Eagle

Paulsaw -- why are you hung up on an '86 steering box? The XJ/MJ steering box didn't change (except for ratio and spool valve settings) from 1984 right to the end of the XJ in 2001. You can buy one out of any XJ or MJ and use it.

Deep cycle batteries are designed to be fully discharged before charging. I don't know if they have any memory effect, like a Ni-Cad, but maybe. More to the point ... once they get really discharged, how much time do they need to bring 'em back to a full charge? Maybe overnight isn't long enough.

Speaking of bell housings ... does anyone have a line on the bell housing for mounting an AW-4 to a 2.5L? I need one, big time.

Methinks you might have been thinking of Thor or Odin.

Trouble is, that tests for flow but not pressure. It would have been better to test it while it was in the vehicle.

www.car-part.com

It occurred to me after I had posted that the XJ lower mounts are set up the same way. I guess run it that way and see how it works. If it becomes a problem, you'll have an idea where to start trouble-shooting.

It's an economical solution, but less than ideal because the shock is oriented 90-degrees from the way it should be. As your axle moves up and down (or as the chassis moves up and down relative to the axle),, the axle swings through an arc, which is going to impart that same arc to the lower half of your shocks. For small changes the shock bushings may handle it, but for larger displacements, I sort of expect you're going to be bending a lot of shock plunger rods with that setup.

CW, since you mentioned angle braces I assume you have the RE drop brackets rather than the Trailmaster ones. My MJ had the Trailmaster, and one of the little things we discovered when I removed them was that, although the stock suspension mounting bolts (UCAs and LCAs) are metric, the holes Trailmaster put in their brackets were sized for SAE bolts. That explained why there was always some creaking and banging going on, even though I never had the bolts loosen up. Is that also true for the RE brackets? (SAE holes for metric bolts, that is.)

Heavy, man, really heavy. Like in, wow, that's deep. Is that sort of like, "It ain't over 'til it's over"? Just joshin' you, CW. :cheers: Out of idle curiosity, what's the going price on real XJ and MJ Dana 44 axles these days?

Fill plug is on the side of the case, I think (although I'm guessing, since I have the Peugeot tranny in most of my heaps). If you are asking what to run in the AX-15 for lube, it's 80W90 gear oil but be sure you get it rated as GL-3. Most of what you find is GL-5. The GL-5 has more sulpher, and the sulpher eats the brass (bronze?) synchronizer rings.

The other problem is that the WJ doesn't use a 5 on 4-1/2" lug bolt spacing -- the WJs were 5 on 5". Whether this is a complete WJ axle or just the WJ brakes retrofitted to an XJ (or brand X) D44, the lug pattern won't work with your MJ rims and won't match your front hubs. I agree with CJ -- keep looking.

The photo of the fuse panel is too small to see much of anything. That wire in the second photo is not a fusible link -- it's a fuse holder. A fusible link is a piece of wire that's "sacrificial" -- it melts when the circuit is overloaded, then you have to replace the wire. Dumb idea, IMHO, and I would never replace a fuse with a fusible link. What you show would work, but I hate gerry-rigging stuff when it can be repaired properly. I would either clean up the terminals in the fuse panel or just replace the fuse panel.

John, I notice that you have a 5-speed. A common problem with the manual trannies in the XJs and MJs is that, if the clutch master cylinder leaks, the fluid runs back along the operating rod, drips onto the fuse panel, and corrodes everything. It really makes quite a mess. That may be what happened to yours. If so, you're probably going to be in the market for a replacement fuse panel, and maybe some rewiring. It has been suggested that this is a good reason to use silicone brake fluid in the clutch system. The stuff is expensive but the clutch doesn't use much, and the silicone won't corrode the electrical contacts if it drips onto them. I didn't know that - I run silicone in my clutch because I run it in the brakes and I have it.

