Eagle

What transmission inspection cover? The AW4 has an inspection plate. The BA10/5 doesn't.

The high-altitude Renix models just used a different CPS -- it mounts in the same place. I'm running a high-altitude CPS in the '88 XJ. It allows more advance when the engine isn't under load, which in theory should help gas mileage.

The real reason is the thickness of the axle tubes. Dana 35s typically fail when they've been "articulated" severely, putting a slight bend in the tube where it enters the center section housing. Once the tube is bent, the axle shaft no longer runs concentric to the assembly, putting asymmetrical stress on the gears and bearings.

Lowe's sells sheets of plain steel. They have two gauges, and I used the heavier -- 18 gauge, I think, but maybe 16. They are 4 numbers apart, so it's either 22 and 18, or 20 and 16. They have a couple of sizes that are perfect for MJ floor patches (not a complete replacement), and it's not galvanized so there's no problem welding it.

'86 was different. I don't remember if it changed in '87 or '88.

I have a couple that are looking for homes. Where are you located?

The original front u-joints on my '88 XJ lasted approximately 275,000 miles, and that includes wheeling at Paragon in PA, the Mohawk Trail region of MA, a secret trail (now closed) in RI, and some puttering around on fire roads and such in New Mexico.

Oops - I misread the post. I've been working on the XJs recently and was in XJ mode. I am not aware of any factory rear tow hook setup for the MJ. Sorry for the confusion.

The factory tow hook package included two hooks in front and one in the rear. There was a multi-piece bracket set that attached it -- the hook itself was not bolted directly to the unibody.

They are not for drainage. The drain holes are at the bery front of the box, where the front wall meets the floor. Look closely and you'll see three crimped sections that form scuppers to allow water to drain out toward the cab.

If you do any wheeling and droop the axle, they will fall out. Those things are made for gypsy shops to stick in the sagged out springs of older cars whose owners can't afford to buy new springs. For the 30 bucks they cost you, you probably could have bought a set of real coil spacers.

Go after the column if you must, but I had the dash turn indicators on with the headlights in the '88 MJ. New sockets for the front turn signals fixed it.

There are no shortcuts. Remember, the XJ is a unibody chassis. The roof and the window pillars are part of the structure. When you remove half of that, you weaken the structure considerably. In addition the needing to find a way to make a working tailgate AND a closure for behind the driver, you also need to consider how (and how much) you're going to reinforce the "frame" so your new toy doesn't fold in half when you're driving to the local Quik Stop some evening.

I vote for the old stand-by: Marvel Mystery Oil.

When the turn indicators on the gauge cluster are stuck on, it usually means the sockets don't have a ground and they are backfeeding through the circuit to find a ground through the dashboard. Trying to use the turns interrupts that cycle. I would start by checking the front parking light sockets, and the front ground to the chassis.

I think you need to re-read what Eagle said. The 231 has 2HI - 4HI - N - 4LO The 242 has 2HI - 4HI Full Time - 4HI Part Time - N - 4LO ^^^ What he said. The 242 has ALL the same positions as the 231, PLUS the ADDITIONAL option of a full-time 4WD that can be driven on dry pavement. It is NOT always in AWD.

The 231 is very slightly stronger, which might be a concern if you plan to wheel hard with very large tires. Nonetheless, some of the guys in my chapter of NAXJA wheeled Chrokees with the 242 and never broke one. The 242 has all the same settings as the 231, PLUS the additional option of running in full-time 4WD on pavement. Having driven long-ish trips in blowing snow with a 231, I can tell you that constantly shifting into and out of 4WD as the road surface conditions change gets old in a hurry. The 242 is definitely the way to go.

Oh, I've been wrong more than I enjoy acknowledging. But I bought my '88 XJ new, and between that and a series of MJs I have logged nearly a half million miles behind Renix 4.0L engines. I have encountered the RPM spike upon startup multiple times, and it's my clue to dump a couple of cans of fuel system cleaner into the gas tank. The better fix is probably to remove the idle air controller and clean it, but it has to be adjusted when replacing so don't dive into that if you don't have the adjustment procedure documented.

Yeah, they have bumpers, but not factory replacements. They have the Fey universal step bumpers. Better than nothing ... but not much better. They're pretty ugly.

Don't have a clue regarding the heat. It does sound like it isn't getting warm enough to get into closed loop mode, but who knows why? Could be as simple as a stuck thermostat. As to the oil pressure, what's "high" to you? And what weight of oil are you running?

Any junk yard.

I don't know what "throaty" means to you ... to me a "throaty" exhaust would be something deep, mellow and powerful, like a Ford Mustang V8. But ... for your symptoms, it sounds like a clogged catalytic converter.

When starting a Renix, the RPMs should NOT spike to 1500 or 2000 RPM, and certainly not for 2 to 5 seconds. That's a sign of impending problems. It shouldn't go any higher than about 1,000 RPM, and it should drop back to normal idle (+/-650 RPM) virtually instantly.

Yes, but yours should be round (the "softball") rather than elongated (the "blimp"). You need it for your heater controls. The one for vehicles equipped with cruise control has two chambers, which is why it's elongated.

Since the part has been identified but not explained, allow me to elaborate. The heater controls are vacuum actuated. If (or "when" may be more accurate) you get a vacuum leak, you'll find that when going up hills or accelerating under load (when engine vacuum drops), you'll think you don't have heat. What happens is that the default position for the flappers is to send air to the defrost vents on the top of the dashboard. The "blimp" or "softball" stores some vacuum to hold the system during periods of heavy load on the engine, when the vacuum being produced isn't adequate to keep the controls open.