Today's bloody knuckle = 1999 Jeep Wrangler (TJ) tune up

I have a few "older" vehicles. Years ago we bought new and enjoyed the privilege of massively declining first year depreciation offset by new car smell and the joy of stressful price negotiation in a bugged sales room. Hopefully some of the pain of buying a new car is lessening for those both brave and rich enough to carry it off. For now we buy used. I'm also trying to keep what we have as long as we can. This might be financially defensible but it means you deal with non-perfect vehicles. With that comes maintenance, both routine and unscheduled. Part of the unscheduled maintenance is now reported to you by your car's computer (hopefully) before it breaks down. You'll get a trouble code, or "check engine" light now and again. The last time my wife's Saturn got one, rather than take it down to AutoZone and have the counter dude use their reader on it, I bought my own from Amazon. It cost less than 25 bucks and it not only gives you the code number, it also defines what the code means, in English. You simply find the outlet, which is usually under the dash on the driver's side and with the key off, plug in the reader, then turn the key to ignition on and hit the enter key and scroll keys to read the trouble codes. I hate to say it's simple but hey, it is.

AUTEL MaxiScan MS309 Code Scanner Reader CAN OBDII OBD2 EOBD

by Autel

4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)

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Here's mine over my work bench hanging on a hook waiting for the next bit of trouble.

The code for the Saturn told us her fuel cap wasn't screwed on right. Last time she fueled it up, apparently she didn't secure the cap properly. Then last week my 1999 Jeep Wrangler's check engine light was diagnosed as a misfire on the number 4 cylinder. It's been years since I had a friend tune it up (and even then all he did was replace the plugs) so I ordered a full tune up kit, again from Amazon:

ACCEL TST16 Ignition Tune Up Kit

by Accel

4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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List Price:	$74.65
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In stock but may require an extra 1-2 days to process.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

• Includes distributor cap, rotor, wire set with heat reflective spark plug boots and specially designed Accel classic copper core spark plugs
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The kit arrived in a couple of days and I decided to do the install myself. I decided to take it slow and easy and take a bunch of pictures and label everything copiously and hope for the best. I also decided to share the experience here for others who might be deciding to do the same and might want some feedback. I have been helped multiple times by others who have shared their experiences and I figured it was time for me to pitch in.

I took too many pictures to be sure I had what I needed. On the re-install, I came inside and printed out two or three shots that showed how each plug wire was routed originally so I could re-install them through the looms the way they were designed to be routed. I used a sharpie to write the plug wire number on each in several positions and I marked each plug wire's position on the top of the distributor cap. On the original cap, the #1 wire is denoted on the cap. On the new cap, not so. If you are dong the job, hopefully one or more of these pictures might help you if you get disoriented. The #1 (at the front of the vehicle) and the #6 plug wire didn't want to come off. Since I was replacing the wires anyway, I finally just disconnected the plug wire for these plugs at the distributor and used the plug wire itself to pull up on the wire to dislodge it from the plug. Might not be recommended but it worked. I needed the extra hand hold that the wire provided to pull hard enough to pop it off the plug. The #1 is hard to get to because of the A/C compressor. I had a flexi 3/8 socket to use to allow a bit of off centering to remove and install that plug. I don't see how you'll be able to do it without something similar. You can't go straight into the plug area because of the surrounding equipment. I put a bit of red grease on each plug's threads prior to installing to ease the installation. I should have used a bit of the electrical conductor grease provided with the kit in the clear envelope with the replacement looms on each plug's tip prior to connecting the plug wire but I didn't used the replacement looms and only saw the little envelope of grease after the job was done. Here are too many photographs. It took me a couple of hours with a break for lunch on a nice day. My Black and Decker collapsible work table made a great take off table to hold all the parts and tools. Only tighten the plug about a quarter to a half turn after you meet resistance. Always use a rubber booted plug socket to install plugs. Always seat the plug well into the socket before you start to install it so it won't tumble out onto the floor on the way down. The plug gaps are set at the factory at .035" which is standard. You can pretty much eyeball if they are about right. If you are anal, you can check each one. I did check one when the eyeball test failed but it was perfect. I had an old feeler gauge and had to put a .018 + .017 together to get the .035. Some people install a hotter coil (what the middle distributor cap plug connects to next to the engine) and run a wider gap. I'm okay with the standard set up.

I had a red grease pencil to write on the distributor cap with. I labeled each cylinder's take off position on the cap. I did the same with the new cap prior to installation. Above you can see the #1 position is marked on the distributor with a raised number 1. In clockwise rotation, it's 1, 5, 3, 6, 2 and 4. It's hard to see the 6 and there is no 2 on the picture above but that's the proper order.

You'll need the flexi-socket for the #1 plug removal and install.

I didn't think the provided rotor was as good as the original equipment but I didn't buy the super kit, only the standard. The plugs and wires were fine. The rotor can only be installed in one position. Make sure to orientate the distributor cap properly before installing the new one. The pictures should help.

I think you can see the red grease pencil markings on the new cap denoting the plug wire position. I simply re-routed the plug wires in the looms exactly like the original. Having the original pictures helped me see how to run the wires.

 Believe it or don't, it started right up and ran great after the install. Wonders will never cease. Once you've fixed the problem, you can plug the reader back in and manually clear the trouble code by following the prompts on the reader. You'll need a socket wrench and extensions and a few other tools but the job is doable if you have patience a bit of mechanical aptitude. Good luck.