Eagle

I doubt it. According to your photos and time line, it sat and idled for forty minutes without overheating. In the last TWENTY MINUTES the needle barely moved. What makes you believe it would have gone into the red if you had let it go longer?

Who did you order the new flex plates from, what brand are they (if the box shows a brand), and what's the part number? AutoZone shows me a flex plate number FRA-333 for an '88 Cherokee 4.0L. They show the same one for a 1990 MJ. Price is $54.99. For a '92 MJ, they show me part number FRA-480, and the price is $96.99. If all else fails, Crown uses the same part numbers as Jeep, and their stuff is good quality. My dealer supplies Crown where the factory parts are no longer available (which I'm sure is the case for a Renix flex plate). I think my dealer will ship -- call Todd or Rich at 860-274-8834, ext 3. Tell them Harwood suggested them as the miracle workers and see if they can get you hooked up.

The rear shocks for a Comanche are not stud mounts, they are eye (loop) mounts. The studs are on the vehicle. It's the upper end of the fronts that's a stud (stem) mount. Page 4 -- the type on the left is what's on the rear of the MJ: http://www.monroe.com/assets/downloads/english/08_MountingLengthSheet.pdf

Is your ECU located under the dashboard, over the driver's right foot, or under the hood between the air box and the fender? For an '87 MJ (or any Renix) the 33002675 should be the correct part number. Another question: The '87 4.0L and the '90 4.0L were both Renix models. Why did you install the underhood wiring from the donor? All you should have had to install was the TCU and the associated harness for that. Are you certain the '90 donor wasn't a '91? Do you still have it, or a record of the VIN number?

I saw that one. The kid survived, too, but apparently he's in pretty bad condition. Idjit.

Brit video of a race car "off road excursion" at an unnamed race in Colorado. I'm guessing it may be Pike's Peak. Check this out: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9476338/Race-car-driver-Jeremy-Foley-plunges-off-Colorado-mountain.html OUCH!

What year did Jeep change to the long TC tailshaft extension with the seal on the shaft rather than the yoke? I thought it was 1997, which means that a '96 TC would not be a direct replacement. As to ZJs -- did the ZJ ever come with a 231?

That's not exactly what I wrote. The factory cat is 2-1/2" inlet and 2-1/2" outlet. On the inlet side, the cat has a short pipe that terminates in a 4-bolt flange to mate up with the exhaust pipe. This is an integral part of the cat, unlike the universal style you bought. On the outlet side, the outlet pipe is also an integral part of the cat and there is a step-down from 2-1/2" to 2-1/4" midway between the cat and the muffler -- all integral with the cat. It should look about like this:

Did you install the reinforcing sleeves in the front axle to prevent the Cs from bending the tubes ( which is generally what happens with the JK front axles)? The reinforcements are smaller tubes that are a slip fit or light press fit inside the stock tubes, and are then welded in place to beef everything up. Don't even consider using a JK axle for off-road if you're not planning to do this modification.

The stock system is [2-1/5] [EDIT] 2-1/2 [/EDIT] inches for the exhaust pipe to the catalytic converter, and for the converter itself. The step is between the cat and the muffler -- 2-1/2" out of the cat, 2-1/4" into the muffler. I very much doubt you'll find anything off the shelf in stainless, but most muffler shops can bend a set of 2-1/2" pipes using the factory routing as a template. It was most likely me who recommended Gibson, but I don't know the difference in sound between/among their various system options.

You'll be sorry. It will ride pretty much like you removed the shock absorbers and welded solid rods in their place. I thought you said he was restoring the Bronco. Your (and his) idea of "restore" must be different from mine.

??? My '88 was still getting about 18 MPG last time I checked the mileage. It's a shortbed, so figure 18 gallons time 18 MPG and a tank (if I chose to run it down) would take me about 324 miles.

I understand what you're asking but the question has no valid answer. First, only the shortbed has that tank size, so owners of longbeds are disqualified. Second, no two gas gauges read exactly the same, so if I refill when it hits the 1/4 mark and you refill when it hits the 1/4 mark, it's almost guaranteed that both tanks WON'T take the same amount to fill. Same applies to the warning light -- when it turns on is not scientifically reproducible from one truck to the next.

That's exactly the question, and only you can answer it for you. My view is that they aren't making them any more. I once knew a guy who had owned a 1928 Stutz. He lost it in a divorce, but when he had restored it he made detailed drawings. So he was building a new one -- from scratch. Right down to making his own bolts (because they use a unique, acorn-shaped head). If you have the skills and the equipment, I think you should save it. But ... that's easy for me to say, because you're the guy who would be doing the work.

Trying to decode an old XJ or MJ build sheet is impossible. Chrysler "recycled" many of the codes, so if you run a build sheet now the results will be very misleading.

What size tank? The way to calculate gas mileage is to fill the tank, record the mileage, drive the truck, refill it and again note the mileage. Subtract the first mileage from the second, then divide by how many gallons it took to refill the tank. Just dumping gas in and guessing how many miles you can go on a tank is not even a little bit accurate.

Even in the last photo the needle isn't in the red -- what makes you think you were overheating? There's no way to convert those hash marks to a temperature -- the dial isn't calibrated linearly. Was it boiling over? If not, it wasn't overheating.

Heads up!!!! My anti-virus software would not allow me to open that link. Trojan horse alert.

Silicone brake fluid will not mix with DOT-3 or DOT-4 (think oil and water), but there's no chemical reaction. They are "compatible" in that they'll just sit there in the same system without talking to one another. Just use a turkey baster to suck as much of the old stuff out of the master as you can, then fill with silicone and bleed as usual to purge the old stuff out of the lines. If you replace the clutch master, obviously there's no need for the turkey baster.

D44 and D35 axle shafts are not the same, but a D44 from an XJ will have the same shafts as a D44 from an MJ.

When I was shopping for a bed mat for my shortbed, all Pep Boys had was one for a longbed mini-pickup. So I bought it and used it with the back folded up to help protect the tailgate.

I'd like to know what the OP thinks is wrong with his VIN? Why do you think it doesn't conform to ID specs? (Whatever that means to you.)

No, there isn't. Try to buy the new slave from a Jeep dealer rather than a parts chain, if you can. You'll pay more, but there's a chance it'll last longer. Next, my personal suggestion is to NOT use conventional brake fluid. When Jeep was using the internal slaves, they were using a specific hydraulic fluid that was specially formulated for hydraulic clutches. I don't think it's available now, even from a dealer. Some of the parts chains sometimes sell a fluid labeled for clutch, but I don't know if it's the same. I use DOT-5 silicone brake fluid. The clutch in my '88 XJ was replaced (with a new slave) in the autumn of 2000 (I think -- or 1999). It's now 83,000 miles and ten years later, and I've had no problems with it.

You just have to reformat the font:

The key to removing anything that's had red Loctite on it is heat. You have to heat it up to loosen the bond. If you have oil leaks, obviously an open flame (torch) is probably not a good idea. A heavy duty soldering gun or electric soldering iton might to it.