Eagle

This is correct. An optional rear axle was offered for the '86, and a gas station down the road used to have an '86 4-banger for plowing his driveway that had it. But the heavy duty axle for the '86 model year was the AMC Model 20.

Close. On the '88 XJ the operable vent windows were a fairly expensive option. I paid extra to get them, and they leaked from the day I bought the vehicle. After two complaints to the dealer, they had me come in when the zone rep was there. He said they all leaked, and the factory had a recommended fix. "What's the fix?" I asked. "Replace them with non-operable windows," was the answer. But ... they wouldn't refund the money I had paid to get the operable windows, so I told him to put his fix where the sun doesn't shine. I went home, opened the vents, and glopped up the gaskets with NAPA Sil-Glyde silicone paste lube.

The high sulpher gear oil is a known problem for the AX-15, so it is reasonable to conclude that it's probably also a problem for the AX-5. Red Line or Amsoil full synthtic gear oil are safe for the AX-15. I'd suggest one of those.

Backspacing is not the same as offset. Backspacing is the dimension from the wheel mounting surface to the inner flange of the rim. Stock for an XJ or MJ with 15x7 OEM rims is 5-1/4". Backspacing does not take into account rim width or centerline. If you have a 15x10 rim and a 15x8 rim, and they both have 4" of backspacing, the 15x10 rim will extend OUT by 2 more inches. They will both be the same distance from the control arms. That's for the rim. If the inner flange is in the same position for both but the 15x10 has the outer flange 2" farther outboard, then obviously the centerline of the 15x10 must be 1" farther outboard than a 15x8. So now if you mount a 12.5" tire on each rim, the centerline of the tire will be 1" farther out with the 15x10 ... or the centerline of the tire will be 1" closer to the control arms with the 15x8, even though the inboard flange is in the same position.

What's the deal with putting dry ice on a ding? Does it work? Has anyone tried it?

I'm sure we have a few members who are professional auto body workers. I need some advice/instruction. We have a 2000 XJ Classic, that I managed to keep completely pristine and unmarked for several years. Then I remarried, and turned it over to my wife. She doesn't really care about cars, and she doesn't like to walk, so she refuses to park any farther away from a store entrance than she possibly can. The result is a bunch of door dings, and it makes me ill just looking at the poor XJ. I can't afford to hire Dent Wizard to smooth them all out. I'm hoping somebody can clue me in as to the general procedure involved. I assume the drill is the remove the inner door panel and tap out the dents. Do I put a dolly on the OUTside and tap from inside with a long-nose body hammer? Or do I hold the dolly on the inside and tap from the outside? Whichever goes on the outside, what's used to protect the paint? Cloth? Thin sheet or rubber or plastic? What's the secret to the wizard's wizardry?

I may have to retract the above statement. I was about to type "I've never seen one like that," but if they were used in the late 90s on XJs, it might be more accurate to say "I never noticed one like that." It actually makes sense, considering that the majority of XJs never went off-road. I've had to repair or replace a number of the folding mirrors because the outer part of the notch into which the retainer rods fit broke off in cold weather, and the spring subsequently became too weak to hold the mirror in position at speeds faster than about 40 or 45 MPH.

Interesting. Cheap copies. Jeep never made a mirror like that.

Vacuum and all the rest of that does not affect the clutch or the transmission. What affects the clutch and transmission is the clutch and the transmission. If you can't shift the transmission with the engine running, but it will shift with the engine turned off, the clutch is not disengaging. First thing is to try bleeding it again/more, as already suggested. The other possibility you aren't going to like -- are you certain you installed the clutch disk with the correct side facing the flywheel?

Words are never adequate at times like this. Jeff, my condolences. At least you were blessed to be able to spend time with your mother before she departed. I was away on a trip when my mother died. I went to her house when I got home and found her ...

Hook up a fan.

In my state nobody has to "do" anything. If I ever sell the vehicle, I just state on the title that the odometer mileage shown is not correct because the odometer was replaced. However ... the odometer can be adjusted, and I'm pretty certain there are instructions on this forum somewhere. Dunno if it's legal to do it yourself -- probably depends on your state's laws.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=27191

If you mean the pressure plate for an AX-15 and a 4.0L engine, I think the pressure plate will be too big to fit in the smaller 2.5L bell housing. Dumb question: Since the bell housing to make this work is from a Dakota that mates the AX-15 to the 2.5L engine -- why not use the Dakota clutch that goes with that engine and tranny combination?

