flint54

I have silverstars. I am not impressed. I see little difference over what they replaced, and by the time they're covered with bugs (which is about 10 miles of driving down here) they're all the same. Perhaps I will upgrade the harness, but I don't expect any miracles.

My original starter was performing weakly, and then just quit one day. Changed the solenoid, no joy. Had recently upgraded to large mains cables. Put in a new OEM starter and was stunned at how easily it cranked the motor. May not need a high performance starter after you look into the cable condition, unless you have really high compression.

If you want to validate the "sagging" claim, good body shops have frame racks and can check the frame at the control points to see whether it is deformed at all. Seems to me it would take a rather significant event to cause that kind and amount of frame deflection. If it is out, they can usually tweak it back to relatively straight. I crunched a Firebird once and the left rail was two inches higher than the right rail at the front control points. They were able to pull it back to within 0.010". Unlike the human body, I don't think these frames just sag over time on their own.

Let's see what Santa brings..... Somehow I had the naive idea that the O2 sensor was supposed to detect a lean condition and tell the ECU to do something about it, but perhaps the ECU is out of options with the current fuel delivery components. Meanwhile, Hesco is sending me a set of head bolts and I asked him to toss in an AFPR for good measure. Does anyone know what the dealer wants for head bolts ?!?!?!? :fs1: Two bolts at the dealer pays for all fourteen from Hesco.

Forgot this info: current injectors are 20lb/hr (210cc/min @ 43.5 psi test).

From my other saga, you know I've just pulled the cylinder head. Valve tops (and spark plugs) are tan-white rather than dark, which I've always associated with running too lean. Machinist said the same thing as soon as he saw it. I have good fuel pressure (30+psi) and good fuel delivery (> 1 lpm). I have new injectors that I saw flow tested. Truck runs smoothly (at least until I pulled the head) and does not run hot. I don't (yet) have an A/F meter so I cannot offer data. So, my puzzle is, how concerned should I be, and how can I dial in a bit more fuel? I have a 63mm TB and I'm wondering if this a contributor, and whether it's time for an adjustable FPR ($$), or whether there's some simpler trick.

Coujpla lessons here: 1) Old age deterioration isn't always visible. Putting on the new intake manifold, snugging down the bolts before torquing and heard a "pop", which I presumed to be the manifold seating tightly on the guide buttons. Proceed with torquing, and the $@#%^&% REAR stud snaps off in my hand at 10 IN-LB. Looks like this: 2) Small noises can be big problems. That "pop" I presumed to be the manifold seating, was actually the manifold breaking. Apparently it wasn't fully seated when I snugged the bolts. Now it looks like this: Off come the manifolds, off comes the head. Rear stud looks like this: It's obvious that this stud has been corroded nearly 90% through for some time now, and good metal was only a sliver. AND, it's recessed into the head. So the good news, if there be any at all, is that I'm going to get some bonus head work done at the machine shop, plus I get to head for the JY to find another manifold. AND HOW IS YOUR DAY GOING ?!?!?

Hmmm, this is not sounding good from where I sit. Let's recap: 1) you have confirmed there's no problem between pedal and master 2) you have confirmed there's no problem with master (slave operates by pedal if unbolted from BH?) 3) there's no fluid blockage between master and slave (bleeds just fine) 4) there's no hangup inside the slave (see #2) You have pretty well covered everything, except for a problem inside the BH. For example, if the clutch release bearing is somehow locked up on the shaft it slides on - but this seems very unlikely since you say it all worked fine recently. Or perhaps the clutch release arm has gotten bent or dislodged or damaged? Again, seems unlikely, but what else is left? Is it possible for the arm to have come off the pivot ball? (broken retaining spring)I hate this possibility because you know what it means, and I can't think of a way to inspect. Here's the innards:

A number of things at work here. First off, I wouldn't trust an epoxied tank, so new tank for starters. Plenty available. Next, I suggest replacing the fuel filter since it could be partly plugged with tank crap. You may also need to replace the sending unit if the tubes are badly bent or solder broken where the tubes pass thru the plate. That's a leak potential. The tapered rubber on the pickup tube keeps the tube secure - probably good to have, and probably can find at JY. Don't know if available new. Once that's all done, see how it works and run a pressure test at the rail. Other than the filter, you might find all you need at the JY. Good luck!

Boy, I'm really scratching my head on this one. You are confident that there's no mechanical issue, and since this is an internal slave (right?) there's no possibility of a misalignment inside the BH, so, grasping for anything, and given your comment about the pedal feeling jammed, I'm wondering if there's a fluid blockage in the slave somehow? If it can be bled down below, that confirms there's no blockage or hangup in the master. Slave problem is the only thing left. Hope you figure it out.

