gogmorgo

I’ve also never had issues with Spectre radiators. But one way to avoid the burnout is to do your own work. If you have to pay someone else every time something goes wrong, it’s just an extra gut punch you don’t need. Especially something as simple as a radiator. When I did mine on my first MJ, back when I was still sorta guessing at what I was doing, it was so easy that I spent a few years wondering what I could possibly have screwed up, because it just seemed to go together too well. But it’s been ten years and still nothing’s gone wrong with that rad install. It’s just bolts and a few hoses. And given yours has been out a couple times recently, you won’t even be fighting with old stuck on hoses or seized fasteners. Yeah there’s a learning curve. Yeah it’s nerve wracking when you’re not confident in your abilities and you don’t want to screw up your baby, but take your time, make sure you’re not rushing things, if you’re unsure about anything stop and ask questions, and honestly Google is your friend. Even as a professional I Google things all the time. No shame. Pick a weekend. Invite a friend over, doesn’t even need to be someone super mechanically inclined, just someone who’s there for moral support. And just do it. Start small and eventually you’ll be rebuilding engines with the best of them.

If you do that it’ll last so long you’ll never remember where you put it. If it does fail just bypass it and order another if you really want, or just leave it bypassed.

Yeah, lights out are a no-no. If it’s there it has to be legal and work, whether it’s a required light or not. On a big rig for example you’re really only required to have one clearance light on each corner and in the middle of the vehicle, but every owner-operator out there is lit up like a Christmas tree with running lights clear down the side and any single one of those hundred lights out is a fail. As for rust through the body, the concern is typically about exhaust leaking into the cab, although the definition of a hole through the body is usually left up to the inspector in question. But for the most part rust holes through bedsides and fenders that don’t lead into the passenger compartment will pass so long as the panel isn’t going to fall off and still provides adequate protection from road debris being flung off the tires and at someone else’s vehicle. There’s something to be said about cargo compartments needing to adequately contain the cargo, but otherwise you can’t really say much about wooden bedsides. So long as they’re not falling off. Sounds like pretty reasonable list of necessary repairs. I was expecting stuff like sagging headliners. Should be some quick easy repairs to get you through. Editing to add that PRNDL cable misalignment is a legit safety concern. You may be able to count down from park and ascertain it’s adequately in park (or better yet set the parking brake) and you may be able to communicate to someone else who might be driving how to do it, but any time I’ve seen it happen, it’s only a matter of time before someone ends up in the wrong gear and either hits something because the truck moves a different direction than anticipated, or rolls away while unattended. And even if you’re the only one to ever drive it, no one can guarantee they’re on their game 100% of the time.

I’d definitely be looking at fuel pressure. Being able to push fuel out at the filter doesn’t always translate to adequate pressure at the rail. If you got the truck non-operational or were messing with it at all, it would also be good to double check the ignition switch is aligned correctly. I believe there’s a tip on cruiser54.com for that. Also some other good stuff to check, particularly the ground refreshing. And there’s a tip for an upgraded fuel pump ground as well. If you did get it non-operational, and it wasn’t running when it was parked, it’s very possible someone messing around with stuff left something unplugged or swapped some bad parts in… who knows. Be good to check as many sensors as you can. Crank sensor and it’s wiring for sure would be a good start, followed by the throttle position sensor. It should still start with most of the other sensors faulty. Also I can’t say it applies to Renix, but on a lot of vehicles WOT while cranking is a “clear flood” mode and shuts down injectors. If you’re giving it throttle to start, start at just barely cracking it then working towards 3/4 or so.

Yeah, some of the stuff that needs inspected makes sense, other things not so much. But the inspections do typically get audited, and when there’s a chance the inspector could lose permits and possibly carreer over passing things they maybe shouldn’t, they tend to lean towards failing anything that isn’t a definite pass. Anything older that might raise eyebrows at the overseeing body is often going to be treated more harshly. Especially if it’s got missing parts or collision damage or otherwise looks decrepit and likely to get picked through with a fine-tooth comb if it does get audited. And most guys don’t want to develop a reputation for being the place to go for an easy pass, either. I’m curious why you failed. I’ve seen older stuff failed because it didn’t have equipment that a newer vehicle would, like clutch switches that were assumed to be non-operational when they never existed, or third brake lights or DRLs on vehicles that didn’t require them when they were built. I’ve got an inspection coming up soon on my short bed and I’m expecting to have to argue over my missing rear bumper, even though it’s a factory delete and wasn’t a requirement for pickups until the mid-‘90’s

Anyone know if there were different colour options? Don’t know if they would’ve stuck black on a Midnight Blue (PB8) truck or not.

Anyone have pictures of this Pioneer decal? Don’t think I’ve ever seen it. Looks kinda cool. My first MJ is a ‘91 Pioneer, but it’s been resprayed… badly. My other ‘91 still has the original paint, but someone peeled the sport truck squiggle off. Paints not burnt off so badly where it was.

That part doesn’t carry coolant, just holds it to the frame. Totally normal to see that.

If you’re paying someone else to do the work you might as well pay them to source the parts and do diagnostics. Then it becomes their problem when the part fails. Radiator is easy to replace on your own. If you want to learn you have to do your own work. If you’re not doing the work you’re just guessing, and no mechanic is going to want you telling them how to do their job, so either they’re ignoring anything you’re saying or just doing exactly as you say and no more.

If your glass guy is using something other than a cutting string tool to remove a piece of glass they plan to save, find a new glass guy. Something like this: No mess to clean up, very little pressure on the glass, near zero chance of breaking it. In many cases you don’t even need to pull interior trim off.

If it were me and I hit the key and nothing happened, first thing I’d try is shorting the solenoid. This would completely bypass your kill switch, and it’s easy enough to do just by rolling underneath. Would a thief do it? Maybe, maybe not. But it would be better to pull power from the ignition system or something that actively prevents the engine from running.

By coincidence (or possibly not, who’s to say anymore) I stumbled across an ad for the style toolbox I was thinking of above. https://m.vevor.ca/truck-tool-boxes-c_11948/vevor-truck-bed-storage-box-lockable-2019-21-chevrolet-silverado-1500-passenger-p_010569710705?gclid=CjwKCAiAlp2fBhBPEiwA2Q10D9ZA9tdULwPSu6Ov4t_47Teds51s4rw2nFwo83tGg4Jc9o0nK9HZ0xoC014QAvD_BwE Fits behind the wheel well and under a tonneau cover. The swing out is cool because you wouldn’t need to lift the whole cover to get at it, just drop the tailgate. I didn’t even realize that was a thing. I can’t really comment on brands or quality or availability in a size that would fit an MJ, but it’s a product that’s out there. I think personally I’d rather have it forward of the wheel well if only doing a half-box, but I don’t run a tonneau cover. You can get them that run the full length of the box as well. They don’t take away too much from useable bed space tucking away in the corner like that. If I was building my own down both sides of the truck, I would try to incorporate a little bit of shelf along the inner side roughly at wheel well height to support a 4’ wide sheet of something. Maybe even at an angle so a 4x8 sheet would sit flat and in line with the top edge of the tailgate.

Something like that yeah. It also comes in rolls of various widths. The wider sheets are probably better for emblems though.

The HO has a couple alt fuses, plus one labelled ECM that protects the regulator circuitry. I’ve been burnt by that one before. But I don’t know how the Renix is set up.

The factory jacks are really only for emergency use, and they aren’t really intended to last for more than a few uses. I keep a small 12V compressor that serves me for most flats. Also useful for airing back up after a trip out. It’s rare you’ll be loosing air quickly enough to actually need to swap to a spare. The factory jacks have a convenient holder, and they’re nice and compact, keeping them out of the way for all the time you’re not using it, and you’ll never pull it out for some other reason and neglect to put it back in. But obviously you need to make sure your mods don’t render it useless. I also have a small harbour freight hydraulic floor jack that lived in the back of my ZJ for a while. I went to use it to help a friend change out her winters, and it wouldn’t lift, it had tipped over and leaked the oil out. I’ve also had issues using hydraulic jacks in cold weather. Screw jacks don’t have that issue. Assuming they aren’t seized, of course. But we’re getting pretty far in the weeds here.

