Oyaji

Yep - good point. Once the recall correction has been applied, the manufacturer's liability has been satisfied... unless there was a safety recall of the original safety recall remediation! (Recalls are expensive, embarrassing, and damaging to the reputation of a manufacturer. Think how bad it would be to have to do it twice! However, I cannot think of any instance of a "recall of a recall".)

Hey Kid, there is an incredible amount of confusion on this topic. :thumbsup: Jp magazine published a lift/tire fitment chart that presents data which conflicts with what has been established here. I attempted but was unable to copy it to this thread. Perhaps a tech savvy member can accomplish the task? At any rate, the combined real world experience of our contributors is contrary to the publication. . Link please? . As follows below, I took the liberty of editing your summation for clarity, making some slight changes and adding a couple of questions. Is this indeed the consensus, and can the knowledgeable answer the highlighted questions please? . . 31s will fit without a lift but will rub LCA. More specifically: Rims must have factory backset (5 1/4") [***what are the wheel width limitations? and is there any wheel diameter limitation?] Tire size = 31"x10.5" or less Lower Control Arms replaced with WJ LCA or equivalent [***is there any other substitute for the WJ LCA?], OR steering stops adjusted to prevent tire rub

I think that covers all the bases, though you probably could squeeze another inch of diameter in there. But then again, we don't want to confuse anyone haha. For clarification on #3 above - add "OR adjust steering stops to avoid minimal tire rub", right?

Y'know, I just sort of took it for granted that he would have done that already... but in fact he never mentioned if he ever even checked for spark. You were smart to mention it, and you're dead right about that being the first thing to check for, alright.

Replacing them with a car that gives worse fuel economy will cost in the long run. Based on driving 10,000 miles per year (average driving miles in the USA) and fuel at $3.00/gallon, the difference between 30 MPG and an XJ @ 20 MPG comes out to $500 more per year. Bump the fuel cost to $4.00/gallon (likely in the future, perhaps more - who knows when and how much though, but it ain't likely to get cheaper!) and the cost per year jumps to $667/more per year. You should also get quotes on annual insurance cost when considering replacement. For cheap running and front wheel drive that does quite well in snow, it's hard to beat a Honda Civic... very reliable, and highway economy around 40 MPG.

This is not my truck, but I'd like to make a remote diagnosis from 300 miles away having never seen it. Here is as much as I know: "a misfire that I can't track down. The misfire jumps between cylinders 1, 2, and 6. I think it's due to a manifold leak I am going to replace the gasket tomorrow to be sure but I'm not positive in that. If thats not it then I think it will be a valve spring or the maf sensor. Other than that everything else the truck needed has been replaced... take the head off and have it worked (?)... and for the record the head gasket is not blown the compression is good on all cylinders and it does not mix anything or overheat." I think the fella is on the wrong track about "a bad valve spring or MAF sensor (sic)". I am unfamiliar with the Renix engine management system, but doesn't it use manifold air pressure (MAP) sensor and not mass air flow (MAF)? If the truck has sat up for a long time (or if it was seriously over-revved in the past) there could be valve spring problems, but those would show up predominantly at high RPM, right? He doesn't mention if it is a fuel or a spark problem - perhaps he never got that far in his thinking. From this forum I have seen a great deal about insufficient grounding of circuits and crank position sensor (CPS) failure, diagnostics, and replacement; I am guessing that would be a good place to start checking. Is the CPS signal the master input for both fuel and spark on a Renix system? Looking forward to reading your thoughts on the matter - practical advice of this kind is in large part what makes this sort of forum invaluable. Thanks in advance.

As an addendum to this sort of issue, it is never good to admit that you know you have a demonstrated problem with the item covered under a recall. Doing so shows that you have foreknowledge of the problem, and will undermine any position you have to recover damages that occur subsequently. The manufacturer's defense would be "why did you continue to rely on XXX when you already knew it was unreliable?" If you had damages that occurred BEFORE you knew of the problem and contacted the manufacturer, that of course is another story. In that case, you should probably be contacting a lawyer and not the manufacturer. I'm fairly certain that their lawyers would like very much to talk to you before you talk to your own! :rotf:

Offering to take it up the chain of command is the right approach I think. I'm pretty sure it is outside the job description of "Ms. Melissa, the Customer Service Representative" to be making declarations about safety recalls. ;) You need to be talking to the folks over at Regulatory Compliance. If you fail to get resolution from them, then a letter to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) should get you right back on track again, pretty darn quick, too. Make sure to keep copies of all correspondence to and from the people with whom you have contact.

You should hear back from them pretty quickly once your letter reaches the correct department. That might be the folks at Fiat now, though! ;) You bet they will correct the problem at no charge, but not because they are nice people - it's because they are required by law to do so! If you had a crash that resulted from a safety recall item, you would have recourse to the law to recover damages, so it is in their best interest to fix your truck and keep you happy.

Although it is true that manufacturers are only required to provide support and parts for their vehicles for 10 years after date of manufacture, this does not apply to a safety recall. The only time limit for a safety recall is when the very last non-remediated vehicle is no longer in service.

