in the bracket:

IMG_20181228_173213192.jpg

IMG_20181228_173235084.jpg

The rivets holding the OEM coil to the bracket are aluminum, so a Dremel made quick work of their heads. The new coil comes with attaching bolts/nuts, and a piece of paper saying "DO NOT DISCARD THE ORIGINAL COIL BRACKET" LOL.

I did not find the coil connectors at the junk yard, would have probably not used them if I did. Bought both pieces at NAPA, and they are pricey at around $25 each, and their not even Weather Pack, when all the other connectors under the hood are!!!!!!!!!!

IMG_20181228_180210823.jpg

The two connectors are color coded, and they can only go on the coil one way, so pretty fool proof.

The GREY connector, with the heavier gauge wires:

PINK - 12 volts ON/START (ties to the pink wire in harness)
WHITE - tach signal (not used, I don't have a tach, but that is what it can be used for)

The BLACK connector, with the smaller gauge wires:

PINK - 12 volts ON/START (ties to the pink wire in harness), it runs down to the 2 PIN portion of the HEI module
WHITE - signal to the white wire PIN on the HEI module

Cleaned up the junk yard brackets, hit them with some paint, bolted the new coil to them:

IMG_20181229_091207687.jpg

From the factory, the coil bracket bolts to the intake behind the throttle body, in front of the distributor, and squeezed between the EGR on one side and the throttle cable/TV cable bracket on the other side, and the fuel lines are thrown in for good measure here, too. Very busy place:

IMG_20181229_091501009.jpg

You can see my permanent marker spark plug wire numbering in the picture above LOL!!

You can just make out the two mounting bolt locations in the below picture:

1) To the right and slightly above the TV cable, to the left of the braided fuel line
2) Above the distributor, below the stamped "GM" on the intake

IMG_20181229_091509726.jpg


One other piece of the puzzle I did not have - the correct coil wire. I can not use spark plug wires for say, a 1991 Chevy truck with a 350 because I have the center dump Ram Horn exhaust manifolds. So, my plug wires come up from below. I use 1974 Corvette plug wires. They are long, designed to come up from below, since the Corvette has the RAM horn manifolds. The plug wire ends also have the correct HEI ends. The only problem - a 1974 Corvette with a 350 use a Large Cap HEI distributor, so coil is on cap, no coil wire. So, I bought a set of NAPA plug wires for a 1991 Chevy truck with a TBI 350 just to get the correct coil wire. Cost like $25, spare wires. I also bought an MSD coil wire, $15, to have a spare.

IMG_20181229_110500077.jpg

And the coil, installed, such a simple project LOL:

IMG_20181229_110638034.jpg

You can barely see the little bugger hiding down there, but it fits. You can see one of the coil connectors in the picture above, the pink and white wires. I put big blobs of dielectric grease where the wires enter the connector to keep moisture out. I don't think moisture will be a problem, the coil sits underneath the air cleaner!!!!!! Anyway, it all fits fine and dandy, but it is awful crowded back there. I though getting to the distributor hold down bolt was fun before...........................................

OK, lots of work, $$$, and time for such a "simple" project. Does it work?

So far, yes. The other coil must have been malfunctioning, the new coil has been working flawlessly :fingerscrossed:

I worked in the yard all day Saturday, so extended idling, lots of Starts/Stops, and quite a few 2 mile trips around the neighborhood, no problems, Drove to Lowes one day, parts store the next, no problems. Drove on the highway, no problems. If it ever stops raining, I plan on driving it to work as much as possible to test it out.

One other note - Before the coil swap, the idle quality was probably around 90%. It is now 100%, rock steady. no slight misses, hiccups, etc.

So, hopefully good to go, fingers crossed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
One other coil note - Using the stock '91 Chevy plug wire set, the coil wire is very short, so the coil has to be mounted in the stock location. IIRC, the MSD wire is either 12" or 18" long, so the coil could be relocated. Relocating the coil would not be a terrible idea. It would get it away from heat, it is basically sitting right on top of the engine, and would make fuel line, distributor, HEI module, ground straps, oil pressure gauge sending unit access, much easier. That will be a project for another day, or until I have to check/adjust the ignition timing LOL :thumbsup:
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
While I was messing with wires, and since I had to order the coil wire from Summit, I figured I would buy one of these and eliminate one last nagging issue:

IMG_20181231_102114228.jpg
IMG_20181231_102253916.jpg

These "kits" are marketed more toward the hot rod crowd, which I am not, and people who have the "typical won't start when it's hot Chevy" issue, which I don't have either. So, why did I buy/install this?

