Phoenix of Fury

I purchased my '86, 2.5L, 79k miles with a great body and interior for $2400. I don't know if that's a fair price, but I don't regret it whatsoever.

http://www.tsmmfg.com/ is where I got all the parts to do mine.

I was also looking to have my seats fixed up. If you find a local shop you're happy with, please let me know :D

Bummer, listing is over.

It's dead in here. :redX:

I thought about going yellow, but I've got a red interior. I don't want my truck to look like a hotdog.

I was able to get to the first spark plug on my '86 2.5L using a few long extensions, a swivel socket, and mashing my hand down in there good. It's tough, but it's possible.

Not sure if it makes a difference or not - I've got an '86, and the hood seems to weigh the same as my roommates '99 Cherokee. I've never thought to myself, man, this thing is heavy.

Alright, got it out. There is a bolt with a rectangular head that sits in the battery tray, and the nut was stuck to it. I'm not sure if that bolt is supposed to spin or not... The bolt slides into the tray in a channel. I was able to get the nut/bolt positioned correctly to pull the battery up slightly, which locked the bolt into the channel, and I was able to break the nut that way. Regardless, I have now decided the factory battery tray and hold down system sucks. Any recommendations for replacements?

Got myself a new Optima red-top today. I thought it would be a quick in-out project, and of course, anytime you think that you jinx yourself. I don't seem to be able to get the front hold down off the battery. There is a nut, appears to be 1/2", but it just spins. I got my hand under the tray, but I can't feel anywhere where it may be spinning when I turn the nut. Any ideas? I can't believe I can't get the battery out of my truck... :doh:

My experience would tell me that you probably need a prop valve. I've got rear disks on a D44, also removed the height sensing valve. When I stomp on the gas, I can make the rears lock up way before the front, get it a little fishy on icy roads. Not sure if you don't remove the height sensing valve though.

I've got an '86 with the 2.5L. I'm running on 33's with 4.88 gears front and rear. It's definitely lacking power during uphill climbs at higher speeds, but at lower speeds you can drop gears and gain the power back. It's not horrible horrible, but it's far from great. I'd give it a 4/10 on whatever scale it is that popped into my head.

I've got the Hell Creek 4.5" springs. I haven't hauled a ton with them, but they've performed very well off-road, better than I thought they would. Not crazy flexy, but they do flex enough to stuff the tires.

Name the weekend, and I'll try to fit it in between ski trips :banana:

Amen to that. I went to Mary Jane last weekend, I was in powder up to my WAIST... No joke. And it's been snowing up there all week... Vail has over 44" of snow in the last 7 days. Amazing!

Just a quick question for those with the 2.5L. Has anyone ever had trouble keeping the engine warm in cold temps? I took the Jeep to the mountains today, and it was fairly cold - I'd say at least in the single digits most of the drive. If I kept her in 3rd gear with the revs around 3500, the engine would warm up and stay around 200 - 210 on the gauge, as I normally see. However, if I were to drop a gear and run closer to 2000 - 2500 revs, the temperature would slowly drop, to the point where the heat in my cab wouldn't work. I've replaced the thermostat and temp sending unit this summer. Is this any indication of a problem with my truck, or is this normal? It's a 2.5/AX5 from an '86. Thanks.

Just a quick question for those with the 2.5L. Has anyone ever had trouble keeping the engine warm in cold temps? I took the Jeep to the mountains today, and it was fairly cold - I'd say at least in the single digits most of the drive. If I kept her in 3rd gear with the revs around 3500, the engine would warm up and stay around 200 - 210 on the gauge, as I normally see. However, if I were to drop a gear and run closer to 2000 - 2500 revs, the temperature would slowly drop, to the point where the heat in my cab wouldn't work. I've replaced the thermostat and temp sending unit this summer. Is this any indication of a problem with my truck, or is this normal? It's a 2.5/AX5 from an '86. Thanks.

I wasn't at the school, but I was in Ft. Collins today for work. Does that count?

This one?

I was on-call over the weekend and ended up with a call. :mad: Bummer, but a nice paycheck for the holiday season. I heard snow, but I didn't hear that much snow. That should be enjoyable. Are we in general consensus that the season is over, or do you think we've got maybe one trail run left?

I've got a factory sunroof in my 86. It does pop up, so you can also let some nice cool air in. Open the windows, and you can feel the air sucking in the windows and out the roof. However, it does leak under extreme situations, usually carwashes. Not sure if the seal is replaceable or not. I thought the sunroof was just some gimmick, but I really enjoy it. Believe it or not, it also seems to help at night, since the factory interior lights suck so hard.

Looks good, I may be in for that. I'd never heard anything about it before. I'd probably end up at the Southwest Plaza meeting point.

I've been there this year, but I'll go again if we set a time and there are no conflicts.

Hopefully your axle tube isn't bent. After a wheeling trip, my passenger front side started leaking. I thought nothing of it, thought maybe the seal had started to go out. When I took it in to have gears/locker set up in the front, I was told the housing was bent. Sure enough, I looked at it, and you could eyeball the bend, just beyond the CAD. Good luck :cheers:

They went ahead and found a D30, non-disco, smaller u-joints though. Hey, if I break them, then I have a reason to upgrade... The brackets do just bolt onto the knuckles. There was discussion of just swapping the whole knuckle from the bent axle to the new, because I still had good brakes in the front, but I'm not sure if he swapped the knuckles or just put the brackets on the new axle. They did have to re-make the track bar bracket though. I'll get some pictures when I get it back. Phat Jeeps did really good work, but it usually took longer than expected and it was such a long drive up there, even for living on the west side of the city. Thanks for the assistance guys.