Eagle

You need to be certain the CPS is the correct one for the year of the vehicle, and that the distributor also matches by year. The entire ignition/injection setup changed in the 1991 model year, and parts from the 87 - 90 4.0L will not work with the 91+. However, if you have spark I assume that's okay, and you said you have spark. When you set up the distributor at TDC, are you certain that #1 piston was at TDC on the compression stroke? If it was on the exhaust stroke, your distributor will be 180 degrees out of phase. Don't forget, on a 4-cycle engine the engine rotates through two revolutions for one revolution of the distributor.

What 2.4L engine? From Wikipedia's entry on the Dakota:

Even factory rebuilts usually only last about 6 minths. Go to a Jeep dealer and pay the price for the real deal. This is one place where it's worth it.

The CPS also controls the ignition pulse, so if it runs by pouring gas in, the CPS should be good. I guess I'd start by tracing the wiring back from the injector and check all connections for oxidation.

From the AW-4 FSM:

I thought that the dakota 4 cylinder was a chrysler motor? is that still the same bellhousing as the 2.8? I was told no since the 2.8 is a 60 degree motor/bellhousing system, the dakota ax15 would not work. can you clarify that, I'm SICK of my ax-5 being a POS! :headpop: The AX-5 isn't a POS, but if you're not happy with yours, so be it. I have always understood that the Dakota 2.5L was the Jeep engine, but now that I'm looking for something to document it, I'm not finding anything. I'll keep looking. That aside, what possible difference could the fact the 2.8L is a 60-degree V8 make? The transmission doesn't know or care how many cylinders are in fron of it or if they are in-line, 60-degree, 90-degree, or 180-degree.

It's the transfer case shifter that's the issue. Use an XJ/MJ t-case shifter. The YJ transmission shifter works just fine (that's what's in my MJ) but it looks idiotic, because it's a lot straighter than the XJ/MJ shifter and sticks up a lot higher. I'm going to change mine to an XJ shifter when I convert the t-case shifter back to what it should be so I can repair the floor. The t-case clocking may not cause any interference with the floor/tunnel at all, or you might just need a few taps with a body hammer. It's nothing to worry about.

I don't remember, and I don't really like to think about it. I bought a new WJ once. Biggest automotive mistake I ever made. It was a complete, total POS and DaimlerChrysler eventually bought it back to stop me from going lemon law with it. When they worked, the brakes stopped pretty well. The problem was, the front rotors warped if you looked at 'em cross-eyed or spoke unkindly within their hearing. I owned the thing about 9 months. Within that period, the dealership cut the original rotors once to elimiate warping, replaced the rotors, cut the replacements to eliminate warping, and when it departed my ownership the re-cut replacement rotors were warped again. I'm much happier with the old-fashioned, non-warping brakes on my '88 MJ and XJ. I do hope someday to make the conversion to a two-stage booster, but despite the supposed advantages you'll never find me doing the WJ conversion. There are other, less expensive and less complicated ways to improve the stock brakes.

As a diagnostic, you should be able to remove the fuse on an AW4 and run it by shifting manually. You should have first, third and fourth gears that way, and I believe you lose the torque converter lockup but it should run and shift. That takes the tranny computer (TCU) out of the equation. If it won't run and shift manually with the fuse pulled, the problem is elsewhere than the TCU.

ZJ brakes are the same as XJ. For larger rotors and calipers you need WJ brakes, but that involves significant changes to the front end, as well as running 16" rims. For most of us, semi-metallic or carbon fiber or ceramic pads coupled with the upgrade to a two-stage vacuum booster will provide significant improvements.

I never heard of any quarter inch height difference, and my glass shop hasn't. They sell me the same windshield for both XJs and MJs, and they haven't broken one yet trying to put it into an MJ.

When the Cherokee was first introduced in 1984, AMC/Jeep couldn't get enough AX5s to keep up production so they were using AX5s and T5s interchangeably. My friend in Greece has an original 1984 XJ 2.5L (built in the U.S. and imported to Greece by the previous owner) with a T5.

Lowell is closer to NH but there's a shop in Waterbury, CT, that I'm sure can make anything you want. I think it's called Perault's. It's a block from I-84, sort of behind the Home Depot, so if you decide to check them out, it's very easy to get to.

Only problem is ... it doesn't fit. To run in 2WD you'll have to chop the top off the t-case shift lever, and you'll have to carve away a significant chunk of the tranny tunnel around the transfer case shifter to allow it to come up through the floor. The previous owner of my '88 MJ did it, and if I could find him I'd probably shoot him. There is simply no neat way to do this. It's fine if you just want a trail beater, don't mind a lot of engine and road noise, and welcome the occasional bath when fording or driving in heavy rain. If you actually want a REAL TRUCK, that you can use for things like driving on the street, that ain't the way to go. I can post pics if you need them, but it'll take awhile to uncover the carnage and take them.

XJ, MJ, YJ, ZJ and TJ should all be the same.

Does Fastenall sell in end-user quantities? I thought they were wholesale only. There's a Fastenall not too far from me, but I buy from a small shop called The Nutty Company. If there's a fastener they don't have and can't get, it probably hasn't been made for the last 75 years. And I can walk in and buy ONE of something I need.

This has to be the greatest oxymoron of all time. You want to make the '86 "legal" by performing the ILlegal act of swapping the VIN number plates? My advice to you is to stop typing, ask Pete to completely delete this thread, and do whatcha gotta do. Good Lord!

You're looking at some fab work however you approach it. The location of the latch in the door edge is different on the new style than on the old style (higher, I believe), so you have to relocate the strike on the door post. As long as you have to relocate it anyway, what's a little thing like changing the type of strike? :cheers:

Sorry. I missed the part about "guts" They are completely different.

Read the tech forum. Andy in PA asked the same question in there and someone posted a link to the NAXJA write-up on doing the swap.

Rear. Front should be 17-1/2

????? It's a 2WD, right? Normally when we talk about 21-spline or 23-spline we're referring to the interface with the transfer case. You don't have one. Are you asking about the spline count on the tranny input shaft, that the clutch disk rides on?

Center of hub to lower edge of flare should be about 20-1/2" to 21" for a factory suspension. If you don't have flares, get back to me and I'll look in the FSM for the axle-to-frame dimension specified by the factory.

Nope. '87 thru '90 was AMC/Renix. OBD was initiated in the 1991 model year. Your ECU is (or should be) located in a large-ish flat, silver box under the dashboard, tucked up high above the driver's right foot.

I haven't done that but I've seen it done, and it is reported to work just fine. Keep in mind, though, that it reduces cooling system capacity by about a quart. The plastic bottle on the firewall gets filled to the halfway level when cold. That allows the system to expand (building pressure) as it gets hot, without losing coolant. When you eliminate the bottle, you have to leave some air in the system, somewhere, to allow for expansion. Or -- you use a radiator cap with venting and attach an overflow catch/recovery bottle to the add-in filler neck, if it has a place to attach same. I chose a more expensive route, but I'm VERY happy with it. I use a Moroso aluminum racing surge tank in place of the plastic bottle. It takes a conventional radiator cap, plus it has provision to attach a small tube to an overflow/recovery bottle. So I can run the standard "closed" type radiator and not have to worry about adapting a sender for the auxiliary fan, I actually get MORE capacity in my system because I used the 1-1/2 quart tank and it gets filled completely, and I have no worries about the bottle splitting because the plastic got old. Summit sells the tanks. They aren't cheap, but you'll only buy it once.