Eagle

I'm considering an off-the-wall project, involving a 2.5L MJ. I don't care for the throttle body injection in the early 2.5L MJs. As I ramp up to putting my '88 2.5L back on the road, I'm considering going "old school" and just converting to a carburetor rather than spend the money on a new fuel injector (not cheap). And, if I go to a carburetor, I might just go to conventional ignition, too, and eliminate the CPS. If anyone comes across an '84 or '85 XJ 4-cylinder in a u-pull yard, please price out those parts and let me know what you'd want to pull 'em for me. Thanks.

I'm going to be converting a 2WD MJ to 4WD and I'd like to use a 242 transfer case. I have two shift mechanisms, with the shift gate that sits under the console, for the 231 transfer case, but nothing for the 242. Hard to find around here -- Connecticut outlawed u-pull junk yards at least 25 years ago. If anyone has or can get a couple of the transfer case shift gates for the 242 (Selec-Trac), please send me a PM. I'll also need the plastic bezel with the Selec-Trac shift pattern on it. I'd like to get two of each, so I'll be ready if I decide to convert my good MJ to Selec-Trac.

Holy thread necromancy, Batman! This thread started in March of 2009, and was last posted in a year and a half ago. Is this a new record for thread resuscitation?

It is a different key.

Not how it's connected -- whether or not there is a potentiometer on the back of the tach. There have been photos posted here in the past showing the back of the old and new style tach, that show what the potentiometer looks like. But yours is off by so much at idle that calibration isn't the problem. Let's say idle speed should be 1000 RPM (I know, it isn't, but let's make the match easy). It's a 6 cylinder, and a 4-stroke, so the for 1000 revolutions tach "sees" 3000 impulses per minute. But a 4 cylinder only fires 2000 times in 1000 revolutions, so if a 4-cylinder tach is installed in a 6-cylinder vehicle, it will display 3000 impulses as 1500 RPM, not 1000. In other words, a 4-cylinder tach will read 50% higher than it should, across the scale. Yours is starting out at 3500 to 3600, which would mean if it's a 4-cylinder tach you're still idling at 2000 RPM. I think the needle is out of position on your tach. Do you have an idle tachometer? Can you check to see if a difference of 500 RPM on your tach is really 500 RPM?

It depends on what year vehicle the tachometer came out of. From the design of the dial, I'm guess it came from an 84-86 (or early 87) Cherokee or Comanche. Those didn't have a potentiometer on the back for calibrating. That said, six cylinders is six cylinders, and the tach doesn't know if the engine is a 2.8L, 3.4L, or 4.0L. Those readings look WAY off. I wonder if the tachometer is any good. I think it's theoretically possible to pull the needle off and reinstall it pointing in a different direction, but I've never been brave enough to try that. But I think that's what people do when they install those decals to make their instruments have a white background.

So how about naming the three makers, and telling us which is #2 and which is #3 so we'll know who to avoid?

Master cylinder and/or slave cylinder.

I only just got around to reading through this thread. I'll add my belated sympathy, but it's some consolation that you're getting a decent insurance settlement AND that you've found a decent replacement. I so envy other parts of the country, not just for their less restrictive gun laws. Around this neck o' the woods, you can't find a Dodge or RAM pickup more than three or four years old that still has wheel arches -- they all rust out, almost completely, very quickly. As to the punk, my guess is that if he wasn't man enough to register with selective service (which is a legal requirement), he probably also didn't bother to vote. IMHO, anyone who is eligible to vote but doesn't has forfeited his/her right to complain in any way about the results of an election. Back in 2008 and again in 2012, both years over 47 percent of the population voted for Obama's opponent. We were pretty unhappy when he won, but we weren't out striking, blocking traffic, screeching about sabotaging the electoral college ... or vandalizing the property of those who voted for "hope and change." We sucked it up and moved on. Now that we have survived eight years of Obama's best efforts to destroy the United States, it's time to let someone rebuild the country. Suck it up, Buttercup.

I think WJ may also be 5 on 5. Yes, it was.

Briarwood And the late 80s vintage XJ Wagoneers were woodies (or vinylies, to be more correct).

Good deal if you like the wheels. I don't.

After another look, that upper radiator hose bothers me, too. Is there a decent amount of clearance between the hose and the serpentine belt? In the photo it looks like they could be making contact. If that's the case, it wouldn't take long for the belt to saw through the hose.

You don't have nearly enough belt contact on the alternator pulley. Are you sure you have it routed correctly?

Correct -- I have a $500 deductable, so I can't get it fixed on my insurance and let them subrogate. Yes, I'm well aware of the medical issues. I was injured in a car accident when I was 14. The extent of my injuries didn't show up until three or four months after the accident -- and I've had back problems ever since (58 years worth). I'm getting checked out.