Meh. If it had good paint, or if it was a 4x4, then yeah. Few of the buying public are collectors/connoisseurs. To most people this is just another old compact pickup, less valuable than a Toyota or Nissan and harder to find parts for. All things considered, they have a good point, too... and that is why 2wd MJs don't sell for much money. The market decides.

:rotf:

If it was a safety recall, then kick up a ruckus and they will HAVE to come up with replacements. As long as a vehicle is on the road, if a safety recall was issued then the manufacturer is liable for repairs to remediate the problem.

I really like that color.

mvusse - that's just amazing for the speeds you travel plus that your trucks are 4x4. If you still have your fuel logs, consider posting over at the Fuelly site. The other I-4 Comanche there shows only 18 MPG, the I-6s range from 19.7 MPG down to a dismal 13.6, and "top of the heap and king of the mountain" is Automan's I-4 diesel, showing 29.6 MPG. I am curious - how do you account for your phenomenal numbers? Driving habits? Exclusive flat-lands travel on well-maintained interstate highways? Tall skinny 6+ ply tires run at high pressure? Low-viscosity synthetic gear oil? Bed cap or tonneau cover? Other aero mods? Any tweaks you'd care to share?

If you say so. But wouldn't it have to be really dirty to obstruct flow more than the throttle butterfly valve? It is mostly closed for almost all running conditions, even during most accelerations, at least for me... but then I am a slow, stingy, methodical driver who is trying to eke out the best fuel economy possible. By the way, I am making an effort to memorize and use the line in your sig about vegetarianism - it's great! "I am a vegetarian by proxy. I only eat animals that eat vegetables." :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

I'd be betting that the factory engineers have got the "sweet spots" of the engines dialed in with the gearing and tire choices they made. That's why I mentioned that departure from stock setup is important. In your comparison, auto versus manual is important too, alright. I also wonder about the drag difference between LWB versus SWB. Are your trucks all 2wd or 4wd? (I'd guess 2wd with that economy.) You didn't mention that... I'm really surprised at the difference between AX4 and AX5 @ 75 MPH, and between MJ and XJ at that speed. Had your friend regeared his XJ for 31" tires? (I would guess so.) And did he also have an AW4? Are your economy figures over a long period? (I'm guessing they are.) Pretty impressive numbers - thanks for posting.

Pretty good - how about your highway mileage? I mentioned earlier that any departure from stock overall gearing is likely more significant than which engine is in the truck. My reasoning is that for highway driving, aerodynamic drag is the same regardless of engine. Since the horsepower needed to overcome that is the same, it follows that the engine has to produce that same power no matter which type. The I-4 and I-6 are quite similar (I have read here) besides the number of cylinders, so I wouldn't expect much difference in efficiency. The I-6 would have a more internal friction but makes up for that to some degree with lower RPM to deliver the same power of the I-4; the added weight would add a bit to the rolling resistance (especially for the front tires, but not a great deal I guess). I'd really like to see a comparison of 2 similar trucks but with different engines, driven over the same routes by the same driver. Can anyone here pony up such comparative figures?

I applaud your ingenuity, but to get any benefit you would need to get a 4-into-1 collector instead of trying to mod a 6-cylinder collector. If you insist on a header, have you tried talking a local muffler shop or other fabricator into making you a custom one? If you do, make sure to shoot for the longest primary tubes you can get: even 36" long are tuned for something like 5,000 - 5,500 RPM (if my memory serves correctly, that is - if you are really interested I could calculate). Since you are starting with a 4-banger, there might be room for longer pipes (longer drops the RPM for which you would get greatest benefit).

That real-world fuel economy is the only kind to pay any heed to - anything else falls short. I like the "Fuelly" site - thanks for posting. You did not mention if your transmission is manual (4- or 5-speed) or auto - would you add that please? Also tire inflation pressure?

You might want to edit that. ;) Custom work showcases not only mastery of craft, but also imagination and creativity. I always look, and take mental notes too, hoping to learn something that I can apply later.

Well over $10,000 is a safe bet I would guess - it is an all-up package including 6-speed auto and transfer case. Thanks for posting it - high price doesn't make me want it any less, just means I can't have it.

:agree: Both posts spot-on and a great place to start. Likely a leak atop the tank from one of the above, considering you said it is worse with a full tank and the gasoline odor weakens as the fuel level drops.

What has been seen cannot be unseen. Dammit, Jim! Yeah, that's true alright about butts - but in the context of "butt ugly", I think it's plain which butt to use as a reference! (Egads, I'm not even sure what the hell I was looking at in that first pic - shame on you for posting it! :rotf: Only the second pic you posted redeems you from being ridden outta here on a rail! :rotfl2: )

"They are butt ugly." :rotf: "The reason the early Cherokees and Wranglers sold so good was that they were affordable without a million bells and whistles to go wrong. What happened to this vision?" Aiiiiiiiiiyah. In short, what happened was that back in the 1980s/90s manufacturers learned that they could add cabin space, bells and whistles, and leather upholstery to a $15,000 pickup truck, then call it an SUV and charge 40 grand for it. Profitability is everything to a corporation.