Joe Jeep

My first car was a '80 Mercury Zepher. Grey, 4 door, red vinyl bench seat front and back with wood grain trim and a AM only radio. 300cid?, inline 6 auto. Payed $500 for it when I was 16. It was a beast and much fun. I have fond memories of that car in highschool, however I don't miss it a bit now. You don't see many of those now, I wonder why...

This truck was purchased by my friend with 42000miles on the clock. The previous owner used it for a DD; I think the heaviest thing he hauled was groceries. I was with my friend when he bought the truck; very clean inside and out. My friend bought it and maintained it well. He never towed with it, only hauled tools and building materials (he owns his own timber framing company). Now he is moving and is buying a used F-350 diesel and enclosed trailer to move his family and to use for work. If it wasn't for the move, he would still be using the truck that he is giving me. I had my dad look at the tag and it appears to have an open differential and 3.55 gears. This is my first 4x4 and it has a 8.8 up front and either an 8.8 or 9.75 out back. I know that the 8.8 is popular with the Jeep folks for an upgrade, but anyone know how they hold up under this truck? Also, the 4 wheel drive is part-time like in the Comanches, why not full-time? Is it cost or does having full-time option cause trouble?

The truck has the 4.2L V-6 in it. Not exactly the power house option, but 205HP, 260ftlbs of torque. A change from the ol' 4 banger in the MJ. Plus I don't tow anyting ever. I think it has a couple inches of lift and he is running 285-75-16 on it. Not sure though, I don't want to badger him since he is giving me a used, clean truck. This friend was the one who got me interested in Jeeps. He had a '88 Cherokee Pioneer with an auto, 4x4, 4.0L. We had a good time putting that to the test. Too bad his brothers set it on fire when they were off roading on his parents farm.

Hello everyone. As the title implies, I have a new truck on the way. :D I inquired about shipping a truck back from VA to WI a week ago because my friend called me up and said, “Remember when we talked about you getting my truck when I am done with it? If you want it, you can have it for free. :eek: You just have to get it from VA to WI.” He has taken great care of the truck and used it as his daily driver and for work up to yesterday when my parents arrived to drive it home (I prefer this to an unknown shipping company and it is cheaper too 8) ). So, what is it? It is a black, rust free 1997 Ford F-150 regular cab, long box. It has a 5 speed manual tranny, 4 wheel drive, air conditioning, cruise control, bed liner with a soft tonneau cover, chrome nerf bars and bed rails, two set of tires, etc. It is quite a step up from my MJ in the accessory department. So, what have I gotten myself into? Anyone know much about these trucks? I am a motorcycle nut so I don’t have a lot of knowledge about trucks in general or the good/weak points of this Ford. Now, what to do with my MJ? :roll:

I might be aquiring a new truck in the near future and I would need it to be hauled from VA to me in WI. I have never shipped a vehicle before. I got a bunch of quotes from various trucking companies that range from $500-1000. Anyone have any experience with shipping vehicles? Anyone you would or would not recommend? I will have to make to decision about the truck before the end of the week so I am a bit pressed for time. Thanks. Joe

Glad to hear you're doing well.

I hear ya. I just can't help but wonder and try it out. I know that my Comanche runs rich currently so if I do get around to this, I will keep an eye on the plugs and be ready for the headache. I don't know why, I am just curious about this. Joe :nuts:

I have been filling up the MJ with 10% ethanol since I have owned it (4+ years now). Where I live just got E85 in town. $2.60 per gallon vs $3.10 for RUG. I might just add 5 gallons of E85 to the ol' MJ tank and fill the rest of tank with RUG. This would put me around 30% ethanol. Sounds like fun. Oh, something broke...need 4WD conversion... :brows:

I hear you, loud and clear. ;) I pulled more of the carpet backing off the floor. The rust and holes are worse than I originally thought. No surprise there. I was hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. I won't know what I am up against until I take the rest of the mat out of the truck. Thanks for the help. Joe

Wow, that looks to be about the same size hole that is in my floor. Thanks for the link. I was hoping that carpet was glued since it is stuck to the floor pan. I guess it is just rusted and nasty. :cheers:

Thanks for the quick info. I was hoping for the quick and easy. Looks like I will be giving my Comanche a good looking over the holiday weekend to make sure everything is connected. But, whatever breaks on the Comanche can always be repaired. That's what I like about these trucks.

