Eagle

There is only one transmission mount -- it sits on top of the cross member and holds up the back end of the tranny and transfer case. But ... it's a different part number for each transmission/transfer case combination, so you can't just grab any XJ/MJ mount and use it. Some are rather "pricey."

The primary weakness of the Dana 35 is the point where the axle tubes enter the center section. It's weak, which allows the tubes to flex relative to the diff housing, and that puts eccentric loads on the shafts and bearings that they weren't designed to carry. It's a perfectly adequate axle for street use and light to moderate 4-wheeling, but not strong enough for handling big tires with lots of articulation. Obviously, the best replacement axle would be an MJ D44, followed by an XJ D44. Other possibilities include a Chrysler 8.25 from an XJ (96 and earlier being less desirable than 97 and newer). And then there's the Explorer 8.8. If the rest of your axle is okay, I may have a 3.07 ring gear here that I could send you. How's the pinion in your diff?

I believe he is asking about headlights, not fog lights or driving lights. The factory headlights do not use any relays. The circuit is protected by a circuit breaker built into the headlight switch, and the heavier load of high-wattage halogens will burn that out pretty quickly.

Are you saying that Motion and Clayton's do NOT have good reputations? I haven't heard anything negative about either company's kit, and I know a LOT of people who have been very happy with their Clayton's kits.

Fast idle is often caused by a dirty IAC (Idle Air Controller). However, I also found that there can be a mechanical cause. The throttle cable comes through the firewall to a ball/socket linkage (a bellcrank) mounted below the brake master cylinder. From there, there's a rod that runs up to a second ball/socket linkage, which attaches to an arm off the throttle body. After a lot of time and miles, the balls get rusty and resist allowing the linkage to move. I popped mine off, sprayed the sockets with PB Blaster, and reassembled. A few days later, after the PB had cleaned things up a bit, I popped the rods off again and sprayed a little white lithium grease in the sockets.

Raleigh, NC, got about 8 inches, and according to a friend who lives there the city was paralyzed for the first day, and nearly paralyzed on Wednesday. Dang! 7 inches for them is the biggest storm in recent memory, and even here in southern New England it's just business as usual.

Makes good sense. Fiat makes economical cars but no trucks or 4WDs (AFAIK), wants back in to the US market, and needs a dealer/distribution network. Chrysler has some good trucks and 4WDs, but nada for cars (and I've owned a couple, so I know). Marriage made in heaven. This is like an instant replay of AMC and Renault. All the same reasons. Seriously -- are you going to go to a Jeep dealer to buy a POS Italian econo-box? I mean -- Fiat has been in the American market. There's a REASON they failed here.

One of the guys in the North Atlantic Chapter of NAXJA had a BA 10/5 rebuilt several years ago. That's when parts were available, and IIRC he paid $1500 or $1800 to have it rebuilt. That's what you should be looking for. If you see a receipt for $50 ... that's not a rebuild.

Bump stops are not the problem. There is very little clearance betwen the inner wall of the tires and the fender at the rear of an MJ. When the suspension articulates (one side extended, the other side compressed), the tires tip, and the inside of the "stuffed" tire rubs the sheet metal. The solution is rims with less backspacing (which then creates other problems in the front), or spacers in the rear.

The exhaust hitting the cross member is usually because the cushion for the transfer case mount has collapsed. That's not covered by the muffler shop's warranty. Tranny mounts are expensive. You can just shim the mount with a couple of flat washers to get enough clearance to eliminate the exhaust rattle.

Considering that parts for the Peugeot are efefctively not avauilable, and incredibly expensive if you can find them, I would be VERY skeptical of any claims that a Peugeot tranny was "rebuilt." If you pursue it, ask exactly what was done and ask to see receipts. No receipts = no rebuild. The BA 10/5 is a light duty transmission. If you don't hammer on it, it's fine for street driving. The one in my 88 XJ is at 275,000+ miles and it's still running. I run a molybdenum additive in the gear oil, and I don't abuse the tranny. I have taken it off-road, fairly extensively, but with a stock suspension and 30" tires. The things that usually go are the synchros, and the bearings. You save the synchros by not trying to speed shift it, and you save the bearings by not always keeping the accelerator pinned to the floorboards. There's no question you'd be better off with an AX-15.

When you run longer than stock shocks, you MUST calculate the minimum (collapsed) length for the shocks and adjust your bump stops to prevent the shocks from compressing that far. If you don't, the shock acts as a bump stop (which *most* shocks are not designed to do) and you'll destroy them rather quickly. The ideal way to calculate is to measure the length of the space available for the shock with the vehicle at rest, on the suspension. Pick a shock for which that length falls at approximately the mid-point between the fully extended length and the compressed length.

well there's your problem What's whose problem? This is not Pirates of the Rubicon. We don't like gratuitous insults and flaming of manufacturers or vendors unless you have some specific information to back up your opinion. Either be specific, or cool your jets.

