Eagle

You swapped in a 4WD front axle? Did you just bolt it in and drive, or did you make some attempt to check the alignment? Caster angle is an important factor in the death wobble equation (although you haven't told us enough to know if you actually have death wobble). The caster is adjusted by adding or removing shims in the lower control arm frame pockets. I'm going to guess that you didn't know anything about that (which is not a mortal sin) and just threw the "new" axle in there with whatever shims were set up for the original axle. You need an alignment.

I have an '86 2.5L and an '88 2.5L, both with PS and w/o A/C. Both have vee belts. I think if they had PS and A/C they would have had serpentine belts.

Even at 75 MPH the engine is still only turning about 2000 RPM. That's more than 2000 RPM below the torque peak and the horsepower peak. Even at 75, if you punch an auto it'll downshift. There's a reason. BTW -- another reason not to compare a 5-speed to an automatic is that the automatics have different axle gearing.

I might have, back in 1987 or 1988. My '88 XJ (bought new) was the first new car I ever bought that had power steering, and the reason I got it was that I ordered over the phone (dealer was a long-time friend of the family, so we trusted each other) and I forgot to mention a delete on the power steering. But ... I'm glad, because my manual steering setups were quick-ratio boxes in Javelins and AMXs. They had a 16:1 ratio. The manual box in the XJ and MJ is (IIRC) 28:1. I could die of old age before cranking it from one lock to the opposite lock. Back to the original poster: No mention of engine, but he did specify no A/C. A 4.0L without PS or A/C will probably still have a serpentine belt, but a 2.5L will probably have a vee belt.

I just went back and looked at the photos again. It appears that the driver's seat is not a power seat. The driver's seat in my 2000 XJ Sport is a power seat, and I think that was standard. I think it's clear that this was a fleet vehicle, probably the U.S., gummint because most state and municipal agencies don't buy large enough numbers to be able to delete standard features such as roof racks and power seats.

:sniff: Moderately amusing, at best. The problem, of course, was the professor mixing writers of different genres and expecting the result to be a coherent entity. When you attempt to mix romance novellas with science fiction, this is what results (this, or a SNL skit). In general, I think Bill was the better writer, but he needs help with his fact checking. Anyone who is anyone should know that Anu’udrian motherships never carried lithium fusion missiles. In general, they were armed with the more advanced nuclear anti-matter bypass ymitters ("NAMBYs," to the cognoscenti), with lithium ionization enduction bombs (a.k.a. "LIEs") for back-up.

Expensive to fix .. no. But power steering was an option. I don't think he means it's broken, I think he means it has manual steering. To convert to power steering you will need a power steering box, a pump, the connecting hose (if you buy junkyard, do NOT reuse the old hoses), and the mounting brackets. An MJ without power steering may also not use a serpentine belt, so you'll either have to look for a setup from an MJ or XJ with vee belts, or else convert ... which means replacing the water pump.

Are you saying that you are trying to accelerate from 50 MPH in 5th gear, and you think you don't have adequate power? If that's what you're saying ... you're right. They put that shifter handle beside your right knee and gave you five forward gears so you can match the engine speed to the road speed for optimum power. Assuming stock tires are gearing, at 50 MPH in 5th gear your engine is turning approximately 1400 RPM. With a 1991 4.0L HO engine, the torque peak on your engine is around 4,300 RPM. For acceleration, you want the engine to be operating somewhere near the torque peak. Of course you aren't getting acceleration. You can't compare a 5-speed to an automatic. The automatic downshifts automatically when you begin to accelerate. You should be doing the same thing with your manual.

I'm pretty certain the roof rack was standard on the Sport. However, the U.S. government bought vehicles in large enough numbers that they probably could have ordered Sport models with a delete option on the roof rack.

Got a photo of the remaining piece on the opposite side? I don't see how any window trim could get knocked off in the woods. Are you asking about a piece of factory trim, or does ("did") your truck have aftermarket rain visors on the side windows?

Not all years. Somewhere in there Jeep started using the same unit bearings as the 4WD on the 2WD XJs and MJs, with a stub axle that was flat on the back instead of having the ears for the u-joints. If the 2WD axle is the type that uses a hub/bearing unit like the 4WDs, it will be the same as the 4WDs for that year used. Just remember that there were changes, they do NOT all interchange. If the 2WD axle has a conventional spindle and wheel bearings -- obviously you can't replace it with a hub/bearing unit. (Nor would it make economic sense to attempt doing so.)

Yes. But the early tachometers did not have an adjustable potentiometer on them, so be sure the cluster comes from a donor vehicle with the same number of cylinders as yours. And I am not certain that the change in speedo cable attachment was between the '87 and '88 model years ... I haven't researched it, but I suspect that it may have been a mid-year change. So double check that the attachment for the donor cluster is the same as on yours.

Insurance rates for a teenage drive in a pickup will be much higher than for a teenager in a Cherokee. And our state law won't allow a teenage driver to carry any passengers other than immediate family for the first two years she's driving (license at 16, no passengers until 18).

Sounds very decent. Good price, too. I wish it weren't quite so far away. My first wife's grandparents lived near Bellefont and we were married in State College, so I remember how far that is -- and this would be about an hour farther. The logistics of checking it out, and then getting to it if I bought it, would be a bit difficult.

