I own an 83 CJ7 with a 258 straight 6. I ran it for 17,000 miles with the spark plugs in the incorrect pattern. It was hit while parked and has sat for 3 years. After repair, it refused to start and upon checking found that the wires were wrong. Now with the wires in the correct pattern (Chiltons and Haynes concur) it wont start at all. Real close but no sigar. Is there an alternate model of engine which would use an alternate distributor plug wire pattern?
"All" the American straight sixes used 153624. However, you could have the distributor installed in any of five different wrong ways. If it ran in the "incorrect" pattern, then it is not going to run in the "correct" pattern. This sounds like a case of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." If you can remember how the plug wires were, put them back. If you can at least remember where one was, then that is a start. If not, then line up the timing mark on the front crank pulley. Now either one or six will be ready to fire. You can tell which one it is by removing the spark plug for one, to see if it is one a compression stroke or not.
You haven't posted enough information, no one with a problem does, but it does sound that you have your distributor installed in a non-standard position. A good idea is to follow the instructions in your Chiltons and get the distributor installed the way it was from the factory. Things are much less confusing that way.
Another possibility is that you had two plug wires reversed for 17,000 miles. I doubt that any reasoning adult human would drive a vehicle that way, but one never knows.
The rotor will be pointing at either 1 or 6 on the cap when the timing mark is on.
Then when you get the plugs right, you will likely need to air out the flooded plugs. Once flooded, they won't go again easily.
That engine can also take a 'long' time to suck up gas when it has sat for a long time so you should look down the carb and give it a shot on the throttle to verify 2 good squirts of fuel happening.
Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail > I own an 83 CJ7 with a 258 straight 6. I ran it for 17,000 miles with the
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