GonzoTheGreat

I think @boxyjeep makes something for this https://boxyjeep.com/products/jeep-cherokee-xj-ax-15-tunnel-cover-1984-2001 It lets you use the TJ boot. Is that what you're looking for? I don't think it was available when this thread died in 2013

One single click when you cut the wheel? Or a tick-tick-tick-tick-tick when the wheel is already turned? When you did the track bar was there any play in the bolt hole on the axle end? That would cause the former. If its the latter, I would look at steering u-joints they would have visible play in them to start talking to you like that. ball joints don't often go bad without a lot of hard miles and/or offroad abuse.

gray 2.5L 4x4 auto I found this vin saved back in 2014 in my google account. It was from either Sams pick apart in worcester, ma, or RPM in Thompson, CT. Either way, its long gone to the crusher now.

I'm going through old stuff i had saved in my google account from like 10 years ago and found this VIN. I'm fairly certain it was from the now-defunct junkyard, RPM in thompson, CT. They had 3 MJs, but i think the '89 was white if memory serves. If I'm wrong and this one was blue, then it was in a junkyard in Worcester, MA and ill post a couple pictures.

I saw this guy on MX rt1 in Loreto, BCS parked on the street. Not sure who owns it, as there are quite a few houses, but its in fairly decent shape. This is a real XJ-heavy region, so i feel like you could keep an MJ alive for a long time around here. Ill keep an eye out for the owner over the next few weeks and see if i can say hola.

That one took me a second...

Thanks Mike. I should have known. They're even available in stainless! Cool!

I would take everything off, more for the chance at a thorough cleaning/inspection of the mating surfaces than ease of access. NAPA usually has exhaust hardware in stock. They're all 3/8 X 16 so you could piece a kit together yourself though. I would reuse those stock spring washers. I haven't found a place to buy replacements, and they're pretty unique.

If you want blank ones, here is an option.

I think it's unnecessary and unsightly. It doesn't seem to protect anything, and collects residues and road grime. New hoses don't come with it. I've seen the upper hose come with a plastic loom as a chafe guard, but the lower hose should not be touching anything, and therefore shouldn't need protection. If it looks like it might contact something, you can probably twist it away from making contact. Just my opinion, but I say say chuck it.

This thing is super cool! Thanks for posting. I think the one criterion to be met is "is the vehicle an MJ?" and if the answer is yes, then it goes into the registry.

Worst part of the entire job.

If you run the the stock slip yoke on the driveshaft, the pinion angle should be parallel to the output shaft of the t-case. If you install a slip yoke eliminator, and run a double cardan joint that's when you should angle the pinion directly toward the t-case.

When does it click? Always, or just when turning? Are you 100% sure the sound is coming from the pump? A mechanic's stethoscope can help, if there's any doubt.

I think this sums up the MJ life just perfectly, barring that one occasional MJ guy you meet every few years at a convenience store when you're just trying to buy a cup of coffee, and then you end up talking for like 2 hours and at the end you can't even remember the guy's name, but you know damn well every detail about his truck, his dog, his ex-wife, and the spare parts that he's definitely gonna sell you for a super good deal, except you never even got his number, and you're probably never going to see him again, but hey, that guy was a great guy! Amiright?

Those don't look too bad. I could be wrong, but from these photos it doesn't look structural. I think if you pry the rubbers off, you'll find good, clean steel underneath, and you can just clean up and repaint any bits around there that were rusty. As for the rubbing, you said you have a 3" lift and it's the passenger side that is rubbing? Do you still have the stock track bar? If the track bar is too short, it's gonna pull the whole axle to the driver's side. Try putting the wheels straight, and measure the distance from frame to tire. It should be equal on both sides if the axle is centered.

I think someone misunderstood how eBay works. Maybe it was the same guy who put the "bench seat" in the blue one...

I'll add to the confusion: when the map hose came off my '88, I had a very hard start and a low, staggering idle. Maybe it depends on the ambient air pressure at the time. Regardless, a disconnected MAP hose will cause some sort of significant issue, and should be addressed. I'll also add that Ive had a similar crank no-start, with good spark, after sitting for a long time, and it ended up being dry piston rings that didn't build enough compression for combustion. Have you checked compression?

