Eagle

Best way is to run a totally new hard line from the front metering block directly to the rear axle brake hose. The old lines are probably rusted and weak anyway, so get rid of them. The new line should come off the outlet in the "nose" of the metering block. The other outlet, the one on the underside and toward the front of the valve, is the outlet for the height-sensing valve bypass. If you run straight from the "nose" outlet to the rear brakes, the other outlet in the metering block should be plugged. You can do that by taking a standard fine-thread bolt (I don't remember what size, I think it's either 5/16" or 3/8" ), cutting it to about 1/4" in length, and putting an o-ring on the shank before screwing it into the hole.

Just for laughs -- jack it up, remove the inspection cover from the bottom of the bell housing where it mates up to the block, and check the four bolts that hold the torque converter to the flex plate. Those bolts sometimes back out and cause symptoms that tend to defy diagnosis. The bolts are accessible through that inspection cover.

aemsee is correct. You are perhaps confused because AMC did buy GM "iron duke" engines for a few years. But those were used in Eagles and Concords, they were never used in the Cherokee/Comanche. The Jeep 2.5L engine is based on the Jeep 6-cylinder engine, it is not based on or developed from the GM engine in any way. Good luck trying to use Iron Duke parts in a Jeep engine. I hope you have deep pockets ...

The description of the shifter choices does NOT sound like the 242. Are you certain it's an '87? Is there just a shift lever for the transfer case, or is there also a knob or botton on the console and/or a horizontal sliding lever that moves across the vehicle, widthwise? Is there a "Power/Comforst" switch on the dashboard, in the toggle switch block to the right of the steering column?

The Mpoar Performance Catalog offers two or three different cam kits for the 2.5L Jeep engine. I think they are still available. I'd look for a Stage 2, but a Stage 3 would probably still be streetable.

The Performance Catalog isn't in print, but it is still available on-line. And most of those parts are still available through Mopar dealers. They all have access to all the Performance Catalog parts, so you don't have to go to a Jeep dealer if you have a relationship with, for example, a Dodge dealer.

Nobody fully understands death wobble, but CW is right -- bad shocks cannot cause it. And REAR shocks don't even enter into consideration if the problem is "death wobble," which ends up with the front wheels oscillating so violently that you literally can't steer the vehicle, and have to pull over and slow down to 20 MPH to get it stopped. If you aren't peeing in your drawers and seeing your life flash in front of you, it probably isn't "death wobble." Assuming that it is, what's happening is that one front wheel starts to shake, and then due to harmonics the shake gets transferred to the other front wheel. After that, the shake in each wheel reinforces the shake in the opposite wheel, with the result that the amplitude of the shaking is constantly increasing. The usual cause is either wheel balance, or an out-of-round tire/rim. Those are really the only things that can start the process (well, a badly warped rotor on one side is a remote possibility, as well). However, once one wheel starts shaking, things like sloppy track bar bushings or worn-out shocks can allow the harmonic transfer to the opposite wheel more easily than if everything was in good condition. If you are just rolling down a fairly smooth road and the shake sets in at 45 MPH (or 50, is more usual in my experience) without hitting any bumps or potholes -- get your tires balanced. If it still happens, take the tires back and make the shop re-do it. The bigger the tire, the more critical tire balance becomes. There are a LOT of shops out there that have a fancy machine, but they hire some doofus at minimum wage to run it, and the usual attitude is "That's close enough." "Close enough" usually isn't close enough.

Stroking the 2.5L is one of those things best undertaken only by those with a lot of time and money. There is no easy way to do it. The 4.0L stroker is easy because the block is the same basic layout as several other, older engines in the AMC line, so the 4.2L (258 cubic inch) crankshaft is a drop-in fit and provides an instant and inexpensive source for the heart of a longer stroke engine. The 2.5L engine is built on the same basic engine design, but it is the only displacement Jeep ever built as a 4-cylinder. That means there's no other engine that can be used as a source for a cheap stroker crankshaft. Messing around with offset-ground journals is expensive, and each attempt becomes a one-off prototype. IMHO, the best way to get more power out of the 2.5L is a camshaft. The factory cam has the same specs as the 4.0L engines of the same years, which makes them very mild for a smaller displacement, higher-revving engine. A slightly more aggressive cam will really wake up the 2.5L and it's a lot cheaper than trying to stroke it.

Yes, there's a difference. A limited slip is a limited slip. It isn't a locker. Put too much torque to it and the clutches slip. It also wears out, and the clutches require a special additive for the gear oil. You could transfer a Trac-Lok from one axle to another, but you would have to know enough about setting up gears to be able to measure the lash on your original setup and then match it exactly with the Trac-Lok. If you don't match the existing gear pattern, you'll have a noisy diff and possible early failure.

