Eagle

Yes. I've posted the run-down on hub/knuckle/rotor/caliper combinations a couple of times. They do not mix-n-match.

Don't forget that once you put the XJ 4WD setup in the MJ chassis, you won't have a rear driveshaft of the correct length.

I can't find the thread in which someone asked about manual steering boxes with a faster ratio than stock. I was searching for something else tonight, and I found that NEW Saginaw 525 boxes are being manufactured right up the road from me. And they offer the 16:1 quick ratio I remember from my autocross days.

Paint will stick fine to aluminum. Just be sure to blast it with brake cleaner before painting to be sure it's completely degreased. Been meaning to ask you -- what's the steering column out of? That's a great way to solve the problem of how to handle the PRNDL when swapping out an idiot light cluster for an XJ cluster with full instrumentation.

The shuddering on start-up is not the transmission, it's the clutch. I notice you said the clutch is new. Dunno if you replaced the clutch, or if you had a shop do it, or if the previous owner did it or if HE had a shop do it. Whoever did it, I'll bet you a pink lemonade that it wasn't done right. Usually by the time a clutch needs to be replaced, the flywheel has developed some "hot spots." If something isn't done about these, a new clutch will grab better on the areas between the hot spots than it will on the hot spots. The result ==> chattering, or shuddering as you try to engage the clutch in first gear. Traditionally, when replacing a clutch the flywheel was machined to remove the hot spots. HOWEVER -- the XJ/MJ factory service manuals specifically say NOT to do this (but they don't say why). So, my guess is that one of two things happened when your clutch was replaced: either the flywheel was NOT resurfaced, leaving the hot spots and virtually guaranteeing shuddering, or the flywheel was machined even though it should not have been, which can result in the clutch slipping -- which might feel like shuddering.

Put a Tractech TrueTrac limited slip in your D44 axle and leave it alone.

Worn out synchronizer.

Jeeps never had "posis". That;s a GM trademark. The Comanches had a Dana-Spicer limited slip called Trac-Lok. It does require an additive, which Jeep calls "friction modifier." It's available from any Mopar dealer. Best gear lube is 75W140 synthetic. That's what Jeep puts in the newer vehicles with tow options. But if you don't do a lot of heavy towing, there's nothing wrong with 80W90.

Only available for the HO version -- 1991 and newer. They require running high test gasoline and they do not help fuel economy. With today's gas prices, IMHO a chip would be a poor investment.

If the space beneath your clock is a plain, flat rectangle -- there is no display. In the 1980s AMC offered an option called System Sentry that monitored oil level, coolant level, and a couple of other variables. That display occupied the space beneath the clock, but it was divided into four or five horizontal bands, not a single rectangle.

Except for the rear axle and drive shaft ... as noted above.

I currently have 274,000 miles on my "crappy" Peugeot tranny. There's nothing wrong with that transmission if you don't abuse it. Not being able to get into gear at stop signs is a clutch problem, not a tranny problem. Although if you keep grinding it enough, the clutch problem can [ui]create[/i] a tranny problem ...

Under the hood ... or under the dash?

Just kidding, Pete. Seriously, finding a gaping hole through the firewall where there should have been a body plug certainly seemed like a viable suspect as the source of my chronic leak. However -- it's a Jeep, so nothing ever goes quite as expected. We received some rain last night, I went out late morning and opened the driver's door expecting to find a dry floor, and found ... a lake. :cry: Back to square one. I did notice when I popped the hood that, although there was no water running down lear where the new plug in the hole is, there did appear to be water running toward and possibly under the VIN plate -- which on the '88 MJ is mounted to the upper firewall near the hood hinge. The VIN plate is not in that location on my '88 XJ. That gets me wondering why they would move it ... unless it was a problem. It's only held on with two pop rivets, and I'll bet there's no sealant under it. So when the rain ends and things dry out, I think I'll drill out the rivets, relocate the VIN plate to where it is on the XJ, seal up the original holes and see if that makes a difference.

Isn't the differential for the front axle on the passenger side?

