Eagle

They are. Shackles are also an excellent way to ruin your springs. Yes, I know the shackle advocates will flame me, but I've been playing with cars for over 50 years now, we had extended shackles back when Fred Flintstone and I attended high school together. They killed springs then, and there's nothing about leaf spring technology that makes them any more resistant to sag when run with extended shackles today. "If it ain't broke ... don't fix it." Remember, the corollary to the above is, "If it ain't broke ... fix it 'til it is." Take your pick.

Why? It looks perfect just the way it sits in that last photo.

the thermostat was not broken, why would i replace it? it was open from the heat, it snapped shut once i cooled it down. Any thermost that has been overheated is junk. The heat ruins the thermal calibration. That's why you should replace it.

The ONLY factory option ever offered for the XJ or MJ was the Dana Trac-Lok. As noted above, it's a clutch type limited slip differential. It gets a bad rap, but for street use, winter driving, and light trail use it's fine. It is NOT a "locker," and should never be compared to a locker.

:agree:

Don't "undercoat" it. Undercoating is comparatively Stone Age technology, and it basically entraps moisture between the frame and the coating, leading to accelerated deterioration of the frame. If possible, trip it to bare metal and use P.O.R. 15, then topcoat that with "rustproofing," not "undercoating." If you can't get to bare metal, get it as clean as you can, paint with zinc phosphate primer, then a couple of good coats of something like Rustoleum, and then seal it with rustproofing.

You need anything but a Ford/Autolite carburetor. Look at Summit Racing's catalog or web site. They have (I think) some 2-barrel carbs that'll bolt right on. Better, of course, would be to swap the intake and convert to a 4-barrel. Better gas mileage (if the driver can control the right foot) AND better performance. Win-win.

I vote to not lift it. It WILL kill your gas mileage if you do, and you don't need it for off-road, so what's the point? IMHO MJs on 30s or 31s at stock height look very nice, and they are practical.

What's that portable bomb pressurized to? I think I would be a bit afraid to use that to try blowing out a clogged heater core. The cooling system typically runs at 13 psi to 17 psi (depending on what you use for a radiator cap -- I have no idea what the plastic cap on the closed system holds, but it's in that range). I use a 17 pound cap on my closed system conversion surge tank, and that was plenty of pressure to cause my heater core to leak. If you blow 50 or 100 or more psi at a clogged heater core -- I don't think you're going to have a heater core when you get finished.

Yep. The O-ring should never be reused.

:huh???: There are no sensors for the heating system inside the cab. The only thing I can think of from the way you are describing it is the resistor pack that controls the speed of the fan. There are no sensors there, and the resistors ONLY affect fan speed, they have nothing at all to do with how much heat the heater core can transfer. If the thermostat housing leaks after sitting for twelve hours, either you didn't get all the old sealant and gasket material off one of the surfaces, or the flange of the thermostat slipped out of the recess and got between the housing and the head. If that happened and you try to tighten it, you'll crack the head. Better would be to remove it, clean both surfaces, and reinstall. If you can save the gasket, reuse it if you don't have a new one. Otherwise, just use RTV.

They are. I'm just afraid I'll spend countless hours trying to get it running right. Its just easier for me to replace it with something I know runs right. This sucks, because I'm a green person and hate to make waste. :ack: But if you don't know why it's not running right, how do you know replacing the engine will cure it? If the problem is in the ignition or the fuel delivery system, which presumeably would be retained, you could be doing a lot of work to no benefit. Remember: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Over the years, I have expended considerable time and money "repairing" things that didn't solve the problem. I even did what you are contemplating. I built a complete new engine for my 1968 Javelin, put it in ... and found that the new engine didn't run any better than the old one. I thought the old one had jumped timing. Turns out all it needed was a carburetor rebuild. That turned out to be the most expensive carburetor rebuild in the history of the western world. My advice, as one who has made just about every mistake possible, is to be sure you know what's wrong before you spend a lot of time and money fixing it.

You're missing that he's in Canada and probably citing Canadian prices.

Note, though, that I emphasized "V8." 6-cylinder ZJ coils won't give you any lift at all on a 6-cylinder MJ. They might give you a bit on a 4-cylinder ... which leads me to suggest that the V8 ZJ coils might (*MIGHT*) generate 1-1/2" in a 4-cylinder MJ.

No. V8 ZJ coils are the same part number as 2000 XJ "Up Country" coils, and the Up Country XJ rides 1" higher than standard. So ZJ V8 coils in like-new condition would give you approximately 1" of lift. If your old coils are badly sagged it may look like more than an inch from where you started, but it'll be one inch higher than stock specs.

California doesn't like guns. You can't even buy a regular AR-15 in CA, or any semi-auto pistol that holds more than 10 rounds. Forget California. Can't have Jeeps without guns.

You don't have Corvettes in Florida? I believe Corvettes have had aluminum radiators for a good many years.

Already asked (by you) and answered in another of your threads: American Motors owned Jeep when the XJ (and MJ) was designed. Renault was a major partner of AMC. The design of the ignition and injection system was a joint venture of Renault and Bendix of Europe. RENault + bendIX = RENIX. The Renix system was used on the 4.0L engine from 1987 through 1990, and on the 4-cylinder engine from 1986 through 1990. You have a Renix MPI, or MPFI, is "multi-port" fuel injection. TBI is "throttle body" fuel injection. MPFI

I'm pretty sure they are 10mm but I don't remember the thread pitch.

The heater core on my '88 XJ let go last year and soaked the carpet with coolant. It was a slow leak and I didn't pick up on it until stains started showing up in the carpet on the tranny tunnel and passenger footwell. Since I have floor mats and mostly I'm alone in the Jeep, the stains were definitely not from passengers' feet. My recommendation is to bite the bullet and replace the core now. If you flush it, you may get heat for a week or three, but if there's that much rust and gunk in there, once you get coolant flowing again (if you can) it's going to find a way out. FWIW, my heater core was flowing and had been flushed twice, when the radiator was replaced. They just don't last forever -- that's why there are replacements.

I believe this switch is going to have your aux fan running all the time, so you might as well just do as someone else suggested and connect it to a source that's switched with the ignition and forget about finding a temperature-activated switch. I wasn't kidding. The search for THE switch to do what you need to do has been on-going in the XJ world for at least ten years. Nobody seems to have really found one that works -- right -- yet.

It may have come to you wearing 235/75-15s, but from the factory a 4-cylinder would have been wearing 205/75s or 215/75s. 235/75 is already larger than the largest tire used by the factory on the 6-cylinder XJs and MJs. Just to put it in perspective. Next thing, compare the dimensions of a 30x9.50-15 with a 235/75-15. The 30 is slightly wider, otherwise they are almost identical. Hate to be a party pooper, but I suggest you stay with 235/75-15.

The external is easier to bleed and easier to replace. For once, listen to your father.

Fourth post in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4917&hilit=bleed+height+sensing

Well ... He said, "Go to your local tire shop and ask what's popular." You said, "I guess we'll have to agree to disagree." That sounded a lot to me like you didn't agree with him. :dunno: