Eagle

Got any photos of holsters he might have made? Preferably for semi-automatics.

Radiator? You are VERY lucky it didn't explode the block.

Whoa! The "open" system is the antiquated system. That's been around since they added radiators and water as a cooling system for internal combustion engines. When and where did Jeep engineers admit that the closed system was the worst mistake Jeep ever made? If it was such a horrible mistake, why did they go back and make it again on the Liberty, and why does it work on the Liberty? Why does it work on so many other cars and light trucks, from the other manufacturers? The real problem with the Renix closed system isn't the system, it's the funky plastic bottle with a plastic pressure cap. When new it works fine. Eventually, the cap can't seal to the bottle, the system won't hold pressure, and thet's where the fun starts. I converted my '88 XJ to a Moroso aluminum surge tank in 1999 or 2000, and I haven't had any problems with it at all since then (other than winter salt taking out the radiator -- which is an unrelated issue).

The vent windows always leaked. They were an extra-cost option, which I foolishly ordered on my '88 Cherokee. When they leaked and I took it to the dealer under warranty, the zone rep said the factory had a fix -- they would replace them with the fixed windows. But they wouldn't refund what I had paid for operable windows. I gooped up the channels with silicone grease from NAPA and that stopped the leaks, but only if I didn't open the vents. I had a/c, and I don't smoke so there was no need. Since you'll have the door apart anyway and you have a parts truck with the fixed "vents," I would advise that you take the opportunity to swap the fixed windows into your good MJ. Otherwise, get some clear silicone RTV and glue 'em shut.

Undergeared. In stock trim (running stock tires), highway cruise in 5th gear is around 1650 RPM at (IIRC) 60 MPH. 75 MPH may be about 2000 RPM (again, IIRC). 31s, in terms of revolutions per mile (which is what really counts when you're arguing gearing) are approximately 10 percent larger than stock tires. That means with 3.07s and 31" tires a true 60 MPH (not what the speedo reads if you haven't corrected for the bigger tires) will have you turning 1485 RPM at 60 MPH and 1800 at 75 MPH. You can do it -- I'm currently doing it with my '88 Cherokee -- but it's not pretty. 5th gear is essentially useless, and running up through the gears is like driving an old, tired 4-cylinder MJ with a couple of engines in the back for ballast.

But if you're talking XJs (which we were), the NVG 3550 wasn't used until the 2000 model year. And Jeep only made an extremely limited run of the 5-speeds at the very end of the 2000 production run. I have one. According to my dealer, it's the only 5-speed 4.0L Cherokee in all of New England. It was on order for something like 8 or 9 months. The factory kept delaying production, I think hoping that those of us who had them on order would get tired of waiting and cancel the orders. Some of us held out, though, and I finally got my 2000 XJ 5-speed. So for Cherokees, the AX-15 is found in late 89 through 1999 Cherokees. But the early ones still had the infernal slave cylinder. Best choice, if you have a choice, is 1994 through 1999 so you get the external slave. However ... free is a very good price -- if it runs. There's gotta be a reason why it was abandoned.

I think it depends on the locker. If it's a "lunchbox" locker, you could remove the guts and leave the empty carrier. I don't think that would work with a true locker like a Detroit. Does it have an axle disconnect? If so, leaving the axle disconnected takes the right side out of action, so if you pop the left side hub off and remove the inner axle shaft, you can reassemble with just the outer stub shaft holding the hub/bearing unit together and drive it like that. The differential will be totally isolated from the wheels.

31" tires through 3.73 gears results in exactly the same speed-per-RPM as stock tires with 3.55 gears. IMHO that's a good combination for street driving. For street and light towing, either that combination or 4.10 gears. For rock crawling, 4.10 gears is better and 4.56 or 4.88 preferred.

Oh, yes ... it'll do quite a bit. It will very effectively coat the entire engine in hot coolant. There is a way to burp it via the pressure bottle, but you don't drive it. You fill the system as well as you can and get the bottle about half full. Leave the cap off (or very loose) and start the engine. Let it idle until the coolant boils and you see/hear bubbles in the surge bottle. Shut off the engine and wait. After 2 to 5 minutes as the system starts to cool down, all of a sudden you'll see the coolant in the bottle getting sucked back out the bottom, into the block. Pour in more coolant. Don't fill the bottle, but don't let it get sucked dry or you have to start over. Once it stops sucking, refill to half, start the engine, and repeat. It usually takes between four and six cycles of this to purge the air out of the system.

