'84 Eagle Limited FULL resto

[BaldEagle]

Hello everyone:
   I just bought an '84 Eagle Limited, 4-dr wagon with the 6cyl automatic! I've never owned  before, so have much to learn, but this car looks to be a cream-puff, body wise. No dents, decent paint, and most importantly..............very little surface rust on the underside. Interior needs the most work: torn seats, sagging headliner, missing knobs, and few mold spots. It doesn't currently run, but the PO is a friend that was using it for a daily driver before parking it due to intermittent starting issues. I have a couple of questions to start: With the battery fully charged and clean terminals, I get clicking from the solenoid and no start. Tried bypassing it, using the search here and the pliers trick, to no avail. Even having a NSS, a bypass should point to the starter, if I'm correct? I've yet to check all grounds, and clean all connections, so there is still hope there! My other Q is about cleaning up the mold inside. I've always used a bleach-water mix to clean and kill mold in the past.............but never on a vehicle. Will bleach be harmful, say in the hot sun, or is there anything else I can use that truly KILLS? Here are the only crummy cell phone pics I currently have.









I'm so stoked about this car!!! 

[Prafeston]

Look forward to the updates!

[Whuntmore]

I'll be watching this topic as well. 

btw, if you're looking for info on how to do this or that, or possible parts numbers, or maybe even substitutes, then check over other people's Project cars.

They might have gotten into the same problems you're about to (fixing, replacing, modding, or upgrading) and they've gone thru the headaches.

For example:

Priya has like 37 pages on her car project,
Juhap has like 25,
thereverendbill - 23
Mavericke - 19,
Whuntmore (that's me) 18,
and
Trapperjack has 11 pages

There's also our Eaglepedia with the section on 'How To' and if you're stuck, just ask.

[BaldEagle]

Thanks, guys. I will have to look through the other build threads as I have time. I think that will be especially helpful for mods and ideas for the build. Have already searched and found some great repair tips on the starting system, which I will at least start on today. Say, in searching around on that topic, I thought that I'd seen an upgrade for the starter........but of course can't find it now. Any ideas?

[Baskinator]

Nice! Welcome to the Eagle project world lol. The post on the bottom of the Auto solenoid is the ground. You can install a manual solenoid, which is cheaper, and just leave that wire hanging. It will work the same, but bypass the NSS. You can leave it like this permanently, or just do that to test it without spending as much. Either way, these solenoids are apparently pretty fickle. If you get one from Advance Auto, I'm sure you could take it right back after testing no questions.

You might also want to examine the fuel system, all lines leading up to it, and spray in some carb cleaner. The stock Carter BBD is known for having clogged jets.

Your AMC, since it has the 258, is highly compatible with many Jeep parts, so availability for most things mechanical should not be a problem. To save you some ID time, your model will generally have the AMC 4.2l 258 w/plastic valve cover, Carter BBD carburetor, Torqueflite 998 Transmission, NP129 Transfer Case, Dana 35 rear axle, and Dana 30 front axle. Common upgrades are Motorcraft 2150 carb, 4.0l cylinder head swap, and a high energy ignition, but you should probably solve the starting issues first. Not sure yet what other options there are for a starter, some other people around here might know.

[BaldEagle]

Thanks for the info! It does have the plastic valve cover, which is probably why the engine is so covered in grease...........that's gotta go SOON. But of course, the starting issue is first on the list. Weather is miserable here today, so I only took the time to clean/tighten the ground to block, and check the positive cable and starter for looseness. I really suspect the starter since the bypass didn't work, but have an auto style solenoid avail nearby for just $16. Generally, I like to do the cheapest and easiest fixes first when troubleshooting anyway, it's just that failed bypass test has me concerned. I haven't started or driven the car yet, so I will be  until this issue's fixed!

[mr.mindless]

If crossing the posts on the solenoid didn't make it crank, I wouldn't spend any time on that at all. You've got a starter issue or a starter ground issue.  Time to get out the jumper cables and go straight to the starter and confirm it's good.