I think some clarification is called for, because you are mixing up terms. As CWlongshot already noted, "posi" was short for "Positraction," which actually a GM trade name for their limited slip differential. Over the years, "posi" was sort of hijacked to refer to any limited slip differential. But, whether you call it a "posi," a "Trac-Lok," or any of a variety of other trade names, it is a limited slip differential, it is not a "locker." Jeep did offer a limited slip in both the Cherokee and the Comanche. It was a Dana-Spicer unit which both Jeep and Dana called Trac-Lok. Jeep never offered a true locker until the air locker they put in the Wrangler Rubicon a few years back ... and they put that unit ONLY in the Wrangler Rubicon. Your parts truck could have a Trac-Lok even if it's a Dana 35. The usual test is to jack up one rear wheel, with the parking brake off and the tranny in neutral, and see if you can spin the wheel by hand. If it doesn't spin, you have Trac-Lok. The catch-22 is that if the wheel does spin, it doesn't completely prove that the diff doesn't have Trac-Lok. The system uses clutches, and they usually last only 75,000 to 100,000 miles. Once they wear out, the diff acts like a normal, open differential. So the only positive way to know if there's a Trac-Lok in there is to remove the diff cover and look.

Got a better description of the symptoms? Does "cuts off" mean the ignition stops firing completely? If it cuts off when your foot is off the gas, does it cut back on when you step on the gas?

Bummer, man. I've lost a few dogs in my life, and it never got any easier. I'm sorry you had to go through it.

My guess would be "yes." I only buy CPSs from the dealer. It's too critical to take chances on saving a couple of bucks on a part that should last over 100,000 miles, but can leave you thoroughly up the creek without a paddle when it decides to not work.

Hey, comanchedude - I'll take care of my posts, you take care of yours. Quaker State oil is crap, and it does leave a gunky, varnish-like build-up inside the engine. If you want to believe that's not paraffin, it's your money and your engine. I won't let the stuff near anything I own. 30 years ago Quaker State was the only oil I ran if I couldn't find Amalie. The stuff they sell today is not at all like the stuff they sold 30 years ago. Back to the question of what to run: for an older, high-mileage engine, I think 10W30 is a bit light. I always ran 10W40 in mine, even when new. Around 200,000 miles I changed to 20W50. Then I switched to full synthetic and I've been running Castrol Syntec 5W50 (when I can find it) because the 5 weight when cold provides better start-up flow in cold weather. I'm not as worried about that in summer, so if I can't find 5W50 I'll run 20W50.

It is throttle body injection. But the difference is not semantic. A carburetor works on the principle of suction. The high velocity of the air stream as it passes through the carburetor venturi (or venturis, if it's a 2-bbl or 4-bbl) creates a low pressure, which sucks fuel out of the carburetor float bowl(s) through the jets. The fuel pump works at approximately 7 psi, and all it does is pump the gas up to the float bowls. The gas is not pumped from the bowl(s) to the venturis -- it is sucked by vacuum. Throttle body injection is just the opposite. The fuel pump sends gas directly to the injector(s) under relatively high pressure, and when the injector(s) fire(s) the gas is squirted into the air stream under pressure, rather than being sucked in by vacuum in a carburetor. The difference is very much not semantic. It's a fundamental difference in the mode of operation.

I have posted before and I will repeat here -- one boring Saturday morning, the parts guys at the dealership and I pulled out two brand new track bars -- one of the old part number and one of the new part number -- and laid them on the counter, side-by-side. We looked. We measured. We held them together in a variety of positions. We could not find ANY difference between them, other than the part number and the price. I am running a '92 or '92 track bar in my '88 Cherokee. My axle is not off center. If your axle is off center, it's not because someone used the wrong year track bar.

I will almost guarantee the problem will disappear when the FRAM filter disappears. However -- yes, of course your oil pressure goes down when the oil gets hotter and thinner. And the pressure goes down at idle because the oil pump isn't spinning as fast. What type and weight of oil are you using?

Paraffin.

Keep in mind that the size and shape of the hole changed. The hole for my '89 with AX-15 is different from the '87 with the BA 10/5.

Not without modifying one or both. They don't mate up properly.

You want Option #2. Option #3 is what Pete did on his first try, and then found out he had no rear brakes. That lower front (as in forward, not meaning "front wheels") output only gets pressurized if you lose the pressure in the front brake circuit.

READ THIS! http://knizefamily.net/minimopar/oilfilters/index.html

Dude -- Do NOT waste one penny on gears, carburetors, tune-ups, fuel filters, high-flow air filters. Do NOT do it. You will only end up poorer and pi$$eder at yourself for wasting money and still driving a boat anchor. Take the dollars you would put into those useless improvements, stick them in a piggy bank, add to them as often as you can, and then do a 3.4L conversion. It's the same basic block, but it's a MUCH better engine.

Ummmm ... Purolator is a MAJOR aftermarket manufacturer. They are not Advance Auto's "house brand."

Purolator, Wix, Mobil-1