Eagle

Very nice. I'd probably keep the color just as it is -- but you gotta lose those wheels. :ack:

Pressure is pressure, and remains constant throughout any hydraulic circuit. The problem won't be pressure, it'll be volume. You're only replacing the short lines from the master cylinder to the combination valve block, correct? Probably won't make much difference. I'm turning my brain into a pretzel trying to figure if it'll mean more peddle travel, or less. It's too late, and I'm fried. Let us know how it works.

Do you use salt on the roads in your part of the rust belt? If there is even one SPEC of rust anywhere visible on that heap, put it on a lift somewhere and go over the frame with a magnifying glass, a small hammer, and a pick. Seriously. I used to have a full-size Cherokee, a few years older than what you're looking at. Awesome machine, but the frames have a regrettable tendency to disappear without notice. Going back maybe three years or so, I stopped at my Jeep dealer to pick up some parts, and I was somewhat surprised to see a flatbed wrecker in the shop parking lot, loading a gorgeous Grand Wagoneer ONTO the truck. That was odd -- usually the wreckers drop vehicles off at the shop. So while chatting with the parts guys, I asked what was the deal on the Grand Waggy and the flatbed. The answer was that it was brought in for a muffler, and when they put it on the lift it started to bend amidships. Closer inspection revealed that there was virtually no frame left. They were sending it to a specialty shop to weld in frame patches, but it was so far gone that the shop wasn't willing to assume the risk of driving it, nor would they assume the risk of allowing the owner to drive it off their property. CHECK THE FRAME. CAREFULLY.

What problem? Are you saying that it won't crank, or that it cranks but won't start?

Cruise control? Buy a flare tool and reuse the larger fitting from the old brake line. Buy a length of new line, cut off the end, remove the fitting, slide on the larger fitting from the old line, and do a TWO-STAGE (double) flare. Be sure you do a double flare ... a single flare does not work on brakes, and may result in the line cracking and losing your brakes.

TIME ... OUT! This is in your 1987 Comanche? You don't have an "overflow." That plastic bottle on the passenger side of the firewall is NOT a coolant overflow recovery bottle. That bottle is part of the pressurized cooling system. If coolant is bubbling out of it, the bottle and/or the cap is most likely the problem. You can buy new ones (cap and bottle together, don't bother trying just the cap 'cause it probably won't seal to an old bottle) from Quadratec for around $20 or $25.

not sure if this is relavant, but i unplugged the vaccume hoses from the back of the transfer case, and lost fuel pressure. plugged them back in, and i had pressure. Okay, ya got me. Vacuum does control more than the axle disconnect. But -- nothing inside the transfer case, so a vacuum problem could not result in the t-case staying in 4WD. That's what I was trying to say.

The best info will be a factory service manual. You will need the tranny, the tranny computer, the tranny mount (the cross member is the same, but the mount is different), and the tranny shift linkage. If you have an AX-15 you should have a 23-spline output, so your transfer case should bolt up to most AW4s unless you get a very early one. Obviously, you'll need a flex plate (flywheel). Be sure you get the right one for your year electronics. The ones from the Chrysler years won't trigger the Renix CPS properly, and vice versa. I'm not certain, but I believe you'll have to adjust the length of your rear drive shaft.

They didn't. The XJ used the AW4 right up to the bitter end.

Vacuum controls ONLY the axle disconnect. If the transfer case is in 4WD when the lever says 2WD, either the linkage isn't adjusted correctly or there are problems inside the t-case. Given that the seller apparently knew there was a problem and lied about the driveshaft to cover it up, I think you are safe to bet the problem is inside that transfer case.

Actually, neither is a Chrysler tranny. They are both the Aisin-Warner AW4 and they will interchange. Get the tranny computer with the replacement. Shouldn't make a difference, but there may be minor firmware differences.

