Akula69

Did a write-up on trailer harness wiring awhile back - it contains the rear harness wire colors and function: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=20578

It can show you where the leaks are, and a clean engine could make it run cooler.

The electric fan will come on without the AC if the relay is installed in the bay harness, and there is a fan temp sensor installed (either in the bung on the radiator or inline with the hose). I believe it comes on at around 250-260 degrees.

I use a locksmith here that will cut the keys for 15.00, (or re-key the locks to a given key for the same price). when the locks are removed from the door. When I did my last set he had me purchase new lock covers (spring loaded) and as they only came in bulk, he now stores about 15 of them for me. Let me know if you're interested. Shipping can't be that bad.

There are many threads on the forum detailing the solutions that folks have found for electrical problems...and these trucks can have a few (with 20 year old wiring). Most commonly the first place to check is the ground connection behind the driver's side tail light. Secondly, you might want to check the connection for the front wiring harness (behind the header panel one the driver's side front). Third would be the bulb sockets themselves....sometimes they develop corrosion problems. If it is a standard transmission you might want to check the fuse box to ensure the clutch fluid is not leaking into it. Lastly, you may find the headlight switch has developed corrosion on the reostat (dimmer) section or one of the the dash grounds have come off (one at back of headlight switch, on at bottom of dash on driver's side). Good Luck!

I would suggest that replacement of the entire track bar might be a better option. MOOG makes one that is sold at Rockauto for about 62.00. It would take the place of the bushing and the ball stud. I replaced a number of front suspension items to solve my DW - the saga on DW is here: http://www.comancheclub.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=28351

There is a good DIY thread in here on cutting the hinges off and putting a steel plate inside the hinge mounting area to strengthen it. I can't seem to find the link at the moment.... EDIT: probably 'cause it isn't a thread here: http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=986973

Could I ask...what will you do with the topper? I might be interested.

My son's was a tie event, but there were folks there that had just dress slacks and a pressed shirt. Gifts were not really given even though it is considered an honor to be invited to such an important milestone in the scout's career.

Firestone. But - the purpose of this thread is to show the problems we experienced could have been one or all the itmes we discovered.

After reading some of the responses it occurred to me that I neglected to add: we replaced the UCA and LCA and bushings when the engine was pulled for the restoration. Although he wanted to lift it we agreed to leave it stock for the time being until we were sure all the bugs had been worked out. The really unique thing about his truck was that with each part we replaced the DW came back at a different MPH speed. Makes you wonder if there is a specific speed for DW depending on the part that is needing replacement.. :hmm: Its true that if you find one 'spot' on a road that causes the DW you alwys cringe when you hit it...just in case it does reappear, but at the same time you can go there to see if you've fixed the problem as well.

Congratulations! My son made it last year...first in his troop. I ran into one of the 'fumes' and fell out of scouts chasing skirt......but did go back as an assistant scout leader for him. I'm proud of him, and you too. :clapping:

My son and I finally solved the death wobble ("lateral shimmy", as it is called in the suspension business - I learn something new every day :roll: ) problem with the 89 MJ. I know that many folks here have had the problem and I thought I would cover the steps that we took to solve it (over a 5 month period). It is a daily driver, and he was experiencing it off and on depending on the speed (varied but mostly between 35-55 MPH initally) and the presence of bumps in the roadway. First, I noted a slight looseness (like 3/32 play) in the pitman arm shaft (where it entered the steering box) after the engine rebuild but believing it was normal took the truck for a tire balancing and front end alignment - because a search on the articles in the forum showed many folks were recommending that step. After balance and align the DW came back with a savage vengance on the way home from the shop. We chose to replace the steering box and pitman arm with a rebuilt unit from NAPA. DW seemed to be gone so we watched and waited....DW came back again (39-45 MPH) and examination of the front end seemed to indicate a bad upper ball joint on the driver's side. We replaced (both sides) upper and lower ball joints with MOOG brand, (driver's side stud fell out of the ball when removed) and checked it again on the road. DW still there (40-43 MPH) but much less severe. Examination of the suspension again showed minor play in the track bar mount, so new bolts with lock washers were installed. Shaking the vehicle from side to side (pushing and pulling on the fender) while someone watched from below showed the ball stud in the track bar seemed loose. Ordered a MOOG brand replacement track bar from Rockauto.com. Replaced trackbar and when examining the old one found the stud to have worn inside the ball to the point is was almost falling out. Test drive showed no DW tendencies at any speed or road condition. Now, I know that many folks on here believe DW is caused by out-of-balance tires. In fact, you could make a strong argument that the DW caused the damage to the ball joints and the track bar...I will not refute that. But I do believe that DW can and is caused by a combination of factors rather then just one aspect especially when considering the design of the axle and it's mounting.

yeah, that! ;)

Yeah, I thought about that but was kinda hoping someone would have one.

As the listing says, I am looking for the cable between the floor shifter and the automatic transmission. Thanks

hmmm. My sons '89 was just re-worked and we put a high volume pump in it as well. At could start-up it shows 70-80 PSI but after warm-up it idles at around 20-25 PSI (at 900 RPM) We changed to a 5-30 oil and I told him to let it idle for about 5 minutes before pulling off - I was concerned the initial high pressure would blow out the rear main seal.

No real difference in the wire pattern, but when swapping the column some folks take the top apart for swapping the key switch and don't install the turn signal stalk quite right. There is a link (although it is for a Fiero and mainly for tightening tilt problems) that shows the assembly/disassembly here: http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/088020.html Let us know if this helps.

Believe Shelbyluv would like that header panel...

Did you mean the drivers side ground? If not, you might want to check behind the tail light on that side. Your parking lights are fed off of the dark blue wire in the tail harness. It makes several "stops" along the way, mainly for the plugs that provide power for the license plate lights. On my '87 one of those had become corroded inside the plug and separated the wire. These plugs are "bullet" shaped and the blue wire loops (enters and exits) inside of each one. Although I believe this is probly not your issue, another problem I had with the '89 was the bulbs were wrong. The PO had installed #1157 bulbs (which are dual filiment front bulbs) instead of #2057. Good Luck!

I cleaned mine by pouring a gallon of Berryman Chem12 in it and adding a bag of steel marbles (from the dollar store). Taped the openings with duct tape and shook the hell out of it.

Post a picture of the plug. I believe it would connect to the harness coming from the transmission, but need to see it to be sure. I can't tell you if your transmission is junk - only the fact that particular model had a less then stellar record.

Yes sir we know. In the previous post Pete was explaining the type of transmission you have (based upon the plug you described and the transmission you named) and why you might not want to repair the plug (because you might not want to keep that transmission).. The plug in question can be obtained from any 1989 wiring harness on an XJ or MJ at a junk yard.

You will never have the joy of replacing a burnt fuse again? :brows: