Eagle

Thank you, but I admit to cheating. My wife is Chilena and I am learning to speak Spanish, but my Spanish is very poor and I used a translation program for that post. Ciao

Since a spring-over uses the same springs, and by flipping the perches the springs are mounted the same distance from the axle centerline -- why do you think doing a SOA conversion would cause any more spring wrap than you already have? I don't see how it be any different, unless you throw in a bunch of blocks after you make it SOA.

The real difference isn't the viscosity. You can't compare the numbers between gear oil and motor oil -- they aren't measured the same. The problem with using motor oil in a tranny that wasn't designed for it is that motor oil doesn't have any extreme pressure additives in it. Motor oil is intended for use in an environment where it is circulated by a pump, under pressure. Gear lube isn't under pressure, it gets distributed by splashing and dipping. So the only thing that prevents two sliding surfaces from just squeezing the lube out and self-destructing is the EP additives. They are all specially formulated. For example, when I saw that new Pennzoil Synchromesh fluid I bought a bunch of it to use in the Peugeot tranny in my '88 XJ. Then I read the label, and it didn't meet the Mopar spec for my tranny. I called Pennzoil and their engineer told me that stuff was formulated to run in the new NVG 3500 and NVG 4500 manual trannies, and should NOT be used in either the BA 10/5 or the AX5 and AX-15. I'd go with GL-3, or Redline.

Fernando, The difference is that the 1988 axle does not use a 'c' clip to retain the axle shaft in the assembly. The outer bearing is an enclosed assembly and it is retained in place by the outer retainer plate. The 1993 Dana 35 axle uses the same ring and pinion gears, but it does not use the retainer at the outer bearing. This axle uses a c clip inside the carrier to lock the inner ends of the axle shafts into the carrier. In general, the newer Dana 35 axles are considered inferior to the older axles because if the shaft breaks, the new design allows the wheel to fall off the vehicle. With the older design, the retainer plate at least holds the wheel in position. ---------------------------------------------------------- Fernando, La diferencia es que el 1988 eje no usa un 'C' clip para retener el túnel de eje en la asamblea. El cojinete exterior es una asamblea encerrada y es retenido en el lugar por el plato exterior. El 1993 Dana 35 eje usa los mismos engranajes del anillo y piñón, pero no usa la iguala en el cojinete exterior. Este eje usa un 'C' clip dentro del portador para cerrar los fines interiores de los túneles de eje en el portador. En general, los ejes Dana 35 más nuevo se consideran inferiores a los ejes más viejos porque si las interrupciones de túnel, el diseño nuevo permite que la rueda para caigase el vehículo. Con el diseño más viejo, el plato de iguala por lo menos asideros la rueda en la posición.

Good pick on the dunce. I know that one's just for me. 8) I LUV the BS-meter! But I can think of some other forums that need that one more than we do.

I don't trust nylocks. I've had them strip out at well below the recommended torque for the size of thread I was using. The ones I get from Superior Spring come with heavy pattern (double thick) washers, and double-depth nuts. Between that, the correct torque, and a touch of blue or purple Loctite on the threads, I'm confident they'll never come loose when I don't expect it.

210 on the gauge. It's actually a bit less in the engine but the sender is located at a hot spot -- rear corner of the head.

There are SO many things wrong in that long spec list that I wouldn't even know where to start. However -- I have owned my XJ since I bought it new in 1988, I've owned MJs for several years, the red '88 came with no rear flares and I want to put them on, so I can assure you that I thoroughly investigated using XJ flares. That's the reason why I have a pair of 2-door XJ quarter panels here. They do not fit the MJ. To make them work I would need to hammer the sides of the MJ wheel arches perfectly flush, then graft the XJ sheet metal over the MJ panel, resulting in a smaller wheel arch opening. It can be done, and it might be what I end up doing ... but it's not my first choice.

It's pretty close to right as it shows in that picture, but I wouldn't be terribly upset if they didn't use headlights that look like triaxial speakers ...

How far west is this proposed location from Paragon (Hazleton)? Paragon is already 4 hours away for me, so I'm wondering how much farther the trek would be. Short bedliners? PLURAL? Somebody needs to get rid of short bedliners?

Derek is basically correct. I confess that I have reused axle u-bolts, but never on a modified vehicle that could see high stress. New u-bolts from a decent spring shop are cheap. I get them made up at a local shop for $6.00 each. Cherokee u-bolts are 12mm, which is a shade smaller than 1/2", MJ u-bolts are 14mm, which is a slightly bigger shade larger than 1/2". The shop only deals in SAE sizes, so I standardized on 1/2" and that way I can use them on either an XJ or an MJ. I would much rather put my faith in a brand new, commercial truck grade 1/2" u-bolt than an old, rusty, threads-are-half-gone 14mm u-bolt that may or may not have been apart and retorqued before I got to it.

There's bad info here, all right, and it's all in your post. I have a pair of flares ON the rear quarter panels that I cut off a 2-door XJ. They are exactly the same size and profile as the flares on my 4-door XJ. And they are smaller in both height and length than the flares on an MJ. Those measurements I linked to were taken from one of MY MJs, and from the set of 2-door XJ quarter panels I have. I don't know where you got your information, but this is one time when I KNOW you're wrong. If it'll paste in, the following is directly from the factory parts book: Notice that none of the MJ part numbers match any of the MJ part numbers. Notice also that there is only ONE inner liner listed for the XJ, and it isn't the same number as the one for the MJ.

