Eagle

Car covers work well. The best are the ones with a silverized outer coating -- that reflects the sun and the UV radiation, keeping the vehicle underneath cooler and preserving the paint.

Stock. As the saying goes, "They don't make 'em like that any more." I don't understand people who seek out pristine examples of rare vehicles and then modify them in ways that can't be undone. I'm all for trail rigs, but start with a basket case for that -- don't destroy one of the few remaining solid examples of a stock vehicle. A similar thing applied during my AMC racing days. My brother and I, and a couple of good friends, all drove and raced AMC pony cars. My brother and friends #1 and #2 both drove and autocrossed AMXs. I had a Javelin and an AMX for daily driver duty, but I decided early on that I wasn't going to risk a daily driver in competition so I bought a base model Javelin (used) and built that up for competition. Then we moved on from autocross to time trials at places like Lime Rock Speedway and Thompson Motor Speedway. And, again, my brother and friends #1 and #2 put their AMXs (even more rare than Comanches, BTW) at risk while I had my "who cares, it's only a Javelin" to race. From time trials, my brother and I and friend #2 progressed to the New England hillclimb circuit. My brother continued to run his pristine AMX, and I continued to run my Javelin. Friend #2 bought a race-prepped Javelin rolling chassis from a defunct pro racing team for his hillclimb ride. Sure enough, in I think the third year of our hillclimb activities my brother overcooked it going into a turn and rolled his AMX down the side of Okemo mountain in Vermont. He came out uninjured, but the car was a complete loss. By the time this happened (mid- or late 1970s) 2-seat AMXs had already been discontinued (1970 was the last year) and nice ones like my brother's were already worth twice what they had cost new, and were increasing in value monthly. Why anyone would risk trashing something like that I could never understand. The experience would have been the same (and the consequences far less painful) if he had started with a $500 Javelin like I did, and made that into his race car. Side note: the following year, friend #2 rolled his Javelin down the same mountain (don't remember if it was on the same turn). It didn't bother him nearly as much as my brother. He hauled into a shop, cut the roof off and welded on a new one, and spent a winter rebuilding it. It wasn't going to win any concours prizes for condition, but he could still race it. If we go off-road, we have to understand that bad things may happen. In the early days on NAXJA-NAC, several of us were at paragon for a work weekend and to scout trails prior to our annual NACFest. We were on a "Moderate" rated trail that had an off-camber turn around a tree. One of the guys took a bad line in an XJ with a 6" lift, and rolled it as he came off the tree. Those things happen. It's part of the game. I just don't understand risking that end to a pristine vehicle of which there are very few left in the world. End of sermon.

On the base models (or SporTruck, in some years) the standard was a single "flag" style mirror on the driver's door.

As Jeep Driver said -- zero. I came to Jeep from AMC. On the late 60's AMC V8s, the timing gear set used nylon teeth on the cam sprocket, and they had a tendency to jump time between 150,000 and 200,000 miles. Thinking that the 4.0L used the same setup, when my original '88 XJ reached 150,000 I started thinking I was living on borrowed time, so I bought a new timing set. Hmmm ... it wasn't a flat chain, like in the V8s, it was a roller (or "roller-like") chain, and the cam sprocket was all steel. But I had to be sure, so I opened up the timing chain cover. Sure enough, the factory sprocket was steel and the chain was the roller-type chain. And it wasn't stretched even a little bit. I had it open at that point so the new parts went in, but it was actually watsed time and money. It didn't need to be replaced.

Fiatslug has pretty well covered the camper question. As to weight ... a lot would depend on where it's located, both as to where in the box, and how high the center of gravity is. And then you get to what the aftermarket springs are rated for. If a factory height shortbed is rated for a maximum load of 1,400 or 1,500 (somehow, 1,475 sticks in my head), that's the absolute maximum you should carry at stock height. With a 6" lift, I would de-rate that by quite a bit if you're on the road and traveling at highway speeds. Around the farm, crawling in low gear, is a different story.

You wrote that you read 3 volts on "all the terminals." I don't mean to bust on you, but we're all willing to help as much as we can. Remote diagnosis is difficult enough with accurate information. When you say you tested "all the terminals," we have to proceed on the belief that you tested ALL the terminals. You don't help yourself by extrapolating and generalizing. Thus endeth the sermon for today.

Looks like something that belongs on Ron Pratt's or Plaza Towing's Youtube channel.

