Eagle

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.

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.