Eagle

My '88 MJ Chief has a bench seat and mini console. (It's a 5-speed, so no question there about the floor shift.) Maybe bucket seats and a floor shift could be ordered in a Chief with automatic, but I'm more inclined to think that a previous owner made some upgrades.

Does anyone have a factory track bar -- or the bolt -- out of the vehicle and handy? Is the bolt 8mm or 10mm? My local Auto Zone has the track bar in stock so I want to check it out to see if the busing has the correct size ID.

If the fuel pump doesn't do it, possibly a failing CPS (getting heat soaked after driving?).

One other thought -- My friend in Greece also did some kind of ignition upgrade when he did the Weber carb conversion. I didn't remember what it was called, but it came back to me. Google "Nutter bypass."

I have a friend in Greece who used to own a 1984 XJ 2.5L. In fact, that's how we met -- through NAXJA. I asked him about his XJ, because I thought I remembered that he had a Weber conversion. I was right. Here's what he just e-mailed me [Note: I think by "double throttle" he means two-barrel]

I don't think a carburetor "upgrade" is dumb at all. I have an '88 MH 2.5L and I'm seriously considering getting rid of the throttle body injection and switching over to a carburetor.

Upper left / lower right

Are you sure you replaced the right flasher? If the hazards flash, it shouldn't be a grounding problem.

No e-Bay. Don't have an account.

It looks like my wife's 2000 XJ needs a new track bar. It's all stock, so I don't need an adjustable track bar -- OEM replacement is what I want. My Jeep dealer has a genuine Jeep unit -- for $225. Auto Zone has one with a lifetime warranty for $55. BUT ... Multiple reviews on the Auto Zone web site say that their track bar has too large a hole on the axle end -- 10mm, where the factory bolt is 8mm. Has anyone used a stock, OEM replacement track bar from Auto Zone? If so, was the hole on the exle end the correct size, or was it too large?

Don't forget that the 2.5L came out in 1984 in the XJ. The '84 and '85 models had carburetors and HEI distributors, no CPS or injection.

All a relay is is an electronic switch. Inserting a switch into a circuit does not, by itself, enhance the circuit in any way. In fact, it adds another device that can cause current loss. The power to the blower motor goes through a resistor pack under the dashboard. Where in the circuit are you going to place your relay, and do you intend to maintain the multiple speeds offered by the factory setup? I would try Hornbrod's ground enhancement suggestion first. Much simpler.

And just how did you do that if it doesn't start? A timing light uses a magnetic pickup on the #1 plug wire to trigger the light when the #1 plug fires. Or are you using one of the old timey lights that hook up in series with the plug wire? If the #1 cylinder is on the exhaust stroke, the spark plug will fire but the engine won't. The #1 cylinder has to be at TDC on the compression stroke when the distributor is installed and oriented. Don't ask me how I know this ...

To reiterate: Are you certain you set the #1 cylinder to TDC on the compression stroke and not the exhaust stroke?

You're doing it backward -- you want to be in 2nd or 3rd gear. 1st gear gives the engine mechanical advantage over the wheels. To push start, you want the wheels to have mechanical advantage over the engine. Using low range will not help, it will make things 2.47 times worse.

Are you certain you set the #1 cylinder to TDC on the compression stroke and not the exhaust stroke?

Yes, it would.

The AX-15 is also picky on fluids. Having owned and driven XJs and MJs with the BA 10/5, the AX-15, and the NV3550, IMHO it's a no-brainer: go with the NV3550. It's a far better transmission.

You can attach bucket seats to the bench seat pedestals, but you won't be able to move the passenger seat forward and back unless you weld on a lever for the adjuster mechanism.

1987 through 1990 will all work. 1990 front brakes are different.

I'm pretty certain the FSM says to leave it compressed until after you have installed it and bled it. After bleeding, the first time you use the clutch will break the tabs.

Don't overlook the rear height-sensing proportioning valve. If it has been disconnected or improperly adjusted, it may be reducing the amount of braking to the rear to almost nothing.

There was usually a factory build sheet placed either under the seat (between the metal springs and the pad), or inside the drover's door, behind the trim panel. The eighth character of the VIN also indicates the trim package. What's your VIN?

Okay, you have your terminology reversed. Your clutch is engaged, and won't disengage. That's why you can't shift with the engine running. The problem is probably the slave cylinder. It could also be the hose that connects the master to the slave, or it could be the master. If it's the hose, you're lucky because you don't have to drop the tranny to replace the hose.

Have you checked to see if air comes out of the top of the dash when the front vents seem to slow down? Does it happen mostly when going uphill or under load? The ventilation system is controlled by vacuum. The system is set up such that when vacuum is lost, the flapper doors default to sending air to the defrost outlets on the top of the dashboard. Loss of vacuum is usually caused by deterioration of the hoses to the vacuum reservoir behind the front bumper on the passenger side, or by damage to the reservoir itself.