Eagle

When I had a clunk in my '87, it was usually when making a low-speed, sharp turn. It would not reproduce when doing all the standing tests on TREs, etc. I could hear it, but it didn't resonate through the steering wheel. It felt like it was under my foot. Which it was. Replaced the driver's side LCA ==> no more clunk.

My apologies. I don't have PayPal, either, and I won't sign up for it due to their political position on certain things I consider important. If someone won't accept a postal money order, I don't need to deal with them.

Time out. Back on April 5, didn't you agree to buy the box from another member? What happened to that, did you stiff him after agreeing to buy it after he cut his price in HALF for you?

:agree: Waste of time and money.

245s are a 30.5" tire http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_li ... Tires.html 265s are a 31.6" http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_li ... Tires.html Not to quote, just general info the thread :thumbsup: Yes, and if you look at actual tire dimensions, most 30" tires are really 29.5" most 31" tires are really around 30.5, and most 32" tires are really around 31.5".

If you have a good block, with no core shift issues, you can get to 4.6L and probably 4.7L. Going beyond that requires sleeving the block. Dang! I worked on this so long ago that my spreadsheet is (was) in Quattro Pro ... and I no longer have anything that'll open a Quattro Pro spreadsheet. IIRC, the rule of thumb is that using the 4.2L crank, a .030 overbore gets you 4.5L, .060 over gets you 4.6L, and .090 over gets you 4.7L. Anything beyond .090 over gets you into deep pockets territory.

No. But the best way is the way I described -- by feel, not by eye. You should feel ZERO flex.

What y'all are forgetting is that lift provides VERTICAL clearance. unless you have a LOT of lift, you still have to consider exactly what's happening here -- the shoulder of the tire hitting the corners of the flares when turning. And, of course, lift doesn't help at all with regard to rubbing on the lower control arms. A 265/75-16 is the equivalent of a 32" tire. That's fairly large for daily driver duty. Personally, I'd sell them and go back to 245s.

Mine are all Renix, not HO, but the issues remain the same. The stroker is created by using the crank from the older 4.2L engine. Due to minor differences in deck height and wrist pin height between the two engines, there's an issue of higher compression to be dealt with. After a LOT of research (because the idea of a stroker and the resultant torque sings a siren song in my head), I finally gave up. I can't afford a HESCO, and there are too many issues involved for me to attempt doing it on my own. That's not because I'm afraid to build an engine -- I've done two for my old autocross/hillclimb cars. It's just that you can't simply buy parts and assemble them without creating problems. And the notion of trying to solve a high compression problem by decking the block (thus INCREASING compression still more) to optimize "quench" is just too much for my little brain to deal with. Start saving your lunch money.

I would go with 30x9.50 for tires, on factory 7" rims, and either no lift or at most a 2" budget boost.

Lower control arm.

Yes. You can't check anything with the tires off the ground, unless the parts are falling aapart. Tires ON the ground, steering straight ahead. You need an assistant. Turn the key to unlock. Don't start the engine, just unlock the steering column. Now -- have your assistant turn the steering wheel back and forth through the range that ALMOST turns the tires, but not quite. The idea is to not actually move the tread patch on the ground, but to load the various tie rod ends, pitman arm, track bar, etc. While your helper wiggles the steering wheel back and forth, you crawl underneath and put your hand on each fitting in turn. Wear nitrile exam gloves. You can FEEL a tie rod end flexing against the part it fits into even if your eye can't see the movement. Check tie rod ends (inner and outer), upper and lower end of the track bar, the TRE end of the pitman arm, and also feel for lateral flex of the steering box output shaft (the spline that the pitman arm attaches to). You can use the same method to check (visually, this time) for excess over center free play in the steering box. Again, move the steering wheel back and forth while standing outside the vehicle and watching the left front tire. Do NOT actually turn the tire -- just turn the wheel through the pre-move-the-tire range. There should be almost zero actual "free" (as in loosey goosey) play across center. It should transition from slight resistance left to slight resistance right almost instantly.

The new Wranglers have, I believe, 6-speed trannies. If the 231 will bolt up, a 242 should bolt up. Although there are factors such as input shaft length and spline count to be investigated.

If it's the 6 speed from the TJ, it's not a double overdrive trans. It's got a grannied first, 5th is 1:1 and 6th is overdrive. Yeah, but then if you run tall gears (like 3.08) then it becomes the equivalent. Don't get stuck focusing just on the transmission -- what counts is the overall final drive ratio. Say you run a 5-speed with 4.11 gears. 4th gear final ratio is 4.11, and 5th gear is 4.11x.75 = 3.08 So if you run a 6-speed with a 1:1 5th, run 3.08 axles and 5th gear is the equivalent of what your OD is now, and the 6th gear becomes a second overdrive.