On the very early Chevrolet TBI trucks, there is not a dedicated "12 Volt Hot Post" under the hood. Except the starter. So, on a say 1988 Chevy C1500 with a 350, the big positive battery cable runs directly to the large post on the starter. All the other "hot taps" are also run to this post. That is a bunch of wires running down to the starter, which IMO:

1) junky looking
2) prone to exhaust damage
3) makes changing the starter out a PIA

Only the very early TBI trucks are like this. I did not believe it, till I saw one in the junk yard. I thought the previous owner of this Scrambler just did it this way. Later model TBI trucks have this doo-hickey:

IMG_20181228_161549374.jpg

In the above junk yard shot, we see this handy dandy big black plastic junction block, with lots of hot tap locations. Basically, a big hot power lead from the battery runs to this junction block, then all the wires you want hot run off this. Much better then the "put all the hot taps on the big lug on the starter" method. I don't need this many hot taps, would be overkill, so I did not go this route. But I did snag one of these thingies anyway:

IMG_20190101_143430958.jpg

So, back to the "solenoid kit". On a stock CJ, most of your hot taps run off the side of the solenoid where the battery cable runs to. This is convenient, easy to reach, out of harms way, etc. So why did I buy the "kit", and not just a stock CJ solenoid?

This one piece:

IMG_20181231_102258319.jpg

On a stock 258/304 CJ-7/8, the starter solenoid is on the fender. On most GM vehicles, the solenoid is on the starter. When the starter mounted solenoid gets hot, from engine/exhaust heat, the small gauge "start" signal wire does not function well, and the starter does not work. So, the above pictured metal piece basically connects the big hot lug on the starter mounted solenoid to the small "start signal" lug on the starter mounted solenoid. So, you wire up the fender mounted solenoid just like a stock CJ, and run just the big "starter wire" from the solenoid to the starter. Eliminates a lot of mess down by the starter, and gets rid of the smaller gauge "start signal wire" from down there. Confused? I'll let the pictures explain:

BEFORE - lots of wires down on the "hot" lug on the starter.

IMG_20190101_091951887.jpg

AFTER - the only wire at the starter is the heavy gauge wire. That little piece of metal is basically a "shunt", ties the solenoid signal wire to the starter power lug. So, whenever the fender mounted solenoid does its thing, the starter starts.

IMG_20190101_112602268.jpg

The only wire left down there, besides the heavy gauge starter power wire, is the knock sensor wire, covered by the black plastic tubing. The knock sensor is behind the engine mount. Really cleans it up.

The reason for doing this: On one of the trips up to Michigan, this wire loom got loose and got too close to the exhaust (to the left of the spark plug wire and to the right of the engine mount).

IMG_20190101_092006120.jpg

Close up: The black plastic stuff took the brunt of it.

IMG_20190101_094337405_HDR.jpg

The wires luckily did not get damaged:

IMG_20190101_112613622.jpg

These two red wires are the alternator charge wire and the hot to the alternator wire. It would have been bad doo-doo if they would have melted/shorted out!!!!!!!!!!!
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
I mounted the solenoid in the stock CJ location:

IMG_20190101_143326112.jpg

Big wire from the positive side of the battery to the left side of solenoid. Big wire from solenoid to the starter on the right side. I have two wires on the "s" little post up top:

1) Just like a stock CJ, the signal from the ignition switch to the solenoid that you want to start the engine
2) A wire from the fuel injection harness that you are starting the engine

We were talking about ballast resistors in line to the coil before, and that is kind of what that other post on top of the solenoid is for, the "i" post: When you are Starting the engine, this little post will send 12 volts to the coil to aid in starting. Once the engine starts and the key drops to Run, the coil gets voltage from the wire with the resistor on it, less then 12 volts. Keeps from burning up coils. On my application, this is not needed.

My only problem - not enough room on the constant Hot side of the solenoid for all my wires:

IMG_20190101_143331645.jpg

No big deal, I had enough slack in the two big wires from the alternator to run them all the way to the positive post of the battery:

IMG_20190101_143339734.jpg

Ta-Da, finished:

IMG_20190101_143353236.jpg

So, $20 for a "solenoid kit", made everything safer/easier to get to. Well worth it. Just one of those things I've been meaning to do for the last couple of years................
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
After all the wiring work, decided to do a little maintenance, oil change, air filter, and new plugs. All the plugs looked good, but one boot was a little hard and had a small split. You can just make out the split in the below picture, upper right corner on the black boot:

IMG_20190101_112602268.jpg

I had to go back and research this thread/receipts, because I know I have had this problem before.

The Scrambler came with crappy Accel plug wires, which melted. I put some "thermal sleeves" over them, they quit melting, back in January of 2014.
The Accel wires were short, and ran over the manifolds, not good with the Ram Horn style manifolds.

