Eagle

He's on the third alternator, and they ALL bench test as good. And it isn't specific to the plow. Running the plow causes the problem to kick in sooner, but it also happens if he just drives around in daylight with no lights and no accessories running. He said it operates normally for about 15 ot 20 minutes, then just ... stops charging. Got any idea where the regulator is for that year and model?

Any XJ column up to 1994 will work. 95 and newer are Chrysler columns with an air bag. Not sure about locks -- I think they started using Chrysler-pattern keys in 1991, but it might have been 1990.

Good point. I forgot to mention that I pulled the code in order to zero in on the gas cap. However, a shot of silicone spray on the O-ring won't break the bank. I also went on-line and found a place where I could buy the appropriate size O-rings, in a fuel-resistant rubber compound, for about 50 cents each in 5-packs. So I now have them for if/when I need them.

Good point. I forgot to mention that I pulled the code in order to zero in on the gas cap. However, a shot of silicone spray on the O-ring won't break the bank.

^^^ Yeah -- THAT photo. Notice how the line from the "nose" on Pete's loops up and back and goes directly to a coupling -- and the line beyond the coupling looks suspiciously like it might once have gone to that bottom outlet that's now plugged. Don't be too hard on yourself. It's easy to get confused, because on the XJ front proportioning valve there is no "nose" outlet, and that line would go to where you ran it. Making it up like Pete's fix would make it easy to convert to an XJ proportioning valve down the road.

My wife's 2000 XJ had that problem and it was the gas cap. Dealer gets about $25 for a new cap, and they don't sell the O-ring as a separate part. I took off the O-ring, sprayed it with silicone spray and worked it into the rubber as best I could, and put it back. Haven't had a light for six months.

Ever trash a rotor because a stone got caught behind the caliper? YMMV but IMHO discs are more of a liability in an off-road vehicle than drums. I wanted discs on my race cars. I feel no need for them whatsoever in a Jeep that gets driven off-road.

Rancho full-length (actually not full-length in an MJ, but pretty close in an XJ) AAL. All new parts, under 100 bucks. Easy. Should lift an MJ about an inch and a half.

The hard lines on the axle have conventional flare fittings. The junction block (or "banjo") is part of the flex hose to the chassis, not part of the hard lines. I think. Look again.

Weird! I'll pass it along and see if that helps. Thanks. [EDIT]Passed it along. He said the idiot light works when he turns the key on, so it isn't burned out. Got any other suggestions?

The nose outlet is the one that runs the rear brakes. The one he used is actuated only if the front brakes fail. He needs to reroute the hard line to the "nose" of the metering block. Just like in Pete's photo. (Great minds think .... and work ... alike.)

Banjo? The rear lines don't have any banjos. Both ends have conventional flare fittings. The inboard end screws into the junction block on the axle, the outboard end screws into the wheel cylinder. There are two companies that advertise in the off-road magazines that sell pre-bent tube sets. One is (from memory) Classic Tubing. I don't recall the name of the other one. The claim to have patterns for just about anything, but I ordered two sets of rear axle tubes (brake lines, not axle tubes) for an MJ D44 from one of them (I don't recall which). They assured me they had the pattern ... and what arrived several days later wasn't even close. I suspect it might have been for a full-size J20 pickup. In any event, I had to ship those back, along with my rusty lines off the D44 so they could match them up. They did pretty well on the second try.

Personally, I'd regear the D44 to 4.10s, put semi-metallic linings in, remove the rear proportioning valve, and have more rear brakes than I could possibly need. I absolutely do not understand why anyone thinks putting disc brakes on the rear of an MJ is a "must have" modification. Those 10 x 2-1/2 drums will stop a bus, fer Gawd's sake.

I think we're having a discussion at cross purposes here. 21-spline vs. 23-spline refers to the interface between the transfer case and the transmission, not to the transmission output shaft. The issue requiring a different drive shaft is length, not spline count.

