Eagle

You don't need a new steering column, but the horn parts for the 3-spoke style wheel are totally different than for the base "station wagon" steering wheel. Look closely at the parts diagram in the link Hornbrod provided.

If you have cruise control, isn't your cable in two parts? The long (lower) cable runs from the transfer case through the firewall to the speed sensor module, then there should be a short cable from that to the speedometer head.

No, current draw is not the problem. The problem is that the factory turns, brakes, and hazards all use the same bulbs and the same wires. If the hazards are supposed to be flashing and you step on the brakes, the brakes override and the hazards freeze. Not only don't they flash in the rear, they also stop flashing in the front. What's needed is to separate the hazard light circuit from the brake light circuit. I'm not terribly upset by the way the factory brake lights and turn signals work, but I don't like that if I step on the brake peddle I can't have hazard lights flashing.

For the Wagoneer he'll need the 4x6 size, not the 6x7 size

Remember, carburetors don't feed fuel to the engine by pressure, they feed by suction. The pump just delivers fuel to the fuel bowl (reservoir) in the carburetor, and typically a fuel pump for a carbureted engine only delivers 5 to 7 psi. Then the fuel just sits there in the bowl until the engine starts pulling suction, at which point the gas is literally sucked out of the carburetor through the jet(s) and into the intake manifold. If everything but the pump is working, even a low flow should be enough to fill the reservoir and allow the engine to start and idle. It's only at higher speeds and/or heavier load, when you need more fuel volume (the pressure remains constant) that you need higher flow rates.

Interesting observation. I hadn't considered that. Back to the drawing board ...

WD-40 is a mix of kerosene and paraffin. It is NOT a lubricant.

The Cherokee my late wife drove has a 242 transfer case. She came from an area that never saw snow, so driving in real winter wasn't something she was comfortable with. When the first snow flew I would put it in full-time 4WD, and just leave it there until spring. It made her feel a lot more secure on the road.

Correct. To retain the LSV, you have to keep the MJ distribution block. The inputs (the top side) are identical between the XJ and the MJ, so you run the lines from the 95 master to the MJ distribution block exactly the same way they ran to the XJ proportioning valve.

Both Auto Zone and Advance Auto show only the one for the idiot light, nothing for the gauge. You can do a GO - NO GO test on your wiring and gauge with a simple test. I don't remember which way the needle goes, but basically remove the wire from the sensor and leave it in air, not touching anything. Turn on ignition -- needle should be all the way to one side of the scale. Now ground the wire to the engine -- needle should swing all the way to the opposite end of the scale.

I agree with Hornbrod. Why do you need a write-up to NOT remove something?

I plan on doing exactly that. I think if I use the wiring diagram from the XJ (Cherokee, not Wagoneer), it should work.

Yes. And how about the new Mustangs (actually, for the past several years), with the three-segment, progressive turn signals? Same idea -- it's a batter attention grabber.

It's well known that a flashing or blinking light attracts attention better than a light that's just on. Considering that by the time the MJ came out most cars and trucks world-wide used separate, amber lights for turn signals and hazards, and that the Cherokee had them since 1984, the fact that the MJ does not have them is baffling, inexplicable, and IMHO stupid. If you spend any time on or around construction sites, which I do for a living, you might have noticed that now the rooftop flashers don't just blink on and off, each blink is actually a series of three very quick blinks, separated by a pause, and then another series of three. That gets a lot more attention than a simple on-off-on pattern.

A limited slip differential is a light to medium duty "locking" differential that's suitable for regular driving on pavement because the "locking" is accomplished with clutches that can release. When a vehicle turns, the outer wheel on an axle travels farther than the inner wheel, so the two wheels aren't rotating at the same speed. With a true locker, in tight turns this results in tires chirping and often some clanging and banging from the differential as the diff locks and unlocks. With a limited slip, on dry pavement the tires have enough traction that the torque causes the clutches to slip, eliminating tire chirp, and there is no banging. If you have it, there would have been a tag on the rear diff, but by now that might have been lost. Jack up one rear wheel and try to turn it (with the brake off and the transmission in neutral). If you can't turn it, you probably have a limited slip. However, you could still have a worn-out limited slip even if you can turn it -- the only way to know for sure is to open up the differential and look. The limited slip carrier looks very different from the open carrier. Locking diffs and locking hubs are completely different. If you put a locking diff on the front axle, it creates very unpleasant driving characteristics on pavement. To alleviate this, hubs that can unlock the wheels from the axles are used. When unlocked, the wheels are free to turn independent of the axles, so the locked differential doesn't affect road manners.