Worse. It isn't clear from the ad if the brakes are from a 2000 WJ or the entire axle. If it's the entire axle, it has a very weak aluminum housing and none of the internals interchange with a standard iron D44. Also, he says it is set up for an XJ, which means the perches are not spaced correctly for an MJ. I would not bid without verifying what vehicle the axle itself came out of.

The factory specs are for a hot engine (normal operating temperature). Did you take your mechanical readings hot, or just after a cold start? 13 psi is a factory minimum and most 4.0Ls idle around 25 to 30 psi, and most in decent condition run about 50 to 55 psi at normal (within speed limits) highway speeds. Your idle pressure sounds higher than normal, but if you measured it cold you're comparing apples to pomegranites.

The spark plug leads are the same, but the coil wire for the HOs is shorter than for the Renix and if it is an OEM-length wire will not reach the coil in the '90.

If the height sensing valve were hooked up, you would have no choice if you wanted your brakes to actually work. Since it's not hooked up, you should be able to skip that step. But how did you deactivate or by-pass the rear height-sensing valve? Are you certain you by-passed it correctly? If not, you might be surprised to find that you have NO rear brakes, and that you will be unable to bleed the rears.

JC Whitney used to sell MJ quarter panels and patch panels. I don't know if they still have them, but if Whitney had them, someone is making them and they should be available from some of the on-line body parts supply houses. Cherokee sheet metal won't fit. The distance between the crease and the top of the wheel arch is different. Been there, tried that, did not win a t-shirt. Yeah, I know it looks like the XJ panels will work, but it's a cruel joke played on us by the designers. No matter what part of an XJ panel you try to fit up to the rear of an MJ, it just doesn't quite fit.

I'm assuming you have the Renix style ("closed") cooling system, with the pressure bottle on the firewall (passenger side)? The system has to be "burped" to purge trapped air. Start with the engine cold, because that bottle is NOT an "overflow" catch tank, it is part of the pressurized cooling system and if you crack the cap when the system is hot, you'll be in a world of hurt. Remove the cap, set it aside, and fill the tank to the top of the post inside (half full). Start the engine and let it warm up with the cap off. This means don't stand too close. As soon as it heats up to the point of bubbling, shut off the engine, then stand by. After about one to three minutes, as the system cools down it will begin to suck fluid out of the bottle into the system. As the level goes down, pour in more coolant, keeping the level to the half-fill line. Stop pouring when the system stops taking in coolant. Repeat. It'll probably take you about four cycles to purge most of the air. Be very careful when pouring in the new coolant, because the stuff in the bottle will be hot enough to scald you if it splashes. Wearing heavy rubber gloves (the kind used in labs for working with acids, not latex or nitrile exam gloves) can help a lot if you can access to them.

Rough Country has a reputation for broken coils that is unmatched by any other XJ/MJ aftermarket parts supplier. They are possibly the only supplier more universally reviled than Rusty. If you have had good luck with their products, count yourself fortunate.

I beg to differ. I bought my '88 XJ new. It has the rocking chair seats, and I know I didn't pay for them. They were standard on the Pioneer, Chief, and Laredo models.

Agreed, the problem is the extra height added by the "rocking chair" hardware. You'll have to get rid of that to get the seats down to a "normal" height. Dunno what year Jeep stopped offering that, but buckets out of an early to mid-90s XJ would probably not have them.

I run Castrol Syntec and change oil and filter at 5000 miles. I changed at 2500 miles with conventional oil. My brother used to be a service manager at a BMW dealership. He switched over to synthetic a lot sooner than I did (of course, he could buy BMW's oil at wholesale prices), and when he pointed out that BMWs recommended oil change interval with synthetic is 15,000 miles, I figured I'd be safe using 5000 miles.

What's wrong with a new body-style Cherokee? The 97 and newer with the restyled interior are quite comfortable, get decent gas mileage (not outstanding, but on a par with the other vehicles you've mentioned), they ride nicely and the interior has more "creature comforts" than the early XJs and MJs. Including dual air bags.