The scale on the temp gauge is not linear, so that position on the dial is not 155 degrees. My '88 Cherokee has been running there for at least six or eight years. Faulty gauge. Plenty of heat (until the heater core started peeing under the carpet and I had to bypass it).

You can't judge just from the number of coils. The rate is a function of the number of coils, coil diameter, wire diameter, and free length of the spring. Unless you have all those variables for both springs, you cannot compare them.

If you have a 4-cylinder, I doubt that your RPMs at 70 MPH are 2500 to 3000. What transmission do you have, what axle ratio do you run, and what tire size are you on? And what are the actual RPMs reading on your tach? Are you saying the needle is pegged at the end of the scale?

XJs and MJs are the same under the hood. The heater valve for 87 thru 90 is different than for 91 thru 92 (MJ) and 91 thru 2001 (XJ). I don't recall if the 86 uses the same valve as the 87 thru 90. Suppoedly the 87 thru 90 XJ/MJ heater control valve crosses to a Chevy valve that's available at all the parts chains, but I don't recall where I read that and I don't have the part number.

Friends don't let friends buy from Rusty's

Now that you mention it, I have seen yellow Romex at Lowe's. Never paid attention to see if it's only in 12-gauge. Might be. I just figured it was their way of identifying their house brand wire.

Well, I don't know what it is, but all the Romex I've ever seen was in a white sheath, and the direct-burial/outdoor stuff is a grey/green sheath. Anyhoo -- sounds like what you're planning on is exactly the right way to do it.

One of my part-time gigs is Assistant Building Inspector for one of the towns near where I live. It's ummmm, errrrrr, "enlightening" (shall we say) the amount of non-compliant, sloppy, shoddy, and downright unsafe work we see licensed and supposedly knowledgeable professionals do. Often for themselves and/or relatives. What kind of wire did he run out there, Romex or weatherproof? Or did he run individual conductors? If you're going to rewire it, use at least 12-gauge wire. Even if you only want 15-amp circuits, you'll likely be running power tools so voltage drop is a consideration.

The vacuum disconnect on the axle has nothing to do with shifting the transfer case into 4WD. That's done entirely with the lever next to your right knee. The only thing the axle disconnect does is lock the two parts of the front, right side axle shaft together to transmit power from the differential to the right front wheel. If you are having problems shifting the transfer case, the axle disconnect is not the cause.

Nope. The 89 and the 90 are both Renix models. The basic chassis wiring remains the same.

I used a '94 Wrangler hose. I think Pete used a '95 Dakota.

I had one from an XJ cut in half to go along with the MJ one -- it disappeared in the mess before I got to take the photos. How the XJ valve works is a mystery to me. Best I can figure out is that it does the opposite of what it needs to do. What you want is to limit the maximum force in a panic stop so the back end doesn't try to get down the road faster than the front end. What the XJ valve seems to do is not allow ANY brake fluid (force) to the rear wheels until the brakes have been stomped on pretty hard. Which seems logical -- how many people with XJs have had to replace the front pads three or four times before touching the rear shoes? :waving:

I don't think there's any way you could shoehorn the big tank into a shortbed.

How old is your oxygen sensor? I got a "POP" like that when mine was due for replacement. It doesn't respond quick enough when you let off the throttle to shift, and that dumps some unburned fuel through the exhaust. The POP is when it hits the cat and burns (explodes).

Not Pete, but ... stomp on the brake peddle HARD. That should reset the shuttle. Did I mention HARD?

It is not a "return" line. It's bypass line. I recommend removing the second line completely. If you leave it there, you have twice as much brake line under the chassis, corroding away and waiting for the most inopportune moment to spring a leak. Plug the forward outlet on the bottom of the front distribution block, and run ONE line from the "nose" out let of the front distribution block directly to the rear flex hose. If that makes the rear brakes too touchy for you, I would suggest getting a Wilwood adjustable proportioning valve from Summit Racing or from Mopar Performance and putting that in the line to the rear. The only drawback is that it doesn't automatically adjust as you add weight to the bed. If you frequently alternate between heavy loads and running empty, you could re-route the line through the cab and mount the Wilwood so the knob can be reached from the driver's seat.