Eagle

It sure sounds like the new bearings are just too small. How did you determine that you needed standard? Although there were no oversized cranks from the factory, only .010 undersized. Is it possible your new bearings aren't standard? The bearing caps didn't get mixed up for position, did they? Or reversed in orientation? Wait -- you said you used Plastigage. What kind of clearance did the Plastigage indicate? It's not the rod bearings, right? With the main bearing caps loosened slightly but the rod caps torqued you can turn it over?

My bad. Didn't realize that, but I've not yet re-welded spring perches.

I don't understand the question. If it sticks out 1/2" more on one side than the other, it clearly is NOT centered under the truck. First question: The Jeep axles should have the differential centered on the axle assembly. The distance from the diff housing to the spring perches should be the same on both sides, and the distance from the spring perches to the brake backing plates should be the same on both sides. If you have verified that these are correct, then the problem isn't with the axle but with the frame or the springs.

As I have noted each time I post this, the following is from a book manuscript I started awhile ago. This IS copyrighted, and by posting it here I do NOT grant any permission to further disseminate it. You may print ONE copy for your own reference ... that's it. Be sure to keep the knuckles, hubs, calipers and rotors all compatible or you'll encounter problems.

Nope -- not parallel at all. It LOOKS parallel, because you set the longest part of the track bar parallel to the center part of the drag link, but both bars have bends in them. "Parallel" refers to the straight line drawn between the joints on each end of each bar. It's the relative positions of those joints that determines the suspension geometry. The bars could be corkscrews between the joints and still be functionally parallel.

Hmmm ... = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

That'll do it ...

"New Vendors 5spd transmission"? Do you mean New Venture? That would mean he has a new engine with an NVG3550 transmission, which is the tranny used in the 2000 and 2001 XJ and the 1999 and newer Wrangler 4.0L Jeeps. It's a much nicer (and slightly stronger) transmission than the AX-15. The tranny alone probably cost him $3 grand. If the body is in good condition, you're probably looking at a $5,000+ truck. I know y'all are having a collective heart attack over the notion of a $5,000 MJ, but go out and price a low mileage Ranger or S10 (or one with a completely renovated drive train) and see what you come back with. The truck you're describing has had the ENTIRE drive train replaced. $2,000 to $3,000 is a fair price for an all-original '92 MJ with maybe 100,000 to 150,000 miles on it. If I had a truck such as described and somebody offered me $3,000 for it I would be highly insulted, as well as knowing that the person has a tenuous grip on reality.

Nope. Your resistor pack is gone. The switch can only turn power on and off, it can't control speed. To do that, there's a resistor pack under the dashboard on the passenger side. High speed is full power, so no resistor. The slower speeds all have power directed through resistors of varying resistances. They are in a unitized assembly that gets replaced as a package. Typically, when the resistors burn out you have a fan that's either OFF or runs at full speed.

I've seen the AMC 20 in more than a few '86 MJs, but I have never seen one in an XJ and I don't think it was mentioned in the original XJ FSM.

Which project forum? Project MJs, or DIY Projects?

The difference is that the one for the dummy light is a simple ON/OFF switch, and the one for the gauges is a variable resistor.

Ah well, must be a Renix thing. All my brake line flare nuts are metric. Sorry for the confusion. :( No, I have the flare nuts and the flare nut wrenches spread out on the garage floor right now because I'm re-doing all the hard lines on a 2001 Cherokee. Not a metric brake line fitting in sight.

Actually, it's a 3/8" SAE.

I forgot to mention the second step. After you find a Monroe shock that fits your measurements, you then go to Monroe's application guide and look up the number of the shock you found. That tells you what vehicle it's made for. When you know the original vehicle application, you can shop for all brands of shocks that fit that vehicle.

Use Rain-X ... you'll wonder why they even put wipers on cars.

Are you asking about the end of the rubber hose itself, or the flare nut on the steel line that goes into the upper end of the hose?

You park the vehicle on its wheels (or on jack stands that are supporting the axle, not the chassis), and you measure from the centerline of the lower shock stud to the centerline of the upper shock stud. That's your "at rest" position, which should fall basically at the mid-point of the shock's piston travel. Then you go to Monroe's web site and you look at the technical data in the rear of their catalog. You look for shocks that have round stud mounts top and bottom and an average length (Monroe gives the max and min IIRC) that's as close to your measured length as possible.

Yes.

IMHO the stealth deal of the millennium is right from Jeep -- the Mpoar Performance Catalog. The leaf spring perches are extremely heavy duty and unbelievably cheap. http://www.mopar.com/assets/pdf/perform ... Brakes.pdf Scroll down to page 10, top left. When you call a dealer for a price, the part number is for a pair, so you only buy quantity one (1).

The reasons I prefer the factory lug nuts are that (1) the caps are stainless steel and don't rust. I have yet to have a set of chromed aftermarket lug nuts survive a single winter without being destroyed by rust; (2) All the solid, chromed aftermarket lug nuts I've ever seen take a 13/16" socket rather than a 3/4" socket like the factory lug nuts. I carry a 4-way spanner in all my Jeeps so this isn't a major issue, but it's a PITA if all you have is the factory lug wrench ... and it won't fit your lug nuts. That said, the factory lug nuts don't survive well when shops beat on them with air-powered impact wrenches. That's why I do ALL my own tire rotations and brake work. I have an impact gun and I do not use it on the lug nuts. I use the 4-way spanner for removal, and I use a torque wrench for installation. On my '88 Cherokee that I bought new, I think all but two (maybe three) of the lug nuts are the originals, and they're still perfect.

Ummm ... not, that's not the reason. The Neutral position disconnects the transfer case from the transmission because the transmission would not lubricate properly (especially the automatic), but the transfer case will lubricate just fine -- which is why the factory procedure for flat towing is simply to put the transfer case in Neutral and go. The problem arises when the rear wheels are on the ground and need to turn, but the front wheels are on a dolly and CAN'T turn ... and the front and rear driveshafts are locked together. As mvusse pointed out, Jeep changed this a few years later, but this is true for ALL years of the MJ.

Can you post a couple of photos of what it looks like in place?

Do you have an up-scale model with a wiper delay (intermittent) feature? If so, under the dash over your left knee (IIRC) there's a wiper depay module that's inserted between the two halves of a harness connector. If you can find it, remove the delay module and see if the wipers will function in two-speed mode. If so, it's the intermittent module that's bad.

Putting the transfer case in Neutral disconnects the drive line from the transmission, but the front and rear drive shafts are locked together and rotate at the same speed. This isn't a problem when flat towing, because all four wheels are on the ground. If the front wheels are strapped to a tow dolly ... you have a problem. Simplest way to use a dolly is to drop the rear drive shaft.