Pre-Buying Jeep Inspection

BallzF250

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2010
Location
Wilmington
I'm thinking about buying an older '74 Jeep CJ5 that apparently has a ton of wiring issues (bunch of wires got cut by a pissed off wife or something).

The guy says the motor is not seized because he can turn the crank by hand with a pull bar. Thats all fine and well, but I want to see if the motor will crank with electrical power. He says it has a new starter which is cool. I've never done this before, but I think if I take a battery and ground it to the engine/frame and touch the positive to the starter, it should power up the starter and in turn crank the motor...right? Just need to make sure it's not in gear when I do that.

I also know to check for frame rust especially near the spring mounts and the body mounts and the floor boards of the jeep.

Seeing as I've never really bought on older used vehicle...what sort of other things should I check out? Help me out Jeep folks...any common issues I should try to check out

Thanks!
 
How much? What are your plans for it, dd or trail rig or something for the weekend. Wiring can b a nightmare forever in something that is patched together and very expensive if you can't wrench.

As far as what to look for, rust rust and more rust. Look on top of the skid plate and see how many layers of mud and grease you see. That's a good sign of how hard it was wheeled.
 
The wiring can be fixed relatively low cost fix and upgrade with an ezwire kit. Like a painless harness but lower cost and same quality. Other than that, if possible check compression and look for water in the oil.
 
He's asking $1800, but I'm probably all in around $1300. I'm pretty sure he's been trying to sell this for a while...and money talks, so I think it's reasonable.

Plans - Probably a DD with a little light trail riding on the side. I live in Wilmington, so all we have on the coast is sand, mud, and sandy mud. Not to sure about rocks yet...aside from the fact that I don't know how to wheel in a manual. Just never been taught...if there is a special way to do that sort of stuff.

The wiring issues don't really scare me since I'm electical engineer. Biggest issue is going to be figuring out what has to get wired to what and where...that kinda of stuff. I can turn a wrench and do a lot of the work on my own...for most jobs. I'm not too keen on doing fabrication work tho.
 
order to crank it you'll need 12v to the battery and supplied to the coil/dizzy
 
Well there are lots of things that can keep it from running.

The thing that I would really stay away from is rust. Rust is miserable. That is pretty easy to see.
 
Take a good buddy with you to help you look it over, it'll help to catch anything you miss.
 
Ron said:
order to crank it you'll need 12v to the battery and supplied to the coil/dizzy
Click to expand...

And for a jeep like, dropping in a battery to test fire is breeze! Connections needed:
- Battery = ground (to frame/block/body) & positive to starter solenoid
- Coil = short-term connect positive post to battery+ with test lead (wire with alligator clips)... longterm, the older coils only get a full 12V during cranking and 8-9V in "run" position via ballast resistor, so too much 12V will let the smoke out of the coil. Connect the coil, try to test for spark at plugs/start and disconnect anytime you're not actively testing!
- Starter solenoid = Battery+ should connect to larger lug on one side, starter lead to the opposite large lug; To energize the solenoid, use another test lead from battery+ to the small lug marked "S", touching the "S" terminal to activate the starter, removing the jumper to stop it from cranking. Also, be CAREFUL with the loose end of both test leads when connected to battery+! if the touch anything grounded, the smoke comes out!.

I've started DOZENS of jeeps like this, completely bypassing ALL the existing wiring & ignition circuitry/switch all together.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN, INSURE IT'S IN NEUTRAL AND CHOCKED! IT WILL STILL ROLL/MOVE IF THE PRESSURE PLATE IS RUSTED TO THE FLYWHEEL! (which can make for interesting situations) :eek:


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You should be able to crank the motor with a set of jumper cables (and a jumper wire if you want it to run). The CJs use a starter with a separate solenoid. You should be able to ground the negative cable to a bracket on the motor and touch the hot to the starter lug and it should crank. This does leave you laying in a dangerous position should the vehicle not be in neutral or slip into gear or something crazy like that. Make sure its in neutral and hook the positive cable to the cable that runs from the starter to the solenoid and it should do the same thing (I doubt they cut the heavy starter cables). If it cranks and you want to see if it will run, then run a jumper wire from the starter cable to the ign terminal on the solenoid. Short the 2 small terminals together with a metal tool and it should engage the starter and provide power to the ignition (if the ignition is the original 74 delco points type). If its the newer type of ignition you can't bypass it (unless it has an HEI swap).

Whoever told you about the frame rot is spot on. Take something with you to tap on the frame with so you can check for the rot and a bright light to look for cracks. Get totally under it and tap every single inch of the boxed area from the spring main eye mount forward to the steering box mount. Intermediate CJ (72-75) frames tend to rot in the boxed sections especially between the motor mounts back to just before the spring mount. Water gets trapped in the lower part of the box section and makes it rot from the inside out. The rest of the frame is open C channel (not boxed) and is very flexible. Check for cracks at all 8 suspension mounting points, front and rear crossmembers, transfer case crossmember, and steering box mount. I had to replace my frame and ended up driving to Ohio to find a new one that was rust/rot free.
 
Well in case anyone was wondering...dude sold it to a better offer...I just couldn't see paying his asking price. Kinda upsets me cuz that's the second craigslist fail I've had this week. But not going to let it get to me...I'm 6'1", so a CJ7 would really be more fitting for me anyway...lol
 
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