Eagle

My wife's 2000 XJ has factory foglights. The 2001 XJ I picked up and am reconditioning for our daughter doesn't have fogs. I have the dashboard switch on order from the stealership. The question is: Is the wiring already there for the fogs, or will I have to make a harness?

The defrost cycles DOES run the a/c. It's designed that way.

I'd have to agree. I can't think of any other way to do it.

All available information says that the version of the 2.8L used by AMC through 1986 was externally balanced.

Correction: The '97 and newer 8.25 is basically as strong as the D44. The '96 and older have smaller shafts that are the same size as the D35, but larger tubes that are less prone to bending. Any 8.25 is better than a D35, but they aren't all equal.

You're right, of course. It's a combination of area and pressure, which together result in force. That's why the trick of using smaller wheel cylinders on the AMX was a tolerable work-around when removing the proportioning valve from an AMX -- the brakes themselves remained the same (same swept area), but the smaller cylinders at the same peddle pressure transmitted less overall force to the drums.

Mine come from Jeep tech bulletin I.S. 14E, which is Comanche specific. Considering that the information for the front is the same but the rear is different, I wonder if the above measurements might be for the XJ. According to the factory bulletin, the measurement for the front should be 17 cm (6-3/4 inches) plus or minus 13 mm (1/2 inch) for two-wheel drive vehicles. For four-wheel drive, it should be 20 cm (7-3/4 inches) plus or minus 13 mm (1/2 inch). Here's what's different: For the rear, on two-wheel drive vehicles the vertical distance should be 21 cm (8.2 inches) plus or minus 13 mm (1/2 inch). On four-wheel drive vehicles, the vertical distance should be 23 cm (9.2 inches) plus or minus 13 mm (1/2 inch).

I suspect the answer will be that you went to the effort of replacing the axle for nothing. Does the new axle have the vacuum disconnect?

You've been reading stories on the Internet again, haven't you? My '88 XJ has the BA 10/5 transmission. I'm currently at 287,000+ miles, and no tranny problems. Yes, it doesn't like shifting into 2nd when cold -- the solution is to "granny" shift it from 1st to 2nd, at a very slow road speed. News flash: the AX-15 doesn't like shifting into 2nd when cold, either. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Peugeot tranny if you don't abuse it.

Your disc brakes may or may not have more stopping power than a D44 with 10" brakes -- but I doubt it. I suspect yours feels better because of the change to the dual diaphragm booster. Stopping power essentially comes down to swept area, and I very much doubt that the disc brakes have more area than 10" x 2-1/2" drum brakes. Back when I was crewing on stock cars (local, short track stuff, not NASCAR), just about everyone was still running drum brakes front and rear. They were usually from full-size Lincolns, and they were basically the same brakes on the MJ D44 axles. They worked well enough that even with big racing slicks those cars could lock up all four wheels at speed. Keep in mind that the MJ braking system is designed such that you never get to use all the braking power in the rear anyway. If you could, you'd be locking up the rear wheels in wet conditions, or when stopping going downhill, or in panic stops. That's what proportioning valves do -- they reduce the available braking to the rear wheels. If you want more rear braking, even with the D35 and the smaller 10" drums, just remove the height sensing valve in the back. That will give you 100 percent braking power to the rear wheels at all times ... and I guarantee that you'll be able to lock up the rears and spin out in a panic stop. I don't mind that -- I grew up and learned to drive years before we ever heard of proportioning valves, so I don't miss having one. For those who have never driven anything that didn't have one (or have never driven anything without ABS) it can be a life-changing experience the first time to stomp on the brakes, and suddenly find yourself going backwards. The first rear proportioning valve I encountered was in the original, 2-seat AMX. Curiously, the AMX had a proportioning valve, the Javelin didn't. (I guess the shorter wheelbase made a difference.) When a proportioning valve failed in the AMXs, we just by-passed it. To offset the tendency for premature rear wheel lockup, we substituted wheel cylinders from 6-cylinder Gremlins, which had a smaller diameter so they transferred less overall braking power at the same pressure.

A 2.5-liter with a 4-speed manual (AX-4, not AW4) will have 3.55 axle gears. 4.10s were used with the 2.5L and the 5-speed.

IMHO for a Renix engine NGK plugs are best -- the standard ones, not platinum. Close second are the Champion truck plugs.

That explains why the transmission went walkabout ...

Sheesh! After all that ... it's only the electical manual. You won't get much help rebuilding the engine out of that ...

Link seems to be working for me, although it's taking forever to download. Must be a huge file.

I vote for the '92.

The oxygen sensor usually addresses hydrocarbons. NOX is usually caused by a lean condition, IIRC. Carbon Monoxide -- I don't remember what causes that. Do you have methanol-doped gasoline where you are? I'd suggest dumping a can or two of fuel system cleaner into your tank and driving it down to almost empty, then fill up, go to your favorite parts house, and on the shelves where they have all the chemicals buy yourself a can of one of those "Guaranteed to pass emissions" snake oil products.

