Eagle

That's what I was trying to say when I said "tone ring". I was just about on my way to work and typing too fast! I knew that but I wasn't sure if everyone could translate so I thought I'd just tack on a layer of redundancy :)

Somebody makes them -- or used to. JC Whitney used to sell MJ quarter panels, and I'm pretty sure somebody on this forum said one of the Internet body parts places (Sherman?) had them.

The '91 and later flywheels are different because the flywheel incorporates the teeth that trigger the CPS, and the pattern is very different for the Chrysler injection system than for the Renix system. That's why if you drop an HO engine into a Renix chassis, unless you swap out the complete computer and wiring harness you have to use the original Renix flywheel ... so it'll trigger the CPS.

You can do it. The question is if you should do it. I've towed farther than that, flat towing an MJ behind and MJ and again towing an XJ on a lightweight (yeah, right!) aluminum trailer behind an MJ. I survived, but it was painful. I would not flat tow again, because you don't have enough brakes. At least with a trailer you can run electric or surge brakes and have a slim chance of stopping in the same county as where you first stepped on the brake peddle ... but then you're towing the added weight of the trailer, so the towed rig significantly outweighs the tow vehicle. That's never a good combination, and it's pretty hard on the tow vehicle.

Early 2.5Ls w/o air conditioning used vee belts and conventional rotation for the water pump. The ones with a/c used the same water pump as the 4.0L ("reverse" rotation).

Do not sandblast alloy wheels. "Aircraft" stripper from the auto parts store will do it for you. It'll probably require two applications, maybe three. I usually take the rims to a coin-op car wash on a slow day. Set the rims out of the floor, paint on the stripper using a cheap chip brush from Lowe's or Home Depot (or Wal-Mart, sometimes), let it sit for just a couple of minutes, then blast it off with the power wand. The first application usually gets about 75% of the coating off. The next one might do it if you're anal about getting into the small crevices. I'm often rushed, which ends up costing me time and quarters because I have to go back for a third round. You can do it at home, especially if you have a power washer, but who wants a bunch of acid and paint slag on their driveway or lawn?

Agreed. If it starts, it isn't the CPS, and probably not the IAC or TPS. As noted, the START circuit bypasses the fuel pump resistor. Once you release the key to the RUN position, the power is routed through the resistor. Either the resistor is bad, or there's another problem in that part of the fuel pump circuit. You could also try running a hot wire directly to the fuel pump. If it starts and stays running, do NOT leave it that way, because you won't have a pressure switch to shut the pump off when there's sufficient pressure in the fuel rail. Hot wire it only as a diagnostic aid.

Stock height in the front, center of hub to bottom edge of flare, was 17-1/2" You cannot assess amount of lift based on the free length of the coils. The spring rate is a mathematical function that depends on the free length, the number of coils, the outside diameter of the coils, and the diameter of the wire itself. Change any one of those variables, and you change the entire spring.

Year-for-year, the MJ did NOT have a different firewall from the XJ. As to a difference between the '84-'86 vehicles and the '87+ vehicles, reports are inconsistent. Some who have swapped in a 4.0L into an earlier vehicle saw they had to cut out a section of the firewall and weld in a new section. Others say they just reshaped it with a big hammer. And at least one person claims he dropped in a 4.0L with no firewall mods. On the extreme other end of the spectrum. I have a friend with an '86 XJ who wanted a 4.0L conversion. He took it to a shop that specializes in Cherokees, and they decided the easiest route was (are you ready?) to cut the two vehicles in half just behind the 'A' pillar and weld the new front half to the rear section of his original chassis. IMHO, the logical upgrade for a 2.8L in an XJ or an MJ is the GM 3.4L V6.

Check the Summit Racing catalog or web site. Someobody makes such a critter, but I don't remember who. Might even be B&M (or Hurst).

Unlikely in an '87, unless a previous owner swapped it in. The AX-15 didn't start until midway through the 1989 model year.

Receiving isn't the problem. Even the glass mounts will receive. Getting decent tranmission is the problem. Legally, all CBs are limited to 5 watts output, so having a good antenna really can make a difference. Depending on intended use, different types of antennas have advantages and disadvantages. My Radio Shack gutter mount, for example, worked great on pavement but on trails (in PA and New England) it was constantly getting whacked by low-hanging tree branches. A fiberglass whip, like a Firestick (which, BTW, is an excellent brand) wasn't the answer, because tree branches break those. I ended up buying a 6" or 8" magnetic mount "rubber ducky" antenna that I stick on the roof for trail use. It's short enough that most trees don't hit it, and flexy enough that unless it gets hit near the base it doesn't get knocked off. Range is reduced compared to steel whips, but is adequate to get from me to the other guys in my group on a trail ride. Several people I know use a 'Z' shaped bracket off the inner fender and mount a 2-foot steel whip on the left fender near the 'A' pillar, sort of a mirror image of the factory radio antenna. This gets them a good antenna and it's low enough to clear a lot of obstacles. Add a spring base and it's a good setup. Radio Shack used to sell the bracket, but I haven't checked in a number of years so they may have dropped it.

thanks for the tip, what does a typical MJ windshield run? I'm budgeting about 200 for it. That sound about right for the VA area? I've paid between $125 and $150, with the installer coming to my home and doing the job right in the driveway. If you convert to the new style perimeter gasket, you'll have to be sure to tell him in advance so he'll bring the gasket, and the gasket will probably cost an extra $25 or so.

