gogmorgo

Might be starting to see people dumping pandemic projects they’ve given up on. But I’ll also point out that the longer you look, the better you get at looking.

Every part has a wear limit. You’re pushing a machine far beyond what it’s useful life was intended to be, so you’re going to run into lots of those wear limits. It’s not really a lack of maintenance. There’s no recommended replacement intervals on hoses, at least not in this industry. Starters are very easy to change. Disconnect the battery, pull the nuts off the positive and trigger posts on the solenoid, pull two bolts out (keep track of which goes where), pull the starter out. Put the new starter in the hole, get the bolts started, make sure the starter is properly seated before tightening them down, then hook up your two wires on the solenoid, reconnect the battery, and you’re done.

First thing I’d look for is loose bolts. If you can move the starter around that’s likely your issue. It’s also possible something happened to cause a misalignment… double check the bellhousing is properly bolted to the engine while you’re under there. But my guess is the starter is just plain worn out, and not getting the gear far enough out to engage the flywheel before it starts spinning. Compare how much movement there is in the starter gear to the new one while you have them both off.

I pulled up a 2004-2006 E150 Econoline in a 16x7 and 87 centre bore. Apparently the 2000’s Kia Sorrento had a 5x139.7 with a 95mm centre bore if going lug centric is okay, or you know someone with a lathe who can whip up some centre bore adapter rings. I’m just wondering if a 7” wheel is going to be wide enough for a 35” tire.

I don’t think it’s worth the effort either unless you find someone who actually wants a 2.5/auto XJ. I’d be willing to bet that anyone interested in an XJ that old would either want it as original as possible or else would already be planning to pull the drivetrain out to put in something with more horsepower. For what it’s worth, I’m finding that far more of gen Z than you’d expect are pretty keen to learn a manual transmission if they don’t already drive one.

That one’s looking pretty well equiped, yeah. Laredo was sort of a mid-tier trim level for ‘94, with the base model like mine still available and the Grand Waggy at the toppest end. This one does look pretty well equipped, power leather seats, factory fogs, etc. Mine doesn’t even have power locks or a/c. Good find, they’re out there but not as common as all that.

Does it have a resistance value stamped into it? Or can you take an ohm reading? I think the original was supposed to be something like 1.1 or 1.5 amp. I can maybe investigate in the morning if no one else knows the value. It getting super hot makes me think there’s something weird about it.

I think it was about 2015, a friend of mine had just bought a brand new half ton Chev. At about 5000km on it he was cruising along and all his dash lights came on. He popped the hood and there was a dead squirrel staring at him from next to the alternator pulley, still twitching but clearly dead, with its guts wrapped around the pulleys where the serp belt used to be. After his tow bill and getting the squirrel cleaned off it I think it was about a $1000 insurance claim.

Drove down the west side of the continental divide down to Missoula, then back up the east side over the last week. Saw a beige one somewhere between West Glacier and Kalispell, a red one just west of Missoula, and a black one in Lethbridge.

Yeah, only the base with the max tow package is good for a bunch. Most are in the 10-1200 range, depending on options. With 1222 payload, that’s 3 people and a 5000lb trailer and you’re pushing weigh limits.

Thanks to the wildfire outside town this has been the reality for a lot of folks. Song’s been in my head a bit.

It’s a little bit of a hike away from you but there’s also a place up the flathead valley called Montana Overland that specializes in older Jeep stuff. Their website makes it seem like they might not handle much that’s new enough to have a 2.5, but they were pretty highly recommended to me to go look for MJ parts once. I didn’t end up there though cause it was a weekend and whatnot so I can’t really speak for what it’s like.

Yup. It’s mostly open. But as a scenic parkway it’s not a maintenance priority over highway 16 or 1, so if you ever do plan on driving it pay attention to conditions and closures. It also gets shut down pretty frequently for avalanche control. Closures of 3-4 days aren’t unusual, and over a week aren’t unheard of. In spring sometimes it’ll be open in the morning and closed in the afternoon as snow softens and the avy risk goes up.

Okay maybe I should call it the weathered look. 😅 I guess I mostly like the natural gradient between the two. But it definitely isn’t for everyone.

Just don’t go driving through hot highways out west with them. They do not like sunbaked asphalt much. We went on a big road trip one year, hit Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, bunch of stuff in Idaho and the PNW, it was 100°F+ most of the time. My parents decided to proactively buy new tires before we left, and of course they got winters, because it was late august/early September and why would you not. We needed new tires when we got home, maybe 3000 miles later. It almost looked like someone had been doing burnouts for how bald the tires were and how much rubber stuck to the side of the car. I absolutely wouldn’t argue against 4x4/AWD and winter tires though, if it’s an option for you. If you think FWD and winters gives you super powers, put some high-end winters on your 4x4 and you’ll be thinking blasphemous thoughts about your ranking amongst the gods. But we’re getting off topic. I’ve seen a couple Mavericks out here, also the odd Santa Cruz. I haven’t spoken to the owners, but I suspect that much like the Ridgeline, they’re not so much pulling people out of the truck segment into smaller vehicles as they are giving the SUV/crossover crowd a taste of open cargo storage. Which is fine I guess. I’m still of a mind that a second row of seats and less than 6’ of bed space and you’re better off with a minivan (on winters 😬) and utility trailer… my brain can’t quite twist itself enough to justify a 4’ bed. Even the 6’ bed on the MJ seemed small, and that was before I was comparing it against the 3/4 ton Reg cab longbed 6.0/5-speed 4x4 GMC I just picked up for $3k.

Does it need paint work? I kinda like the patina.

I can’t imagine there isn’t an AWD version. That said, there are plenty of people running around up here in the mountains in FWD hatchbacks. My 2wd open diff MJ gets around in the winter just fine too. The secret is winter tires. Dedicated winter tires. All-weather tires (a step above all-seasons) function in slush and deeper snow, but what you’re going to find is there are parts of the road that don’t get enough sun to melt them off, the salt doesn’t always work because it gets kicked off by traffic, and traffic just packs and polishes that snow into skating rink grade ice. And no tire that will survive on sunbaked dessert highways is going to have a soft enough compound to get any sort of bite on that. AWD or 4x4 will help some, but not anywhere near what a proper winter tire will do for you. AWD/4x4 is optional. Ground clearance is optional. Studs are optional. Winter tires are not. If a low-slung hatchback on winter tires with a halfway competent driver behind the wheel can’t make it through a road due to the conditions, it’s probably going to get closed anyway until they can get maintenance equipment on it.

Make a post in the registry and someone will look all that up for you. https://comancheclub.com/forum/28-comanche-registry/

Assuming you're talking about the one in the middle of the upper hose, that's just a regular worm-type hose clamp. It looks slotted-ish to me, possibly a phillips, but if you can't get a screwdriver into it then you should be able to get a socket onto the external hex. They just tend to be odd sizes, like 9/32 as an example. They're definitely not the original clamps, and arguably you'd want to get proper "fuel injection" hose clamps to replace them. These obviously hold and they get used a lot, but there's a danger they'll cut into the rubber line and cause a leak, they also don't always provide clamping around the full circle which can be an issue with higher pressures in the fuel system. The proper sort of clamp provides clamping all the way around the hose and doesn't pose as much risk of cutting into the rubber. The second picture is your fuel filter. There should be another part of the clamp holding it in. If you don't know how old it is, probably best to change it, especially if you're seeing problems you think might be fuel pressure related. Your preferred local parts store in theory has one in stock, and should also have fuel injection hose clamps.