Eagle

It's not old enough for Early American tags in Connecticut. And the classic car insurance companies won't insure vehicles with 4WD, even if they have early American tags -- I went through that with two Comanches.

Link to the '88 electrical manual: http://comancheclub.com/topic/12083-electrical-manual/

I don't have the wiring diagram in front of me, but I believe someone has posted a link to the '88 electrical manual on this forum, and the '87 4-banger should be about the same as the '88. Your two relays are, I think, a fuel pump relay and a starter relay. The relay (and socket) have five terminals, of which only four are used. To help you diagnose this, we need to know which two you're jumping. Also need to know if you have tested the signal side of the relay and socket for power when trying to crank. But the starter relay only affects cranking. I don't think it would prevent firing. Are you sure there's no spark? Maybe the relay you're jumping is the fuel pump relay and the problem is no fuel. Which relay are you jumping -- the forward one, or the rearward one?

I don't know if they'll accept any values other than whatever book they use. My argument is that mine has zero rust, has never seen salted, winter roads, and has exceptionally low mileage, so I would have to look all over the country to find anything even remotely comparable. I don't know if the argument will work, but it's the only argument I have, so I have to play it.

Only two relays? What engine and transmission do you have? And which contact for the relay lost power, the signal contact, or the power contact?

I don't even understand the problem. The '87 MJ does not have anything called an "ignition lockout relay circuit." Then, you write that it would turn over (which means "cranl"), but then you wrote that you had to jumper the relay before it would crank (which means "turn over"). Please explain the problem better, and tell us which relay you're talking about.

Thanks, guys, keep 'em coming. Some good ones in there. No links to lifted or modified vehicles, please. Mine is pure, box stock, just as it drove out of the showroom. I need to show them high prices for comparable, similar vehicles. Or, better yet, high prices for vehicles that aren't as nice as mine was (:sniff: boo-hoo.) Gotta be stock, not lifted, modified, or customized. Thanks.

Insurance company wants to total my 2000 XJ Sport. They value it at $5400 and the repair estimate is almost exactly that amount. This is a VERY rare 2000 XJ 4.0L with a 5-speed, Up Coutry suspension, cruise control, a/c, remote electric locks, alloys, full-size spare -- the works. There isn't a nick or door ding on it, and it only has 40,000 miles on it. There's NO WAY I can buy a comparable vehicle for anything approaching $5400. I want to fight them on the value. If those of you in states outside of the rust belt could check your regional Craigs List and send me links to any late-model, low-mileage Cherokees with prices of $6,000 or higher, I'd appreciate it. Please check ASAP -- I don't know if the insurance company is working on Monday, but I hope not. I need to intercept the agent handling the claim before she declares it a total, and I need backup. Thanks.

Yay! Good job. I think that same juice works in the full-time NP249 transfer case in the ZJ Grand Cherokee.

I agree... I've never found a reason to ever need anything other then lead lip weights. Conventional balancing is only as good as the guy running the machine. Uneven wear changes the balance. Losing a weight ruins the balance. Large, wide tires are very difficult to balance, and tend not to stay balanced. The advantage to the BBs is that it's a self-correcting, self regulating system.

I've heard of it but I don't know anyone who has done it. Question: How do you know which BBs are biodegradable?

Grab it! Somebody will want it, some day. The price is certainly right.

Welcome to the Borg. You have been assimilated. That's a nice, clean truck and I think you got it for a very decent price. Considering what pickups are selling for these days, $3,000 for anything that runs and isn't a rolling heap of rust flakes is a pretty good deal.

The spare tire winch uses the factory jack handle to operate it. The jack and handle should be strapped to the rear wall of the cab, behind the driver's seat.

Dunno, and the XJ is now 15 or 20 miles away. Dark blue -- I think for 2000 they called it Patriot Blue. Send me a PM with your work phone and I'll pass it on to the shop.

Note that the diagram shows one screw -- there are three. The steering column has an index mark. I hope you didn't obliterate it when pulling the 2-spoke wheel. You'll need it to correctly align the "new" wheel.

Yes, worn pins would allow you to feel the door moving when you lift it. The doors are attached to the hinges with aligning shims. You may just need to play with the shims.

Easy swap. The horn mechanisms are different -- make sure you get all the small parts, and print up a diagram showing how they go together.

Don't know what it needs yet. I dropped it at the shop this morning. What I can see it will need is: Header Grille RF headlight assembly RF parking light assembly RF side marker assembly Front bumper RF bumper extension/cap RF inner fender liner RF fender Front lower air dam J E E P letters for the header Possibly a RF fog light. Lens isn't broken, but the bracket may be mangled Won't know until they get into it whether or not the radiator and/or a/c condenser need to be replaced.

Beautiful truck, and some nice scenery for your "get acquainted" ride.

As "Duke" Wayne is reputed to have said, "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do." So you're out of the MJ parts business, but you're still part of the Comanche Club family, so stick around. Check in periodically to say hello so we don't have to say mean things about you behind your back.

Nope. First, I had the vehicle professionally rustproofed as soon as I bought it. Second, until this year (and only because the other one was in the shop) it has never been driven in winter, so no exposure to road salt.

I've heard that but nobody has ever (to my knowledge) articulated a reason. Doesn't matter to me -- I don't have ABS and I hope I never do. Just another (expensive) solution in search of a problem.

No. As has already been noted, Silicone brake fluid is DOT 5. The synthetic DOT 3 and DOT 4 are just that -- synthetic versions of conventional brake fluid. A friend and I were discussing just last night whether or not the synthetic stuff attracts moisture as much as the standard DOT 3 and DOT 4 -- neither of us knows, and we don't know how to find out. I've had silicone brake fluid in the brakes and the clutch of my old '88 XJ for at least 15 years. It's great stuff, and now I'm mentally kicking myself for being to lazy to have switched the new XJ over to it as soon as I brought it home in 2000.

Folks -- either use silicone brake fluid, or flush your brake system annually. I have a 2000 XJ Sport 5-speed that I bought new at the end of the 2000 model run. Jeep made very few 5-speed Cherokees that year -- mine is one of only 2 in all of New England, according to my dealer. I've been doing my best to preserve it -- it only has 40,000 miles on it. Because of a transfer case problem with the other 2000 XJ, I have been driving the Sport for the last few days. Yesterday (Tuesday) I drove it to work, which on Tuesday happened to be at a construction site that's a bit more than 80 miles up-state (each way). Traffic is light in the morning because I have to leave very early, but it's a nightmare on the way home. Last night, as I approached the exit from one highway to switch over to a different highway, traffic was very slow and bumper-to-bumper. Being my usual olde pharte self, I was trying to keep plenty of space between me and the vehicle in front. A young woman wanted to take the same exit, but she didn't feel like joining the queue so she came up in the center lane, saw the space I had in front of me, and jumped into it. She was going to fast, though, and had to slam on her brakes to not hit the car in front. I stood on my brakes -- and a brake line popped. BIG ouchie. We were going slow enough that my airbags didn't deploy, but the right front corner was manged badly enough that I had to be towed. This Cherokee has spent most of its life in a garage, and I had it professionally rust-proofed when I first bought it. I'm sure the brake line rusted from the inside due to the hygroscopic nature of conventional brake fluid. I'm angry at myself because I always had intentions of converting it to silicone, I have the silicone brake fluid sitting on a shelf ... and I just never got around to doing it. Don't let the same thing happen to you. Silicone brake fluid doesn't attract water vapor like regular brake fluid. It's not cheap, but once you use it you should only need to replace it when you do a brake job. It's a lot cheaper than rebuilding the front end of a vehicle you can't hardly find parts for.