What makes you think that? Think about what's happening when you turn the front wheels. If you're stopped and try to turn the wheels, the inside tire actually has to rotate backwards while the outside tire has to rotate forwards. If the axle is effectively a solid axle (locked), that ain't gonna work. Even if you're moving, the difference between the inner and outer tires is significant even in a gentle turn. I'd say you have identified your problem.

I agree with the above. You can get the motor mounts and such from a 2.8L XJ or MJ (1984-1986), but the 2.8L was carbureted, not fuel injected. Other than motor mounts, manifolds, and brackets, not much elese will work. And you can't use the 2.8L flywheel. The 2.8L was externally balanced -- meaning the flywheel has an eccentric weight on it. By the time GM got around to the 3.1/3.4L engines, they had that figured out and the flywheels were neutrally balanced. To use a 2.8L flywheel, you can send it to a shop and have the eccentric weight cut off and the flywheel rebalanced. If you have an automatic, you have to figure out a way to get a torque converter neutral balanced. A late model, multi-port 2.5L will not equal the horsepower of a 3.4L V-6, but overall would be a big step up from your throttle body 2.5L and probably easier to accomplish overall.

Likewise, I have access to two local, old line commercial spring shops where I can get them custom bent to order. If I didn't live within range of these shops, I would start on-line with Husky Spring.

The good news is that your "new" cluster is the new type, so there is a potentiometer you can use to calibrate the tach to your 4-cylinder engine (assuming it probably came out of a 4.0L vehicle). As to the lights, first I would check all the bulbs to be sure they aren't burned out. Easy to check -- rotate the socket a quarter turn (counter-clockwise, IIRC) and pull it out. The bulb is a press-in fit. If the bulb is clear, it should be good. If the glass looks blackened or smokey, it's burned out. There's also a fuse in the fuse panel for the cluster lights. Check that. And you are correct, the speedo cable is different.

Not possible with the 4.0L. For some reason, although the 2.5L is based on the same design, supposedly you can remove the lifters without pulling the head. I have not done it, so I can't confirm or refute.

Dynamite. Then you won't be tempted to try repairing it again.

Only if the motor mounts are bad. When my '88 Cherokee 4.0L hit around 100k one of the motor mounts broke. I drove it like that for several weeks and the fan never hit the shroud. As already suggested, try urethane motor mounts.

Actually it could very well be related to the fact he has a stroker. I'd try some urethane motor/trans mounts. That would be the best solution to that problem IMO. How? The stroker uses the same block and the same peripherals as a stock 4.0L so HOW could changing the crankshaft and rods inside the engine make the fan hit the shroud?

220 is not hot. 210 is the normal operating temperature. If the needle doesn't get into the red, I wouldn't worry about it. I doubt you can actually read the difference between 210 and 220 on the gauge. If the mechanical fan rubs the shroud, you have a problem that should be addressed that's unrelated to temperature and not related to the fact you have a stroker. I'd figure out what the problem is before making wholesale changes to the cooling system.

The rule of thumb is that you can run tires up to 4 inches wider than your rims, so with 7-inch rims you can run up to 11-inch tires. I have seen 33x9.50-15 tires on XJs, but I don't know if they are still available. I'm pretty sure that 33x10.50-15 is an available size. However ... if I may, I'd like to propose that you seem to be approaching this backwards. The goal should be to lift as little as possible to run the tire size you need to get the vehicle where you'll be going. That means you should select the tire size FIRST, then decide how much lift you actually need in order to run those tires. 6 inches sounds like a lot of lift to run 33s when you can run 31x10.50s with zero lift.

As already noted, the new style fenders are more rounded at the top, where the old style have a chamfer or bevel. When you put the new header on the old fenders, the upper/outside corner of the header extends beyond that chamfer. If you don't want to buy new fenders, a work-around is to fill in the back of those rounded corners with Bondo before you mount the header. Once it's in place, you shave down the corners to blend into the chamfered profile of the old style fenders. What you wind up with is the new style grille but not the more rounded profile of the newer fenders.