Eagle

Why unlock the column? With the front wheels strapped into the dolly there's no way they can turn relative to the body anyway.

The 2-door XJ quarter has smaller wheel arches, and the body line creases are at a different height than an MJ. There's no way you can use a large section of quarter panel from an XJ to repair an MJ and have it look right (or match the other side). What you can do is cut sections out of the XJ wheel arch flange and weld them onto the MJ to cover/replace rust. Since the flares are very different in size, I believe the hole spacing for the flare retainers is also different, but those can be redrilled once you have a solid flange there to work on.

No.

Must be. What the heck -- a coil is a coil. All it does is convert 12 volts into 60,000 volts. It fires one cylinder at a time, so it doesn't care if the engine is a 4 banger, 6 cylinder, or "Vee Ayte."

??? There ARE NO Renix YJs. The YJ remained carbureted until 1991, when all the Jeep models changed over to the Chrysler "HO" configuration.

I think that would be correct. The thingie in the front on the XJ is a proportioning valve. The thingie in the front of the MJ performs no proportioning. It is a distribution block, AND an emergency bypass valve in the case of losing the front brakes. What I see as the flaw in your thinking is that your "solution" retains all the disadvantages of having the rear height-sensing valve but eliminates the one advantage it offers. You will still have two hard lines, doubling the length of steel tube exposed to rusting out. And you still have a 20+ year old time bomb that could explode (like mine did) in a panic stop. The better way to accomplish having constant rear brakes set for light loading is to use a single line with a Wilwood adjustable proportioning valve. Or run a single line and run smaller wheel cylinders in the rear brakes. Back up in this thread and look at the cut-away photo of the MJ front metering block. There are TWO outlets that feed to the rear. The outlet that comes out of the "nose" of the metering block is the outlet that normally feeds to the rear axle. The line from that outlet always has full pressure. It goes into the rear height-sensing valve, where the valve proportions how much of the pressure is allowed to go to the brakes. The outlet on the front bottom is the emergency bypass. Normally, it is blocked by the sliding shuttle valve that runs horizontally across the top. If you lose the front brakes, the pressure differential causes that shuttle valve to slide, opening up the bypass port. (NOTE: As was commented when I first posted the photo, the unit in the photo is DEFECTIVE! The factory did not finish boring the hole for the bypass circuit, so it looks like that outlet has no fluid supply.) That outlet has a hard line that tees into the rear circuit AFTER the height sensing valve, so when in bypass mode you always get full pressure to the rear brakes. Yes, you could simply block the front/bottom out let on the metering block and block off the tee fitting after the height sensing valve to eliminate the bypass circuit. That, IMHO, would be a very poor approach. You will still have a 20+ year old height sensing valve that may explode in a panic stop. At least if you leave the height sensing valve connected to the actuator rod you would be offsetting the risk by having a functional height sensing valve. If you are just going to fix the arm in one position, why risk driving ab=round with a time bomb when you can eliminate that and use a device that's MADE for the purpose -- the Wilwood manually adjustable proportioning valve?

Two points: First, a Dana 60 is a BIG and HEAVY axle. It's pretty much serious overkill for a Comanche. What size tires are you planning to run? Second, there's a big difference (2 inches) between 68" and 70". Your post makes it sound like you regard that much difference as no big deal, but it could be a VERY big deal. With a standard (factory) MJ rear axle, the tires ride very close to the rear springs and the the frame and inner fender. Running 31.10.50s on factory rims, I came back from every off-road trip with new black rubber scuff marks on the insides of my rear fender liners. Awhile back, someone had a home-brewed spring pack undo itself (I don't recall if he omitted the spring clamps, or if they broke) and slashed the sidewall of a tire when one of the leaves turned just a little bit in the pack. You need to take some measurements, figure out what size tires and wheels you'll be running (including backspacing), and see if that monster will even fit under there. (Or, going the other way, how wide you'll need for flares if it's a lot wider than a stock axle.)

