Eagle

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.

Actually, 13 psi at hot idle is the minimum factory spec.

Yes, the 4.0L is a cast iron block and a cast iron head. Why not just drop the oil pan, replace the bearings, and keep driving it? Have you checked the compression? Is that 456,000 miles, or kilometers?

ATF+4 is okay for the transfer case. The AW-4 needs Dexron/Mercon.

Not "remix" -- Renix. Which is an abbreviation -- the early XJ/MJ injection and ignition system was a joint product of Renault (which owned AMC at the time) and Bendix. So they took the REN from Renault and the IX from Bendix ==> Renix. The CPS and flywheel are completely different between the two systems.

Okay, Krieger82 has a '92, so he needs a '91 through '96 XJ cluster with the electric speedometer. Lucky camper, you need new sensors because the senders for the idiot lights are simple OFF-ON switches -- they won't run the gauges. THe '84 thru '86 speedometer cable attached to the back of the speedometer with a metal clip and a screw. The '87 through '90 speedometer cable attached to the speedometer with a nylon clip. The cables are not interchangeable (you can't use an '86 cable with an '89 speedo), but you can swap in the other type of speedometer by swapping in the matching speedometer cable.

Rock Auto https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=8744632&pt=7052&jsn=891

That's ATF, not Dexron/Mercon. And it's synthetic, and we've already told you NOT to use synthetic. Get the right stuff, drain the pan, and start fresh.

65 foot-pounds with anti-seize is roughly equal to 80 to 85 foot-pounds with clean, dry threads. That's within spec. I also use a torque wrench. In fact, I carry a spare click-release torque wrench in my vehicles in case I need to change a flat on the road.

An XJ cluster from the correct year will be a direct replacement for your idiot light cluster. You will need to replace the temperature sensor and the oil pressure sensor. For a Renix-era MJ ('86 thru '90) you will need a cluster from an '84 thru '90 XJ. '84 thru '86 will need a different speedometer cable and the cluster must come from a vehicle with the same number of cylinders as yours. You can use XJ seats if your seat brackets are in decent condition. XJ seats from the same year range are the same but the brackets are different. It's certainly possible to have a windshield resealed. Whether or not you can find a shop that's willing to do it is another question. Probably no "emergency," but it's time to start thinking about bearings. That can be followed up on when you have full gauges and you can read your oil pressure. Open up the console and look at the condition of the lower boot. Not that I know of. What's your idea of "best"? The Liberty 8.25 is a good choice if you also want disc brakes, but an 8.25 out of any Cherokee would be an improvement, and the late model Cherokees with the larger axle shafts is better. If you have 4WD, don't forget you'll need to change the front axle ratio as well. Is there anything wrong with the injectors you have now? If not, there's no immediate need to change.

The Fey/Westin bumper is not a "Dakota/Comanche" bumper, it's a universal bumper that fits all compact pickups. That's why the bracket kits are sold separate from the bumpers. The one that fits the Comanche is the 63000 series in black, and the 73000 series in chrome. Both are available from Amazon.

Factory spec has changed dramatically over the years. 1988 ==> 75 ft. lbs. 1994 ==> 80 - 110 ft. lbs. 2000 ==> 85 - 115 ft. lbs. I use anti-seize on my wheel lugs, which calls for reducing the torque by 20% to 25%. I've been torquing to 90 ft. lbs. for decades and never had a problem.

Be advised that "ATF" is not the same as Dexron/Mercon. The AW4 needs Dexron. The stuff shown in the opening post is full synthetic. It used to be advised NOT to run synthetic Dexron in the AW4 - I don't know if that has changed in recent years.

Actually, they aren't. Ironically, it was the CJ "roll" bar that spelled the end of the Jeep CJ. Too many adrenaline-fueled young people went out and tried jumping their CJs -- just like they saw in the Jeep commercials on the teevee. The assumed (incorrectly) that the "roll" bar would protect them in the event of a roll-over. It didn't. Of course, they were rolling at speed. It's certainly better than nothing, and in the case of a low-speed roll-over would probably keep your head from being united with your tailbone. But it's not really very effective as anything more than a show bar -- which is what it is and what it should be regarded as. That's the reason the newer Jeep literature specifies that the bars are NOT meant to provide roll-over protection. The newer bars aren't any weaker than the CJ bars, but the lawyers learned from bitter experience.

You can download the electrical manual. The diagrams will clearly NOT show any sort of "neutral safety switch" (which, on a manual, probably means clutch interlock) on an '88. I think Chrysler added a clutch interlock in 1991, but it might not have been until 1993.

Did you look at the chart in this thread -- about four posts up? Stock MJ rear shackles aren't 8-1/2" long. Measurement is eye-to-eye. Overall length doesn't mean anything.

Few dealerships even have the tool or the codes to cut new keys for an '88 XJ or MJ. A good locksmith can do it -- good luck finding a good one.