Nyuk, nyuk -- A 50/50 mix under 13 psi won't boil until 260 degrees with an open system, either. :D But -- different parts of the engine see different temperatures, and all it takes is one hot spot to create localized boiling, which then raises the pressure throughout the entire system and can cause boiling over even if the gauge doesn't show an overheating condition. Although I believe that spot on the back corner of the head was selected for the sender because it is normally one of the hottest parts of the engine.

Nope. A bad fan clutch would not result in that behavior. A bad fan clutch doesn't move enough air to remove the heat from the radiator. A vehicle moving at 25 or 35 MPH pushes air through the radiator and doesn't need the fan -- that's why we have fan clutches, to essentially make the fan NOT work when it isn't needed. Get serious. The Jeep temp gauge isn't calibrated in a linear scale, it's logarithmic. The low mark is 100, straight up is 210 (that's a delta of 110 degrees), and the top end is 260 (that's a delta from the mid-point on the gauge of only 50 degrees). Ain't nobody got any idea where on that scale 215 or 225 is. That's not turning on late, that's turning on when it's supposed to turn on. The aux fan isn't for normal cooling, it's to prevent OVERheating. It doesn't turn on until the temperature gets above the normal operating range.

No, he's asking if he should do that, or swap in the brakes from a non c-clip '88

The Renix system doesn't use sensors during initial warm-up. It's called "open loop mode" because the sensors are "out of the loop." It runs on a pre-set air/fuel map in the ECU until the engine temp sensor (the one low on the block, not the one on the back of the cylinder head) reaches the lower limit of the normal operating range, then it switches to "closed loop mode." On cold mornings, for me the switch occurs just about two miles down the road, on a level stretch where I'm at mostly neutral thottle, and there is a distinct sort of stutter-burp when it switches over. If yours doesn't idle cold, clean the idle air controller on the throttle body.

First, that's not the only difference between pipe and tube. Second, bending tube with a pipe bender hasn't ever worked for anyone else, so why are you so convinced it should work for you? Sorry to be brusque, but you came here with a question. The answer is that you're using the wrong equipment for the job. What you wish to do about that is your choice. There is a reason why tube benders cost so much more than pipe benders, and why Harbor Freight Tools doesn't sell tube benders.

Your problem is using the wrong tool. Pipe benders are for bending "pipe." For bending "tube," you need a tube bender. The difference is that steel tubing is measured by outside diameter. Pipe is measured/specified by inside diameter, so 1-1/4" pipe (for example) is close to 1-1/2" in outside diameter. Bending tube without kinks requires mandrels that fit the tube tightly, and it's pretty much impossible to use pipe mandrels because they just don't match up to the diameter of the tubing.

The bigger brakes go with the non c-clip axle, and I don't know quite how all the retainers, seals and such match up. For a permanent situation I would certainly choose the older, larger brakes but for a temporary band-aid, I think it'll be much easier to use the 9" stuff so you don't have to replace the backing plates and worry about trying to meld c-clip and non c-clip bits together.

The fan clutch should move *somewhat* easily when cold, and it should NOT move easily when hot. The simplest end-user test for the fan clutch is a traffic light. If the truck holds normal temperature when you are moving but starts to heat up when you stop at a long light -- then cools right back to normal when you start moving again ... the fan clutch isn't spinning the fan fast enough to be doing any work.

You can't use the ignition key for the doors on the early, two-key vehicles. I thought you could, too. I even had a so-called locksmith tell me he could do it, but I wasn't comfortable with the way he said it. Awhile later I was buying some locksets for the house from a REAL locksmith, so I asked him. He said the door keys use 5 tumblers and the ignition keys use 6 tumblers. They keys are the same length, so the pin spacing is different. He said he might be able to make an ignition key work in the door, but he'd never be able to make a door key work the ignition. And IF he got the ignition key to work the door, he guaranteed it would wear out the key and the locks within 6 months. I'll keep muddling along with my two keys ...

AutoZone and Advanced Auto had grommets -- they just didn't have body plugs.