Let's try a bit of Sherlock Holmes style deductive reasoning. The problems occur after it reaches operating temperature. During warmup, it runs in "open loop" mode, ignoring certain sensor inputs and using a programmed fuel map in the ECO to control the fuel delivery. Once it warms up and switches to "closed loop mode." it then responds to input from sensors. Clearly, then, the basic systems are okay and the problem lies with one (hopefully not more than one) of the sensors that get bypassed in open loop mode. The oxygen sensor is one of those, so that's one to check. Not sure if the MAP sensor is skipped in open lop mode. What else is there?

I suspect the difference is that the Peugeot may use the other set of mounting bolt locations for the crossmember. There are two sets, one being 4" farther to the rear than the other.

Rear main seal in a can? :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

I wondered the same thing. A Mighty-Vac will bleed even if the master cylinder is bad, because it doesn't rely on the master cylinder to move any fluid. Hoses down, bleeders up.

That's not limited to MJs, however. My brother had a '92 Nissan that he used for plowing -- in Connecticut. The frame snapped between the cab and the box. He didn't do commercial plowing. He did his driveway, my driveway, and one or two neighbors.

If its being welded a grade 8 is thicker and harder. making it a much better candidate to being welded. Bepending on the size of the hole/damage it may/could work without welding. But welding it makes for a better/stronger repair... not getting lazy in your "older" age are you my friend?? :wavey: CW Me? Lazy? OLD!?! Just a-wonderin', is all. The hole is still there in the backing plate, just a bit egged out. The washer isn't going anywhere, so I don't see how strength would be at all a factor. And thicker, in this case, is not a good thing. Too thick, and the retaining fingers on the cable end can't snap out and do any retaining. To be honest, unless the holes are REALLY hogged out, I think the first thing I would try is putting the cables in and spreading the fingers a bit wider with a screwdriver or pliers.

Why would the washer have to be welded, and why would it have to be grade 8?

I don't know. I have always stripped bare rims. Don't forget, it's usually wheel weights that start messing up the clear coat, and if you work with a mounted tire you're working around the weights. Plus, you can't clean the surface the tire bead actually seats against.

Aircraft stripper. Do NOT leave it on too long or you'll etch the aluminum. Polish with any good aluminum polish (such as Mother's). Coat with clear in the aerosol cans, but don't expect it to last as long as a factory finish.

The XJ and MJ never came from the factory with any form of "traction device" in the front axle. Smoke.

How fast are you trying to haul it down? The original (1968 - 1970) Javelins and AMXs had small-ish NON-VENTED rotors on the front and drums on the rear. My '68 Javelin was good for a verified 147 MPH and I never had a rotor turn blue. They did have a tendency to warp over time, and when I built another car as a dedicated road race/hillclimber I swapped in the larger, ventilated rotors (and matching calipers) from a '73 AMC Rebel. But I still think you have a functional problem in the front brakes.

PA is "up" from CT ???

USA Seriously -- going to any Sears or similar chain for repairs of anything important is a gamble, and the odds are stacked against you.

"I love it when a plan comes together." * Colonel Hannibal Smith, The A-Team

The problem is, every time that old joint bangs around in there it's egging out the once-round holes in the yokes, and if those holes get too far out of round and/or oversized, the replacement bearing caps won't stay in place. At that point, you're looking at new axles instead of just new u-joints.

Absolutely, take it back and complain -- LOUDLY. If they give you any static whatsoever, don't argue -- just drive directly to the nearest department of motor vehicles office (or whatever agency in your state licenses repair facilities) and file a formal complaint. The gorilla who did that job should be sweeping floors, not working on automotive suspensions.

The '86 2.5L is throtlle body injected. The injection/ignition system, although throttle body rather than multi-port, is based on the same Renix system used in the early 4.0L trucks (and XJs). The fuel-air mix is controlled by the oxygen sensor, which is located in the exhaust pipe (or manifold, don't recall for the 2.5L). If you smell gas and you're getting black soot from the tailpipe, you're probably running very rich and a bad oxygen sensor would be the first "likely suspect."

I think the resident Amsoil guru is whowey