I found the groud that was causing my turn signals to stay lit when the headlights were turned on was behind the front grill.

Do you have any pictures of the repair? I have a bit of a rough idle and my tube/hose that connected the air box for the fast warm up was made of fabric and was split. Is this what you're talking about?

I am going to be repairing the floor pan on the driver side of my MJ over the Thanksgiving holiday. I have been searching and have read a couple posts about this repair and I was wondering if there were any tricks or tips. I have a good size hole and will be welding a panel to patch it (I even bought new wire and tips for the MIG :brows: ). I can't remember who, but they used a license plate. Great idea, too bad my hole is larger than that. Also, is the carpet glued to the floor? Thanks, Joe

I wire brushed the tag on the differential off of my MJ and on the bottom left it reads "3 55". Which I assume is the gear ratio and would be correct for my 2.5L, 4-speed manual. What do the other numbers mean?

So, what would happen if you filled up with E85 or 1/2 tank RUG and 1/2 tank E85? Would the injection system try to compenate for the different mix? Engine go KA-BOOM!? Or would you be down on power without other mods? I have read a bit on the E85 coversion for autos, but haven't ever persued it. I know they mention increased fuel flow, advancing the timing for the cooler burning fuel and perhaps hotter plugs. Anyone put E85 in their MJ for kicks?

I took a look at the post. Why did he change the steering? Was it due to the MB engine and tranny? Did it have to do with the 4WD? I would be looking to do this (not anytime soon), but keep my MJ 2WD. But if the steering had to be re-worked, it may not be worth the work.

Eagle, I will try my best to explain my situation since it appears to be simialr to yours. I have two phone lines at my house and I have DSL through AT&T. When we got DSL, they added it to only one of the phone lines so the other line is unaffected. The purpose of the filters it to take out the high pitch frequency they add to the line for the DSL. Your phone and DSL will be fine if you don't use them. It might be annoying to talk on the phone though. You shouldn't need the filters for the other phone line if it is a separate line (my second phone line is a true second line coming to the house). As for the DSL, there should be a CD in the package. Load it into the computer and follow the prompts from there. I have a Mac, so it set its self up for me. Anyway, this is what has worked for me for over a year now. Good luck, Joe

I have been thinking about replacing the 2.5L when she blows with a MB 3.0L 5 cylinder turbo diesel. I was thinking I would end up using the tranny from the MB as well since my MJ is 2wd. I think this swap has been done before, but I haven't found any links. Of course, my MJ has ~235000 miles and shows no sign of quitting anytime soon. I will have to patient. Joe :nuts:

JeepcoMJ: Just go slow with the pump. In my experience with this, it is best to wait 15-30 seconds between each pump. Longer when you are getting close to where you want to be. Depending on how severe the dent is or how it is dented, you can actually "over do it". Good luck! :cheers:

Well, yesterday I went to use the wipers to clear the leaves from the truck and the wipers made a horrible sound and moved very slowly. It was rather startling in morning. Well, it happened again this morning too. So, it appears I have another MJ project for this weekend. :mad: I haven't looked under the hood yet, but anyone know what I am talking about? Thanks

I have had good luck with a deflated basketball. Just slide it in, pump it up and watch the dent pop out. :brows: This has worked for me in the past. I am not sure if this will work for your application. It sounds like it might work for JeepcoMJ's situation inplace of the jack. Just make sure you're not too attached to the basketball. :D

A friend of mine and I were talking about our Jeeps and the subject of the turbo diesel came up. I know this was a 2.1L Renault turbo diesel, but what tranny did they put behind it? Were they 4x4 or 2wd? Also, what were the HP and torque figures (@rpms)? Did they put this motor in any other vehicle in the US? I could see the wheels turning in his mind so I figure I would try to gather as much info as possible. Thanks.

I don't mean to highjack the thread, but I am looking for a center lap belt for my MJ. The interior is tan, but it doesn't matter what color the belt would be. If anyone has one, please let me know.

If the rear diff is leaking from the driveshaft side, it sounds like you pinion oil seal is leaking. This is an oil seal with a spring that keeps the seal on the pinion yoke. If this is the case, you have to drop the drive shaft and break loose the nut holding the yoke to the diff (impact wrench). Then you can remove the seal and install the new one. That is if this is what is leaking. At least, this is what I did when my rear diff was leaking from the driveshast side.