The wheels are setup for tapered lugs, as are my factory steel wheels. Doesn't matter. A lot of Ford rims are set up for tapered lug nuts, but they have a smaller center hole than AMC/Jeep rims and won't fit on an XJ or MJ without modification.

25 miles is quite a reach for any CB, unless your chassis has been modded, but the first CB I had in the '88 Cherokee was an old Radio Shack compact model hooked up to a Radio Shack steel, gutter-mount antenna and is moderately flat terrain that would bet out a verified 13 miles on the Intertstate. That's probably about all you should hope for unless you decide to run an illegal "kicker." I've also had decent performance using a 2-foot steel magnetic mount that sits in the middle of the roof. Come to think of it, I'm now on my fourth CB and I've never used an honest-to-God fixed antenna. But I agree 100% on the glass mount types. One of the guys in my chapter of NAXJA tried one, and with him approaching in the opposite direction on a 6-lane (3 each way) Interstate, I couldn't receive him even when we could see each other and make hand signals. Save your $$$$$.

An '88 should have the second type that Jeff referred to. The "child-proof cap" will be white nylon, and the part you squeeze is the outer ring/collar thingie. If you squeeze it correctly, it pops right off. Squeeze it just a little bit wrong and it just sits there and laughs at you.

I have a Pioneer in the MJ and a Kenwood in the XJ. I much prefer the Kenwood, but the Pioneer keeps on makin' noise.

Pic #1 looks like the one that was on my ex-GF's '88 XJ with 242, and it's also like the one I added to my '88. It hangs down pretty far beneath the 231 in mine, and I always suspected it was intended for the 242. I don't think they were based on the tranny, I have always been led to believe they were paired to the transfer case. The 242 case is slightly larger and hangs down slightly farther than the 231, hence the difference.

Is that a tapered reamer or a straight reamer? Harbor Freight Tools (yeah, yeah, I know) has a complete set of adjustable reamers for around $75 (U.S.). If you know what size you need, I have the complete MSC catalog here, I can see what they have. (If they don't have it, I'll be amazed.)

I looked at the photo and the '86 splines don't appear twisted to me. It would probably make sense nonetheless to install the '88 shafts, and carry the old ones as spares.

I hate to come into this discussion as the voice of reason, but ... we are talking about a 2WD, street driven daily driver, correct? My daily driver is my '88 XJ, which currently has a bit over 266,000 miles on the all-original steering components. The only thing that has been replaced is the track bar. The XJ has been driven across the country and back, it has wheeled in Connecticut (back when we still had at least a couple of legal trails), multiple times at Paragon and on trails in the Mohawk Trail region of western Massachusetts, and nothing in the steering has bent or broken yet. So, for a 2WD daily driver ... what's the "benefit" of spending a bunch of money to "upgrade" to a heavy-duty steering setup?

But you transplanted the HO in right? Don't know if the ohms are the same or not. And a Q of my own, Since you can't test a sensor warm when it won't start, will a bad CPS result in non continuity between the terminals?? They are not the same. In fact, not even close. I have never figured out how you are supposed to test a CPS at operating temperature if the engine won't start. I have tested a known-bad CPS at room temperature, out of the vehicle, and the ohm reading on that one was within 25 ohms of the replacement as it came out of the box. My conclusion is that any attempt to "test" a CPS is a waste of time and effort. It's a PITA but, if the CPS is suspect, change it. If that works, you found the problem. If it doesn't work, keep the old one as a trail spare and keep diagnosing.

I disagree. If this were the problem, jumping it would not have made a difference.

When you scuff up the flywheel, inspect it closely for hot spots (patches of bluish discoloration). If you have them, the surface will be uneven and you'll always have chatter. That's why in the old days it was always recommended to resurface the flywheel. Too bad the new engineers think they have a better idea. Also inspect carefully for tiny cracks in the surface. Clean it up, get it nice and dry, then shoot it with water or brake cleaner or something that will temporarily settle in cracks and make them easy to see. If you see ANY tiny cracks in the surface -- buy a new flywheel.

MJ u-bolts are 14mm (which is close to 9/16") and XJ u-bolts are 12mm (which is slightly less than 1/2". I've settled on using 1/2" from a local spring shop for all my vehicles, XJ and MJ. You can safely run those 7/16" u-bolts for an easy highway trip, and replace them with beefier ones whenever you can get them. If you can't find them locally, try Husky Spring Company (I think their web site is something clever like www.huskyspring.com or something like that). The 86 and 88 axles should be the same. The 'C' in 35C does not indicate c-clips. It stands for "customer," meaning the axle is shipped to the vehicle manufacturer partially assembled, for "customer" completion. Chrysler made the change to c-clips either mid-year in 1989 or with the start of the 1990 model year. I'm not sure about MJs, but in XJs any rear axles with the c-clips will also have 9" x 2.5" drums rather than 10" x 1.75"