The problem most people report from using either aftermarket clutch hydraulics or rebuild kits is that they start to leak after six months or less. The originals in my '88 Cherokee lasted from January 1988 to somewhere around 1999 or 2000 ... a modest 204,000 miles, with no leakage. Finally did the clutch at 204,000 because the release bearing part of the slave assembly started growling. I asked my retired Jeep service manager friend what he recommended for parts, and he said, "How long did the factory parts last you again?" I may not be the brightest bulb in the string, but I can take a hint when you whack me over the head with it. Trouble is, the old XJs and MJs have been out of production so long that aftermarket now seems to be the only choice. That's why I favor using DOT-5 silicone brake fluid in the clutch (as well as the brakes). It isn't corrosive, and it isn't hygroscopic. It costs more than regular brake or clutch fluid, but who wants to drop a tranny and transfer case every six months to replace another leaky slave cylinder?

Seriously, always run fog (and/or driving or off-road) lights through a relay as well as a fuse. On my '88 MJ that once had factory fogs (but not when I got it), the relay is on the left radiator support, right next to the driver's side radiator tank.

Whatever you're drinking, I'll try one.

The nut has full thread engagement. Why does it need to go farther?

I don't know. I bought genuine Jeep parts from my parts guru at the dealership, so I just plugged it in.

What clutch "cable"? You should have a master cylinder, a combination throw bearing & slave cylinder, and a tube/hose to connect them. The connector should have metal tubing on both ends and a length of flex hose in the middle. Definitely replace all three. I skipped the flex hose on my XJ when I did the clutch, and halfway from home to a trail ride in Maine the hose blew at a toll station on the Massachusetts Turnpike. I had to drive 100 miles back to home with no clutch. Possible, but not fun. I'll also suggest using DOT-5 silicone brake fluid instead of regular brake or clutch fluid. It seems the aftermarket and rebuilt clutch hydraulics don't typically last very long, and if the master cylinder leaks it'll likely ruin your fuse panel. IMHO the silicone is not as likely to leak, and if it does it won't corrode the electrical connections. The safe approach is to replace the flywheel. If it looks good and doesn't show any heat spots or cracks, you could probably re-use it. Problem is, you won't know until you have it out. I didn't replace it on my XJ, but I bought that new and I'm the only driver, so I knew I had never slipped it or overheated it. For my 87 MJ, I bought that used and the clutch was funky from the day I got it, so I'll put a new flywheel on that when I do the clutch as insurance. Whatever you do, DO NOT resurface the old flywheel. The factory service manual specifically says not to, and many who have tried it anyway have regretted it.

^^^ :agree: In fact, take the nuts back off and apply anti-seize now. It'll save a lot of headaches down the road.

It can also be the plug wires themselves. If the outer insulation jacket is wet/damp and the inner insulation is aged or deteriorated, the wires will cross-fire. Looks pretty spectacular if you pop the hood on it at night ...

Stock tire size on a 2.5L MJ was either a 195/75-15 or maybe a 205/75-15. That's a 26-1/2" to 27" tire that about 8" wide. A 245/75-16 is 30-1/2" in diameter and 9.6" wide. That's not even close to stock -- it's actually almost a 31x10.50, but slightly narrower. Depending on the wheel backspacing they'll fit, but they'll probably interfere with the wheel wells in front on sharp turns. And IMHO they'll kill your gas mileage. Overdrive will be useless.

And as far as I know they use the same shocks.

Some people are just idjits. Many years ago, I finally decided to sell the last of my pony cars, a 1968 Javelin that I bought new while I was in Vietnam so it would be waiting for me when I came home. I had just put a fresh engine in it, but I was married and looking for a more practical vehicle so the Javelin had to go. My then-wife's mother lived right on a major road in the town where she grew up, and we lived in a condo off a side street, so we parked it in front of the mother-in-law's house with a 'For sale" sign and phone number in the window. Several days later I got a call from a guy who had seen the car and just HAD to have it. We arranged for me to meet him at the MIL's house at 6:00 p.m. the next evening, after I got off work. (Mind you, this was a 45 minute drive -- each way -- from where I lived.) So I was there at 5:45. 6:00 came and went -- no buyer. 6:30 came and went -- no buyer. Around 6:45 I called the number he had given me. His father answered, and told me his son had gone out drinking with some of his buddies. I explained who I was and what was supposed to be going down, gave him the MIL's phone number (this was LONG before cell phones), and asked him to have his son call if he heard from him. At 7:30 there was a knock on the door. MIL answered. It was a really nice looking, clean-cut kid and his girlfriend. They were driving by, saw the car, and wondered if it was still for sale. I told him it was. We went for a test drive, he loved the car, we settled on a price close to what I was asking, and he gave me a $100 cash down payment. Done. By the time he left, it was probably 8:30. Around 8:45 the phone rang. It was the original buyer, calling to say he was on his way. I told him not to bother, that the car was sold. Holy hand grenade, Batman -- the guy went ballistic. He started ranting and raving that that was HIS car and I had NO RIGHT to sell HIS car after he had said he wanted it (which he hadn't, we were meeting so he could decide IF he wanted it), he was going to sue me, he was going to track me down and f*** me over, yada yada. I finally broke in, told him to shut the f*** up, reminded him that we had an appointment for 6:00 and it was now 9:00, so he only himself to blame ... and I reminded him that I was a Vietnam combat veteran so if he wanted to come f*** me over he'd better bring several large friends. Never heard from him again. But they're out there.