Previous owners can be SUCH losers! That sounds like the Cherokee I refurbished for my ex-GF a couple of years ago. That was an automatic, but the same deal -- missing bolts, messed up flywheel (flex plate), messed up rear main seal (even though he had had the pan off -- he replaced it using blue Permatex rather than spring for a gasket :grrrr: :headpop: :mad: It turned out to be a really decent XJ, though, and she still has it and uses it regularly. Hang in there -- it'll be worth it. As much as I like my XJs, I LOVE my MJs.

I am SOOOO envious of people who can do body work -- and have a shop in which to do it.

How much of a hurry are you in? I have an '88 with a rubber mat. When I get it on the road in the spring I plan to install carpet. Where are you located?

Should be the same. Pretty much all the AMC XJs and MJs used 10" x 1.75" rear brakes, except the D44 axles had 10" x 2.5" drums. I've had one guy swear his '89 XJ came from the factory with a D35 and 10" x 2.5" brakes ... but he bought it used, so I don't know how he's so sure that setup was "factory."

The D44 is longer than the D35. It is the same as a Chryco 8.25. Your drive shaft will be just fine.

Yeah, you have an '88. The plastic coolant bottle on your firewall is part of the pressurized system. It is NOT an overflow catch tank. If the cap doesn't seal (or wasn't put on tight), or the bottle cracks -- your system can't hold pressure and you'll gradually boil off coolant until it gets low enough to let you know something is amiss.

It does line up differently, but there's a work-around. On the older fenders, where they transition from vertical to horizontal there's a sort of hard bevel. The new style ('97+) has a rounded contour at that point. If you mount a new style header panel against old style fenders, that rounded upper/outer corner stick out beyond the bevel. The work-around is to fill in behind that rounded corner on the header before you install it. Fill it with bondo and chopped fiberglass, or something like that. Be sure to fill it solid, with no voids. Once you mount the new header, you just take a body file to the outer corner and contour it to match the bevel on the fenders. It doesn't require much, and once it's finished 99.7% of people who see it will never pick up on what you did.

A noid light is the tester for checking the wiring to injectors. Basically you take the connector off the injector, plug it onto the noid light, have a helper crank the engine over, and see if the light flashes.

Next check to see if the injector is receiving an electrical signal. You can buy the tester for about $15 at any of the parts houses, it's called a "Noid Light." They don't list it for the Jeep, but one of the other makes fits. Don't remember now, I think it was listed for a GM.

How old is your CPS (Crankshaft Position Sensor)?

Hi, Andy. Where ya been hiding? The doors will bolt right on, but the position of the latch in the door post is different. I don't recall if the newer ones are higher or lower than the old style, but they are different. I believe Kejtar has a write-up on doing this swap over on the NAXJA forum, although I think the way he did it was rather redneck. I wouldn't do it the way he did.

Your '86 has throttle body injection. I hope the problem isn't the injector, because that's a $200+ replacement. What about the fuel pump? Have you verified that it's delivering enough fuel and enough pressure to the injector? That's where I would start. PLus you have a fuel filter in the line from the tank to the engine. It's mounted to the inside of the driver's side frame rail, near the fuel tank. That could be clogged. Perhaps you should start by changing that, since it's probably long overdue anyway.

Round, or oval? If it's oval, similar to the Chrysler 8.25 axles in later year Cherokees, it's a Dana 35. If it is perfectly round, it's the afore-mentioned AMC model 20 and a VERY desireable axle. What size are the rear brakes? If they are 10" x 1.75" the axle is probably a D35. If they are 10" x 2.5" it is probably a Model 20.

The 228 and the 229 are essentially the same transfer case, but the 229 had a viscous coupling and the 228 has a mechanical differntial. It's a VERY heavy-duty t-case. It was used in some years in the full-size Cherokee/Wagoneers and J trucks. It's also a very HEAVY t-case. The biggest downfall is that there is no locked 4WD high range. This is basically an all-wheel-drive case. There's no 2WD mode, and the transfer case does not lock the front and rear driveshafts in 4WD high range. It was probably not original to your MJ. As far as I know, the 228 was the optional Selec-Trac case for the '86 XJ, but I don't think Selec-Trac was an option in the MJ.