ignition help please!

[Rick O]

Hello, I hope someone can give me some help/advice.


I was gifted a 1954 M37 after the owner died. It sat for about 10 years until it came into my hands. It looks like he was doing a frame up restoration. There is what looks like a fresh rebuilt engine in it. It is a T245 engine.

I gapped the plugs and set the points. After finally getting power to the primary wire, I finally got spark. I got the engine to TDC on the compression stroke, but when I look at the rotor the contact end is pointing at what looks to be the #2 wire position.

When looking the plug wires, he has them in this order: 154623 (not the book order of 153642). So either he simply ran them wrong, or was there a method to what he did here with the distributor in the wrong position? I am familiar with the jeep, and I know I can turn the oil pump to get everything aligned correct, so can I do this to the M37?

I re-routed the wires anyways and hooked the pump up to a gas can, cranked the engine and it drew gas. I turned the ignition on and after several rotations something happened and it popped once, but that was it. He had a piece of tinfoil blocking the tailpipe, I assume so the critters wouldn't get in, and that chunk of tinfoil shot out of the tailpipe. That was the only time anything sounded like ignition, So I stopped not wanting to ruin anything and I am now turning to you for help


Any advice on what I need to do?

Thank you if you can help.

Rick

[Rick O]

Well. I figured that part out.

Now to figure out why I am not getting fuel and the fuel pump is not pumping.

[ez8]

Along with resetting the distributor and oil pump to be in phase with each other on #1, I'd also pop off the chain cover and make sure the crankshaft and camshaft are aligned with each other. If the valves are out of alignment with the pistons the fun-o-meter for this project will get cranked up to 11. There should be an indexing mark on both to line them up, like on a MB/GPW.

[Murf]

Check the oil. Is there any gasoline smell to it? Does it seem "thin" or runny. Valves and rubber diaphragm could be leaking. This lets fuel into the crankcase vs pumping it upward to the carb. Pull the inlet to the carb, crank it over. Is it pumping fuel? Sitting that long with old gas throughout leads to bad things with these mechanical systems and old rubber.

[RMS]

how do you

pop off the chain cover

? sounds like a big job, front mount, crank pulley ...... if your concerned with valve timing just pull the valve covers or a screwdriver in the spark plug hole.

does the pump prime by hand ? pull on leaver till the action stops or does it keep on pumping ?

even if the carb was drained when parked the idle jet could still be plugged. its the large brass flathead on the cover. if fuzzy pull top off carb or at least fill it with carb cleaner let sit then drain. and inspected what came out.

reminder: the throttle pump on the ball and ball is activated by vaccume. full choke will flood the manifold and start leaking gas in to the crank case via the douglas valve within 30sec of cranking @ 2inches of vacuum

I always crack a fitting below the douglas valve to check for over fueling and prevent gas from diluting the oil.

[Rick O]

Check the oil. Is there any gasoline smell to it? Does it seem "thin" or runny. Valves and rubber diaphragm could be leaking. This lets fuel into the crankcase vs pumping it upward to the carb. Pull the inlet to the carb, crank it over. Is it pumping fuel? Sitting that long with old gas throughout leads to bad things with these mechanical systems and old rubber.

Thanks Murf. Found the pump was bad and had it rebuilt. And the oil was very gasoline-y. Got that changed.

It started for a brief second then stopped. Sounded good for the couple seconds it ran, but then I saw lots of gas/fluid coming out the carb elbow and it stopped. Now I have a different good carb.

Now however, I went to look at it again, turned the key and now the voltage meter doesn't move at all when I turn the switch like it used to.

I have 24v at the battery and down to the starter. I have 24v to the regulator, but nothing back up to the key or other componants. I fear for some reason my voltage regular decided to break. SO do I get a new one like I have, or a solid state one, I am not concerned with originality with this part if the solid state ones are better.

[PoW]

A bad regulator won't stop +24 from getting into the system (if the batteries are up OK). There is an internal jumper in the 4-pin receptical the disconnects the system when it is unplugged.

The ignition switch doesn't have a key, unless someone replaced it with one, and that or the connections may be bad. Check with a 24V test lamp for voltage.

PoW

[Rick O]

Thank PoW.

Could you explain this better for me? Yes, the previous owner replaced the lever with a key. I had been getting power to the keyswitch and then to the coil. When I turned the key the voltage meter worked and went into the green.

So, I have power going into the VR, I used to get 24v to the battery power side of the switch, now nothing. And when I turned the key, the meter doesn't show anything anymore, so I suspect the problem before the key. I am of course new to the M37. I think I have found the wire coming out of the VR, but I get no voltage. My wiring harness was made by the previous owner, and after 10 years of sitting, (he wrote numbers on tape and put them on the wires) the numbers are unreadable.

Any idea where I should look? I do not understand the jumper reference, Is that like a breaker switch that I can throw, or fix?

Thank you,

Rick

[PoW]

The 4-pin recep on the regulator has all four pins internally connected. That passes +24 from the batteries ti the system.

It is done that way so if the regulator is disconnected (like the case of it running away from a broken fan belt) things won't burn up.

Somewhere there is an open circuit, get a test lamp (better in this case than a meter) and start at the terminal on the starter to see where the problem is.

PoW

[Rick O]

OK thanks. I think the VR must be shot. I got 24v leaving the starter. I follow that wire up to the VR. I unscrew the connection and I have 24 at on of the pins. I folow the ony wire leaving that connection, which on mine is a big red one, that goes inside the truck. I find where the next junction is with that wire, and there is no power there.

So, replace the VR with a real one, or one of the new solid state ones?

[PoW]

If your meter has an Ohm function, try all four pins on the regulator, They should all read zero Ohms between them.

PoW