Eagle

The timing chain looks fine to me. You may not realize that the 2.5L uses the same timing chain and gear set as the 4.0L, but in the 2.5L the spacing between the two gears is slightly less. So the chain will always be slack. That's why they use the tensioner. (The same timing set in the 4.0L does not use a tensioner). A failing CPS could cause all the starting and running symptoms you describe, except the ticking.

Many people have encountered this problem, and you can find some discussions of it, either in this discussion area or the Projects discussion area. Dainternet guy is correct that they are intended to be installed over the original rocker panels ... but they don't fit even if you do that.

Wally World is about the only place now where you can buy the same, original Wrangler Radial (without any alphabet soup following) tires. Problem is, the originals were 215/75-15 for the early years, and 225/75-15 for newer years. Goodyear now makes that tire only in 235/75-15. That's actually a very good tire size for an XJ or MJ, and I'm running a set on my daughter's 2001 XJ right now. They look the same from even a short distance, but technically they aren't the correct size.

I don't think any model of the MJ ever came from the factory with a donut spare. As I posted above, I am all in favor of matching originality. Using a limited duty spare would NOT be original. It's easy to tell yourself you'll never use the spare, but what happens if you get a flat on the way to one of your shows?

The only way to know for certain is to remove the diff cover and look. With the factory type LSD, the clutches could have worn out, so jacking up one wheel and seeing if will turn will only tell you if you have a functioning LSD, it won't show a LSD with the clutches worn out. And the gear type LSD (such as the TrueTrac) won't react to the "spin one wheel" test like the clutch types will.

I believe it was the Wranglers (base models, with steel wheels) that came with a full-size, limited duty spare. Since it was never available on the XJ or MJ, since you want to keep your truck stock (which, BTW, I applaud) it doesn't make sense to install one of these abominations. The MJ always had a full-size spare matching the tires that came on the truck. Those light-duty spares, FWIW, are the same construction as the donuts, and are limited to 50 miles maximum at no more than 50 MPH. I wouldn't want one of those as my spare even for a trip to the supermarket.

Nope. Bubba-made.

Find a post by Cruiser and follow his advice to check all connections. Unless your wiring harness has been totally butchered by a previous owner, it's highly unlikely that you need to replace the entire harness. However, connections get corroded, and that can cause all kinds of intermittent problems.

You were told wrong. These engines are derived from the old AMC I-6 that dates to 1964, which was long before overdrives became standard. The typical AMC "back in the day" was a three-speed manual tranny and geared to approximately 24 MPH per 1000 RPM. That meant 60 MPH was 2500 RPM, 72 MPH was 3000 RPM. The engines easily lasted 200,000 miles -- my brother's 1970 Gremlin went over 300,000 and he autocrossed it regularly. 2250 is a good cruise RPM for the 4.0L but it's well below the torque peak for the 2.5L. Cruising at 3000 RPM won't hurt the engine at all, and it's hardly "screaming."

Thanks to Frank the Dog, I found my own post. And the link still seems to work: https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?hl=en&hl=en&key=0AvuGamS7bzt-dHJxYy1QajhuVUFUbUVDUWdiZnVFbmc&output=html When the spreadsheet was copied into Google Docs, it truncated fields in which the text is wider than the column width. Where each set of data says "Revs per M", that refers to the box just to the right, and it's not RPM, it's Revolutions-per-Mile for the tire. Within a particular tire size that number will vary slightly depending on the make and model of tire. In general, I used an actual manufacturers number for a tire suitable for use on an XJ or MJ, typically a name brand all-terrain tire.

3-foot length of 5/8" or 3/4" heater hose. Hold one end to your ear, move the other end around until the noise is loudest. That's your leak.

He is remembering incorrectly. Jeep never offered a limited slip in the front Dana 30. Not in the XJ, not in the MJ, not in the ZJ. Maybe his dealership was installing them as a dealer option, but it was not a factory option. I think a front limited slip would create some real handling problems in snow or ice.

#21 should do it for you. You will need to make a tool for installing it. What some people do is take a length of threaded rod and attach a few VERY LARGE washers to the end. Slide that into the axle tube from the outer and and use that to tap the new seal into place.

