Eagle

Be thankful they're fake. Last I knew, real beadlocks were not legal for use on public roads. {Edited 9/2/2014 to correct abysmal typing skills}

That was the typical mode of failure for the 2.8L. Back when Jeep first started using the 2.8L in the 1984 Cherokee, I was good friends with the service manager at the dealership where I bought my '88 Cherokee -- and where I had bought several AMC cars previously. I hung out in the shop fairly often in those days, and it was rare to come in and NOT find at least one Cherokee 2.8L with a connecting rod poking through the side of the block.

A Renix will NOT have "HO" badges. The HO came out in 1991, when Chrysler changed to their in-house injection/ignition system.

Unless it's an '86 haha. Then it's hack, weld, and BFH affair. :rotf: True ... but the OP specifically said he has an '88 and was looking at '87 thru '90 engines. Direct fit.

I agree it's as easy as any swap could be. I still think getting it done in one weekend is impressive, but JeepcoMJ is correct -- it's pretty much a bolt-in swap all the way. After all, the vehicle was designed to take both engines -- how hard could it be?

"I love it when a plan comes together." Colonel Hannibal Smith

He pretty much didn't. He had to get it finished in time to drive it to school, and the 2.5L blew when he had less than a week left. The amazing thing is that he did a very good job of it -- no hack work, no butchery.

No, he specifically said '87 - '90 4.0L, so he would be going from a Renix 2.5L to a Renix 4.0L. The engine room harness and ECU would have to be swapped, but that's not impossible. One of the guys in NAXJA-NAC (North Atlantic Chapter) did a complete 2.5L to 4.0L swap in one weekend. He said he worked his [bleep] off, but he did it in one weekend.

Why is it that almost every time I cite the FSM somebody chimes in with "That's impossible" or "That can't be right." WTF? Do you guys think I make this stuff up? I have the FSM for the '86 - '88 MJ and for the '86 - '88 XJ. If I cite something from the FSM, that means I looked it up, because I DON'T want to be giving out incorrect information. Yes, I know small-block Chevy V8s were adjusted while running -- I've done it many times. That does not change the fact of what the FSM says is the correct way to adjust the valves on the 2.8L engine. Apparently Haynes agrees. So does Chilton. So maybe -- just maybe -- that's the right way to do it. I don't know why I waste my time trying to help people here, I really don't. People who weren't even born when I started wrenching ALL know so much more than I do I'm obviously out of my league.

Correct. I own a 2000 Cherokee -- it has the 4.0L and the AW4 transmission. The 5.2 litre was in the Grand Cherokee ZJ model, and it was the old Chrysler 318 engine. It's big and heavy and sucks gas like it owns an oil well. Not a good choice. As noted above, starting in 1999 the Grand Cherokee became the WJ series, with the all-new 4.7L V-8. I agree with Jim -- I owned a 1999 Grand Cherokee for about 8 months. The engine crapped out on me, the transmission was horrible, and the full-time transfer case acted up from time to time. NOT a good choice for a swap. And that's ignoring the fact you would need to rewire the entire truck to use the new electronic system in the WJ. Oh ... I own a 2000 Cherokee because Chrysler bought back my '99 Grand Cherokee so I wouldn't go lemon law on them. I replaced it with the 2000 XJ.

Not according to the Comanche FSM.

But were you certain that #1 was a TDC on the firing stroke, and not the exhaust stroke? The lifters have to be on the cam base circle, not on the lobe (lifted). The crankshaft goes around twice for each one revolution of the camshaft, so it's not enough to just align the timing mark -- you have to verify that you're on the compression stroke and not the exhaust stroke. The way you did it is the way the Jeep FSM says to do it -- but you do have to be certain which stroke you're on.

Please describe how you adjusted the valves. You probably do have oil burning off the exhaust manifolds. To adjust the valves, you had the valve covers off. I'm sure some oil dripped onto the manifolds.

I agree. But ... it's not my truck, and it's not my project.

He is. But the bed is an hour away from where the trailer is being built.

But the TBI system was still a Renix system, designed by the same engineers. I don't know, either, but it would not surprise me if it behaved just like it's big brother the 4.0L.

I found the shortbed frame blueprint. It shows the forward and rear spring eye locations, so just add the difference between the SWB and LWB to the dimensions ahead of the forward spring eye and you've got it. Image Not Found

I believe Hornbrod (if not him then someone else) has posted the dimensioned plan view of the longbed frame.

Remember that the center pins for the MJ springs are 3/8" and the XJ are 5/16". Be sure you have a few sharp 3/8" drill bits handy, and a powerful drill.

TURN IN YOUR MAN CARD! You violated the Prime Directive: You believed a guy in a parts store. His explanation is entirely wrong, and makes no sense. Yes, in the old days not all engines had fan clutches, but the fan has always mounted to a flange on the front of whatever supports it. (Traditionally the water pump, sometimes an idler remote from the water pump.) If you think you're going to get a fan with a drive shaft built into it -- guess again.

??? Huh? The fan is a separate part from the fan clutch/viscous drive. http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/1988-Jeep-Comanche-4WD/Fan-Clutch/_/N-iugb1Z9pd92 http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/flex-a-lite-fanclutch-5555/10318987-P?navigationPath=L1*14922|L2*15019

At the top of the firewall on the passenger side there's a plastic, lozenge-shaped bottle with a cap on it. That's the coolant reservoir. It is also pressurized when running, and serves as an expansion/surge tank. THERE IS NO OVERFLOW ON THE CLOSED SYSTEM. The reservoir should be filled halfway when cold. Look inside and you should see a post with a notch cut in it. Fill to the notch.

I've seen 2.5L XJs with conventional vee belts and with serpentine belts. I know the rotation of the water pump is reversed with the serpentine belt. I always assumed the fan rotation was also reversed, but maybe not. {Edit to add} From the 1986 MJ FSM:

A bad (or marginal) CPS will cause stalling whenever it doesn't send a strong enough signal to the ECU. It is NOT in any way connected to the clutch, so a bad CPS would not routinely cause stalling only when the clutch peddle is depressed, and at no other times.

There's a special bleeding procedure for the MJ with the rear height-sensing valve. Did you follow that, or just bleed each corner like a normal vehicle?