I don't consider the '89 FSM to be any better than the '88 manuals I have (I have '88 for both the XJ and the MJ). The vehicles are pretty much the same, so get whichever one you can find, or get the better deal on. Keep in mind that there is no single "1988 Comanche Factory Service Manual." It's the 1986 MJ FSM along with several supplemental books to cover the stuff newer than 1986, such as the 4.0L engine, the Renix fuel injection, the 231 transfer case, and the Dana 44 rear axle. As noted, in 1991 Chrysler changed the electrical system and the injection/ignition system, so a '91 or newer FSM would be largely useless to you. They are not backwards-compatible, they are year-specific. If you want multi-year, buy Chilton or Haynes.

The standard FSM diagnostic for the AW-4 tranny is to pull the fuse for the TCU and run it by shifting manually. You lose either first or second gear (don't recall which), but all other positions should function. I don't think you can get any sense of what it's doing when it's up in the air on jack stands. You need to get it on the ground so there's some resistance. Speaking of fuses -- if the MJ didn't have a TCU in it, and you installed a TCU from the parts XJ ... did you check to verify that you're getting power to the TCU? Whoever yanked the TCU might have also yanked the fuse ...

Start by checking the gauge itself. Pull the cluster, and run test leads from a battery (or a battery charger or any small transformer that puts out 12 to 13 volts direct to the terminals on the gauge. (Don't recall for certain, but I believe they're marked for positive and negative. If not, a quick touch with reverse polarity won't kill it.)

You can make anything work if you try hard enough. But they are not the same, and they don't fit. The rear flares on the MJs are both longer and higher than XJ flares. All XJ rear flares are the same, the 2-door and the 4-door don't use different flares.

The glass may be discontinued from the factory, but I'd be very surprised if none of the aftermarket suppliers can come up with it. If not, though, it's flat so you can have a glass shop cut one for you. Many years ago I had th replace all the side glass in a 1939 Hudson coupe because the laminate layer had gotten all yellowed and crazed. Naturally, nobody had stock glass for a 30-year old Hudson, but the local glass shop made 'em up on the spot. The laminated glass they can cut -- tempered they can't. I suppose the rear windows today are tempered, but I don't see a big problem with using laminated.

The tach should read correctly if the donor vehicle had the same engine (4-cyl or 6-cyl) as yours. Idle speed of around 700 to 750 is correct.

I have put them side-by-side. Not even close. There was another thread a couple of three weeks back where I posted actual measurements, but the MJ flares are something like 2" or 3" longer (front to back) and about 2" higher than rear XJ flares. The only way to make XJ flares work would be to graft in a section of the quarter panel from a 2-door XJ, to get the smaller arch opening. Here it is. Scroll down almost to the end for the measurements. http://comancheclub.com/forums/viewtopi ... s&start=15

I can see that I'm going to have to put an XJ bucket and an MJ bucket side-by-side and take a photo. And then flip them over and see what's different that affects the height. In theory, knowing that AMC typically never wasted an opportunity to consolidate parts across model lines, it seems that the seats should be the same seats, so if the XJ seat is too high in an MJ, it's gotta be in the brackets or the pedestals somehow.

The best deal I know of for spring perches is the set in the Mopar Performance Catalog. They are beefier than the stock ones, and the price is ridiculous -- like $15 a pair. I went into my dealer awhile ago to order them. The parts guy (the manager, that day) looked 'em up and kind of scratched his head. "Do these things come one in a box, or as a pair?" he asked. "How should I know, you're the parts manager. Why?" "Because the price is so low. Your price is going to be only ___." Well, the price he quoted me was SO low that I knew there must only be one in a box, even though the picture in the catalog showed two. So I ordered two. The next Saturday I went in to pick up my parts, we opened up the first box ... and out fell two of the biggest, meanest, toughest looking spring perches you'll ever see. The aftermarket places get between $30 and $40 for a pair of perches, and I know they aren't as good as these Mopar units.

Not exactly. Although they look the same from 10 feet away, Chrysler revised the grille in either 90 or 91 to use fewer parts. On my '88s the trim strip across the header, above the grille, is a separate part, and there are two short sections that go above the headlights that are also separate parts. The newer version incorporates those trim strips into the grille and the headlight bezels. And the header panel itself is also different, to accomodate the different grille. You can certainly use the early parts on a 90s XJ or MJ, or the 90s stuff on the early ones, but to do so you have to get ALL the parts from the same generation. You can't mix and match.

Back to the original problem (thereby neatly sidestepping the myriad reminders of my brain pharte) -- a full-length AAL is much less injurious to the springs than the shorties.

Frames can be welded, but it ain't cheap. My brother's '93 or '94 Nissan PU literally broke just at the junction of the bed to the cap. It didn't snap in half, but it was definitely sway-backed. He found a local shop that specializes in that type of repair and hed it welded up -- the repair cost him $1800 IIRC. (Good thing the truck is otherwise pretty nice, and runs well.)

I need to make this repair on two MJs and my daily driver '88 XJ. The factory only lists a complete regulator assembly for the early XJ/MJ with manual windows, for about $150 IIRC. :mad: However -- they list just the replacement cable for the power windows. The parts guy at my dealership thinks the cables are actually the same, so I bought one to try making the swap. I'm hoping to get to it this week, so I'll be sure to post whatever I find out.