The Metric Ton MJ is rated to carry 2,200 pounds -- but there was never a Metric Ton shortbed, only a heavy duty axle option. Your truck is not rated to carry 2,200 pounds. I believe the load rating for the standard MJs (which means all shortbeds) is somewhere around 1,400 to 1,500 pounds. I think you would be making a serious mistake putting a heavy camper like that in an MJ with a 6-inch lift (or any lift). The center of gravity on those campers is pretty high anyway, and putting it into a lifted truck is going to result in potentially severe instability.

The radio and cigarette lighter are fed from the fuse panel. How are you getting 12 volts at the radio and cigarette lighter if all the terminals on the fuse panel only show 3 volts?

Correct. The early transfer cases have a Neutral position that disconnects the engine from the driveline, but it leaves the front and rear axles locked together and not disconnected from the transfer case. Jeep didn't change that to a true Neutral until some time in the mid- to late 90s. If you want to tow it, drop both driveshafts.

Also check CPS -- could be failing in heat soak.

Bendix brakes have been around for a long time, and that's what AMC used back into the 1960s, and probably the 1950s. For the MJ and XJ rear brakes, the only options were for 10" x 1-3/4" (Dana 35) and 10" x 2-1/2" (Dana 44 or AMC Model 20). The counter guy should have asked you which size you needed.

Hot-spotted clutch.

In fact, the Renix 2.5L is so much different from the Renix 4.0L that you should start a separate thread to discuss your issue.

Buy it for parts -- $300, tops. In reality, they should pay you to take it away.

As Jeep Driver said -- cable. Before you buy a new one: First, make sure there are no sharp bends in the cable routing. Obviously, it comes off the tranny or transfer case, makes a 90-degree bend to go forward and then about a 180-degree bend back to and through the firewall. Make sure those are as large radius sweeps as you can get it. If the outer sheath hasn't been damaged, you should be able to disconnect at the ends, pull the inner core out, and lubricate it. After 20+ years it's probably bone dry, which doesn't help the cable to rotate smoothly.

Keep looking. The newest 4-cylinder XJ is now 20 years old.

They're out there. 91-2000 XJ or MJ, 91-20?? Wrangler.

Yep. Clutch.

The MJ factory service manual I have is for 1986. Trim package is the 8th character in the VIN. 7 - X 8 - XL 9 - XLS F - Custom (Metric Ton Pkg.) G - X (Metric Ton Pkg.) H - XL (Metric Ton Pkg.) J - XLS (Metric Ton Pkg) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - From the 1988-1990 Parts manual: 1 - Comanche Base 5 - Comanche Eliminator P - Comanche Pioneer S - Comanche Chief T - Comanche Laredo F - Comanche Base (MT/BT) F - Comanche Custom (MT) R - Comanche Pioneer (MT/BT) U - Comanche Laredo (MT/BT) MT = Metric Ton BT = Big Ton - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - From the 1991-1993 Parts manual: Line and Series are now the 5th and 6th characters in the VIN 1991: 5th Character: . . J - Comanche 4WD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T - Comanche 2WD 6th Character: . . . 1 - "S" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 - Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - Pioneer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 - Sahara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 - Renegade/Grand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 - Sport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 - Limited 1992 & 1993 5th Character: ... J - Comanche 4WD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T - Comanche 2WD 6th Character: . . . 1 - "S" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 - Base . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 - Pioneer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 - Sahara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 - Laredo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 - Renegade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 - Briarwood/Limited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 - Sport

The '89 used a GM CS-130 alternator. Those came in two or three different physical case sizes. I found out the hard way when I had my alternator rebuilt for my '87. I wanted to upgrade from an 85-amp to a higher output, and the guy found that the higher output requires a larger case. I was committed at that point, so I went ahead. If I had it to do over, I would go to AutoZone and get one of their new-manufacture Gold alternators and have a lifetime warranty on it. You should have no problem going from a 100-amp to a 120-amp. I don't think you can go higher than that due to space limitations. Keep in mind that in 1989 the 100-amp was the high-output option. If yours can't handle the heater and the turn signals, either your alternator is failing or you have other electrical problems.

If you put it in first and drive completely across something like an empty Walmart parking lot, does it shudder and shake the whole way, or only when you are first starting up?

Model designations changed depending on the year.

$113 ?!?!?!?! I'm in the wrong profession ...

That looks pretty neat. I'm downloading it. It may make a good companion for AutoCAD.