RE: "At present I have 14 MJ'S. Never paid over $450 for any of them. 11 complete, running, rust free...." Us eastern folks can only dream about what it must be like to live (and buy trucks) in the low moisture western states.!! I would give $500 without a second thought for a truly rust free, wreck free, MJ, even without a drive train. I don't think I've ever actually even seen one. To the OP, I hope you find a truck worthy of your efforts, whether it is the one you're currently considering or another.

I could be wrong on this, but I don't think MJ's were ever fitted originally with sunroofs. If that is true, and if your meaning of restoration is to remain original, this candidate would be ruled out. Highly recommend you personally inspect this truck if you're intending to invest a lot of time and funds on restoration. Beg, borrow or steal a borescope and look into various openings in the frame rails for flaking corrosion. Light pitting is fine and expectable, but larger flakes which indicate significant loss of material are not. All sheet metal (floors, etc) can be replaced, limited only by your talent or your wallet. My opinion is that any rust anywhere means possible rust anywhere else. Therefore, all the other suspect areas should be scrutinized so you know what you're likely to deal with down the road rather than surprises. Rockers, lower firewall, windshield corners, cab corners, wheel flare mating surfaces, taillight region, lower door and tailgate seams, etc., all come into play. I have never met a seller who overstated rust. I've also never seen a restoration candidate vehicle for $500. Having said all that, it's probably well worth buying if your definition of restoration is to just make a really great small truck that you will enjoy for many years.

RE: "I do know the viscous coupling in the 249 is known to go bad, and replacing it is prohibitively expensive. Most people just toss it and swap in a 242..." :agree: If it were me, I would not use a 249 for this reason. Don't see the advantage, unless nearly free, and if prepared to do it again if/when it quits.

Correct. The MJ shock mounts are re-useable because they're on the plates and will transfer.

How much will you charge to do mine?

Just my personal opinion, tachs are useful to have for a variety of reasons, but you can grow into knowing when to shift any manual vehicle by what you hear and by what you feel. I would always prefer to have one, and would consider finding a cluster that provides one, but it's not critical. Not all models had tachs, but I'm confident some models in every model year did have them.

Suggest you consider chrome pinstriping tape, trimmed with a razor if you cannot find the exact width. Something similar to this: http://www.vinylgraphics.net/shopexd.asp?id=371

$200 for ceramic.

Pretty sure it's aluminum, probably won't last very long, but nothing much to lose. Wish I could find a new OEM back bumper (but not chrome)....

Hmmm, that looks significant, involving both inner and outer skins. The only sure fire fix for perforation is new metal, which could be more trouble/effort than finding a replacement tailgate - if you can. Looks about the same as lower door skin crease corrosion. I've seen folks glass over stuff like this, and look great for a year or two, but it always comes back (more accurately said, it keeps growing, just hidden from view). And I've proven to myself that Ospho, followed with POR-15, only slows down the rate of decay. It's doubly bad with a crimped lip that retains moisture. Last year I bought a "just in case" tailgate, and I think it cost around $40. Last week I almost bought another, but the upper edge was a bit bashed. If you had a donor, and sheet metal equip (or someone with) you could probably pull off a partial transplant of the lower edge.

Interesting topic. After more than 45 years of changing oil, on a great many vehicles, I have never been concerned about this, assuming the vehicle was running right before the oil change. I have always felt that there is enough residual oil on the surfaces to accommodate the couple seconds without oil pressure. On a fresh motor, or a dubious motor, absolutely build pressure first, but on a good motor it just doesn't register on my "worry" meter.

Interesting on Rock Auto, except they don't use the OEM part numbers. Nonetheless I tried it and found that, according to them, the PS pump is same for both the 97-06 TJ's and the 96-01 XJs. I have an 03 TJ and an 01 XJ pump side by side and they do not have the same OEM part numbers, or the same reservoirs, or the same pulleys. My guess is that Rock Auto is telling customers that their part will _work_ for both applications, even though it may not _originally_ be the same. I guessed that any pump from the TJ series would work, and I know the newer XJ pumps will also work, but I sure would like to know if any actual difference, (other than what's obvious) like pressure/flow data for example, or whether the pump itself is actually the same.

Boy, that is some rotten luck!! My thinking is that, if it was welded originally it should be weldable again, but you may also consider grabbing one from the JY instead. Would be interesting to see that failed weld under a microscope.

I'm looking, so far without success, for an online resource that can tell me the range of applications for a given part. For example, a power steering pump that comes on a 2003 TJ, probably comes on other years, perhaps the whole TJ line ('97-'06) or other models as well. I'm pretty sure a dealer can do this, but can anyone?

On a 1990 short bed at the Orlando U Pull & Pay, in very good condition.