Eagle

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.

IMHO a spring pack that provides the needed ride height is always better than messing with lift shackles.

But the new axle is a 1990, going into an earlier chassis. Did you buy ALL the parts to be compatible with the 1990 knuckles? That's where it starts. You can't mix and match any of the components.

I suspect that you have an incompatible mix of steering/suspension and brake parts. From my long-time work-in-progress book (copyrighted, I do NOT grant any permission to reproduce): If everything doesn't match ... you get issues.

But the front line is an air INLET, allowing filtered air to enter the valve cover. The smaller line at the rear is the suction line that pulls air and contaminants out of the crankcase and sends them to the engine to be burned. The smaller line at the rear can get clogged over time, blocking that path. Blowby then pressurizes the crankcase and forces the oily residue to travel backwards to the air filter to get out. It's often necessary to remove the valve cover and clean out the inlet port as well as to replace the smaller (rear) CCV line to fix the problem. If your engine has a lot of blow-by, it's possible that even a fully functional CCV system won't be able to handle the excess crankcase pressure.

No problem. The line from the air cleaner is inlet. As long as the breather you installed has some sort of air filter capacity you should be just fine.

Clogged CCV tube.

Another possibility is the O2 sensor -- how old is it? The Renix system is a decent system, but an old design. It always starts based on the ECU programming. Until the engine gets up to operating temperature, the ECU ignores most sensor inputs and operates on a pre-programmed fuel-air map. This is called open loop mode. When the temperature gets close to normal, it switches into closed loop mode and responds to sensors. Your mention of this happening 2 miles down the road is why I mention this. When I was driving an '88 4.0L as my daily driver, I was able to sense when it switched from open loop to closed loop. There was just a very subtle little hiccup in the engine -- and it was generally about 2 miles down the road. At one point, I was getting backfires at the point of change-over. I guessed that the O2 sensor was going south, replaced it, and all was good.

That's correct. I don't know how it could be considered a safety feature when they didn't do the XJ that way, but the brake lights on the MJ do override the 4-way flashers.

My sentiments exactly. I occasionally make exceptions for garter snakes and black snakes around the perimeter of the property but ... stray onto the lot and they're toast if I see them. I ... don't ... like ... snakes.

Some occifers of my acquaintance didn't seem to find that nearly as amusing as we enlisted types.

For those who didn't know, I underwent cardiac (as in "open heart") surgery may 27. I finally talked my way out of the rehab center that was slowly killing me, and I've been back at home for two glorious hours. I was VERY touched that some of you MJers actually took the trouble to track me down and call me in the hospital. Apologies if I didn't sound too coherent -- in fact, I wasn't (pain killers do that, I hear), plus I'm still pretty weak and I have trouble projecting my voice. Thanks from my newly-reconstructed heart for reaching out. Recovery period is three MONTHS. That means this summer is not going to happen, for me. No physical projects on the horizon. It'll be two months before I can lift more than 20 pounds. I have too many excess XJ hulks sitting here and this as the summer they were going to be dealt with. Since I won't be able, I wonder if some of the MJers around Connecticut/Southern New England would be interested in coming over for a Sawzall day and just reducing the hulks to more portable condition. In the process, if anyone needs something off one of the designated hulks, the more people can use is the less to be disposed of. There's even on '86 Pioneer 4-banger that I think could be made into a functional vehicle again, or a trail rig. If there's any interest, we'll try to pick a date.

Exactly.

I feel for you, Bro. It took me until age 59 to find my true partner. We had only ten years together before she was taken from me in January. You are blessed to still have your "better half."

What Memorial Day is supposed to be about:

In theory, 5W30 is thinner than 15W30 when cold and the same at operating temperature. Go ahead and use it.