2001 Cherokee. On stock 225/75-15 tires the speedometer was off by about 2 MPH at 70. Speedo read faster than actual speed. It's now running on 235/75R15s and the speedo is dead nuts accurate at 70 MPH, confirmed by GPS. So one tire size makes a difference of 2.86%. In terms of engine RPM, we're talking in the vicinity of 2250 RPM, so the one size difference works out to 64 RPM -- at 70 MPH.

I sort of remember that I may have posted a link to my tire/gear/road speed spreadsheet on Google Docs awhile ago. Long enough ago that (if I did it) I no longer remember the link, or the user name and password I would have used for Google Docs. If anyone remembers seeing it, or has it bookmarked, please post the link. Mine offers two advantages: First, it gives you RPMs for both 4th gear and 5th gear. Second, the RPM calculations are based on actual tire manufacturers' revolutions per mile, so they are much more accurate than calculations based on theoretical tire size (which is what pretty much everyone else is doing with their on-line calculators and tables).

It sounds to me like you need a new radiator. The fact that the temp goes down when you turn on the heat is a clue. After all, the heater core is just a small radiator. If running coolant through that lowers the temperature, that pretty much tells us that the radiator isn't doing its job.

Clutch. Flywheel. Clutch shudder is often (usually?) a result of someone slipping the clutch too much, causing hot spots on the flywheel. The only real cure in that case is to replace the clutch and the flywheel, or have the flywheel resurfaced (the latter being a severe NO-NO for the 4.0L flywheel but is apparently okay for the 2.5L flywheel).

AX-15 with 3.55s? You swapped axles? My '88 was barely passable with 3.07s and 31s. 3.73s were better, but basically equal to stock with 3.55s. You'll be able to drive yours, but you'll be doing a lot of clutch slipping and downshifting for hills. It will be far from ideal. You really need 4.56s for 32s and 4.88s for 33s.

An AX-5 would be WORSE. The first four gears in the AX-5 are the same as in the AX-4. Fourth gear is direct drive (1:1). The AX-5 adds an overdrive gear. On 33-inch tires with 3.55 gears you will NEVER be able to use fifth gear, not even downhill with a tail wind.

I ran my '88 MJ with 3.73 gears on 31x10.50s, and my wife's "car" was a 2000 XJ Classic, totally stock (automatic with 3.54 gears). The overall final drive ratio, as expressed in RPMs at 60 MPH, was exactly the same for the MJ as for the XJ. IMHO 31's with the 4.0L really should have 4.10s. I installed the 3.73 gears because I had already bought them -- but I bought them with the intention of running them on the '88 XJ with 30" tires.

To most of us, "column" refers to the steering column, which happens to be where your transmission shifter is located. The 4WD shifter would be referred to as a "lever."

With the truck loaded (or unloaded) as you will normally drive it, crawl under and measure the distance between to lower and upper shock mount studs. Then go to the Monroe shocks web site and find their on-line catalog. At the back is a chart that lists the dimensions and mount types for every shock they make. Look for one with eye mounts top and bottom and lengths such that the measurement you took off your truck is at the mid-point between the compressed and extended length. That will give you a shock part number. You can then cross-reference that part number to find what make and year vehicle it fits. Once you know that, you can use that info to order any brand socks you like.

I wasn't happy with 31x10.50s behind a 4.0L and stock gears, although mine had 3.07s. I regeared to 3.73s because I had them, but 4.10s would have been better. I also have an 88 2.5L 4-speed with 3.55 gears. I can't believe you even drove it on 31s, and I'll virtually guarantee you that you aren't going to like it on 33s. You need at least 4.10s, and maybe 4.54s or 4.88s.

I'm confused by the original post. The column shift controls the transmission, not the ntransfer case. It has nothing to do with being in 2WD or 4WD. That said, I'm inclined to agree that the front axle disconnect probably isn't functioning.

You do NOT have an "overflow" tank. you have a pressurized surge tank. Do NOT fill it more than halfway when cold, and do not remove the cap when hot.