So you now have a single brake line from the rear flex hose direct to the front metering block below the master cylinder? Are you using the MJ metering block, or an XJ or ZJ proportioning valve? If you're using the MJ metering block, which port did you run the rear line from? "Nose," or bottom?

Fastcast -- Where are you located? I have a wrecked '86 with the 2.8L automatic. It may have your transfer case under it -- I don't know because the guy from whom I got it had already stripped the interior so there were no parts to identify from up topsides if it was Command Trac or SelecTrac. If you're anywhere near CT and interested, let me know and I'll take a look.

I wonder how often they have to replace those payloaders ...

Not sure how you got the info that it's an 87 V6. As noted, if it's a V6, it ain't a 1987, and if it's a 1987 it ain't a V6. But ... Assuming that it really is an 87 with a 4.0L engine -- don't spend a lot of money for that radiator. Unless it has been replaced, it's 22 years old and probably won't last very long, and very likely won't cool very effective. You can get NEW MJ radiators for between $100 and $150. Radiators are one thing where buying from a junkyard probably doesn't make a lot of sense for a 20+ year old vehicle.

Dissenting opinion here. I tried KYB Gas-A-Justs on my '88 Cherokee because my brother assured me they were great. I hated them. Very harsh over small bumps and pavement cracks. I took them off and replaced them with Monroes, which I have been extremely happy with. Another vote for Monroe SensaTracks.

ALL modern vehicles use them. Jeep was not the first. They are a nuisance to change, but they usually last about 100,000 miles (give or take 75,000 :D ), so easy access wasn't at the top of the list of priorities when designing where to put it.

I hate the things. Truth be known, I'd rather have a conventional distributor with points and a condensor that you replace every 10,000 miles. The parts are cheap, and it's easy to do a points job. My issue with the CPS is that a Jeep is supposed to be a "go anywhere" vehicle. I just don't like the idea of a safari vehicle that you may have out in the boonies, miles and miles from anything remotely resembling civilization or a paved road, and the CPS may decide to die on you out there. Most Jeep owners won't even know what a CPS is, and if they do they probably don't carry a spare. Ever try to swap a CPS in a swamp? (No, I haven't, either. But I have swapped on in a snow-packed driveway on a 25-degree day.) I don't really care for fuel injection for the same reason. If it fails when you're beyond "out there," you're stuck. I've driven an old pickup with a carburetor by hanging a coffee can half filled with gasoline from a strut under the hood and running a drip tube to the carburetor float bowl inlet. Try that with EFI.

You don't switch the colored wire, that stays on the pot slider and goes to the gauge. You only switch the the black ground wire from one leg of the pot to the other unused leg. The pump will still grounded by the black wire. Wish I had a sender to do a bench test, but I'm certain it will work. Ah, so. Muy interesante. I wish you had a sender to bench test, too. I never noticed an unused connector tab.

Slow down, Matey. You don't have to drop the transmission to position the CPS -- unless you didn't put the bellhousing back on properly. There should have been two hollow locating sleeves, on on each side of the block, that the bellhousing fitted onto for location, and then the lower bolts go through those hollow sleeves. You DID have the two sleeves in the block, I hope. Did you remove the CPS before you removed the tranny and bellhousing? If not (and I'm going to guess that you didn't), how much banging around did you do getting the tranny out, and then getting it back in place? My guess is that the CPS took a hit and is physically damaged. Also -- are you using the original flywheel? If not, did you buy a flywheel? If you got a flywheel from the wrong year, it may not work with the CPS for your vehicle.

I'm thinking water in the gas.

If you did the clutch, you had the bellhousing off. The CPS (Crankshaft Position Sensor) is on/in the bellhousing. Did you reinstall it correctly? The bolts have a shoulder to locate the sensor accurately. If you lost those and use full-threaded bolts, the CPS may not be positioned right. Also, if you left the CPS on the bellhousing, it's possible it got dameged from handling. The vast majority of no-starts with the XJ and MJ eventually come down to the CPS. Does the fuel pump run for a few seconds when you first turn on the key? Have you verified fuel pressure at the injector rail?