reson46

All this speculation about what might be wrong or what differential you might have is driving me nuts. Your truck has obviously been modified. At this point you have no idea what is in your front differential. Unless you enjoy spending lots of money on something that is not necessary, remove the differential cover and see what is in there. Take a picture, post it up, and we should be able to tell you what is in there. If nothing else it may at least let you know if the previous owner screwed something up. Plus, it's one of those maintenance things you should always do when you buy a used vehicle. :thumbsup: Never trust what a previous owner tells you about a vehicle. Find out for yourself. As it seems in this case, most sellers don't actually know much about what they are selling. Now that I think of it, the same is especially true for new car dealers. :brows: Willy

And you are still considering them? :roll: Willy

That is incredible. I hope they go through with the renovations and open it to the public. Willy

'06 is 5x4.5" bolt pattern. Have you tried to mount them on your MJ? If they are 5x5", they are '07+. Willy

Kent here between Seattle and Tacoma. Willy

I'd like to know more about this. What Jeep is it? It doesn't look like an MJ/XJ. What VW engine is that? Is it diesel? What country was that made for? Willy

Unless it's a Rubicon, it still has a 231 transfer case. Every TJ 231 I've opened up has the oil pump running off the main shaft just like an MJ 231 which would result in the same problems. I realize different rear output housings were used on TJ 231s, but I don't think that would change the flat towing procedures. Willy

I'm sure I'm in the minority as I like bright colors - yellow and orange. But I'll buy a couple of whatever color you pick. Dark green and tan (like the JT concept) would look nice too. I've got a couple of shirts with those colors that I like. I'd be interested in long sleeved and hoodies. If you get something worked out soon I could pass this along to the wife for Christmas presents. We were just discussing what I wanted and I told her that I didn't have much in the way of long sleeved Jeep shirts now that we live in a cooler environment. :clapping: Willy

I ran it through a hole in the firewall and mounted it to the cowl on the driver side. You should be able to see it here. Willy

Jeep. I'm pretty sure those are TJ flares. Willy

You may suggest to him to take another look at his manual before this happens to him. I can just about guarantee that is not what is in his manual. Willy

No idea Willy. I've only put 3k on it since I've owned it, the PO bought it new. Other than his propensity to hot tap, I think he took pretty good care of it considering it was his DD for probably 18 of the 20yrs he owned it. Funny, I thought it might be the NSS too as I put it in Neutral, jiggled it and tried to start, or put it back in to Park with a little extra pressure to make sure it was "clicked" all the way in and then jiggled it there also. I had no idea that was an item that could be cleaned or maintained though, so thanks for the heads up, I'll definitely check that out as it sounds like a real possibility. And I thought if it went bad that the tranny wouldn't shift? A bad NSS shouldn't prevent the transmission from shifting. It will prevent starting and/or the reverse lights won't work. Jiggling the shifter and trying park and reverse will sometimes work, but if it does, it is only a temporary solution. Even if an XJ/MJ has been well maintained the NSS will eventually need cleaning. I think it may just be the design. :dunno: The grease inside seems to dry up and prevent the internals from making contact properly. It's pretty easy to clean and one of those things that if not done, will eventually need to be done. Willy

Close. '87 to '90 is 21 spline. '91+ is 23 spline. Willy

I think you are right on that. Maybe have somebody turn the key while you check the solenoid terminal with a test light? If the NSS is working the light should come on. If the light comes on and it doesn't start, I'm pretty sure that would be a bad starter or solenoid at that point. If the light doesn't come on that would point to the NSS. Removing the starter really isn't that bad. Disconnect the battery, disconnect two wires, and remove two bolts. :thumbsup: Willy

Any more pictures of the steering knuckles and track bar set up? Are those just bolt on brackets on the knuckles that the tie rod and drag link are attached to? Can you get a close up of the track bar bracket on the axle? I can't see it very well behind the tie rod and drag link here. If those brackets just bolt on to the knuckles, it should be pretty simple to swap those over to another axle. Depending upon what is going on with the track bar bracket on the axle, it may or may not be possible to cut that off and move it over to another axle. But, you do have other options. JKS makes this over the axle track bar bracket that looks like it will work with your track bar. You may also search through the bracket selection on the web sites of Ruff Stuff, Ballistic Fabrication, Poly Performance, etc. They make all varieties of brackets. You may find one that will work pretty well for you. An experienced shop should be able to build a bracket pretty easily too. This is what I would do. Search Car-Part.com for a '97 to '00 XJ D30 (HP, no vacuum CAD, larger 297X u-joints). Swap over all the steering. Find an experienced 4x4 shop and discuss your track bar options - whether to use a pre-made bracket like JKS or if they can build a bracket for you. I wouldn't even bother with the Wagoneer D44. Personally I don't think these are worth the work to swap in to an XJ/MJ. They are low pinion, wrong bolt pattern, and it will cost you a lot more in brackets, shop install, etc. Willy

Has the NSS ever been cleaned? It is another very likely cause. I'm surprised it has lasted 213K if not. You may want to try cleaning it before messing with the starter. Not saying that the starter isn't bad, but the NSS will probably need maintenance soon anyway. This will show you how to clean it. Willy

I printed a stack of these and keep them in the glove box. Willy

Has anybody been up Lion's Back recently? I heard the owner sold the land to be developed into condos. :dunno: Willy

The local NAXJA chapter adopted a trail at Walker Valley ORV. We joined them for a little trail maintenance Saturday. Want to guess who got to haul all the gravel? :brows: Of course we were the only MJ that showed up. :D We had a lot of fun, but Deb and I were both definitely glad to see another trail once we finished hauling gravel. We got a little rain off and on most of the day, but most of the day turned out pretty nice. The light played some interesting tricks through the fog/mist. Rest of the pics are here. Willy

I have some thoughts about what may have happened to your transfer case. Your MJ is a '91? Didn't they eliminate the vacuum CAD this year? Does your's have the vacuum CAD? If it does not have the vacuum CAD, that would mean the front driveshaft and transfer case output were turning when you flat towed. The transfer case oil pump runs off the rear output shaft. With the rear driveshaft disconnected and the transfer case in 2WD, the pump will not be running and oil will not be circulating through the transfer case. I am guessing the bearings the front output shaft ride in may have become oil starved when you flat towed. Sound plausible to anybody else? :hmm: Willy

Cut it. Willy

I think you have a typo there. I'm pretty sure the switch to an electronic speedometer occurred in '91, not '96. Also, even if you do use a transfer case from a Jeep with an electronic speedometer, there is no need to to swap out the gauge cluster. Your existing speedometer gear housing and cable will bolt directly into every Jeep NP231 that I know of. Willy

The original 4.0L was used from '87 - '90. It used Renix (Renault/Bendix) fuel injection, a closed cooling system, and was rated for 177 HP - if I remember right. The HO 4.0L arrived in '91. It used Chrysler fuel injection, a open cooling system, and was rated for something like 190 HP. This is of course a simplified comparison. There were many other differences between the two - intake, exhaust, etc. Willy will a trans and tcase off a HO cherokee wokr on my 4.0l? or are there issues I'm unaware of? Which transmission? The AW4 should work. I don't have a lot of knowledge of the manual transmissions. Willy

Can't complain about that. :clapping: Willy

Much better. :thumbsup: Willy