Eagle

Brake lines absolutely have to be double flares. Otherwise the flares will crack and leak. Never heard of 37 degrees or 45 degrees. I would recommend the flaring kit that I have, but it's no longer offered so that won't help you. FWIW, spend the money to get "Cunifer" (short for the chemical abbreviations for Copper, Nickel, and Steel)) line. It's more resistant to rust and corrosion than steel line, plus it's easier to bend and much easier to flare.

No, they are not. The XJ rear flares are the same for 2-door and 4-door. MJ rear flares are both taller and wider (front-to-back).

Most auto paint stores can custom mix a small batch of paint for you and put it in an aerosol can. You'll need to have the paint code, OR take in the old cowl and they can probably scan that to get an almost perfect match for faded paint.

And, more to the point (see my signature line): Why would you take an MJ with a good bed off-road?

Your photo of the ride height in the rear was taken with the tape rule on the ground? That's meaningless -- even changing the tire pressure affects the measurement. You need to measure from the center of the wheel/axle up to the underside of the flare. Going from memory, I think a stock MJ measures 21-1/2 in the rear (plus-or-minus a bit).

You don't have an oil temp light, you have an oil pressure light. If it flickers on right turns, it probably means your oil is sloshing away from the pickup and you're losing oil pressure. Check your oil level. If that's good, get an external oil pressure gauge and check your oil pressure.

^^^ This. As of fifteen years ago, Rhode Island didn't issue new titles when vehicles more than (10? 15?) years old were sold. That's fine if both the buyer and seller happen to live in Rhode Island, but it was a major problem when I bought an MJ out of Rhode Island. I went through some complicated bureaucratic wrangling to obtain a valid title. And the process I used probably isn't available now.

That photo does not show a bench seat.

AWD is available with the Ecoboost engine, but not the base engine

The major drawback to the Ford 8.8 (IMHO) is that it's narrower than the MJ axle, meaning that you need to run wheel spacers.

Full-size Cherokee/Wagoneer were 6-bolt.

This is an XJ, not an MJ. I sold the 2.5L MJ to a fellow CC member earlier this year.

No. The inverted shackle position is caused by the combination of main leaf length and spring arch. If the main leaf is too short or there's too much arch, any time the vehicle is up on a chassis lift the rear spring shackles will flip to the inverted position when the vehicle is lowered back onto the ground.

Hissing sound = vacuum leak. Check all hoses. Try to isolate the location of the hissing sound.

Well, that's your problem. In order for the shackle angle to be correct when you put in lift springs, the main leaf HAS TO BE longer than the OEM main leaf. What you need is the eye-to-eye distance, at curb weight, to be the same. That means the main leaf length measured along the arch has to be longer.

I have an '86 XJ with a 2.5L engine and a 5-speed. The engine was rebuilt (actually, I think it was replaced with a commercial rebuilt engine) about 30,000 miles ago. It wasn't running when I bought it, and it has been sitting for years. I'm thinking about trying to get it running, if the body isn't completely toast from sitting, for use either as a winter commuter or to donate to someone. I have no problem driving a 5-speed, but the percentage of the population who can drive manual transmissions is small, and rapidly decreasing. So I'm thinking of converting it to automatic. I have a couple of XJs with AW4s behind 4.0L engines. I have a bell housing to mate an AW4 to the 2.5L. I don't think I have a 2.5L TCU. Does anyone know if the TCU is the same for a 2.5L as for a 4.0L?

That's the opposite of what you said above. Agree - just bypass the resistor and move on.

Volts, not amps. If it behaves the same whether the resistor is in the circuit or bypassed, then the problem obviously isn't the resistor. It could be a dirty throttle body, it could be a bad idle air controller -- or it could be something else.

Basics: If the engine turns over when you hit the starter ... that's "engaging." Starters "engage." Engines "start" and then (hopefully) "run." Or are you saying that the starter motor doesn't engage the engine? Sorry to be "that guy," but remote diagnosis is difficult enough. It's far more difficult when questions don't use the accepted terminology. /sermon More basics: An internal combustion engine needs three things to run: fuel, air, and a source of ignition (spark). Unless a mouse or a squirrel built a nest in your air cleaner, if the engine turns over you are probably getting air. So next you need to determine whether or not you're getting a spark. You do that by removing one of the spark plug wires from the spark plug, putting something like a screwdriver into it, and holding it close to the block or the head while you are a helper crank the engine. You should see a series of healthy sparks. If you haven't ever done it, you may find it difficult to get a screwdriver the right distance away. The simple solution is to go to Walmart and buy one spark plug -- doesn't matter what vehicle or engine it's for. Put the spark plug wire on that, then touch the tip of the spark plug to the head or block and crank the engine. If you get a good spark on one cylinder, check the others. Just be sure to keep each plug wire on the right spark plug -- only do one at a time. If you are getting good spark, then you need fuel. An '86 2.5L has throttle body fuel injection, and an electric fuel pump. The fuel pump may not be pumping, or the pickup screen in the tank may be clogged with sediment and jellied old gasoline. And the injector may also be clogged. To verify that the engine will run, buy a can of starter fluid from an auto parts joint, remove the air intake tube from the top of the throttle body, spray some starter fluid into it (not too much), and then crank the engine. It should at least cough and try to start. Report back, and we;ll go on from there.

No, because it'll be evaporated within a month, and useless after a year or five. It is a lubricant, though, so the torque values should be reduced.

Sounds like a plan to me.

You mentioned, I believe, that the PRNDL in your instrument cluster doesn't work. That may be the clue to your problem. The shift linkage may be shifting the transmission okay, but the PRNDL needle, if I remember correctly (mine are mostly 5-speeds, so I'm drawing from what I recall reading here), is operated by a cable of some sort. It may be that the same cable is also involved in locking the steering wheel, which is what has to be done in order to remove the key.

I believe the '87 hood is the same as the '86. I think AMC moved the latches to the outer corners in 1988.

Buy or borrow a puller -- and an installer.

40 at idle, or 40 at highway speed? It should be higher at highway speed. 40 at idle would be good for a NEW engine.