If shops are not allowed to straighten frames, why do they have frame jigs and why do factory service manuals have pages full of chassis dimensions?

Three weeks ago (Friday, November 25, to be specific) I was rear ended at a traffic light in the 2000 XJ Classic. Low speed -- the woman behind me started rolling when the left turn lane started going. Problem was, it's a delayed green for straight, so I wasn't rolling. Oops. No serious damage -- her air bag didn't even go off. I had to wait a week to get the police report, but during that time I got a repair estimate from the body shop that's the preferred, approved, "we don't question their prices" shop for my insurance company. Seemed reasonable -- R&R the rear bumper, buff out, repaint, re-install. $351. Nowhere near a total for a 2000 XJ Classic in excellent condition with relatively low miles. The other driver was insured by State Farm. It took until today to get their adjuster to look at it. He looked at my shop's estimate, sniffed, and went off to do his thing. He came back with an estimate of $280. I just back back from showing that to the shop. The estimator at the shop had the same reaction I did: "This guy must be on crack." He's got time and materials in for painting the bumper, but he doesn't seem to have any time for taking it off or putting it back on. The shop included corrosion protection -- because (1) the bumper is steel, and (2) I had the vehicle fully rustproofed when it was new, so that should be renewed when the bumper is worked on. The State Farm estimator doesn't agree. He thinks corrosion protection is only for fenders. Not a great kick-off to the Christmas season ...

Gotta be in California. It looks like a self-powered version of a Tiny House.* Pretty sloppy job, if you ask me. The wood grain on the sides of the XJ runs horizontal, and on the "custom coachwork" it runs vertical. VERY poor craftsmanship -- no attention to detail. :sniff: * Google "Tiny House" if you have no idea what I'm taling about.

The OP has an '86, with a 3.4L V6 that was converted from a 2.8L. It may not have a serpentine belt. Certainly, a trans pan service wouldn't affect the power steering, but the weather is getting colder and drier. If the belt tension was marginal before, colder weather might result in enough slippage that it won't power the pump. I can't think of anything else, so that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Yes, you can use an extended shackle to grab another inch w/o any ill effects. I did this after my new MT springs settled out about 3/4" over a years time using the Teraflex shackles. I think this is a crock and is a contradicted factoid throughout the various FSM's. 2WD and 4WD vehicles can use the same springs and other suspension parts, wheels, etc. and you could order any combination of these suspension parts in both models. You can't make a blanket general statement that all 4WD trucks were 1" taller than all 2WD trucks from the factory. And "factory" ride height and how to measure it varies depending on which model (year) FSM you are looking at. Sorry, Don, but this is not contradicted by the FSMs, it's confirmed by the FSMs. When measuring ride height per the FSM, the MJ FSM provides two different heights, one for the 2WD and one for the 4WD. The 4WD is 1-inch higher than the 2WD. What I've always found curious, though, is that this applies only to the MJ and not to the XJ. From a 3-year old thread:

Is the belt slipping so the pump isn't pumping?

The aftermarket fenders, as far as I know, are all made in China. Need I say more? I have no experience with the new style. I had to put a pair of front fenders on my '88 MJ Chief. I'm in the rust belt, so I went with new, aftermarket parts. From fifty feet away, they look great. From five feet away, it's clear that they don't fit like OEM. For example, the gap between the fender and the base of the windshield post is too big.

How much arch difference between 2x4 and 4x4? I just did a SOA on my 2wd and got almost 6" of lift. Would I get more from 4wd springs? Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk 4WD sits 1-inch higher than 2WD. The arch of the springs doesn't affect how much lift you get from a SOA conversion. The lift comes from moving the spring to above the axle -- if you start from the 2WD height, you'll end up with the 2WD height plus 'X' inches. If you start from the 4WD height, yiou'll end up with the 4WD height plus the same 'X' inches. Yup I realize that, just didn't know they were a different height to begin with. Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk But your question was, would you get more "lift" from 4WD springs. The answer is, "No." If a spring-over conversion nets 6-inches of lift, that's how much lift you'll get. If you start with a truck that rides one inch higher, you'll end up with a truck that rides one inch higher. I was afraid you were conflating "lift" with "ride height." They're two completely separate issues.

How much arch difference between 2x4 and 4x4? I just did a SOA on my 2wd and got almost 6" of lift. Would I get more from 4wd springs? Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk 4WD sits 1-inch higher than 2WD. The arch of the springs doesn't affect how much lift you get from a SOA conversion. The lift comes from moving the spring to above the axle -- if you start from the 2WD height, you'll end up with the 2WD height plus 'X' inches. If you start from the 4WD height, yiou'll end up with the 4WD height plus the same 'X' inches.

Excellent. Thanks for the update.