Even the early, smaller 8.25s are superior to the Dana 35, despite having the same diameter shafts. A major weakness of the Dana 35 is the axle tubes bending where they enter the diff housing. The Chrysler 8.25 has larger diameter (and heavier wall???) tubes, which pretty much eliminates this problem. Of course, if the OP's truck is truly a Metric Ton model, it would not have had a Dana 35 ... it should have a Dana 44. For most purposes, though, either 8.25 will be quite serviceable. Both my '88 XJ and '88 MJ have Dana 35s and have been wheeled all over New England (and the XJ has also been to New Mexico and points west) with no rear axle problems.

You were misinformed. They all (all the 4.0Ls, that is) got the Peugeot until mid-1989, after that they all got the AX-15.

This would be the '87 Comanche in your signature? The 5-speed transmission in 1987 was the Peugeot, so you probably have the original transmission. Unless you really like to beat on your transmissions, that's not as bad as many people make it out to be. My '88 XJ was bought new by me. It has the Peugeot 5-speed, and it's currently at around 287,000 miles, and should be good for a lot more. Just remember that it's not a BMW, it's not a drag race transmission, and if you try to slam shift it you WILL break it. Don't know what to say about the rear axle. If the truck is a Metric Ton truck, verified by VIN codes, then it should have a Dana 44. He could have destroyed the D44 and just tossed in what he could get easily and cheaply. MJ Dana 44s don't grow on trees.

http://comancheclub.com/topic/35337-posting-pics/

I think the reason they don't list for the MJ is because of the height sensing valve for the brakes. If the truck does not squat for the added weight then you won't get more brake pressure to help stop the extra weight. I have never found any overload or air shocks listed for the MJ. That's an excellent observation, and probably right on. The dimensions are basically spot-on for a stock MJ, so there had to be a reason not to list them, and for a manufacturer with deep pockets like Tenneco, selling something that would detrimentally affect the braking would be a HUGE liability.

It could be the track bar ... but it also very well might not be. It could be one or more tie rod ends ... but it also very well might not be. It could be one or more bad ball joints ... but it also very well might not be. It could be a worn steering box ... but it also very well might not be. There are a LOT of things it COULD be, but until you have a better idea what it IS ... don't start buying parts. Do your homework. Get a helper, and do basic diagnosis. Park the truck on a level surface, front wheels straight ahead, chock the rear wheels, and put your helper in the driver's seat. YOU put on a nitrile glove and crawl under the front of the truck. Have your friend turn the steering wheel back and forth about 1/4 turn left and right of center. Maybe a bit more, but not much. What you want is to turn the steering enough to load the various parts, but NOT actually move the tires' contact patch on the ground. Start with the track bar. You can feel movement before you can see it. Put your hand around the connection where the track bar bolts to the axle. As your helper turns the wheel back and forth, do you feel movement between the track bar and the axle? Then move to the upper end of the track bar. This end looks like a tie rod end, and it works the same way. same drill -- while your helper turns the wheel back and forth, grab the TRE and see if you can feel any movement between the track bar and the frame bracket. There should be none. Move to the front wheels. There's a tie rod end just inside each front wheel. Check em for flex while your helper turns the wheel. Then check the opposite ends. One has another TRE at the pitman arm, and the tie rod itself has another TRE when it attaches to the drag link. Chances are, one or more of those points will reveal slop. If so, that's where you start the replacements. Don't just guess wildly and throw parts at it. Murphy's Law guarantees that if you go that route, the LAST part you replace will be the one you should have replaced first.

Okay, then engine RPMs at 65 MPH should be: 3.55 ==> 2892 3.73 ==> 3047 4.10 ==> 3349 4.56 ==> 3725 4.88 ==> 3986 Don't discount the possibility of 4.56 gears. A number of years ago I picked up an '84 or '85 XJ Wagoneer ... with a 4-cylinder automatic. It had the same transmission and transfer case you do. I bought it only to keep it from being junked, and a year or two after I bought it I gave it to a guy in NAXJA NAC from northern Massachusetts. It was supposed to be for his daughter, but then his XJ crapped out and he used it as a daily driver for a year or more. But I digress. The point was, I picked him up somewhere in MA and brought him down to my home to pick it up, and he drove it home. We talked either late that night or the next day, and he reported that it ran fine except that the tach was showing alarmingly high RPMs on the highway. He opened up one of the diffs and discovered that it did, in fact, have 4.56 gears ... and it apparently had come from the factory that way. Things like axle ratio were a lot less standardized back in the days of the early AMC XJs and MJs. The factory wasn't shy about offering optional axle ratios.

Except that the factory rims were all 7-inch (except the ones that were 6-inch).