Eagle

If you are ONLY converting from an open diff to a limited slip, you don't need to touch the pinion. You do still have to set/adjust carrier bearing preload and backlash. But ... you were talking about buying a new ring AND PINION in order to change the ratio. You take your driveshaft to a driveshaft shop and tell them to make it ___ inches shorter. You can do it either way. But I wouldn't cut the perches off the old axle to put onto the "new" axle. First, if you go from a Dana 35 to a Dana 44 or an 8.25, the tubes will be larger and the perches from the Dana 35 won't fit. The factory perches are only welded along the outside -- if you're half decent with an angle grinder you can cut the welds without damaging the perches, and just relocate them. And you'll want the factory MJ perches on the original MJ axle so you have a template from which to match dimensions and angles.

You don't need it. The timer doesn't control anything other than the light on the dashboard, and that's just a reminder to replace the oxygen sensor.

No. XJ axles are set up with the spring perches on the top of the axle, MJs are set up with the spring perches under the axle. Also, the distance between the perches is different for the XJ than for the MJ. To use an XJ axle in an MJ somebody has to cut the spring perches off and weld new ones in the correct location.

Yes, you can. But, depending on what ratio the axle has and what ratio you want to change to, you might also have to buy a new carrier. (Of course, if you convert to a limited slip you have to buy a new carrier anyway.) You'll also need new carrier bearings, new shims, and a new pinion crush sleeve. And then somebody has to set up the new ring and pinion gear. They don't just drop in -- since you don't have either the tools or the experience to do it, just the installation will cost you a few hundred dollars in labor.

4.11 is NOT the most common ratio for an XJ or MJ Dana 44. The Dana 44 was found mostly behind the 6-cylinder engines (although AMC would allow you to order it with a 4-cylinder), and the ratios for the 6-cylinder were 3.07 for 5-speeds and 3.55 for automatics.

The AX-15 is a 5-speed. There is no neutral safety switch with the manual transmissions.

Slightly better in traction, much better in life expectancy because it doesn't use clutches. However, the manufacturer only recommends it up to a certain tire size, which isn't all that big the way people are building Comanches these days. I think they don't want you to go larger than 32" tires.

No. Check the illustrations in the post above. Your only choices are Dana 35 (all years), AMC Model 20 (1986 only), and Dana 44 (1987 - 1992) -- they do not look at all alike. The easy way to see if you have a working limited slip is to jack up one rear wheel, with the brake off and the transmission in neutral, and try turning the wheel. If it doesn't turn, you have a Trac-Lok. If it does turn, either you have an open diff, or you have a Trac-Lok that's worn out. I don't know if Dana Spicer ever made one, but Jeep never offered it from the factory. If you have a Dana 35, you must buy a Dana 35 carrier. If you have a Dana 44, you must buy a Dana 44 carrier. Both axles have what's called a "carrier break" -- certain ratios need one carrier, other ratios need a different carrier.

Are they worth it? Probably not. They don't hurt anything, but those would be about the last thing I'd be spending my hard-earned money for.

No. The factory always offered a Trac-Lok limited slip as an option for the rear axle. Any of the factory rear axles could be bought with limited slip: AMC 20, Dana 35, Dana 44, Chrysler 8.25 (if you're looking at Cherokees).

There is no seal at the diff housing when the axle is equipped with the CAD. The only seal on the passenger side with the CAD is on the outboard side of the CAD.

For an '86 the 3.4L V-6 is a much better choice than the 4.0L. No body work involved, and you can get decent power out of the 3.4L, especially if you keep the EFI.

And his original post in this thread specifically states that he has a 2.5L.

Not with a 2.5 liter engine. The 2.5 doesn't have enough torque or horsepower to turn tires that large through 4.10 gears.

Where did you find the fuse? What rating did you use? Part number(s)?

Last I knew, nobody offered anything steeper than 4.88 for the Dana 30 because beyond that the pinion got so small it was guaranteed to break. So 4.88 is the limit, and there's probably a reason why the factory never offered that as a ratio.

They won't fit, and they're much too big for a 2.5L anyway. Let's assume you have 4.10 gears and a five-speed. At 60 MPH, the engine would be turning 2700 in 4th gear, and only 2000 RPM in 5th. That's WAY below the power and torque peaks for the 2.5L.

Just a stiff ride. Thought it was because of the angle Nope. That's right about where it should be.

There is a thermal fuse in the resistor pack. If mice build a nest in the blower or the blower box and the nest material gets packed around the thermal fuse, it overheats and does what it's supposed to do -- blows. I lost two in the space of a couple of weeks in my 2000 XJ thanks to the danged mice. One of these days I'll try to replace the thermal fuse in one of the old resistor packs and see how that works. The resistors themselves should be fine.

Out of balance. More likely, the slip joint may be worn out. That was the problem with the 2001 XJ I bought (which doesn't have a CAD, by the way). I had a horrible vibration that started acting up around 50 MPH and got worse as the speed increased. I could crawl under the front, grab the aft end of the front yoke, and both see and feel significant angular movement when shaking the yoke (slip joint) side-to-side. I tossed in a junkyard front driveshaft and it pretty much cured it -- enough to get me through the winter, anyway.

What's wrong with a 90-degree shackle angle? Isn't that what it's supposed to be? With a 90-degree angle, the spring can allow both compression (suspension down travel) and extension (suspension up travel). That's usually what we want -- for the suspension to work in both (vertical) directions). XJs are different. The stock XJ leaf springs are spring-over and essentially flat at static rest, so they bend (making the eye-to-eye distance shorter) in both compression and extension. So the XJ stock set up has the shackle pointing back, and it swings forward whether the suspension compresses or extends. Unless your springs are flat at curb rest, I don't think you need to change your shackle angle.

Please post the explanation so if anyone else encounters it, we'll all know. That's how these forums share information.

'86 was different from '87 and newer. The optional transfer case was an NP 228 (or 229), and that had an unusual control setup. Does your truck have Command-Trac or Selec-Trac?

Dunno if you need an entire new column, but if you don't have the nut I suspect there are probably a few other parts missing, as well. I certainly think replacing the nut (and the missing pieces, if you can get them) would be first step, before undertaking a wholesale replacement of the entire column.

CPS?