Hello my fellow maverickers! If there is a suggestion that I can make to any fellow maverick and comet fanatic out there it is to purchase a multi-meter. It doesn't have to be a 400 dollar Fluke, but any multi-meter from a competant auto store will do for our application. I have learned that this tool is invaluable in the process of troubleshooting various electrical/electronic components. I wrench on humvees for a living for our beloved Uncle Sam (ARMY HooaH). We are trained on this tool in AIT (our job training after an awesome 9 week stay in oh so wonderful basic training! ) and further instruction/experience is gathered throughout a soldier's career. And if there are any prior service maverickers out there they know what kind of crazy stuff our humvees and other wheeled equipment goes through and is subjected to by our soldiers and missions (Guess what happens when our American Hero does a Dukes of Hazzard on a 4 foot berm at 30 mph in a 12100 lb up-armored humvee?!... we mechanics have our work cut out for us) . When it comes to finding a culprit on an electronic device the best way to start is with a multi-meter. After securing a multi-meter, get a schematic and a certified list of resistance for the components you are testing, that way you know your constant. D/C your main negative before you move forward or you will fry anything that is powered in that circuit. For instance with your coil place the positive lead on the positive terminal and the negative lead on the negative terminal. Read the resistance on the multi-meter. Does it correspond with the given constant in ohms (the symbol "Omega" or the headphones lookin thingy)? If it does the component is good. Check spark plug wires or any other wire: Place positive lead on one end and place the negative on the opposite end. Note the reading on the multi-meter. Is it a number or does it say OL? If it says OL (open lead) then there is a break/ground in the wire. If it read a particular number does it correspond with the given range of resistance? If so you're good as gold. Usually the less resisistance you have the better off you are. The best place to check resistance is the starting system. Check the positive cable (disconnect it from the battery!) and then do the resistance check. Do the same with the negative cable. (remember electricity flows from negative to positive!) If there is a lot of resistance (more ohms) go with a fatter cable (one with more copper strands, not a solid wire because electrons flow on the outside of the wire). It will greatly increase your car's starting performance especially in those crazy winter months. The simpler method of checking for broken wires is also the continuity check. Disconnect your negative battery cable! Find the wire you want to check, that you believe could be broken. Set the multi-meter to the ))) setting. Then touch the two leads together and listen for an audible ring. That will verify that your multimeter is working correctly. Then on your selected wire you place the lead on one exposed end and the other on the opposing exposed end. If you hear a ring from your mult-meter.... TAH DAH you have continuity! The wire is whole. If the wire in question doesn't perform to the component it is driving, then you will resort to the resistance check above to determine if there is a possible fray. If the resistance is extremely high, replace the given wire/component. I hope this helps everyone. I don't like to see the whole "shot-gun repair" tactic. This is the most costly and time consuming method. If you are like me you don't have a seperate bank account for your maverick and you don't have all the time in the world! Best of luck in all your future endeavors! If anyone finds any of the information incorrect or needs some touching up please feel free to correct it. I won't take offense. We gotta help eachother out! Mav's forever, Mav's for life! SPC Bissell, Kyle R.
eliminate the possibility of a broken wire in the dist. Get some kind of a vacuum source ( usually a hand pump). Get the engine running then apply vacuum to the vacuum actuator. Usually if there is a problem with the pick up the car will stall as you move the actuator through its whole movement which will open a broken lead wire to the points/ECM. Make the actuator move through its whole movement at least 15 or 20 times or more.
Two ideas from an old mechanic: 1: the in-tank filter is getting clogged - use a shop compressor and air nozzle to blow back through the fuel line and blow the tank filter of the pick-up. 2: lean out - you installed headers on an engine but did you change the jets in your carb? Headers will sometimes make an engine run lean - it should backfire if this is the case but sometimes they just die. Try the cheap step first(#1) and if that doesn't fix it the go to a shop and have them check the cruise mixture with an analyzer. Your idle mixture is adjustable and not effected by the swap but cruise and power can be. Jets that are 3-5 sizes larger should take care of any lean conditions. PaulS
I would put the complete carb on another vehicle and see if the problem moves with the install...if it does I would look into the accelerator pump.....the carb has to come off anyway(to change the pump).....
