Eagle

Coming soon to a politically correct United States of America near you ...

Having owned all three (my 2000 XJ Sport has the 3550), my opinion hands down is that the 3550 is the best. It's quieter, shifts smoother, and the gear ratios arr much better spaced out. Plus the first gear ratio is lower than the AX-15.

The Trailmaster 4" lift that was on my red '88 when I bought it was a short AAL in the rear. It got the job done, but it rode like a tank. A full-length AAL would (or should) have delivered a better ride.

I owned a '99 WJ with the aluminum "D44." It's not good enough to be classified as a turd. Here's a factoid I uncovered in going through the factory service manual. They didn't mention this is the owner's manual (God forbid they should tell the owner anything useful), but in the FSM they specifically said NOT to jack up the rear using a single jack under the differential. Why? Because the stress will warp the diff housing where the axle tubes enter, and the diff will be ruined. Of course, it wasn't necessary to jack it up to make that axle whine. Mine was noisy from the day I picked it up. The factory eventually sent a technician from Jeep to rebuild both of my axles in the dealership's shop -- after which the noise was worse instead of better. And, of course, as has been noted the wheel bolt circle is wrong. DO NOT buy this axle.

Come on, guys. NONE of you has EVER posted a message with a typo? We should be better than that.

Fort Lost in the Woods, eh? That's where I did Army Basic and AIT back in the Vietnam era. They had soldiers doing gate duty? Several years ago my late wife and I were in Maryland so I took her to see Edgewood Arsenal, which was my stateside permanent duty station before I went on an all-expenses-paid vacation to southeast Asia. They had civilian rent-a-cops manning the gate, which was quite a surprise to me. When I was in, it was all MPs.

Yes, there is.

My 2000 XJ has a mix of bubble flares and conventional double flares.

Bleed the clutch again.

MJs are double flared, not bubble-flared.

Why are you changing the thermostat housing?

It's beginning to sound like your clutch wasn't installed correctly. Or maybe just needs to be bled again.

Did the grinding sound like the noise we heard in the video when you tried to shift into gear? Are you sure the transmission was fully in first when you tried it? Try it in second. Even if it makes noise, try to let up on the clutch for a moment just to see if the truck moves. You don't have to drive it, the idea is just to see if the clutch is working properly. You're asking us to help you figure out what's wrong, but you're not doing any trouble-shooting. It's tough to diagnose from a distance with no input.

http://www.bteventures.com//mj1988electricalmanual.pdf Scroll down to pages 15 and 16 (of the PDF)

If you feel daring and you have a helper, you can dribble some gas into the throttle body, start it, then keep dribbling gas in and see if it will stay running. That's a simple way of confirming that the problem is a fuel delivery problem. Just be sure you have a good, working fire extinguisher handy. If the truck has evr backfired through the throttle body, DO NOT try the gas dribble method of trying to run it. A backfire would not be a good thing ...

Did you try engaging the clutch? If the truck doesn't move with the clutch disengaged and the engine running, what happens if you try to engage the clutch?

Open the garage door, shift into reverse with the engine off, then step on the clutch and turn the starter. If the truck tries to move, your clutch isn't disengaging. [Edit]Correction -- you have the nose pointing at the door. Put it in first gear and then touch the starter -- with your foot on the clutch.

So it starts, but doesn't stay running after the key is released to the RUN position. Does the '88 2.5L have a fuel pump ballast resistor? If so, try jumping the terminals.

Years ago I looked up tire data from manufacturers' literature (back when they still gave out printed literature), and tried to come up with a chart of comparative tire sizes. I didn't note which manufacturer I used for each (they weren't all the same), but what I have shows a 30x9.50-15 as being 29.3" diameter and 9.6" in width -- at the widest point of the sidewall. Tread width is less. The 235/75-15 on my list shows 28.8" diameter and 9.2" width -- again, at the widest point of the sidewall, not the tread. I ran 30s on my XJ for a long time, and I'm running 235s on my late wife's 2000 XJ now. The tread width of the 235s is noticeably narrower than the 30s. That's actually better for street driving, especially in winter, but not so great for off-road. Which is better for you will depend on your intended use. IMHO, if you really wanted 30s, go to a tire shop that knows something, because 235/75-15s are NOT as large as 30x9.50-15s. They're "close," but not the same.

There is no way for us to know what was retained from Renix and what new parts were used. It would require a close, detailed, in-person inspection to figure that out.

Your '90 should be close enough to the '88 for this to help: http://www.bteventures.com//mj1988electricalmanual.pdf

I do not wish to offend anyone so please accept with no obligation, expressed or implied, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. This is, of course, neither to suggest nor imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country; also, this is not to imply that "America," as noted herein, is the only America in the Western Hemisphere. May these heartfelt wishes be received with equal intensity regardless of distribution of individual wealth, documented carbon footprint, or perceived social privilege among the wishes addressed herein. This wish is made without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual preference of any recipient. Ah, phooey -- MERRY CHRISTMAS. If you're offended, deal with it!

The '88 XJ is riding on 31s now, but it was on 30s when I used it as my trail vehicle. Bigger issue is axle ratio -- I still have the factory axle ratio under it. I had intended to change to 3.73s, but then I picked up the '88 MJ Chief (which a previous owner had changed to an AX-15), and I used the new gears in that, instead. Deeper axle gearing makes life easier for the transmission.

Okay, then. Front: You have a stock track bar, but aftermarket, long sway bar links. Lower control arms are aftermarket but not adjustable, so you'll have to measure the length to see if they'll work at stock height. Drag link and tie rod appear to be stock. Shocks appear to be longer than stock. BTW, you have a factory front skid plate. Rear is an add-a-leaf, so putting it back to stock height is easy -- remove the added leaf. That's the middle one, the one that doesn't have a friction pad in it. You'll probably need shorter shocks for the rear, also. The lower shock mounts in the rear have been Mickey Moused, but they can work at stock height if the factory studs were cut or broken off. And the actuating rod for the rear brake height sensing valve is missing. Did I miss anything?

My phone is a phone, and I sometimes use the calendar. For things that call for a computer, I have a tablet and a notebook, and a Verizon Jetpack portable WiFi hotspot. Playing with the compass and navigation apps is, at least for now, just playing.