That clothespin trick is awesome. So simple, and so genius. I'm gonna remember that.

Is the strainer rolling around, loose in the bottom of the tank?

Yeah sort of, the factory one ends in an angle against the wheel wells, and the plates are slightly curved.

I just got back to Italy for a few weeks of house-sitting, taking some courses, and wrenching on this turd again: Then I'll work a temp gig or two. I'm a yacht engineer (mechanic), and the summer season will be winding down in the Med, so I'll be somewhere between here and the Caribbean until I've saved enough to feel comfortable going back to the Comanche. I'll definitely take a few more pics when I'm back to the truck, but the camping set up is pretty rudimentary. There's four identical totes that make a flat surface to sleep on if the weather is bad, but we try to use the tent, or more commonly, cheap apartments. You can get a decent apartment on booking or aribnb for like $20-30/night in a lot of places with a kitchenette and everything. so for me, if I can camp for $15 or have a full apartment for $20 it's a no-brainer. The only time it makes more sense to camp is in the touristy areas where the prices change severely. One of the totes is just kitchen, one is cleaning/showers/etc. and two are personal belongings. I also have a decent sized Coleman 12V fridge that is powered by the service battery which is in the toolbox. The toolbox is sizeable and separate from the rest of the cap on the driver's side. We only have a "pocket rocket" style camp stove, but it's perfect for espressos every morning in the moka pot (Italian-style ), or to prepare basic one-pot meals. The new addition of the PVC shower is a big improvement on the pile of plastic bottles we were keeping for dishes, etc. It's not luxury, but it's comfortable. Compared to the crew-quarters on a lot of yachts, the 6' bed is actually really spacious. I've already got a million ideas for a long-bed in the future with a high-top fiberglass shell, better drive-train options, and bed-drawer storage, but for now, this is the truck that I have, so we'll enjoy it while we're there.

Ok, I had a rough first impression with Belize. Apparently it's illegal to bring beer into Belize. Fruits, vegetables, narcotics, assault rifles, nuclear warheads, and unregistered human remains, I understand, and we made sure to avoid taking those items through EVERY boarder crossing, but beer was a surprise, and for those that don't know it, I tend to like beer, and I had planned on sharing local Central American beers with my family and friends when I got home. Long story short, I had 26 beers "surrendered" at the border. I won't confirm or deny if that was ALL of the beer that I was carrying, but it was a traumatic loss regardless. To top it off, I did some research and found out that it's not even about taxes or religion, or anything I can understand or respect. The guy who founded the largest brewery/bottled-water/cocacola plant in Belize was also a senator, and used legislation to build his business into a monopoly. I tried not to let that ruin the Belize experience. We saw some more Mayan ruins, and visited a small cacao farm run by a present-day Mayan family. We spent a day in Placencia to do the tourist thing, and overall, our time in the country was actually pretty nice. I also made some progress in my side quest of crossing increasingly sketchy ferries. This one was a four-car capacity river crossing barge with HAND-CRANK cable on drum propulsion. Not gonna lie, I didn't need to see the pyramid on the other side. I just wanted to ride the ferry. After Belize it was time to wrap up this leg of the trip, as the budget demanded. We crossed into Mexico and spent a couple days at the "Lake of Seven Colors" just over the boarder, then went up to Cancun. Cancun is in the state of Quintana Roo, which, like Baja, is a duty-free zone, meaning I can drive my foreign-plated vehicle there for as long as I want, no local paperwork needed, as long as I have insurance, and my MA registration is good. This avoids all of the silly storage shenanigans I had to deal with in Costa Rica last year. I can now store the truck privately, where I want and when I want. So I found a Quebecois dude who runs an overlanding business just outside of Cancun, and he offers a very reasonable vehicle storage service. It was a little sad to say goodbye again, but this time I know the truck is in good hands, and I can keep in touch with the storage guy whenever I want. Not sure exactly how long it'll be this time, but hopefully just a couple months. I will be sure to post an update when I return.