Eagle

Went out when I got home from work and tried starting the MJ. As always -- started right up. But ... get this - ALL those diagrams of which relay is which are either wrong, or my MJ is wrong. Having found two conflicting diagrams and descriptions, I took the cowards way out and pulled all four relays, then stuck them back one-by-one until I heard the fuel pump run when I first turned the key. The one that got the fuel pump running was the one all the way to the front. I'll have to do the same thing on the '88 XJ in the morning, after it has had time to bleed off the pressure.

Not trying to hijack this thread, but the TSB is for 4.0L trucks. Is there the same problem with the 2.5? Probably. I have an '88 MJ 4-banger and it also has the C101 connector, so I would expect that the CPS (being the exact same part as used in the 4.0L) suffers the same signal loss and would benefit equally from being wired directly to the ECU.

No, Chrysler changed the XJ in mid-year 99 to use a low-pinion D30 in the front. That's why CW said to look for a 97 thru 99 -- it'll have the larger u-joints but still be a high pinion. XJ D30s from previous years with Selec-Trac will be free of the disconnect, but will have the smaller u-joints. However, since Selec-Trac wasn't offered with the 4-cylinder engine, it's unlikely to find one that has 4.10 gears without the disconnect earlier than 91 or 92 -- whatever year Chrysler simply stopped using the disconnect on the XJ.

"A chicken in every pot and a Jeep Comanche in every garage"

Looks pretty clean. I'd leave the bottom end alone, do a light clean-up on the valves, install new seals and lifters, and button it up.

Used gears are almost always noisy, because you can't match the original mesh pattern. I would suggest regearing the D44 in the rear, and buying a D30 from a 4-banger XJ for the front. Since you'll need to change the carrier in the rea, this might also be the time to consider a few extra bucks to install a limited slip. The factory-option Trac-Loc is the least expensive, but IMHO a TrueTrac is a better unit for the type of use I think you'll be encountering. No clutches to wear, and no friction modifier required. And I agree with the recommendation to check prices with Dirk.

This has happened three times, each time after driving on local roads for about 4 miles (maybe 10 minutes). The first time it restarted after about 45 minutes and drove home. The second time it restarted after 30 minutes and drive home. I didn't have time to waste today, so I had it towed. Funny thing is, I've made the same run twice with no problem between episide #2 and today. CPS and harness are brand new. Possibly defective, but highly unlikely. I was thinking fuel pump relay, too. Anybody remember which one of the four is fuel pump? Or have a link to that picture that shows them and IDs them?

Drove a load of grass clippings to the transfer station, about two miles. Fine. Drove another two miles to the post office. Fine Drove around the block on the way to Mickey D's for lunch, and it died in the middle of the street just as I got to a light. And would not restart. This time I was (somewhat) prepared, with a jumper wire. I jumpered the fuel pump ballast resistor ... and it still wouldn't start. The middle of a busy intersection is not the place to be trouble-shooting, so I called AAA and had it hauled home. This is becoming a nuisance. I have to get this truck reliable again. Who has any suggestions? If it isn't the fuel pump resistor, could it be the fuel pump itself? 1988 4.0L, 5-speed. The CPS is brand new, and has the bypass harness installed. Amd the truck runs perfectly when it runs -- right up to a brief stumble, and then it dies.

You don't need the lock plate remover just to swap the steering wheel, if that's all you're doing. You will need it if you want to access the turn signal switch and other stuff at the top of the steering column.

Check your caster angle and camber. It may be that what you're experiencing is normal but you're not accustomed to Jeeps with 4WD. The caster angle is set to around 7 degrees positive, which means that if you could turn the front wheels perpendicular to the vehicle, the tops of the front tires would be leaning back -- sort of like picking up the toe of your boot and digging in your heel to stop sliding on loose dirt. When you turn the front wheels all the way to lock, you don't get the full 7 degrees but you DO get some of it. That may cause some hop on some surfaces. It's interesting that one of your steering stops is fubar. Does the hop seem worse when you turn toward that side?

There's a guy on NAXJA who posts as "5-90" or something like that who sells a heavy duty replacement for that wire, made of welding cable. I don't think there is a diode in that wire, I think it's a fusible link. Go to a marine supply store and buy a 100-amp in-line fuse with screw connections on the ends.

3.07s and 31s are rather sucky even without a camper. That's how my '88 was when I bought it. I put in a set of 3.73s, but only because I already had them here (they had been destined for the XJ, with the intention of running 30x9.50 tires) so I used what I had. If I had been buying gears specifically to run with 31s, I would have chosen 4.10s. The 3.73s with 31x10.50s have the exact same overall final drive ratio (RPMs to MPH) as stock tires with 3.55 gears. To routinely carry a camper 4.10s would be far better.

