Eagle

Ignition key was six tumblers, doors and glove box key was five.

To repeat: They work. I am currently running 31x10.50-15s on an '88 XJ, which has smaller rear wheel arches than the MJ, with NO lift on the original, 287,000 mile suspension. Just buy the Rubicon tires and wheels. They'll work fine.

I shoot at a range where one of the members works at a nearby locksmith. I'm pretty sure they can make keys from the cylinders. If you're interested in sending me one or both cylinders to have him do it, let me know and I'll ask him what it would cost -- and whether he can work from one cylinder or if he needs both.

Most Comanches -- 2WD or 4WD -- had a Dana 35 rear axle. From 1986 through 1989 the Dana 35s did not use C-clips to retain the axle shafts. From 1990 through 1992 the Dana 35s were C-clip axles. The Chrysler 8.25 rear axle that was available in newer Cherokees was not used in the Comanche. In 1986 only, the standard axle was the Dana 35 and the heavy-duty axle was an AMC Model 20.

Those tires are roughly the same size as 31x10.50-15s. They'll fit okay, but you will probably find that the inside shoulders rub against the lower control arms on tight turns. We all have the same problem when running 31s on factory 15" rims, and a lift does NOT cure it.

Clogged catalytic converter?

It doesn't affect the engine, so it can't produce more (or less) power. ALL it does is change the shift points, and make the tranny engage the gears more softly (which, as noted, equates to more slippage and more wear on the bands).

Google "Distributor Index"

A locker only locks when there is power being sent to the axle. On the street, the front axle is disengaged and no power is being sent to it, so the locker should never engage.

I prefer to jack by the axle, and use jack stands as safety supports. With the chassis weight on the axle, the shocks should be sitting at the approximate mid-point of their travel range. Actually, driving up on ramps is an ideal way to access shocks for replacement.

By early style do you mean the Renix years? My 91 uses only one key for everything, including the glove compartment. Guess you could find a 91+ XJ/MJ and take all the lock cylinders out of it. I wasn't certain when Chrysler changed to one key, so I really meant "the 2-key years." Maybe that neatly corresponds to the Renix years, which ended with the 1990 model year.

You will need to replace both the door locks and the ignition to make this work. The early style ignition keys use 6 tumblers and the door keys only use 5, so they can't be keyed alike even though the ignition key will slide into the door lock.

The bed is only hald on by a few bolts. Why not just pull the whole thing and haul it home? Then it's intact and you can remove what you need more neatly and surgically.

Depending on how hard you push it and how big you plan to go on tires, I would recommend a Detroit TrueTrac limited slip in the rear. It's a mechanical limited slip rather than using clutches like the factory, and it works very well while being completely transparent on the street.

What's a super 88, and how does it eliminate the need for spacers?

I live at elevation 400 feet above sea level. I've been running a high altitude CPS in my '88 Cherokee for several years. No problems. I'm not that religious about keeping track of fuel mileage these days, but the reason I went to the HA CPS was to try to improve the fuel economy, and I think it helps a little.

90,000 (approximately). 4WD has hardly been used at all. Nope. We're using the full-time position, which uses a mechanical differential in the transfer case. Minor (and even more major) differences between front and rear don't matter.

Oh. Dana 60 all the way.

This relates to my wife's 2000 XJ, but it's a 242 so I hope nobody objects to posting this in Tech. I'll move it y'all want. The problem: As most of you know, the 242 has a full-time 4WD position. Our driveway goes up from the house to the street, and it's basically a sheet of ice at the moment so we need 4WD to get out. Last night, I drove when we went to dinner. I shifted into 2WD as soon as we were on pavement (which was dry) but I thought I heard a whirring from the transfer case the whole way to Friendly's. Didn't hear it on the way home ... parked head-in, and had to back up to un-park at the restaurant. Today we went to Mickey D's for lunch, and the same thing happened. Had a sharp turn into the driveway when we got there, and the front end was lurching badly -- it was stuck in 4WD full-time, even though the lever was in 2WD and the dash lights were off. I put it in reverse and backed up "smartly" for several car lengths, then braked hard. After that, we were in 2WD. Has anybody experienced having a 242 transfer case not shift out of full-time when shifting on the fly? Any suggestions for a fix, other than change the juice and keep my fingers crossed?

ONCE ... in a pinch, to help out a NAXJA friend, I towed a stripped XJ shell on an aluminum (as in, lightweight) two-axle trailer about 50 miles. NEVER AGAIN!!!!! Very VERY bad idea.

Why? The OEM muffler is not center-in center-out.

With the closed system you still have to purge trapped air. My method is to run it until it's hot, then shut it off. As it cools, it'll suck the coolant out of the reservoir. Once it stops sucking, fill it to the halfway mark and repeat. And repeat ... until it doesn't suck any more coolant when it cools down. Remember that the coolant bottle is an expansion tank. it must NOT be filled to the cap -- it is supposed to be filled halfway ... no more.

You have the terminology reversed. The unit on the firewall is the clutch master cylinder. The one in the bellhousing is the slave cylinder.

They should pay you to take it away. The 5.9L is a strong engine, but the fuel economy is horrible -- single digits around town is not unusual.

It isn't exactly a Jeep, either. You asked ... I do not consider a Humvee to be a FSJ. Personally, I don't even consider it to be a Jeep. I consider a Humvee to be a Humvee.