Eagle

Should we assume this is a Renix era MJ?

"Most" jurisdictions may not enforce such laws or regulations, but an insurance company looking for an excuse to not pay a claim very likely will. I know everyone ignores me, but my advice is: If it's not legal in your state, DON'T DO IT. You may get away with it for years, but one day it may bite you in the posterior.

If the alternator is working, it should run even with a dead battery. I suspect your new alternator was DOA.

I'm hoping to get the '87 Comanche Pioneer back on the road this Spring so I can proceed with getting it fixed up. It was missing the "COMANCHE" emblem on the right front fender when I bought it, so I'm looking for one to replace it. Please contact me by PM if you have one.

The '89 is about the same as the '88. Here's a link to the factory 1988 electrical manual. You'll just have to start tracing power from the battery to the main load center and see what's broken. Jeep used several fusible links back then, so it could be one of those. http://www.bteventures.com//mj1988electricalmanual.pdf

Okay -- what weight? What project?

4-pin or 7-pin?

I use the TJ shift knob (which was also the OEM knob in my 2000 XJ) and I find it to be very comfortable. It's a huge improvement over the idiotic shift knob Jeep used in the 80s and early 90s XJs and MJs.

The Jeep 2.5L was also used in some years of the Dakota pick-up. I don't know which years, exactly, nor do I know if there were any differences in mounts or accessories.

You could try just swapping the shuttle valve (the horizontal slider thingie) out of the XJ unit into your MJ unit, O-rings and all. That part is the same for both. (See the cutaway photos.)

Yep. Most are 15x7, the early base model steel wheels were 15x6 (not sure on the backspacing for those, maybe the same). Bolt circle is 5x4-1/2". Remember that OEM Jeep rims are "hub-centric," which means that the canter hole is a tight fit around that raised ring on the gub. There are other makes of wheels, both brand OEM (like Ford Ranger) as well as aftermarket, that have 5x4-1/2" bolt circle but aren't hub-centric. Some have the canter hole too large, others it's too small.

Keep in mind that, although the actual plastic switch is the same for the XJ, MJ, and ZJ, the overall distribution block/proportioning valve (the body) is not -- as can be seen in the two cut-away photos I posted above. The MJ has the proportioning function handled by the height-sensing proportioning valve mounted to the frame above the rear axle, and there are two lines from the distribution block to the rear. For the XJ and ZJ, the front valve block handles proportioning and there is only one brake line from the proportioning valve to the rear axle. That means you will have to find one from an MJ to accomplish a drop-in, OEM replacement. You can use a proportioning valve from an XJ or ZJ, but you'll have to abandon the second line and the height-sensing proportioning valve. And, since ZJs has disc brakes in the rear, I believe (but I'm not certain) that the proportioning valve for the ZJ was calibrated differently than that for the XJ. If you're going to go that route, I don't know which would work better in an MJ.

The plunger doesn't screw into the valve body, the switch body screws into the valve body. The plunger is in the switch. What I was trying to say is that brake fluid should not get to the plunger or the switch body. You need at least an O-ring, but who knows which one, what size it is, or what type of rubber it's made of? It's probably easier in the long run to replace the entire assembly -- the distribution block. (Or "valve/brake" in Hornbrod's photo)

Flares should end flush with the bottom of the sheet metal. There should be no interference with rock sliders.

Yes mine looks just like that one except its all gold and not silver No, you're referring to the entire distribution block (or proportioning valve, in the case of the XJ). The switch is just the small, plastic thing that screws into the top. If that's what's leaking on yours, that's all you need, and the XJ part is the same as the MJ part. (And I'm 98.37% certain it's also the same on the ZJ Grand Cherokee.) However: Take a look at the two cutaway photos I posted. It occurs to me that you may, in fact, need the entire valve assembly. The plunger switch itself should be isolated from brake fluid by the O-rings on the shuttle valve (that horizontal thingie that slides back and forth in the top of the valve body). If you've got brake fluid coming out the switch body, that's an indication that at least one of the internal O-rings has failed. I don't think the switch is intended to have contact with brake fluid.

I think Eastwood says to dump in a bunch of sheetrock screws and shake them around for awhile to knock off the loose rust.

Here's the cutaway view: As you can see below, it's the same switch in an XJ proportioning valve:

Eastwood has a kit to line fuel tanks with epoxy to seal against rust.

It's not a sensor, it's a plunger switch. You can use one out of any Cherokee or Grand Cherokee. The switch is the same for all of them, although the valve/block bodies are different.

Good question, and I don't know enough to make an informed suggestion. I think I would disconnect them "out of an abundance of caution."

Looks to me like the rear flares are several inches short of extending to the bottom of the sheet metal -- which is exactly what I expected. I guess your definition of "fits just fine" is different from mine.

^^^ Agreed.

2-door or 4-door, the XJ rear wheel openings are smaller in every dimension than the MJ. They won't fit.

If you're at 3" over stock now, with the new axle and settlement you'll be at 2" to 2-1/2". So to net another 1" of lift with a shackle you need a shackle that's 2" longer than stock. These things are 8" long at minimum. The stock shackles are around 4-1/2" eye-to-eye, so this Ironman thing is at least 3-1/2" longer. That means it will create 1-3/4" (or more) lift compared to a stock shackle.

A rebuilt 2.5L would be the least expensive route, as well as the easiest. But ... in terms of difficulty, a 4.0L swap would cost more because you would have to also obtain a matching transmission, as well as a new ECU and wiring harness, but the cost of freshening up a 4.0L shouldn't be orders of magnitude greater than a 2.5L. They are, after all, basically the same engine. In fact, I'm struggling with the same decision right now. And I'm no closer to a decision today than I was eight months ago when all Jeep projects came to a screeching halt when I was admitted to the hospital for an acute gallbladder attack. I need to decide soon so I can start gearing up for the project this summer.