Eagle

Because the transfer case uses ATF as the lubricant, and ATF is red.

2WD or 4WD?

Tranny fluid? A Renix has a mechanical speedometer. It's remotely possible that your transmission or transfer case breather is clogged and as the case heats up the lube is being driven up the speedo cable and coming out where it attaches to the speedo head.

My apologies. I zeroed in on the '85, without paying attention to the fact it's going into an '86 MJ. Yes, the '86 has a Renix injection/ignition system, so it needs a flywheel out of an '86 - '90 XJ or MJ 2.5L.

The '85 used a carburetor and a conventional distributor. No CPS to worry about.

I've been doing brakes for 60 years and I've never heard of pushing the peddle down before opening the bleeder. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

How is this different from bleeding brakes?

I'm completely confused. You bought and laid sod just so you could tear it up and pour concrete?

Then something isn't right, because the function of the thermostat is to shut off coolant flow through the radiator when the coolant temperature falls below 195 degrees.

Wider track will make it more stable on the road, but it's going to create massive issues with the tires hitting the bodywork when you try to turn. Take it one step at a time. First, most factory wheels are 7" and the ones you're looking at are 8". If we use backspacing as the benchmark, with the same backspacing an 8" rim extends outboard on the vehicle one inch more than a 7" rim. Now reduce the backspacing by two inches. That pushes the entire wheel outboard another two inches relative to the hub, axle, and chassis. So you're now looking at the tires sitting three inches farther out (on each side) than stock. Then add a spacer/adapter and you're at 5" or 5-1/2", depending on how thick the adapter is. That's on each side. Consider that when the front wheels turn, the tire and wheel are rotating around the axis of the ball joints. Put your truck up on jack stands and watch the front tires while you have someone turn the steering wheel. Now imaging how it will be with 33-inch tires that have the outer shoulder 5 inches farther outboard. (Actually, more than 5", unless the tires you have on now are 12.5" wide.) Lastly, consider that with the tires sticking out an extra 5+ inches on each side you may be inviting tickets for unsafe equipment. I think every state has laws or regulations that require the bodywork to cover the tires. Those laws are enforced sporadically, but the farther out the tires stick the more likely you are to get cited. I one got a warning for 31x10.50s on stock rims, because I didn't have front flares and the tires stuck out about an inch (maybe an inch and a half). Afterthought: Also remember that you're only extending the tire and wheel outboard, the hub and bearings will remain in the same place. That means you will be greatly increasing the eccentricity of the load on the hub/bearing unit, which will result in the hub/bearing units wearing out faster.

The long-standing rule of thumb is that the rim width should not be narrower than 4" less than the nominal tire width. Have people gone smaller? Sure. What happens, though, is that the narrow rim pulls the sidewall way in at the bead, causing the tread area to bow up at the shoulders. To get the tread to run more or less flat on the pavement, you have to lower the tire pressure too much. Otherwise, you're just driving on the center portion of the tread and the tire mileage goes into the toilet. On factory wheels (or 8" rims), you'd be better off running 33x10.50s.

It depends on the year. If you have an early MJ with the front hubs set up with conventional bearings, the calipers are different from 4WD. If you have a later one with the unitized hub/bearing assemblies, the calipers are the same.

All tire sizes have a range of acceptable rim widths, and an optimum. Consult the tire manufacturer. For example, here's a link to the specs for the BFG T/A KO2: https://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/upload/bfgoodrich/specifications/specs-all-terrain-t-a-ko2.pdf If you look up the 33x12.50-15, the range of rim widths is 8.5" to 11", and their specified dimensions are for a 10" rim (so I assume they consider 10" to be the optimal rim width).

What's the backspacing? Stock Jeep 15x7 rims are 5-1/4" backspacing. As far as I know, nobody has yet found any aftermarket rim with that much backspacing. Your opening post said these "new" wheels are 5x5.5 bolt circle. Your hubs are 5x4.5. That means you can't use these wheels without adapters.

It's called a "dimmer" switch because the switch that controls the headlight high or low beams has been called a "dimmer" switch for at least 75 years. It would be more confusing to change the terminology now. The actual switch isn't just a turn signal switch, it's now a multi-function switch. It controls both the turn signals and the high/low beams. In newer vehicles, the same switch also controls the hazard flashers.

We don't deal in "offset." For Jeep wheels the usual spec is "backspacing." What's the backspacing of the wheels you're considering?

Dzimm is on the right track (no pun intended). You need to create some friction between the tapered body of the TRE and the bracket. I wouldn't use a pickle fork -- that will also increase the friction between the nut and the bracket. I would try to find a way to apply lateral pressure to the TRE, so the tapered body is forced to bind up in the hole in the bracket. Or remove the zerk from the TRE and put a jack under it to force the taper up into tight contact.

Not if your MJ is stock. The stock MJ "thingie" below the master cylinder is not a proportioning valve. It has no proportioning function. It's a distribution block and a brake failure warning light switch, and that's all it is.

It is all 3/16" line, but a couple of the fittings at the front distribution block are oversized.

So buy what's left. Engines and transmissions are easy to find -- same as Cherokees. And 100K on a Jeep engine (even a 2.5L) is nothing. Barely broken in. https://comancheclub.com/topic/56904-300-club/ https://comancheclub.com/topic/27007-most-miles-on-your-comanche/

Looks good. In the close-up of the front end, the left frame rail appeared to have a small opening at the top where your new framework mated to the original frame. Is that going to get closed up so it can't get filled up with gunk from following a tow vehicle through snow or mud? As to the axles -- the ring, pinion, and differential spider gears add drag. If these are non-C-clip axles, why not open them and remove the guts, leaving just the axle shafts and the bearings? It'll save some unsprung weight, and reduce drag considerably.

In the Jeep world, we talk about wheel "backspacing" rather than "offset." It's another way of addressing the same issue, but we might as well use the terminology that you're going to see in all the discussions around here. The backspacing is the distance from the wheel mounting surface to the back (the inside, as it sits on the vehicle) of the wheel. OEM Jeep wheels are not symmetrical -- most of the OEM wheels are 7-inch rims, but the backspacing is 5-1/4 inches. So they look more like the wheel on the right in the illustration provided by NHMJXJ. The easiest way to have your tires sit a bit wider is to buy wheels with less backspacing. That's not hard, because just about every aftermarket wheel known to mankind has less backspacing than factory Jeep wheels. Keep in mind, though, that in most states it's illegal to have your tires extend outboard of the bodywork.

I always found it hilariously amusing that AMC put a torque damper on the 2.5L (132 ft-lbs of torque), but not on the 4.0L (220 ft-lbs of torque).

There hasn't been any activity in this thread for TWELVE YEARS. That should answer your question. My question would be, once you cut the quarter panels and/or bedsides open, how are you going to close them up again?