Eagle

Are you swapping to the new style dashboard? If not, you don't want a '97-'01 interior harness, you want a '91-'95 harness. But the gauge polarity was reversed in the 1991 model year, so you'll have to replace the instrument cluster, and the '91 and newer use an electronic speedo (although I suppose you could probably fit your mechanical speedo into the newer cluster, but I haven't tried that to verify it).

I am well aware that the US military uses synthetics in all vehicles. I am also aware that the US military isn't running a whole lot of XJs and MJs with the AW4 transmission, and any they have either came from the factory with synthetic or were converted upon delivery. You are free to do as you wish, Sir, but the kind of people on NAXJA who have encountered this problem are not the typical "drive it 'til it drops" kind of owner who would ignore normal maintenance. As I wrote, enough people have noted that converting the AW4 to synthetic kills the transmission that I am not willing to risk it. These people, generally, made the attempt because they had not encountered this problem with other automatic transmissions. They did encounter it with the AW4. Take it for what it's worth.

I wouldn't box the rockers for a daily driver. You can buy replacement rocker panels from most of the aftermarket body parts companies for not a lot of money, and they fit pretty well. Dunno if they still have them, but a few years ago I got a set from JC Whitney.

What vehicle did you get the booster out of, and how much custom fitting did you have to do to make it work?

They'll fit with no lift, if you're on stock Jeep rims. However, with OR without the lift, at full steering lock (when you turn the wheel all the way left or right) they are going to rub on the lower control arms. This condition is not helped by a lift.

Most of the 2.8L automatics came with 3.73 gearing, and that's actually an excellent ratio for a 4.0L automatic. Especially if you run tires slightly larger than stock, like maybe 235/75-15s or 30x9.50-15s. Just swap in the speedo gear from your old transfer case and you should be all set (but check the shaft length on the two speedo gears, they may not be the same).

Yes, I know. It won't. They are TOTALLY different. Right down the the polarity of the gauges being reversed.

I strongly advise you NOT to use synthetic in the transmission. Why? Not from my own experience, because I'm a 5-speed kind of guy. But I've been a member of NAXJA since it was founded, and ALL reports from the NAXJA tech forums are that synthetic tranny juice is death to the AW4 transmission. Nobody knows exactly why, there are several theories, but my view is ... why argue against the collective wisdom of several thousand serious owners? Enough people have reported problems that I do not wish to tempt fate. I run my wife's XJ on Castrol full syhthetic in the engine, but the AW4 (which is due for a change) gets conventional.

Oops. Yeah, the pan full of metal chips would definitely be "a clue." Bummer.

185,000 kilometers? That's only about 111,000 miles. My '88 XJ Pioneer (with the original Peugeot transmission) is currently at 266,000 and change ... MILES. The Peugeot tranny gets a bad rap. There's nothing wrong with it if you don't mistreat it, or think it's a drag race vehicle and insist on making every shift a power shift. $200? Canadian? That's not a bargain, it's a steal. Don't let it get away.

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.