Eagle

Where have you guys been? My first car was a 1950 Hudson and the dash lights dimmed the same way.

You are wasting money and effort going from 3.08s to 3.55s. I was running 31" tires through 3.73 gears. The overall final drive ratio was exactly the same as stock tires and 3.55 gears. With 32" tires, all you're going to do is get back to approximately the equivalent of your stock 3.08 gearing with stock tires. But ... your tires are much heavier and harder to start turning. You really need at least 4.10 gears, or preferably 4.56s.

Why not measure your own truck, since you have the dimensions of the cap? Conventional wisdom is that older Chevy S-10 caps fit MJs.

Search is your friend: http://comancheclub.com/forums/viewtopi ... dimensions

Wahoo, buy the conversion kit with the three aerosol cans from Auto Zone for $30 and go for it. My friend the VW (former Jeep) tech tells me has has converted numerous vehicles with those kits, and they work. I'll be doing a couple soon -- my '88 XJ and the '88 MJ. On the XJ I'll go whole-hog and replace the drier. On the MJ I think I'll try it without replacing the drier, and see what happens.

Yes, they do.

Not 100% sure, but I would imagine that you could fix it by removing the factory gauge and inserting an aftermarket guage that will fit in the hole. I believe I have seen it done, but don't remember where right now. That won't work. There's no "hole" -- the factory gauge is screwed to a printed circuit board. To mount an aftermarket gauge you'd have to drill a hole through the circuit board. Not a good solution. Test the gauge. Rough test -- turn on ignition, remove wire from oil pressure sender. Gauge should peg (all the way to the right, IIRC). Then ground the wire directly to the block. The gauge should peg to the opposite extreme (all the way to the left, IIRC). If you have access to some sort of low value potentiometer, the sender range is zero through 88 ohms (0 - 104 for the 91+ models). If you have a potentiometer in that range, you can use it to test the movement of the dial. Or if you have a simple fixed resistor rated somewhere around 40 to 50 ohms, stick that between the wire and the block and the gauge should read approximately mid-scale.

If you have metal tanks, the shop sould be able to re-core your radiator.

ROFLMAO That reminds me of an incident from the dim, dark ages of my youth. I had driven a friend home after basketball practice one cold, dreary winter night, and my car stopped dead in the middle of the road on the way from my buddy's house to my house. This was, of course, eons before the invention of the cell phone, so I hiked back until I found a house with lights on, knocked on the door, and was allowed to call home. My father came over. The car was DEAD. No horn, no lights, no gauges, no turn over -- NADA! We couldn't figure out what was happening, because it had been running just fine, right up until it quit. I was tired, I was cold, I was frustrated. I finally got so mad I hauled off and kicked the left front tire (did I mention I played soccer?). THE LIGHTS CAME ON! Turned the key, the car started, and I drove home. Turns out my helpful little brother did me in. The weekend previous, we had pulled the battery and done some cleaning up in the engine room. L'il bro' reinstalled the battery, and he forgot to tighten the bolt on the frame end of the ground wire. Oops. Lesson learned from making the same mistake too many times: NEVER overlook the simplest, most obvious possibility in the rush to embrace the most expensive possible repair. Hint: Google "Occam's razor."

Happy to see I'm not the only one who likes to poke holes in radiators. You, sir, now have a shot for the IDIOT OF THE MONTH award. Stand proud! :D Not a distinction that I really want, but probably one that I really deserve! Not to worry. There are LOTs of months -- both behind us and ahead of us. Those of us who haven't already qualified are just potential winners in the future ... Back to the basic question -- if you don't know a friendly local radiator shop that will run a quick pressure test on the "new" radiator for you, just fill it with water as already suggested. The key is to figure out some way to both close off the two hose outlets, and to be able to pressurize it. The 10 psi suggested above should do it -- you shouldn't go any higher than 15 psi or you could blow up even a good radiator.

And as i always say: if its for free; its for me. :D Yeah, the software is free -- but somebody has to host it, somewhere.

If I remember correctly, when I replaced the tank in my '87 SWB two (three?) summers ago it cost me $150. I think that's close to wholesale -- my friend who used to be a Jeep service manager got it through the radiator shop he sends all his work to, so he gets wholesale or close to it. Hmmm ... Either my memory is bad, or I over-payed: http://www2.partstrain.com/store/?Ntt=F ... 7003+10857

The FSM says 120 to 150 psi, with a maximum variation between cylinders of 30 psi. The 150 would be for a nearly-new engine, so don't expect to get that

There is a company making a radiator that has both the filler neck and the bung for the aux fan switch. Unfortunately, I don't know who it is. I do know that it is NOT GDI (Go Dan Industries), because that's the brand I bought and the first one that came in did not have a bung. If it did, I would have taken it.

If the yard owner tells you it's okay, then it's okay ... and it's a "that junkyard" thing. Anywhere else it's stealing.

Oh, I agree that ECUs can go bad. But on an 86 MJ the ECU doesn't control power to the radio, cigar lighter outlet, or starter. But the ignition switch does ...

Absolutely. If your truck is in good shape and you have more money than time, you can still buy a complete 3.4L crate motor from Generous Motors and just drop it in. But you should be able to find a viable 3.4L in a junkyard.

Moroso also makes a funky thing that's basically a length of pipe with a radiator fill neck in it. It costs a lot less than the tank I used. You just cut the upper radiator hose, insert this "thingie" into it, and clamp the two sides of the cut hose onto the ends of the pipe. Voila! Instant open system. I think Summit Racing carries that part, too, but I don't have a part number.

There is no adjustment on the clutch, and I think we have established that the clutch isn't slipping. I still think your engine is turning over because the compression isn't enough to hold the weight. I repeat: There is a REASON they build cars with parking brakes.

I do not think that's correct. I am quite certain that the ECU does not control power to accessories like the radio or 12v plug, and I'm pretty certain it doesn't control power to the starter. I think you need to start tracing your power circuits, starting at the battery, following the battery cable to the power distribution block on the right front fender, and from there through the wiring harness. This does NOT sound like a bad ECU. I would also consider inspecting the ignition switch. On the Comanche, the place where you insert the key in the steering column is not the electrical switch. There's an operating rod from the key tumbler down the column. The actual switch is located near the base of the steering column. That switch, or the wiring connected to it, sometimes goes bad. If that's the case, turning on the key may not be energizing any of your circuits.

What gear are you parking in? Be sure to use 1st gear -- 3rd, 4th or 5th doesn't give the engine as much leverage to hold the vehicle against compression.

"Wisconsin thing"? Is that what they call stealing out there? I usually throw the small stuff into a can or jar, show it to the guy at the counter, and he tells me if he doesn't want to bother with it. Once in awhile he adds a buck or three, usually he says not to worry about it. But my conscience is clear that I didn't try to sneak anything out.

Yep. It should have a white nylon vent plug at the upper end.

I'd like to know how the mechanic determined it was a failed CDI -- whatever that is. Any time a Jeep with a CPS dies (and the Renix TBI does have a CPS), that's almost always the problem.

I thought Jeep changed to RC-134a as of 1994. Might have been 1995, but no later.