Purchased the "correct", long style plug wires that come up from the bottom from NAPA, 1974 Corvette, back in May of 2014.

Changed this set for another set when I swapped the engine, no problem, just dirty, back in May of 2015.

The May of 2015 set lasted until January of 2019, so pretty good. They have a lifetime warranty, so put on a new set.

After I changed the oil, I could here a tick. I guess removing the plug wire boot to change the spark plug caused the little split some issue, plug was shorting out:

IMG_20190102_181033721.jpg

That was the only bad plug boot. Picture of the old wires, four of the wires are really long, the ones that go to the front two cylinders on each side of the engine:

IMG_20190102_181437445.jpg

The good news, the "correct" 1991 plug wire set that I bought for the coil wire, these plugs will work for the back four cylinders, so plenty of spare wires.

IMG_20190102_181420940.jpg


The warranty is all fine and good, but the bad thing, they want all the old wires back. It takes about 1.5 hours to change all these wires due to their "behind the engine and back up to the plug routing". So, the spare wires will come in handy for "emergency repairs".

The wire boot that got hard and split is cylinder #6, third one back from the front on the passenger side. There is enough clearance to get your finger between the boot and the exhaust manifold center dump, but I guess it gets hot:

IMG_20190102_181758663.jpg

The other three "center" plug wire boots, #4 on passenger side, #3 and #5 on the driver side, were fine, and they are just as close to the center "dump":

IMG_20190102_181812234_HDR.jpg

The four plug wires on the "ends", #1 and #7, #2 and #8, have a bit more clearance:

IMG_20190102_181803701.jpg


From the factory, Corvettes and other vehicles that used these manifolds had thin metal heat shields that bolt to the block, and shield the wires from the manifolds. Unfortunately, my newer block (no mechanical fuel pump provision) casting does not have the cast lugs to bolt these on. Ideally, TBI style manifolds, "log" on bottom, plugs on top, would be perfect. But, all the newer TBI exhaust manifolds I have seen have rear dumps, which would make exhaust routing problematic.

I guess 3.5 years for plug wire life isn't too bad. I have four "thermal shield socks" I could slide over the four center plug wires, might help.

Just figured I would post something up, like exciting spark plug wire issue LOL:thumbsup:
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
So, I got all the new plug wires secured/installed Friday afternoon. Took the Scrambler for a drive, it drove great. Ran it on the interstate/back roads for about an hour, runs awesome. Stop by NAPA to order a part, start it up, running great. Accelerate hard on the interstate on ramp, transmission in third, wont go past 55, wanting to hang back. Shift to OD, accelerates to 70, no problem. Start the Scrambler up Saturday morning, driving through town, stopped at red lights, the idle is a bit "off". Get to NAPA, get some parts, let it cool down, open the hood........

The brand new #6 plug wire boot is melted already. Wrap the boot up with electric tape, drive it home, work in the yard all day, runs fine. I go back to NAPA, get one of my old, undamaged wires, swap it in, put a thermal boot around it. Runs fine, but after 20 minutes of running, the boot is already starting to split:

IMG_20190106_113801105.jpg

All the other boots that are close to the center dumps are fine. So, maybe an exhaust leak here? The top of the "center dump" portion of the exhaust manifold gasket looks suspect":

IMG_20190106_113816683_HDR.jpg


When I swapped in the new engine, I used "1 piece" exhaust manifold gaskets. The only type the part stores had in stock are the multiple piece type:

IMG_20190106_113831906.jpg

But, in hind sight, this type is "better" for in the field serviceability. With this type, you can just loosen the exhaust manifold bolts, pull out the old gaskets, slide in the new ones, finished. With the one piece type, you have to pull the bolts all the way out, due to the fact that they go through "holes" in the gasket, not slots. Neato!!

Anyway, I pull out all the bolts, get the gasket out. I installed Stage 8 locking exhaust manifold bolts, so it takes a bit longer to remove/reinstall the bolts, but they did their job, all the bolts were still tight.

I was hoping to find a blown out, burnt up gasket, but it still looked OK:

IMG_20190106_121118085_HDR.jpg

Some close ups, both sides of the center portion, cylinder #4 and #6:

IMG_20190106_121128270_HDR.jpg

IMG_20190106_121143382.jpg

The gasket did eventually bend and break at the #6 port, so maybe it was weakened/path burnt through on the inside, letting exhaust gas blow out??

The Stage 8 kit bolts are stainless, the two center bolts that go through #4/#6 at the center dump portion, were kind of yellowed/heat discolored, so this portion of the manifold does get hot.

