gogmorgo

Ehh... cut the man some slack. He recently quit smoking, he's bound to be irritable for a bit.

Gonna have to do this one. Ordered a pair of nos Mopar e-codes for my ZJ, because of the glass lenses on them. I'll see if they last longer than the originals without yellowing. Not that I should really be complaining about 26 years of service on the old ones...

Well after doing a ton of driving hundreds of miles in the middle of overcast nights with only more of that to come given the onset of winter this far north, I've decided something needed done about the super yellowed plastic headlight lenses. Found an NOS assembly for each side on eBay for not much more than the Crown re-pop. I went with the e-code export version, less because of the better pattern and more because they're apparently a glass assembly, not plastic, so hopefully will last longer. Although I suppose I shouldn't really complain about that given the originals are still okay... Not great, just okay. I guess I'll see what they're like when they get here. In terms of export variants, it looks like there's a few options. The generic e-codes which I went for, the Japanese/euro ones (wrong-hand-drive of course) and then there's a specific French and German version. I suspect the German ones have the manual height adjustment from a switch on the dash (to compensate for heavily loading the rear suspension, which aims the lights up), and I'm guessing the French variant would be the yellow tinted lenses required on all vehicles sold in France prior to 1993. I was almost tempted by the French ones because they'd be pretty unique, and yellow light is softer and noticeably easier on the eyes than most white lights are, but I can't find any. I bet they're a pretty rare part any more, given they'd probably only be on French models built in '92. The German market ones are super plentiful, but I don't really care to mess around with the headlight adjust. Have that on the Lada, and it doesn't work at all, so my headlights are just stuck pointing sorta downwards.

The only option that's really all that much better than bolting to some part on the body is just running it straight back to the battery.

There were just under 1000 built in '92. How many are left is anyone's guess, but there are not many at all in the shape yours is in, that's pretty well a guarantee.

I'm going to say don't bother buying new bulbs until you've got the clear issue with the flasher relay sorted. Also you should just be able to compare the ones you got already against the list I posted above. Light bulbs are lightbulbs... Sure the quality may differ between manufacturers, but if replacing them all once didn't solve the problem, I have a hard time seeing replacing them a second time accomplishing anything. You can check to see if there's power at the sockets with a voltmeter or test light. Make sure your fuse box is working properly, too, before you start adding a second round of new parts.

I'd take a careful look at how those HIDs are wired in. They were probably unplugged for a reason. Plus, depending on who did it, they could have hacked into the wrong thing, or otherwise screwed something up. The parts guy's info is probably correct, so long as he was looking up make/model and not going off the bulbs that came in there.

What he said. Especially not a '92.

But did you change them with the correct bulbs, or did you just put in new ones like what was already in it? Some of the turn signal bulbs are dual-filament, and won't work properly if they were swapped out for a single-filament.

I would suggest that Mr. Pile doesn't spend too much time trying to figure out the level of fluid in his transfer case on his 2wd truck. Unless he knows more than I do.

Windows are something not particularly difficult to do, but you've got to know what you're doing, and you need the correct tools to avoid damaging the glass, which, incidentally, in this case should be considered irreplaceable. The rear cab window is glued in with a urethane-based windshield adhesive. If you're careful, you can remove and salvage the rubber gasket, but it's just a trim piece, really. What should be done is to cut the window out, get as much of the old adhesive off as possible, then glue it back in. The window guy may suggest just applying adhesive to the spots that leak, and while using the correct adhesive will yield better results than the silicon that's been used, it's still pretty well the same result. And if the adhesive has started failing badly enough the window is falling out, it's just going to fail further along the line and just start leaking elsewhere. I definitely wouldn't pay someone to just gob adhesive into it like that... You can pick up a tube of windshield adhesive yourself for significantly less than $100 and apply it with a sturdy caulk gun, if that's the way you want to go.

It's pretty much the craigslist of social media... There's some gold in there on occasion but mostly you're just shaking your damn head.

That was quick then! I think the posting was about 20 minutes old when I saw it, but I burnt some time getting it posted trying to figure out how to link straight to it. Facebook keeps completely changing the way they do things and it's pretty friggen obnoxious...

So did you see it before or after I posted the link? Good score, either way. Glad it went to someone who'll put it to good use. You never know with Facebook groups.

Here's a few: I've found when searching on here, the best way is to use google. Including "site:comancheclub.com" will restrict the results to those found in this domain. Other good things to look for is technical info about the SCCA circuit racing trucks built by the Archer Bros back in the day. MJs cleaned up in motorsport. It may not be the most advanced tech, but it worked.

