Need Your Guys Help On Getting My Jeep Running?

[rutang]

For those of you who don't know the story I recently bought this 74 2 Door Cherokee with a 360 motor. It is great looking but doesn't run and previous owner didn't know why either. It had no battery and no spark plugs, so I bought a battery and put in new plugs and wires and tried to start her today. She cranked over (barely even with the new battery... any thoughts there?) but definitely wasn't getting any gas to the carb... I primed it and still nothing... it tried to fire up once or twice with the starter fluid but no gas ever passed through the new clear fuel filter. What should my next step be in figuring this out? I don't have alot of knowledge in mechanics but if things are easily explained to me I can usually do it. Thanks in advance and I am posting some pics of the Jeep too!http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh92/rutang79/1974Jeep002.jpghttp://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh92/rutang79/1974Jeep004.jpg

[bigun]

Check for a bad fuel line

[jpjeeper]

FUEL/AIR/SPARK....

Pull the fuel line at near the carb... Crank the hell out of it...WOT (Wide Open Throttle) with a cup under the line...

NO FUEL... = bad pump, or line OR NO GAS...

Did you make sure it wasn't frozen? Hard crank is kinda scary...

Pull all the plugs and crank it... will it crank easy... If no...
Check the starter... take it to a auto mart etc...Also watch for fusable links... and wires overheating... Bad grounds etc... this is all after you get fuel from the pump...

Spark, I noticed you asked about firing order... after gas, still no start start. Check Top dead center on cyl 1... note where the rotor is... Might be 180 out... or pull the distributor and check the gear...

You can take the valve covers off and see if your rockers are moving

Just a start... good luck and if you can crank it... you might want to do a compression test... that will tell you alot about the insides.

[PlasticBoob]

Wow, great looking truck!

Well, at this early stage in the game, you already have a decision to make. Your Jeep should have a GM points distributor from the factory, so those would be the first thing I would replace. They're something like $5 a set, but require a dwell meter. You said you put fuel in the carb and it tried to run...did it actually run or just sort of try? I'd say the points are probably a mess, it should have fired right up even for a second or two. Now, you can either replace the points, or swap in a different modified GM distributor for ~$180 (search HEI). Or you can buy a Pertronix Ignitor for about $60 and it will replace your points. I personally feel that points are annoying, requiring maintenance too often to keep things working well. I swapped in a Proform HEI from Summit Racing and couldn't be happier, but someone on here sells them for about $150 (again, search).

Hard cranking I'd guess was either a bad starter, or poor connection to the starter. I'd replace the solenoid switch on the fender too, it's only like $15 or so and they like to die.

Get a new fuel pump while you're at it, they're pretty cheap ($30) and easy to change. Don't forget a new filter. :)

[rutang]

Thanks for the tips. The thing that sucks is I am afraid of dumping a bunch of money into her and then finding out the engine is shot or something like that. So I will start cheap... and go from there I guess. Thanks.
Rusty

[jaber]

A wet and a dry compression test should give you an idea as to weather or not its worth fixin or in need of a rebuild..

[rutang]

How do I do a compression test? Make it real simple for me... what tools are needed? Thanks for the help!
Rusty

[Dirtball]

Make sure you have good, 2 gauge wires going from the battery to a NEW solenoid, then from the new solenoid to the starter. Make sure the new battery is fully charged, then try to crank it again. If it is still hard to turn over, have the starter checked. It needs to turn over strongly before almost any of the other tests on it can be done, and what I've suggested doesn't cost that much at all; a compression test is done with a compression tester, a hose and gauge that screws into each cylinder. You replace a spark plug with it, and you check each separate cylinder. Your local big box might have one to rent or borrow. If you don't have good compression then you have bad rings, valves, etc., and the engine needs to be looked at internally. If the compression is good, then we can go on to why it isn't getting fuel and spark. You need to check the rubber fuel lines underneath the driver's side, coming from the tank's hardlines and going to the engine's hardlines. Then check the lines going to the fuel pump. Replacing the fuel pump was a good suggestion; however, don't do that until you have the engine turning over strongly enough to give the pump that is on it a chance to prove whether it is shot or not. If you can get the engine to turn over strongly you can check the fuel pump to see if it is pumping as suggested in a previous post. If it is pumping strongly and there is no fuel getting to the carb then the filter is clogged; again, a cheap fix.

Get us to that point and we can pick it up from there... with spark, etc. No sense spending money on anything else, though, 'til you make sure it has compression and fuel, since you already said it doesn't appear to be getting fuel.

[rock&roll]

How long was it sitting without spark plugs?

[J10_Jimbo]

wondering about the barley turning over too. when you let off the key did it sound like it jumped backwards, if so your timing might be off. mark where the distributor is sitting at and turn the unit slightly clock wise and counter clockwise trying to start at different locations.

[rutang]

Thanks for all that help with the compression test. I will see if I can get her cranking good and then I will check the compression. Its a new battery on it but it almost seems like a dead battery when turning it over. I will give it a jumb and see if that makes a difference. The starter and solenoid and all wires look brand new... so maybe the cranking was an issue before and someone already replaced that stuff.

I don't know how long it sat without spark plugs but it was last tagged in 2005 but tires look new and it didn't look all nasty like it had been sitting for years or anything like that.

[Dirtball]

How long was it sitting without spark plugs?

Good point... you thinking he might need to squirt some oil in the cylinders?

[Dirtball]

The starter and solenoid and all wires look brand new...

Looks can be VERY deceiving!!!! At least, then, take the wires loose and take a small wire brush and clean all contact surfaces thoroughly...

[Golddust]

If you have not changed the oil and filter yet, better do it as you might have water in the bottom even if the dipstick looks good.

[jaber]

Another thing you can do is a 1 gal gas can on the fender and a piece of hose to the pump. If you get fuel then, it will probably be in the tank or lines.

Check the grounds also. They might be why it's cranking slow.

[rutang]

So, come to find out the battery I was using was not near the right cranking amps... so now I have a good battery and it is cranking over alot better and it tried to fire up off the starter fluid 3 or 4 times but still nothing. So today I am going to go ahead and change the Fuel Pump and see where we are at with that done. I will give an update tonight and still open for suggestions on what kinds of stuff I should be looking it, for this might not fix the problem.

Here is a question also... could the plug wires have an effect on this? I changed them but it is possibly I have the wrong lengths to a couple of the plugs.... being that nothing was hooked up prior to this. Thanks again for the help... you guys rock!
Rusty

[Dirtball]

Make absolutely sure you have the firing order correct!!! It would give the impression of being out of time if you don't. If you have new wires they should be good enough to get it running. What about the plugs? All in good shape and gapped properly?

Check this link for firing order: http://www.wagoneers.com/FSJ/tech/firingorder.html

See what I meant when I told you to be sure everything from the battery to the starter was in good shape?

Make sure you change your fuel filter, and if you get it running still check the hoses from the tank up to the engine, and put an inline filter down in the line going from the tank up to the pump (AMHIK).

Give us an update!!

[Schlagger]

I wouldnt do anything else until you make sure the firing order is correct. The length of the plulg wires is not critical, but routing them correctly is extremely important.

Firing order (credit to RiverBeast):

1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2 (Clock-wise rotation)

Find TDC on the motor... pull #1 plug, cloeset to grill on drivers side....

Pass side Drivers side

8---------------7
6---------------5
4---------------3
2---------------1

(front of motor)

place thumb over hole and turn over til thumb blows off.... the timing mark should be close on the marker.... get it on TDC

Take off your cap and see where the rotor is pointing and call that spot in the cap #1 and go from there.... easy