Eagle

I just went through this with my 2000 XJ. Follow the top of the passenger side "frame" rail (ear) back to the firewall. The drain comes out just above the frame rail, and there should be a stub of a drain tube that follows along the top of the rail for a couple of inches. Cruiser sent me a photo of what the drain tube looks like on the early ones, viewed from underneath. The 2000 didn't extend down, and wasn't visible at all from underneath.

Redline? None of my MJs has ever been even close to redline, at least not under my ownership. I usually shift from 1st to 2nd at around 1800 RPM (that's the only speed I can make the shift without crashing the syncros, and that's true of the BA 10/5, the AX-15, and the NVG 3550). 2nd-3rd and 3rd-4th is typically 2200 to 2400 RPM. 5th isn't based on RPM -- I get up to 55 on the highway and go to 5th. Don't use 5th below 55 or on anything other than limited access freeways.

Curved seat pans, or the supplemental curved tracks with a second lever, that allowed for the pitch of the entire seat (not just the backrest) to be adjusted? AFAIK, that option was never available from the factory in the MJ.

Yes. In fact, on factory wheels 31x10.50-15s fit.

Because the tachometer was a separate option, except in the very top-line models.

Is that with the engine running, or with the engine shut off? I prefer to check with the engine off but the steering column unlocked. It's important to have the steering wheel centered and the wheels pointing straight ahead. Stand outside the vehicle and reach through the window or door to move the wheel. You don't want to actually turn the front tires, you want to see how much completely free travel there is before the tires start to turn. It should be almost zero.

You need a speedometer cable for an 84 thru 86 Cherokee. It will NOT have the white nylon snap-on connector at the speedo head, it will have a metal tab that gets screwed to the speedo head to secure that end of the cable. On the transfer case end, the cable drive "quill" simply replaces that electronic speed sender. The cable screws to this "quill," so if you don't have that, you'll need to get one from a junkyard. Be sure to read up on how to properly orient the quill for the number of teeth on yous speedometer drive gear. You should be able to transfer your speedo drive gear from the electronic sender to the cable drive quill.

The easiest way to tell is to look at the control panel. The ones with factory-installed a/c had positions for air conditioning as well as for heat. In the AMC era there was also an option for dealer0installed a/c (called, IIRC, "Facory Air," which is more than a bit misleading) that did not replace the non-a/c control panel. I don't remember just how the controls were modified. My '87 has it -- but the '87 is in storage at a friend's house and I don't have easy access to it for photos.

My guess is that the CPS is getting heat soaked. Run two tests after the vehicle has been sitting overnight. Before starting it, test the CPS resistance (ohms). Then crank it over with the CPS disconnected and check the voltage it produces. Write down what you get. Now ... start it up and let it run until it quits. Repeat the tests. Write down the results. Compare. If the results go out-of-spec when hot, you found the problem. How to test: http://www.lunghd.com/Tech_Articles/Engine/Basic_Sensors_Diagnostics.htm Scroll to end for CPS

"Turn over" only means that the starter motor turns and engages. Are you saying that it starts and runs again after sitting for several minutes?

Very true, but the Cherokee is also unibody and it doesn't have those above-the-floor hat braces, so to me that's proof that they aren't there for side impact protection. They are there because the Comanche is a pickup truck, a small, semi-unibody pickup that's either a 3/4-ton (almost -- 1,400 pounds capacity) in standard trim or a 1-ton (one metric ton -- 2,200 pounds) in optional trim. If I were using my MJ to carry loads at the full rated capacity, I would retain those braces. For a daily driver that's used more like an SUV with an open-top load bed, I agree with Pete. Not needed.

I think you're talking about a different part. I'm pretty certain the question is about that "inverted hat" piece that's welded onto the top of the floor pan under the driver's and passenger's feet. If a side impact got far enough for that to make any difference, whoever was sitting in that seat was already dead.

Can you get a nut breaker on it?

^^^ Agreed. The original factory track bar in the '88 didn't have a grease fitting on the frame end. The replacement does.

How tall is an XJ front pedestal for a non-rocking chair seat?

'86 Would be an AMC Model 20.

Are you sure it was a '96? 1996 was the year the Cherokee first came with OBD2, which used a standard OBD2 'D' connector under the dashboard. 1995 was still OBD1.

Just eyeballing the difference between the front seat pedestals in the illustration I posted above, I'm going to guess the difference is an inch and a half to two inches.

This thread is ELEVEN YEARS old. Closed!

The only way to know what parts "must" be replaced is to check out each part. My 1988 Cherokee, which I bought new, has over 287,000 miles on the odometer. The only part that has been replaced that affects steering is the track bar. Ball joints, tie rod ends, drag link -- everything else is original, and the steering is tight.

That doesn't mean you can't use the seats out of an XJ with the rocking chair option, it just means a bit more ingenuity in mounting the XJ seats to the MJ seat pedestals.

VERY good point.

What is this in reference to? This thread is more than two YEARS old, and you have not participated in it. If you are having a problem, I suggest that you start your own thread, and begin by clearly stating what problem you have and what you have done so far to try to trouble-shoot it. I'm going to lock this thread. It has run its course.

AMC-era Cherokees had an option that, in addition to allowing the seat backs to recline, and allowed the seat bottom (and thus the entire seat) to tilt. Those seats have a second handle, one for the recliner/tilt and one for the base tilt. The base angle is changed by a curved slider under the seat pan, that's why we refer to them as "rocking chair" seats. If the seats have that option, bolting them directly into an MJ on the MJ seat pedestals results in a seat that's higher than the standard seating position. This may be okay for shorter drivers, but it doesn't work well for taller drivers.

You don't have voltage ... where? Did you read the entire thread above? Start be verifying whether or not you have voltage TO the switch. If so, jumper the contacts on the switch terminal and see if the backup lights wwork when the switch is bypassed by a jumper.