The whole system was converted to twelve volt, starter, distributor w/ external coil, altinator..all of it. Through research Ive found alot of people say the 12v system has given them problems everyone recommends the 24V system.
12V is no better or worse than 24V (for the most part)- but factory wiring harnesses that aren't butchered up are always 100% better than someone's homemade 12V conversion which was probably done to an already worn out 40+ year old wiring harness. The reason you are finding people in your research that recommend the 24V system is not because 24V is better on it's own, it's because with a new and correct harness, you can troubleshoot the system using the factory technical manual(s) and wiring schematics. 12V systems on MV's are usually someone's homemade nonsense done with an iffy degree of quality. No one takes the time to remove a perfect CJ5 harness and put it in an M38A1. If they were that smart, they'd stick with the 24V!
I got the Jeep from my dad but whenever I ask about it he gets all mad and tells me theres nothing wrong with the 12v system, and if I want to go waste my money thats fine......but my question is that if its not a good system is it really worth it to keep going through these little problems or should I just decide to caugh up the money and buy the original set up? I want to but I feel like Im NEVER gonna get to drive it.
Tell him to give you a professionally rendered wiring schematic for the 12V system, otherwise quit harping.
I think an entire new harness for your Jeep is about $550 and that is front to rear. Everything. This eliminates 50+ year old wiring, broken connectors, pinched wiring, shorts, spots with high resistance, etc. The beauty of a new harness is also that you can have the manufacturer add a second brake light (your Jeep only has one tail light and brake light, from the factory the passenger side rear light is actually a blackout light) and you can have them add turn signals to the harness, using the military turn signal unit and flasher, again allowing you to troubleshoot using the factory manuals.
A new harness isn't a waste of money, it's an investment in your Jeep's value and driveability, just like a rebuilt steering box or new tires.
Besides, wiring that old is just impossible to work on-just too worn out. trust me, I know this. you should have seen what I had to fix under the dash of our '55 M38A1. A bunch of civvy wiring to get turn signals and a second brake light and they left the entire vehicle 24V except the lights.