I’m going to reiterate that there should be a suspension shop that can make new springs for you at least sorta locally. You’re two hours’ drive from a couple major urban centres. I find it hard to believe there isn’t something.

You can buy new molded carpet or even molded vinyl flooring online. I’d be looking for pretty near mint if I was running used carpet myself. 3M makes a good emblem or molding adhesive tape. It’s exactly that, a double-sided foam tape. Most parts stores should carry it for a reasonable price. Peel the old stuff off and get the surfaces clean, stick it on the badge and trim to fit, then stick it on your truck. There’s likely other brands that work just as well, but the 3M is pretty universally available and what I’m familiar with. I would have said $100 for a set of OEM wheels is pretty reasonable. If they’ve got tires worth running mounted to them they might be worth more. No advice on anything else. Sucks people pull factory jacks out and don’t put one back in. I had a cheap bottle jack, harbour freight or whatever that I carried around for a bit. Factory jack is the same between XJ/MJ if you can find one.

Are there fuses for the alt like the HO has?

If you’re in a more densely populated area you might be able to find something, but the last couple sets of tires I needed to buy I gave up on used. If I could find something worth running I was looking at almost the cost of buying a new set of tires that were actually something I wanted to run. Anything with more than half tread left on it was ten years old, and anything less than five had under 30% life. And people still were wanting over half the price of something new for that. Or they only have three of them, and there’s no other matching tires around. Not to mention no one ever has tires you want on wheels you want, so you’re usually looking at two sets to separate and then trying to sell off the unwanted pieces. Maybe I’m being too picky, but when the only thing keeping you on the road or trail is those four bitty little patches of rubber… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But if you can find a good deal on anything, jump on it. It won’t last.

You can get side boxes that fit over the wheel wells of other trucks, along the side of the box. Some below the bed rails, some over the top. Don’t know if you can get them to fit only behind the wheel well or in a size small enough for an MJ or not, but you can build one out of heavy plywood. Might not even need a lid if the tonneau cover seals well enough.

Hedge trimmers will work for stuff that would cause problems for a saw, but they only do so much against things bigger than the gap between the teeth. If you’re doing a larger patch, the brush saw will also be a lot safer than a chain saw or hedge trimmer. Especially if you’re wearing a harness for it. You’re basically just steering it at that point. Compared to having to bend down to carry the saw around, running the risk of catching the tip on something and probably with a grip that won’t smack the chain brake when it bucks at you. Seat down a brush saw should fit in the back of an XJ. The big thing is it’s long, and the hand grips make it wide, and they catch on everything else you also have in the back, and one end of the thing that tangles itself up in everything else is pointy, and the other is hot and maybe dribbles gas if you’re not paying attention. They’re not bad, just a little awkward.

If you can find a blade for it with more cutting teeth you’ll have a better time. Hard starting likely just means the carb needs a cleaning. Or just replace it, sometimes it can get tough to get everything out of all the little passageways.

I couldn’t tell you off the top of my head which model I was using, but it was one of the smaller ones out of the trail crew’s arsenal... the one they loaned out. Went through pretty well anything as long as the blade had enough depth to cut that far. Just took longer for bigger things. Anything it wouldn’t handle was getting to the point you were felling trees and you’d want different equipment anyhow. Just make sure you’re not shoving the blade into the dirt, just like a saw it goes dull in a hurry. The brush saw is a bigger implement to carry around compared to a chain saw. Takes up a lot of space in a vehicle. We usually would chip all the debris to avoid leaving tangled messes of dry fuel along the edge of the bush, but that’s getting to an awkward amount of landscaping equipment on a wheeling trip. Where we could we had a brush mower on a skidsteer. That thing would mulch 2” diameter trees, but it left a hell of a mess behind.