Eagle

That's the 12.7:1 ratio. It's also available from Borgerson if you decide to go that route. Stock XJ/MJ steering is usually 14:1, although I believe the very early (AMC) XJs and MJs used an 18:1 box if you bought the off-road suspension package. I would definitely go with the 12.7:1 for an MJ that's used as a daily driver.

Brand? Borgerson http://www.borgeson.com/xcart/catalog/J ... c-111.html Before you lay out big bucks for a new (or rebuilt) box, have you adjusted the over-center screw?

The MJ carburetor was computer controlled, plus you still need the ECU to control the ignition so a carburetor (even an old-school, non-computerized carb) won't allow you to get rid of the ECU.

The entire wheel arch opening on the MJ is both longer and taller than the XJ. For something that might look close to the shape/profile of the 97+ front flares, try YJ Wrangler flares.

It will also wear out faster without the friction modifier.

That's what it is -- unbalanced tires. If it were death wobble, you would have to slow down almost to a stop -- or stop completely -- before it would stop its gyrations. That photo looks like there's a lot of mud caked on the rims. That can affect balance ...

As you posted above. Thanks to your heads up, I decided to get mine while I could. If there were 126 on the 23rd and 100 on the 28th, with a holiday in the interim, that tells us they won't last long. If you want/need one, act now.

I called my dealer and ordered this morning (November 28). As of late morning today there were 100 in the system -- that was BEFORE my order.

On the firewall, in the engine bay, ABOVE the brake booster. There's a major wiring harness that runs parellel to the bottom of the windshield in that area. The C101 connector is the junction where the two sections of that big, fat bunch of wires snap together. There was a TSB out on removing it, so there is a remote possibility that an '87 or '88 won't have it. If you look under the hood of my '88 XJ, for example, you won't find the C101 connector. (Of course, paying $500 to have it removed didn't accomplish any of the things that dealer's service manager told me it would fix. And when I mentioned that to him later he denied ever having said it would help anything. One more stealership crossed off my list.)

What are you asking? There is no C101 "bolt." The C101 connector sits much higher than the brake booster. All '88s had it -- the change to delete it was a mid-year change in the 1989 model year. What "prob" are you referring to? If you mean the C101 connector, it was removed on my '88 XJ and my '88 MJ still has it. I don't see any difference/improvement in the XJ for the $500 I paid a stealership to remove it.

This does NOT sound correct. It is possible that you need new ball joints, but not necessarily. If they were properly lubricated, they might not be bad. I have 287,000 miles on my 1988 XJ (purchased new) and the ball joints are fine. That said -- the ONLY reason to install adjustable ball joints is if the axle is bent. They are not adjustable after installation -- they are properly called "offset" ball joints, because they compensate for an out-of-spec condition. The camber is NOT adjustable on the XJ/MJ front axles. Unless the axle has been damaged, there should be no need for using offset ball joints.

Your '86 4-banger is also a Renix. Most of the sensors, in fact, are the same. There will be some things on a 5-speed that are not used. They would be used with an automatic.

There's no way of knowing. The performance of a coil spring varies depending on the coil diameter (which we'll accept as always the same for an XJ or MJ), WIRE diameter, number of coils, and free length. All you know is the free length. You'll have to install them to find out where they end up.

Replace the oil filter with a new Purolator and call us in the morning.

Thanks, lads. I'm not into customizing where it's not necessary. I'll take the original cylinders to the locksmith.

Gearing up to start work on the '88 4-banger MJ that's been sitting for ... too long. It came with two ignition keys (that appear to be pretty new), but no door keys. Local locksmith wants $20 to rekey the cylinders if I carry them into the shop. Or ... I can roll down the hill to Auto Zone and get NEW cylinders for $12.99. http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/ ... 02_0_1927_ Has anyone used these lock cylinders? Will they really fit an '88 Comanche, or do they need modifications to work? And what does the key really look like? The key in the photo appears to be a double-sided Chrysler key. That would work, but I'd rather have a key that looks like an '88 Comanche door key. What's the collective wisdom of the hive?

The windshield is the same as a Cherokee. Until you drive it you won't know about the front end. "gets shaky" could cover a wide variety of conditions. It could be mild wheel shimmy, which is not ideal but nothing to worry about ... or it could be what we call "death wobble." If it is death wobble, you'll know it -- when it starts shaking, you'll think you're going to die, like RIGHT HERE AND NOW! and it won't stop shaking until you stop driving. 75 km/hr is actually about 45 MPH, and that's about the speed where death wobble often rears its ugly head. Let us know.

Get a bottle of 'Friction Modifier" from a Jeep dealer and throw in the whole bottle.

Huh? Sure you're not confusing Thanksgiving with Memorial Day? Thanksgiving is about the first colonists, who numbered only a few hundred, and their autumn harvest feast in their second year in the "new world" to give thanjks to the Almighty for a bountiful harvest.

Condolences, Jim. It's hard enough to lose a friend, harder still to lose a young man with so much to live for. The only way (IMHO) to look at it is as expressed in the old song by Dion: "It seems the good they die young." Your friend sounds like one of the good ones.

Tannerite. FUN!

Happy Thanksgiving from our XJ/MJ household to all of yours.

No.

Yes, someone has done it ... but I don't remember who. Yes, IIRC there were fitment issues.

This is not correct. The 84-86 clusters have a speedometer that has the cable attached with a small retaining screw. The tach is not adjustable. The 88-90 cluster has the speedo cable attached to the speedo head with a white nylon pinch connector, and the tachometer has a potentiometer that allows you to calibrate it for use with a 4-cyl or 6-cyl. The early clusters can be used in the later vehicles (and vice-versa), but you have to replace the speedometer cable. Problem is, the question is for an '87 and I don't know which type was used in 1987. The change might even have been mid-year in the 1987 model run.