No. The locking is in the transfer case, not the differentials. With the 242 SelecTrac option, the "Part-time 4WD" position locks the transfer case so the front and rear driveshafts always turn at the same speed. It seems a bit counter-intuitive at first, but it's called "part-time" because you're only supposed to use it "part time," when the wheels are on slippery stuff. If you run in that position on dray pavement, the drive train will bind up and something will break. In the "full-time 4WD" position, the transfer case engages a differential that allows the front and rear driveshafts to spin at different speeds -- such as when going around corners. This means you can use it in 4WD even on dry pavement. You may (or may not) have a limited slip differential in the rear. If you do, it may or may not be worn out. Jeep never offered a locking front differential in the XJ or MJ. You can certainly install a locker or a limited slip in either the front or rear axle -- or both, if that's what floats your boat. "Lockers" refers to the differentials, not to the hubs. You can have locking hubs with or without locking differentials, and you can have locking differentials with or without locking hubs.

Offset ball joints don't affect toe-in or axle centering. and would not help the problem described in the opening post. Adjustable control arms also won't help this problem. Does anyone know what the backspacing is on the ravine wheels? I don't, but if they are 8-inch wheels I'll take a guess that they have 5-1/2" backspacing and that the extra quarter of an inch is what's making the difference. So either adjust the steering stop bolt, or run quarter inch spacers. (Or even 1/8" spacers might do it.) [Edit to add] MJ factory 15x7 rims are 5-1/4" backspacing. I've found three different Jeep-oriented sites that all agree the Ravines have 5-1/2" backspacing and that with large tires they can cause rubbing. So the cause of the problem here is simply the wheels, and the most direct solution is just to adjust the steering stop.

If you're able to drive it on the street, I'd suggest taking it to an alignment shop and paying them just to put it on the machine and give you a reading of how far (in degrees) the wheels turn in each direction. My best guess is that it's not going to be equal. If the track bar isn't adjustable, it's virtually certain that the axle isn't centered but I'm having trouble visuaslizing how that could affect the tire/rim rubbing on the sway bar bracket. I think I'd consider just adjusting the stop until it doesn't rub.

This may help -- or may not. ALL XJ Cherokees were set up with separate brake lights (red) and turn signal/hazards (amber). That held true from 1984 right through to the end, in 2001. However, the XJ Wagoneers had all red tailights, and the brakes, turn signals, and hazards all shared the same bulbs -- just like the Comanche. The problem people encounter in splicing a Chrrokee front harness to the rear chassis harness of a Comanche is getting the rear lights to work properly -- exactly what you're encountering. I think the answer is to be found in the '88 electrical manuals. Hornbrod gave you the link to the MJ manual. Find the schematic in there for the MJ taillight wiring. Somewhere on the Internet, the '88 XJ electrical manual is also available on-line. Find that -- there should be two taillight diagrams, one for the XJ Cherokee and one for the XJ Wagoneer. They are different. Study where they are different, compare to the MJ diagram, and you should be able to solve the problem.

When Hornbrod posted the link to the '88 electrical manual, you were trying to figure out where the three wires from under the dash meet up to feed the bulbs. Then you apparently gave up on that and tried an aftermarket converter. How much of the late-model Cherokee harness did the previous owner splice in? Was it just the engine harness, or did he also include the dash harness? And do you know what year Cherokee the "new" harness came from?

I don't recall for certain but I believe the MJs sold in Europe and South America has amber turn signal lenses. If that could be verified, reproducing those would be more a matter of upgrading to export specification. But you would still have to modify the wiring harness to get the turn signals to operate independently from the brake lights. MJs are wired so that if you step on the brakes while the hazard flashers are running, the flashers stop blinking. That always struck me as incredibly stupid. XJs don't operate that way (except the XJ Wagoneers).

Niacin (or niacinamide) can also help keep you alert. but don't push it. With anything, when you push beyond your body's natural limits your reflexes, your reactions, and your judgment all go south in a hurry.

I wasn't going to jump back into this, but now I have to. Here's the deal: You may not agree with all the suggestions people here provided, but YOU came here asking for help. Your vast experience with Jeeps is so awesome that after messing with Jeeps for a "looooong time" you didn't know the difference between "cranking" and "firing." Do you really expect us to be impressed? We are all here to try to help each other, but each of us brings to the table the fruits of our own particular experience and the lessons we have learned from the mistakes we have each made over the years. Your friend got lucky with the second ECU. It might not have worked. The fact that he got lucky is not a valid reason to start throwing insults at people who responded to your plea for help with suggestions offered in good faith. But you keep on however you see fit. Just remember, Grasshopper, that the next time you need help, the people you've been throwing insults at are likely to just click past your problem and move on to help someone who appreciates their efforts.

The 8.25 is centered, the Ford 8.8 is offset.

The problem is that what you're looking for would not be a reproduction, because that's not the way the MJs were made. (At least not in the U.S.)