The '84 - '87 XJ ('86 - '87 MJ) cluster and the '88 - '90 cluster are both mechanical, but different because of the way the speedometer cable attaches to the speedometer head. They can be interchanged if you also change the speedo cable. Jeep went to an electronic speedometer in 1991. All clusters from '91 - '96 can be swapped. As for resetting the odometer -- I have read some reports of successfully resetting the mechanical ones, while other reports said they broke it in the attempt. I don't know of any way to reset the electronic ones, other than to take/send it to a professional speedometer repair shop.

Quadratec has direct replacements. That's the way to go on a tight budget. If you have the extra money, IMHO it's better to buy one of the all-metal surge tanks available, either the Moroso model or the newer, flat one that fits right on the shelf in place of the factory plastic bottle. If you get the Quadratec plastic one, be sure to get a new cap with it. They used to sell the cap with the bottle as an assembly, but I believe they have now split out the cap as a separate part number.

Our man Brent set up a discount on Ford 19-pound injectors just for Comanche Club members, before he was laid off by the Jeep dealership. As far as I know the discount deal is still valid. Try a search on "injectors" and "discount" and see if the specific turn up.

Why do you want to put bigger injectors in it? Fuel injectors are selected to provide the correct amount of fuel to the engine within an optimum duty cycle range. If you put in bigger injectors, all that will do is result in the ECU chopping off the injector pulse so the injection takes place over a shorter period of time. You won't get any more fuel into the engine, and you may get worse performance. Since most off-road use is low speed and low RPM, there's no way your stumbling can be caused by injectors that are too small. I respectfully suggest that you need to reevaluate.

You buy a new speedometer drive gear with a different number of teeth on it.

Cody, it's B-R-A-K-E-S, not B-R-E-A-K-S. The answer is "Yes." There is no reason to do any more work than necessary. Rip out BOTH old lines going from the front to the rear. One of them comes out of the "nose" of the distribution block (it is not a proportioning valve in the MJ), the other comes out of the forward outlet on the bottom. Plug the old outlet on the forward/bottom of the distribution block. All you need to plug it is a 1/2x20 (fine thread) bolt. To make it neat, saw off the threaded shank to allow the head to seat against the body of the distribution block. I used a 1/2" O-ring under the head to seal it. Run ONE new line from the "nose" outlet of the distribution block to the rear of the truck and connect it directly to the upper end of the rear axle flex hose. Bleed the brakes. Drive. You can leave the abandoned body of the rear height sensing valve on the chassis, or take it off and throw it away. If yours hasn't failed yet, you might want to keep it in case somebody needs one some day for a fully accurate restoration project.

Get it aligned. Pay particular attention to the caster angle. Within spec, more is better.

True. Like mine, for example. Untrue. You may do so if you wish, but I didn't and I'm not sorry. The "replacement" is an XJ proportioning valve. If you study how it works, you'll see that it provides NO advantage in an MJ. The MJ height-sensing valve reduces rear brake force when the truck is unloaded in order to alleviate premature rear brake lockup -- which causes spin-outs in panic stop situations. The XJ proportioning valve reduces rear braking force when the brakes are used lightly, until the pressure rises high enough to move the spring-loaded plunger, after which you get full braking to the rear. So in a full panic stop, the XJ proportioning valve will NOT reduce rear braking force, and will NOT prevent premature lock-up under the exact conditions when you most need it to be prevented. And many others, including myself, do not. Some others prefer to use a mechanically-adjustable Wilwood proportioning valve, and IMHO that is far better than the XJ gizmo that reduces the rear braking when it shouldn't, and doesn't reduce it when it should.

They are supposed to be mailing back my check. When I get it, I have downloaded the DMV complaint form and I will be filing a formal complaint. According to the DMV inspector I spoke with at the main complaint office, any resolution will be determined by the inspector assigned to the case. Turns out they just don't have a clue how to tell the truth ... to anyone. I stopped by the dealership yesterday to pick up clutch parts for the '87 MJ. The guy who had passed my name on to the used car place wasn't there, but the other guys knew about the referral and that the XJ had been sold. Now, remember, I agreed to buy it at the full price on their PRINTED stock list, and they used my contract to induce somebody else to pay more. They told one of the guys from my Jeep dealer's parts room that they "took a $3,000 hit on the sales price." I don't want any further dealings with them. I want only to, if possible, have their license revoked and put them out of business. I may decide to go an entirely different route -- fix up one of the '88 MJs as my daily driver, convert the '88 XJ to automatic with Selec-Trac for the ladies, and call it good. We'll see. I'm still regrouping from the shock of having been done dirt to that extent by a place my Jeep dealer's parts guys thought was a good shop.

If your rear turn signals and brake lights work, your problem is NOT a bad ground. Also, a bad ground would not blow a fuse. You are not dealing with a bad ground, which occurs AFTER the bulbs in the circuit. You are dealing with a short circuit somewhere BEFORE the bulbs. The question about transmission was (I assume) asked because often the clutch master cylinder seeps clutch (brake) fluid past the seal. The fluid runs through the firewall on the rod and drips into the fuse box. It's brake fluid -- it is extremely destructive to electrical components. You may have a fried fuse panel. Or you may have a broken or abraded wire somewhere between the fuse panel and the taillights.

FRAM!?!?!? OHMIGAWD! There's your problem, right there. Go buy a Mobil-1 or Purolator filter ASAP. FYI, the factory spec (with a warm engine) is 13 psi minimum at idle, 37 to 75 psi above 1600 RPM. I think the relief valve is set for 75 psi, so unless you are exceeding 75 psi you do not have a relief valve problem.