Eagle

Do you know what freeze plugs are? The question was asked because there is a freeze plug at the back of the block, inside the bellhousing. To replace it, at the lest you have to remove the transmission and flexplate, and if that doesn't leave enough room to work you may have to pull the engine out of the vehicle to access the freze plug. If the leak is outside of the bellhousing, it may be a blown head gasket. From your description, though, it sounds more like a freeze plug.

If you have a Comanche, you do not have a full-time option unless a previous owner has changed the transfer case. DO NOT drive it in 4WD on dry pavement.

It's not hard, and when changing ratios it's just part of the install process anyway so calling it "re"shimming isn't correct. When you regear, you replace both the pinion gear and the ring gear. On the Dana 30, the break is when going from 3.54 to 3.73 so you're not going to need a new carrier. But the new pinion gear has to be installed at the correct depth, so that's one set of shims. And you need (ideally) a special jig to set the pinion depth, although there should be a depth code stamped into the nose of the gear and you can guessimate the required shim thickness based on that. Once the pinion is at the correct depth you set the backlash, which is done by adding, removing, and shifting shims from one side of the carrier to the other until you get a proper wear pattern and backlash within spec. Unless you know what you're doing inside the pumpkin, it's really a lot easier to swap the entire axle.

What axle do you have? If it's a Dana 35, the carrier break is 3.31 and lower, and 3.55 and higher (numerically) -- meaning you will need a new carrier. If you have a Dana 44 you're okay, because the break is 3.73 and lower, and 3.92 and higher.

FWIW, I've had two NEW (not rebuilt) alternators from Auto Zone (their Durolast Gold line) that were DOA out of the box. And people to whom I have mentioned that typically respond with, 'Yeah ... that's normal."

No, he said he checked the fused [sic] link. That's only one of the wires in the charging circuit. The direct answer to the original question, though, is that the alternator can be replaced with a delco one-wire. But, with an undiagnosed problem lurking somewhere, I'm not convinced that doing so is a good idea. On the other hand, it could be brilliant. :???:

No. On the GM alternators, the voltage regulator is built into the alternator. The ECU has nothing to do with it. If the battery tests good and the alternator tests good, there's obviously a wiring problem in the vehicle.

Makes sense. I was going to suggest that, but I figured it "couldn't possibly happen." So much for THAT theory.

That's curb weight, not gross vehicle weight. Gross vehicle weight is curb weight plus payload plus occupants.

Yeah, the cylinder walls are dry? I guess you're not doing rings, right? This is just a replacement of the bearings with the engine in the vehicle? I would go after the cylinder walls. Fill up a squirt can with some 20W50 and maybe a bit of STP in it for good measure, spin it with the mains loose so you can soak the walls with the pistons all the way up, then tighten the main bearing caps and try again. As you start to draw the main bearing caps up, before they're really tight-tight, tap each cap with a plastic or brass hammer gently to be sure it's properly seated and square to the block.

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.