I definitely don't live in the prettiest place on the continent. That distinct honour belongs to places that are much further north, and much less populated. People and especially the evidence they leave behind them are pretty butt-ugly until nature's reclaimed it. In addition to knowing the area and having tools, recovery gear, etc, in the area, I've also got a pretty good stash of HO parts, should the need arise. I also would advise bringing more than just a backpack. The last thing you want is to be stuck on the side of the road at -30 with no heat and not much more than the clothes on your back. Been there, done that. They are pretty well-travelled routes so hopefully you'd be able to flag someone down, but if the road gets closed while you're on it, that's it, you're on your own, at least until it quits snowing and the plows come out. You can always leave stuff in the vehicle if you need to. This isn't going to be a nice warm jaunt to Florida. We had snow already in Jasper above 6000' or so last weekend, and there's some in the forecast for valley bottom later this week. Last Christmas we got a couple weeks at -30 on the thermometer, and the wind rips along those mountain valleys. Which reminds me... Don't put straight water in anything that could be mistaken for an antifreeze jug. I'd also recommend a stiffer antifreeze mix than the usually recommended 50:50 if you'll be in Alberta. You may not need the pretty extreme 2:1 ratio I've been using having grown up in rural Manitoba, but you'll want it good to -40 for sure. Check it before you leave with a good tester... I wouldn't trust an old Jeep on Vancouver Island not to have a blend approaching tap water, unless I knew what was in it because I'd either put it in myself or tested it.

In terms of axle choice, you may want to consider width, and what that'll do to your handling. It also affects the width/height ratios that you'll be looking at working around. The 8.8 is narrower than the Jeep axles. Most people get around that by running spacers, but you'll have to run that past the SCCA rule book. A beefier axle also adds unsprung weight. I've done a small amount of suspension setup for autocross but it was long enough ago and for an entirely different setup so specific details is useless. But there are some mantras that do apply. The first is that without data you don't know what you're doing. Doing $#!& just for the sake of doing $#!& results in $#!&. You need to establish a performance baseline to compare everything you do. You need to get out and turn laps in your vehicle until you've reached a consistently good time, then you can start playing with stuff to improve it, otherwise what you're doing is a waste of time. I realize this can be difficult when the series won't let you play, but some clubs lay out the course with chalk, and you may still be able to turn laps on a circuit after the club has moved on. A buddy with a stopwatch is enough. Once you know where you're at, you can establish whether or not your changes are for the good. Lowering tire size effectively increases final drive ratio... Small tires are lower gears. Lower gears are good, but they mean you're more likely to spin tires at launch, and you're going to spend more time shifting more often. You don't really know what ratio is going to work until you've settled on a tire and run some laps. You're building a custom turbo engine package, too, IIRC, and you won't know what that'll play like until you've turned some laps with it either. Again low gears are great and all, but you don't want one that'll have you constantly shifting back and forth. The second is that the recipe for success is "simplify and add lightness". You may not need to add a beefy axle, which brings more unsprung and rotational mass, which will slow you down. The d35 gets a lot of smack talked about it, but it's still going strong at 330,000 miles in my MJ, and it was the only axle available in the early ZJ, even behind the 5.2, and could be rated for up to 6500lbs towing, for over 10,000lbs vehicle weight. I'm not saying it's the strongest axle out there, but you don't know yet that it won't hold up under your application, while we can predict something heavier will inevitably slow you down some. The third mantra is that the rule book trumps everything. You need to know the rules of the class you're racing. You already know you're going to need to get either wider, lower, or both, just to be able to run. If the axle you choose is too narrow, can you make up for it with wheel choice? Can you add spacers to make up for any difference? Does a beefier axle have a taller differential that will limit the amount you can lower your vehicle? If it were me, I would get the ride height down and the track width out as best as possible just to be able to see what's going on when you run, before doing anything else. There are a couple lowered MJ builds on here that could give you suggestions to accomplish that. I'd say just lower it and find a good wheel/tire combo that makes the track wider, then work on making it faster one step at a time, not by doing a bunch of things all at once. It would be pretty aggravating to me knowing I'd just put a ton of time and effort into a project only to find out a bunch of the things made the project more complex without really accomplishing anything. Of course, you wouldn't know you'd accomplished nothing without prior testing data...

You know, I really have to credit you guys for a lot of stuff that's happened to me. Good stuff, at that. I bought my first MJ just over six years ago. I would say at the time I was mechanically inclined, but in terms of anything more involved than changing spark plugs, I was pretty lost. I didn't even own a 1/2" drive socket set until Hornbrod thoroughly critiqued me for it. Fast forward to today, in a very roundabout way I'm now an apprentice heavy-duty mechanic in an amazing place, and I landed this gig thanks entirely to the experience I've had repeatedly putting my decaying MJ back together, with knowledge from this club. There's really no other way to say it. If it hadn't been for you guys and your contagious enthusiasm, my MJ might have been crushed a long time ago, replaced in my life with something newer, more modern, and more boring. I wouldn't have had the courage to tackle large projects on the MJ like transmission and engine swaps, that gave me the confidence to purchase my Lada Niva, knowing I could tackle such large projects on my own should I ever need to. I likely would never have got the experience that made it a natural transition for me into the career path I'm heading down. You guys are a bunch of addicts enabling the rest of us addicts, and that's a good thing. The collection of knowledge and wisdom is outstanding, and those who have organized it and had the patience to share it with the rest of us wide-eyed bushy-tailed dunderheads, I owe you a lot. Forums are a dying breed it seems in many ways, and yet this one still attracts new members. And that's saying something. Thank you.