The caster advice is VERY interesting, because it is exactly contrary to everything I have ever read -- which all said that MORE caster helps resist death wobble.

Yep. Looks a lot like a home-brewed AAL. I wonder if the extra leaf is an MJ main leaf or an XJ main leaf. When you had the springs apart, did the leaves all seem to have pretty much the same arch? I agree on taking it apart and smoothing out the upper edge where the AAL rubs the main leaf. You want that edge to be smooth and slightly beveled or rounded so it doesn't gouge the main leaf. As to asking better questions: I don't fault you. I fault the seller, for not being up front that these were not factory 5-leaf springs. If I were selling them, I would be very open about exactly what they were and how they got the way they are. There's a difference (IMHO) between an "MJ 5-leaf spring" and a "5-leaf spring I took out of an MJ."

What about filing/grinding the hole to be slightly oblong? Extent it up toward the top of the retainer arms just a small amount. That should allow you to get a bolt in and still have enough material to keep things together. I agree with the guess that there's an added leaf. I've looked at the stock 4-leaf springs with the idea of doing an AAL, and the stock ones I have here have a sleeve on the bolt, AND a gap between the sleeve and the top surface of the main leaf.

Wade - My dealer used to stock those cupholders that fit on the center of the console. For an MJ, with no brake lever, I think they are DAR superior to the one that hangs off the side and always gets whacked by the passenger's knees. Give a call to Todd or Tony at Bradshaw Jeep, 860-274-8834. I think Parts is extension 3

Have you checked the price of eggs in the stupid market recently?

Rule 1: Just like Mama said when you were a kid, "Never talk to strangers." Unfortunately, it seems today that everyone has an "agenda." I'm in a job where we watch what the newspapers report about the town, and what we have seen is that objective reporting (the old "Who, what, where, when and why?") is long dead. It has been replaced by "investigative journalism," which about 25 years ago was worth something but which has since devolved into nothing more than a euphemism for muckraking. Newspapers are losing readership to the Internet, so they need NEWS!!!! to sell papers. They don't want to pay real reporters a real salary to report real news, so they hire interns and give them an assignment to go dig up whatever they can about ___. Then they give it to some hack in the editorial room to churn out an article that they can slant however they think will be most controversial and attract the most readers. I've seen it happen. In fact, my boss was quoted in the morning paper today. It is exceptionally rare to find a newspaper quote that is (a) accurate, and (B) not taken out of context so badly that the way it appears is the exact opposite of what the speaker actually said. "No comment" is your friend. P.S. 25 years ago, reporters had enough integrity that "off the record" meant something. Today, you cannot make comments "off the record," because they're probably taping you while you're off the record (off the record used to mean the tape recorder got shut off and the news pad got closed), and whatever you say off the record will be in the article tomorrow.

Clayton's long arm kit is absolutely top drawer. Rock Krawler's kit is okay, too, I guess, but certainly no better than Clayton's. Once you suggest having the installation done by a professional, I don't see how the Rock Krawler kit could be any less work than Clayton's. The welding is the attachment of the new control arm mounts to the frame rails. The old control arm mounts have to be cut off, otherwise the new arms would hit them as the suspension works. The new mounts go on the section where the rear half and the front half of the uniframe rails nest together, so there's a double thickness of metal there to weld to. It's not a difficult weld, but you ARE dealing with the part that keeps the wheels under the Jeep, so you want it done by somebody who knows how to weld. This is not the project for learning how to use the new welder. Save that for a rear bumper, or mailbox post.

You realize, I hope, that the spacers will do nothing to relieve the rubbing against the lower control arms, and probably nothing about any rubbing at full stuff unless you also extend the bump stops.

I dunno what they used for the base tranny in 1990. I have an 86 2.5L 4-speed and an 88 2.5L 4-speed that both have 3.55 gears. 4.10s were with the 5-speed.

The primary "issue" to be aware of with the 2.8L to 3.4L swap is that the 2.8L is externally balanced. That means there is a weight on the outer edge of the flywheel or flexplate. The 3.4L is completely internally balanced -- no bobweight on the flywheel. If my recollection is correct, you have to use the Jeep flywheel, so you will have to take it to a machine shop and have it "neutral balanced" for use with the 3.4L engine.

Friends don't let friends buy from Rusty's.

30x9.50-15s are a good fit, with slight rubbing on the lower control arms. 31x10.50-15s will also fit (with NO lift) if you run OEM Jeep rims. They will rub the lower control arms on sharp turns. I didn't find it to be a problem, but there are work-arounds if it bothers you.