Eagle

Two grand for a tranny? The AW4 is virtually indestructible (if you keep fluid in it -- dig, dig). Instead of shopping junkyards, look around for a running XJ for sale. With luck you might find one for $500 or so, get a functional transmission, a spare transfer case, and maybe a bunch of other stuff you can use on the MJ.

But the Rodeo/Passport axles are a 6-bolt wheel pattern. Memory is fuzzy, but aren't they also narrower? (Of course, that would help allow space to run the necessary wheel bolt adapters -- but quality adapters add considerably to the price.)

It's a weighted ring that bolts onto the flywheel to give it more mass -- and thus more inertia. It makes it easier to get smooth clutch engagement without stumbling or stalling the engine.

Can you post a photo of the back side of your cluster, showing the speedometer cable connection?

Another choice you may see mentioned for the front is a "Dana 44" from a TJ (Wrangler) Rubicon. It's not a bad axle, but it's sort of not really a Dana 44. The center section (the pumpkin) is Dana 44, and it uses D44 internal parts, but the axles and the hub/bearing units are the same as on the same year Dana 30 axles. And, if I remember correctly, the Rubicon D44 is a low pinion. By the way, another axle to avoid is the "Dana 44" from ZJ (and WJ) Grand Cherokees. It's a mongrel of a D44 with an aluminum housing, and it doesn't take all the same internal parts. The aluminum isn't very strong so it's very prone to distortion. I briefly had a '99 WJ Grand Cherokee. The warning wasn't in the owner's manual, but in the shop manual it cautions NOT to jack up the rear by putting a floor jack under the differential. I don't remember if it came right out and said why, but the reason is that doing so will warp the housing.

An MJ Dana 44 will be impossible to find. XJ Dana 44s are out there, but getting scarce, and they require cutting off the spring perches and relocating them. Not rocket science, but more work than a bolt-in. A good alternative, and plentiful, is the 97 - 2001 XJ Chrysler 8-1/4" rear axle. It's nearly as strong as the Dana 44, and there are lots of them out there for not a lot of money. And they can be converted to disk brakes fairly easily. There are fewer choices for lockers, but they are available. There was no Dana 35 front. The front is a Dana 30.

Dana 35. The people at a Jeep dealer said that's a D44? Find a new dealer!

That's not it. Farther down, almost in contact with the flat top surface of the frame rail/ear.

Agreed. It's highly unlikely that you have a Dana 44 rear axle in a short wheelbase 1988 Comanche.

There are still lots of used XJs on the streets. It's MJs that are scarce, which is why I cringe when I see anyone talking about parting one out, or chopping it up to make it a tube buggy. If you're going to rip it that far down, there's no "MJ" left -- so start with a Cherokee and spare the few remaining Comanches.

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?