You can put anything on, if you're willing to make up your own brackets and adapters. There's no way the factory front brackets from any year XJ will fit the rear of an MJ. Oops -- you meant update an old front bumper with a 99? The brackets are the same, but you'll have to trim the fenders and flares.

I may be remembering incorrectly, but I used to spend a lot of time on the stroker e-group in the days before I decided it wasn't worth the money and aggravation (for me) to build a stroker. There was a lot of discussion about buying one particular brand of aftermarket piston, or trying to find a source in Mexico for VAM pistons, to get slugs with enough meat on top to dish them out to reduce compression. The other approach some people took was to deck the block in the hope that achieving a near-ideal quench height would offset the increased compression. However, actual results with that approach varied, and the people who had the best results were those who also used aftermarket cams with lots of overlap. That resulted in a high mathematical compression ratio, but lower actual compression pressure due to the loss of some compression before the exhaust valve closed.

The brackets are completely different

No, you cannot. There are two ways to build a stroker out of the 4.0L engine. One is to use the 258/4.2L crank with the matching 258/4.2L rods. That gets the piston-to-deck height close to correct, but because of minor differences, it actually puts a stock (or stock oversize replacement) piston slightly too close to the head, resulting in high compression and ping. The usual "cure" for that is a cam with more overlap to bleed off some of the excess compression pressure. The other approach is to use the stroker crank with the 4.0L connecting rods. If you think about it, you'll quickly realize that the longer stroke with the same rods will put the piston above the top of the block at TDC. The stroker engines that use the 4.0L rods (which are stronger than the 258 rods) all use custom pistons with the wrist pin set higher in the piston so as to drop it lower in the bore at TDC. Neither approach will be easy for you if you're trying for a quick cure on the oil pressure. I'd suggest just dropping the pan and replacing the main bearings and rear main seal, then closing it up and keep on driving while you collect the parts and the $$$ to build a real stroker.

Yes, I'm asking about an "OBD-I" scanner for the 91 thru 95 Jeep. I know the Renix doesn't store codes and you need a $3,000+ Snap-On scanner to read those. I thought you were saying that you know Auto Zone carries an affordable OBD scanner for Jeep, but now it sounds like you're saying they don't. A few posts above, you wrote:

Has anyone ever tried using rattle can clear over the OLD paint? The Colorado Red on my '88 is all burned out, with lots of white around the edges and flat in the middle of large panels like the hood and roof. That's because the clearcoat has burned off. But I notice that the red looks nice and shiny red when it rains. I've been thinking about just giving it a light sanding and shooting it with clear. What are my chances it might come out better than it now rather than worse?

There are no points. It's an electronic ignition. When was the oxygen sensor last replaced?

How long did you let it sit with plain water in it? If only a day or two, you only have surface rust. If a week or mmore, you really should close everything up (use the old water pump), run it with some fast flush in it, then flush everything out ... again. Then do NOT let it sit. Antifreeze is also anti-rust. You can't leave an engine with plain water in it. It will rust, very quickly. Yes, there are freeze plugs on both sides of the engine, as well as on the back. Chances of punching them out and replacing them with the engine in the truck? Small. Some are easy to access. Others are impossible.

That still sounds like you're describing OBD-II scanners. I bought mine at Auto Zone, for $79. It's OBD-II only. OBD (or "OBD-I") was a "non-standard standard," meaning each manufacturer had their own codes and their own connector. I'd love to find an affordanble "OBD-I" scanner that'll fir the Jeep connector but I don't think it exists.

The 242 does not have a viscous coupling, it mas a mechanical differential. JT, "CommandTrac" is the 231, "SelecTrac" is the 242.

That truck has been repainted. Or otherwise fiddled with. Look at the dashboard in the interior picture. The instrument cluster is an idiot light cluster. That only came on the base models, but that truck has painted flares and a matching lower panel. I don't think there was any model that came with accent-colored flares that had idiot lights. It also has a 3-spoke Sport steering wheel and "hockey stick" armrests, which doesn't match up with idiot lights. If you're seriously interested in that truck, I'd take a VERY hard look at it, up close and personal, before committing to buy it.

Really? WHERE? I have only seen OBD-II scanners in an affordable price range. The older ODD scanners I've seen were all obscenely expensive.

The '93s had OBD didn't they? If you put in the entire '93 wiring harness you must have an OBD connector. Do you know anyone who has an OBD-I scanner you can hook up and see if it's throwing any codes?