IMG_20190106_122549550.jpg

I put it all back together, anti-seize on the manifold bolts, no problems. Since the engine was cold, I checked clearance at all four center plugs, plug to center dump. The clearance at all four is about the same, you can squeeze your finger between the plug boot and manifold:

IMG_20190106_122158336.jpg

While I had the manifold off, I checked for cracks, could not find any. I started the engine up, then placed my finger between the #6 plug wire boot and the manifold, while the engine was warming up. I never felt any exhaust leak blowing on the plug boot. It does get pretty damn hot, though!!!!

I need to look closer at my block, maybe it does have the bosses to bolt on the corvette style heat shields? At the number #8/#6 area, if the shield bolts to the starter front bracket bolt hole, they should go on. I need to see if the other three areas have the threaded bosses, and look for more corvette engine pictures on the internet.

Anyway, drove it around for an hour yesterday, no melted boot yet. I am going to drive the Scrambler to work everyday this week, put about 250 miles on it, and check the plug wire. If it is still good, I will put a new wire on it.

The only "project" I had planned for this weekend was installing a Check Engine Light. The harness has the wire for one, and I even looped it up and zip tied it to the dash a few years ago, I just never installed a light. Pretty simple, you run power to one side of the bulb, the computer will ground the other side through the wire if there is a problem, and light up the light. I bought the little LED light from NAPA, found a bracket doo-hickey in the garage:

IMG_20190106_143228276.jpg

One word of caution - The little bulb does care what side is power and ground. I hooked it up "backwards" at first and it would not light up. Flipped the wires around, it works. Every time you turn the key ON, the light will come on. Once you Start the engine, it goes off, unless there is a problem. I mounted it near the Diagnostic connector and cigarette lighter, bright little bugger:

IMG_20190106_152336023.jpg

Still need to install something similar in my other two Scramblers.

So, drive it all week, pray the spark plug boot holds up!!!!!!!!!
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
Drove it all last week to work, at work, and back home, around 200 miles. No cut outs, so I am assuming the old coil was defective. The one "used" spark plug wire on #6 did not melt, so I am assuming it must have had a slight exhaust leak, and the new gasket fixed it. So, put on a new spark plug wire here.

The same driving routine, my LJ (4.0/auto/4.10's/stock tires will average 14.7 MPG.
Tan Scrambler (5.7/auto/4.10's/33's) averaged 12 MPG.

The drive to work and back is mixed real highway (70 mph) to highway 90, red lights and 50 mph. My driving at work involves driving around several military housing complexes, so a bunch of 15 mph and stop signs, which kills the MPG :twocents:

Anyway, its been running great, so driving it to work this week, too.

The check engine light came on last Friday, after driving on the highway at 70 mph, Code 32 "EGR failure". It still drove fine. On the next restart, no light, so I am assuming some type of electrical glitch in the solenoid, who knows :shrug: Still no light, so whatever it was, I assumed it worked itself out. I do have a spare EGR solenoid.........................

Since this isn't an emissions state, EGR delete might be a good option, might keep the intake/throttle body cooler, since IIRC the EGR passage runs directly underneath the throttle body :twocents:
 

Frozencanuck

Basic User
City
Mahtomedi
State
MN
1547488805461.png

What is this bracket for?
I am restoring an 81 and not sure what the purpose of this bracket is for.

Is this what you mean by "Protector strip"?
If so, what is it protecting?
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
View attachment 69098

What is this bracket for?
I am restoring an 81 and not sure what the purpose of this bracket is for.

Is this what you mean by "Protector strip"?
If so, what is it protecting?

I'm really not sure. If I remember correctly, it is a thin piece of angle metal, installed at the factory. I don't remember how it is attached? I assumed it was some type of protection for the fuel tank? This Scrambler, with what I presume to be factory installed 20 gallon tank, came with it. The old green "Yard Scrambler" had it, too, stock 15 gallon tank IIRC. I can't remember if any of my other Scramblers have this piece or not :shrug:
 

spankrjs

Scrambler Junkie
Lifetime Member
SOA Member
City
Biloxi
State
MS
Another week, another 200 plus miles, another 12mpg on my work/commute driving, no issues, no check engine light :thumbsup:

The mpg sucks, but the LJ only gets 14 something MPG. Just not gas friendly driving that I am doing. Lots of red lights, stop signs, 15-25mph speed limits, stop at close to 25 houses a day, just blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh:eek:

Anyway, the old coil must have been faulty, not cut outs since the coil swap:thumbsup:

The Detroit isn't terrible for daily driving, but I sure miss my LJ rear locker/open diff:twocents: Driving around these housing complexes, lots of stops with 90 degree turns, etc, so lots of unlocking/locking. Then again, maybe I am just getting old:(

More testing over the next few weeks via daily driving, but so far, no problems, and I am starting to "trust" it again :thumbsup::wave:
 
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