Eagle

:agree: This. Why pump more of the crappy old stuff through the system? Siphone the old gunk out of the reservoir, refill with new joy juice, and save a lot of bleeding. But I can't take it all out right? Because I'm not supposed to let it go dry, right? :dunce: Yes, you can take it all out. A turkey baster will never suck fluid up out of the orifices in the bottom, all you're doing is emptying out the cruddy old fluid that you would be pushing through the lines to dump anyway. Suck the reservoirs as dry as you can get them, wipe up the gunky residue with a clean rag, then fill with clean brake fluid and bleed normally. Once you start bleeding clean fluid through the lines, THEN it's important not to let it go dry or you'll be letting air into the system.

:agree: This. Why pump more of the crappy old stuff through the system? Siphone the old gunk out of the reservoir, refill with new joy juice, and save a lot of bleeding.

Don't forget a relay and a fuse. I don't recall the fuse rating on the old ones, but the aux fan on my wife's 2000 XJ locked up and blew the fuse. The fuse for that sucker is a 40-amp fuse ...

It has nothing to do with the transmission. It has to do with the full-time transfer case. Putting it in neutral disconnects the transmission from the transfer case, but it doesn't disconnect the front drive shaft from the rear drive shaft. They remain connected to the internal coupling.

Yes, there is. If the two pieces aren't at least similar in thickness, you don't get penetration on the thick piece without burning through the thin piece.

IIRC the aux fan is controlled by a standard relay that's attached to the inside of the driver's side fender, either between the air box and the inner fender or maybe just behind it. When I bought my '88 MJ the aux fan didn't work. When I finally got to checking that relay, the terminals were so badly corroded that they just snapped off. I had to cut off the old plug, solder on five standard spade terminals onto the wires, and connect them individually to a new relay.

Take anything that's not rusted beyond recognition or welded solidly to the unibody. Steel wheels are able to take more punishment off-road, but they weigh more. I used to run steel by choice, but with a bad back I'm finding the weight a severe drawback, so I'm putting everything on alloys now.

I bought my '88 Cherokee new. About six months after I bought it, the dealership was sold and the new owners immediately laid off my racing buddy, who had worked there his entire life, from an oil change monkey at the age of 16 all the way up to service manager. So I started having service done at a different dealership (that was actually a bit closer to home). At one point, they talked me into having a TSB job done (not a recall, so I paid for it) to cut out the C101 connector on the firewall and hard-connect each pair of wires. They claimed this would improve fuel economy, improve performance, save me money, have beautiful women begging me for dates ... just about anything they could think of, this TSB was supposed to fix. All lies, of course, but ... One of the things they said it would fix was a syndrome chronic to the Renix XJs and MJs called "early morning drive-off stall." What you describe sounds exactly like that. The engine starts right up in the morning, idles fine in the driveway ... and stalls (ONCE) when you start to drive. Start it up again, and it's fine for the rest of the day. The next day ... rinse and repeat. Needless to say, the $500 TSB to remove the C101 connector did NOT cure the "early morning drive-off stall," and when I later confronted the service manager about it he flat out denied that he had ever said that. If that's what you have ... there is no real fix for it. It either goes away on its own ... or it doesn't.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=22309&p=229974&hilit=hubs+rotors+knuckles#p229974 Scroll down to my post -- about the sixth reply in the thread

I read those codes off the keys I've been using to drive my '88 Cherokee for 23 years. I had copies made when I bought the Cherokee new and I put the originals away so I would always have a fresh template for making duplicates. Those ARE the numbers. If a B46 didn't work, you need to find someone who knows how to use a key cutting machine.

The BEST way (and fast) would be to send it out and have it blasted with baking soda. It will take off the old paint, but it won't damage the metal. It won't even damage the glass. A friend had his pride-and-joy 1949 Hudson coupe stripped to bare metal with a baking soda blast and it was beautiful. You can imagine what 60-year old windshield glass probably looked like, right? It came back from the blaster looking like new glass.

I don't know if the numbers translate between brands, but in Cole (National Key) the correct blanks are RA3 for the doors and B46 for the ignition.

Spacers also decrease caster angle, and that is often a contributing factor in causing death wobble. Get an alignment. Have your tires balanced.

On an '87 MJ you don't have a Check Engine light.

He has a 2.5L. It is NOT pressurized. Move it anywhere you want, and use whatever size will fit.

Bleeding the brakes won't help if the rear brakes are not adjusted. Replacing the steering box is not difficult, but usually isn't necessary. Have you verified that the looseness you think you perceive in the steering is actually in the steering box? For me, that's the LAST thing I would consider -- and I would try adjusting it before I'd replace it. Checking the steering box for looseness is easy. Park on level ground with the wheels straight ahead. Turn off the engine, but leave the key in the OFF position, not the LOCKED position. Stand outside the vehicle and reach in through the window or open door and gently try to turn the wheel back and forth. How much free play is there? (Free play) is the amount of movement between any movement of the tires. You're looking for how much you can move the steering wheel with NO movement of the tires.)

Make sure it's a Cherokee Dana 44, not a GRAND Cherokee Dana 44.

What part of New York are you in?

I ran 31x10.50s, with the basic 4-inch lift that the Trailmaster kit provided. I would agree, if you add another couple of inches of lift and then larger tires, the brackets will be riding 3+ inches higher off the ground than my rig. That would do a lot to reduce the "rock magnet" factor.

I'm not sure what's going on from your post -- you are aware that the factory bumper mounting brackets bolt to the frame rails, right? And that aftermarket bumpers typically require removing the factory brackets and bolting the new bumper to the frame using the same mounting points. How did you get the old bumper off if you didn't remove the factory mounting brackets? Universal brackets are available from Westin (Fey): http://westin.iwebcat.com/v5/Members/lo ... nting+Kit&

Hum? ROAR is more like it. I tried them once -- unbearable.

Tire balance. TIRE BALANCE TIRE BALANCE TIRE BALANCE

My '88 MJ had a set of Trailmaster drop brackets installed when I bought it. They are very good quality (if still available?), and they did what they were intended to do -- provide 4 inches of lift while maintaining stock control arm geometry. Remember, though, that any lift (even with drop brackets) will pull the axle to the driver's side, so you still need an adjustable track bar. I wheeled my '88 all over New England and at Paragon with the brackets. What I found was that they were "rock magnets." They are hanging down 4 inches and they are RIGHT behind the front tires. Roll over an obstacle, and the chassis comes down on the brackets. I ultimately removed them and I was much happier without them -- and I still am. A friend had them in his Cherokee. He ripped one out of the frame pocket up at the Mohawk Trail in Massachusetts, and had to have a repair welded in place before he could drive the vehicle home. If all you want is 4 inches of lift for street cruising, they're fine. That's what they are for, IMHO.

Here you go. As when I posted this previously, this is from a draft of a book I started. This material IS copyrighted, by me, and by posting it here I do NOT grant anyone permission to reproduce it anywhere else. Please respect that.

Pull the bulb. It doesn't always come on a 2K -- it's controlled by a mix of vehicle speed, engine RPM and load (engine vacuum). I've seen mine tell me to upshift from 4th to 5th going UPHILL at 35 MPH. Brain-dead piece of enviro-crap.