The Okanagan valley is a reasonably warm and dry climate. Any time I'm down that way, I'm shocked at how clean all the older vehicles look. There's a pretty good chance for a nicely rust-free body there, but it's tough to say without seeing in person. It's also a hotbed of people who wanted to move to a warm, dry climate in the mountains, so there's no guarantee the truck originated there. If you're heading out east with it, please don't drive a rust-free MJ in the winter.

I use synthetic if it's on sale. Generally I go for 5w40, generally the diesel variants, but in summer if I'm putting a ton of miles on in a hurry I'll go 15w40 conventional cause it's cheaper. At work we put 5w40 synthetic diesel oil in everything, and I mean everything, from generators and lawn mowers to Subarus to Powerchokes to the big Cumminses in our Western Star highway plows, mostly I think cause that's what comes out of the tap in the ceiling, and it's just easier that way. Hasn't seemed to cause any problems yet. Some of our trucks rack up the miles, too. We finally surplussed an '06 3/4-ton Chevy this winter that had 455,000km/280,000miles. The truck that did the road condition monitoring is a 2015 Chevy half with 340,000km/210,000miles. Yeah, over 200,000 miles in three years, it was on the road pretty well all day every day. The truck that replaced it this spring already has 30,000 miles on it. Newer engines are calling for much lighter oils, in the 0W20 range, which I'm pretty sure is just for improved fuel economy. They get 5w40 as well, and it hasn't seemed to cause any problem there either. I've pretty well come to the conclusion that keeping on top of your oil change intervals is probably going to serve you better than using the best oil but getting sloppy about changing. New, fresh oil is going to do you much better than old worn out, dirty oil, no matter what the new stuff is, or what the old stuff used to be.

If it were me, I'd just make sure it was in okay mechanical shape, just that all the regular maintenance things are okay, and frankly, just drive it. A few years ago I did the run from Vancouver Island to Saskatoon in an '85 Chevy van with almost 400,000km on it, with a one-year-old on board, on New Year's Eve/Day, in 27 hours. Not really that big a deal. Yes, mountain roads are treacherous. BC requires "winter tires" as a result, but their requirements for a "winter tire" are pretty laughable... Just an m+s at 3.5mm tread. That's 9/64" for the Americans among us. But so long as you're accustomed to winter driving, it shouldn't be that big a deal. The salt slush and hills are a thing for sure, but just take it easy and you'll be okay. I I would be inclined to take the Micra myself simply because of fuel economy and keeping the salt off the MJ. You may also have an easier time moving around with a FWD car than a RWD truck, if you're unaccustomed to driving in snow, which I'm sorta assuming given Vancouver Island is what you're calling home. The Micra is also (again a guess) more likely to have safety nannies which may or may not be to your advantage too. I drove a '14 Micra around Stoon in the winter doing deliveries, and never felt the driver aids interfered with the experience, but ymmv if it's older, as I've had a heck of a time with some of the early systems. Plus airbags and $#!& if you're into that... Although on the Coq I might also be concerned about things that might run into you, and you're likely 50/50 there on whether the MJ will protect you better or not. My choice might come down to which vehicle has the better tires on it, TBH. The MJ will have a slight ground clearance advantage in deep snow, but the highway will likely be closed by the time that's an issue even in the Micra, plus the front tires scrabbling at deep stuff will do better than the MJ's rear tires spinning trying to plow the front through. The most important tip if you do take the MJ is wash the salt off IMMEDIATELY. Thoroughly. Like, wash it once, then do it again. I've never managed to do the mountains in winter without the vehicle being coated with salt on the other side. I don't know where in Alberta you're going or what route you'll be taking, but if you're headed through Jasper send me a pm. Might be able to give you a hand if you need it.

And there's the money shot.

Seller's asking $350. Can't seem to link directly to the post itself because FailBook is dumb. But it's in this group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/111780159177030/ Edit: Think I got a direct link to the listing here. Facebook is weird though. https://www.facebook.com/groups/111780159177030/permalink/697920917229615/?sale_post_id=697920917229615

Well, he said he changed them shortly after he got the truck, so by that timeline they're no longer new, just less old than anything else out there. They also aren't clean, euther. They do look a ton better than any other set of MJ tails I've seen in person, apart from where the screw holes are a bit hogged out from rattling around on the drywall screws.

Assuming normal manual transmission operation, when you push in the clutch pedal, you also have released the throttle. The engine returns to idle, so you need the IAC to keep the engine running properly. If it's sticking shut, or otherwise not opening far enough, the engine will die.