Eagle

I seriously doubt that 50 psi is the right tire pressure for anything under an MJ. The sidewall may say that 50 psi is the maximum pressure, but that's not typically the pressure you should run them at. IMHO death wobble=tire balance. Steering damper is to prevent steering wheel "kick-back" when off-roading. I've experienced death wobble in two Jeeps that had steering dampers, so I am quite certain that the damper will not cure -- or even mask -- death wobble.

To plug the outlet on the forward distribution block, you can track down a plug made for the purpose, or you can use any standard 1/2" fine thread bolt and cut it to the length needed.

You don't always have the luxury of "staying aware of it." Example: A few years ago I was cut off on a highway by a ditzy soccer mom who zoomed up an entrance ramp and pulled immediately into my lane without looking to see if the lane was occupied. I was driving my wife's 2000 Cherokee, which was (and is) completely stock. I slammed on the brakes and put the Cherokee into a sideways slide at 60 MPH. I am absolutely certain that if I had no front sway bar the XJ would have rolled over rather than slid. Emergencies don't make appointments, and they don't leave to time to remember that you disconnected a critical part that the factory engineers installed because it was considered necessary.

The issue is not in normal driving. The issue is that the manufacturer put that sway bar there for a reason. It's lack would show up if you ever had to make a sudden evasive maneuver, such as a sharp swerve if a child ran out into the street right in front of you. In the early days of NAXJA, one of the members rolled his XJ two blocks from home on a residential street for this very reason. He acknowledged it and publicly admitted that it was his own fault because he didn't think he needed the sway bar. A complete replacement link is $16 at Advanced Auto. Are you really going to risk totaling your truck for $16? http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/driveworks-suspension-sway-bar-link-kit-dw-k3173/15510466-P?searchTerm=sway+bar+link+kit

If you are saying that you broke a sway bar link, yes it's dangerous to drive it that way on the street.

I have no idea what you're talking about or where you got your measurement points. The Jeep Information Service Bulletin (which has been cited in multiple previous threads) tells us that for the front you measure from the top of the axle tube to the underside of the frame rail directly above. For a 4WD vehicle, the measurement should be 7-3/4" +/- 1/2". As to the rear lift, think about what you're gaining. The amount of lift will be the axle tube diameter + the offset of the spring perches from the tube + the thickness of the spring pack. That's going to be between 5-1/2 and 6 inches. Are you measuring to the bottom of the actual bumpstop? If so -- wrong. There are four different bumpstop heights. You measure from the top of the axle tube to the bottom of the frame rail AT the bumpstop. The dimension (for stock) should be 9.2" +/1 1/2". With a spring over conversion, I would expect something on the order of 15 inches.

??? You might want to check that measurement. And if you gained only 3-1/2" of lift with a SOA conversion, your rear springs are NOT in good shape.

??? You might want to check that measurement.

The header is different. I don't know if the '88 header can be modified to work with the newer grill and headlight bezels.

Start with this: http://comancheclub.com/topic/43474-comanche-blueprint/

First, just about every 4.0L Jeep I have ever seen typically runs with the gauge showing around 210. The thermostat is supposed to be a 195-degree, but the rear corner of the head (where the sender is located) is a slightly hot spot. So 210 isn't anything to be alarmed about. The temperature would then go down because the thermostat opened. How high do you fill your coolant reservoir? It's a pressure bottle, and also an expansion tank. It should be filled the the HALF level with the engine cold -- no more. Overfill it, and as the coolant expands it has nowhere to go. Air can be compressed. Liquids do not compress, so it would have to force its way out at the weakest point, which is typically the cap on the plastic bottle.

Agreed.

Keep in mind that pipe is measured by inside diameter, and tubing is measured by outside diameter. If your Harbor Freight bender is a "pipe" bender, you probably won't get good results using it for tubing.

If you have spark you don't need a distributor cap or a CPS. Did you have the distributor out? If so, are you certain you reinstalled it in the correct orientation? What year is your MJ? The CPS and flywheel changed in 1991 to go with the HO's Chrysler ignition and injection. If you use an HO flywheel and CPS with a Renix ignition and injection, it won't work. Do you have a noid light? Do you know if the injectors are squirting? Have you tried starting it by dribbling gasoline directly into the throttle body?

The early Dana 35s did not use c-clips in the differential to retain the axles. The axles are held in by the bearing retainers at the outer ends. The 1990 and newer use c-clips.

Also, if I'm not mistaken, the FSM specification for the rotating torque is for an axle with no shafts installed, and possibly (don't remember exactly) for the pinion without the ring gear and carrier installed. So for a seal replacement the advice to measure the rotating torque before removing the old pinion nut, and then matching that when reassembling, is good advice.

The temperature sender takes only one wire.

There's no such thing as "free money." You are paying for it, somehow, somewhere. We are living in a time when banks may very well go from paying interest on deposits to charging for the privilege of letting them use your money ("negative interest," coming soon to a bank near you), so if you think any bank is giving you something ... think again.

Intake manifold? I don't have access to my 2.5Ls at the moment but isn't the temp sender at the back left corner of the head, just like the 4.0L?

The '85 had a carburetor so it didn't use a CPS. You will need to use the bell housing and flywheel from the '86 engine to make it work, as well as the '86 distributor.

I have not yet encountered an MJ with a SBC but I have seen a number of XJs (Cherokees) with SBC conversions, and every single one of them had major cooling issues. Not what you asked, but IMHO you would be much better off to rebuild the 4.0L, maybe into a 4.5L stroker, and keep the MJ an MJ rather than make it half Chevy.

You are correct -- the knock sensor (and ECU) retards the timing when it "hears" ping. If higher octane gas reduces or prevents ping, the timing can stay more advanced under a wider range of operating conditions, and that leads to both more power and better fuel economy.

The upper and lower eyes should be parallel. Since the upper mounts on MJs are parallel to the axle, the lowers should also be parallel to the axle.

That had to hurt ...

Not so fast. What you wrote is true for the HO versions with the Chrysler ECUs and injection, but the Renix engines have a knock sensor, and higher octane reduces knock. Which means you can work the engine harder without having the knock sensor shut things down. Also, at cruise throttle it allows more spark advance, and that means better fuel economy. I ran my '88 XJ on high test most of the time when I first got it. I was getting in the mid- to high 20s for gas mileage on it. Best ever was 28 MPG for a 250 mile trip.