[Baskinator]

The starter is actually very simple to remove. Just 2 bolts hold it to the bellhousing, and 2 long screws hold it together. Once you take it out, you can inspect the brushes/armature/coil/drive gear and clean it out thoroughly, as well as grease the drive gear. Brushes are a couple dollars, new starter is ~$60. But I agree, make sure the cables are working well and your battery is good.

[BaldEagle]

I think I will go straight to the starter, regardless of having the solenoid now. At least it's on hand, if needed, and I'll prob replace it anyway given it's age. It's good to know that the starter is such an easy replacement and rebuild, and access seemed pretty good when I was checking for looseness. +1 for my Subaru, though.............the starter's on top of the tranny with easy access. 
It's pretty hard to beat the ease of it, mechanically. No more work today, until this friggin blizzard passes!

Here's my intro thread, for more info:
http://forums.amceaglenest.com/index.php?topic=38135.0

[doc65]

Just to throw this out there on mine the NSS feed ground to the activation coil on the solenoid, and my NSS is malfunctioning, so even it you short power to the positive side of the sol it won't even click.  I got a pigtail for like $1.50 from one of the auto houses(push-on style) and the put the other end of that wire under the screw of one of the relays next to the sol.  after that it starts great either with the key or by hitting the solenoid with pliars or what ever(so long as the key is in run that is)

Just throwing out there that BOTH the Pos & Neg side of the activation coil are switched, Pos by key in start position, and Neg by NSS

Doc

[BaldEagle]

Just to throw this out there on mine the NSS feed ground to the activation coil on the solenoid, and my NSS is malfunctioning, so even it you short power to the positive side of the sol it won't even click.  I got a pigtail for like $1.50 from one of the auto houses(push-on style) and the put the other end of that wire under the screw of one of the relays next to the sol.  after that it starts great either with the key or by hitting the solenoid with pliars or what ever(so long as the key is in run that is)

Just throwing out there that BOTH the Pos & Neg side of the activation coil are switched, Pos by key in start position, and Neg by NSS

Doc

Awesome info, Doc! I suspected the NSS, even though I tried pushing on the gearshift while cranking, and in neutral. The bypass just didn't seem to do anything at all, and I would expect at least a groan from the starter. I'll try grounding the NSS connection before anything else. I'll keep you all up to date, once the weather clears up. I'm not anxious, but more curious now about what will fix it.

[doc65]

The NSS/Neg side of the solenoid is easy to miss, it's a small stud on the bottom of the solenoid that kinda points at the inner fender-well by the way...

Doc

[doc65]

Oh, and by the way, I wiggled the heck out of my shifter & moved it all over the place with not effect, I finally decided that since I'm the only one that'll drive it in the near future I'd worry about that(the NSS) later after a long list of nit-picky details are resolved.

[BaldEagle]

Oh, and by the way, I wiggled the heck out of my shifter & moved it all over the place with not effect, I finally decided that since I'm the only one that'll drive it in the near future I'd worry about that(the NSS) later after a long list of nit-picky details are resolved.

That's my view of it, as well. I'm not going to jimmy-rig anything on this car.................permanently. The solenoid I bought is the correct one for an auto, which will be good if I need to replace the NSS in the future, but for the time being I'll just ground it to see if that's the problem. I mean, heck...........I haven't even heard it run yet!!! The moldy french fries on the rear floorboards would take priority over the NSS, for me. 

[Baskinator]

The manual solenoid is exactly the same as the auto one, except without the bottom (ground) post and it's about $15 cheaper. Doesn't require any mods, the old wire just hangs unconnected and the NSS is completely bypassed. All this means is that it can start in any gear, but it's not really a problem and won't cause anything bad to happen (so long as you have your foot on the brake if mistakenly in Drive). If your ground wire isn't working for some reason, the manual one I believe grounds directly to the body, therefore eliminating the whole NSS circuit.

I didn't quite like the idea at first either because technically the NSS is required to work for PA inspection, but it got my car to start and saved me money when I needed to replace mine.