flint54

Not wanting to beat this horse too much longer, but my forum reading seems to indicate that the track bar and the steering bar should ideally be closest to parallel. Here's an image of what I have now, showing some divergence. My MJ pitman arm drop is 3 inches. The ZJ pitman arm drop is 3.5 inches. Could it be that the ZJ arm will actualy bring these bars closer to parallel?

I think this has been discussed recently, but yes, there is a potential issue. The spot welds that secure the outer sheet metal to the inner wheel well are within 1/2" of the edge. Find a way to re-secure these parts together (crimp or new spot-welds, or some other means) and all will be well.

Arrrghhh dag-nabbit! Why do you have to give me the right answer, instead of the answer I want???

Hmmm, no free lunch here I suppose. I was hopeful the lift and the lower pitman arm might just cancel each other out. I may just try it out and see how bad this bumpsteer is. I can always swap the arms once the box is installed. Probably easier to change it after the box is in anyways.

I've been searching car-part.com for low mileage young D30 (3.55) and seems that $250 is a rather low price for a young one. Pete, is there something special about 1995, or isn't that just where the larger U-joints begin? And why the ABS model for a non-ABS truck?

From the steering box thread: "The Pitman arms are not the same. The ZJ arm drops about an inch lower than the XJ/MJ arm, so you'll have to use you're existing MJ Pitman arm on the new ZJ box." So, I have to ask the dumb question, will that one inch difference really matter? Seems the linkage has enough vertical freedom to tolerate the ZJ arm? I have 2 inches of lift in front, and just maybe, I can avoid fighting that pitman beast?

Yes, I stumbled across the Novak cable shifter site a couple months ago and I think it's an elegant solution, but it seems really overpriced for what is basically two brackets and a cable. I could probably put one together myself, buy would consume a lot of time doing so, and would probably end up spending nearly as much. They also offer the input gear for around $160, which would save me having to rip apart both T-cases. This "almost free" swap is getting pricey fast! I have to wonder why, if the 242 was never offered behind the AX-15. Technical reason, or just no demand?

:agree: Go down to U-Pull & Pay just west of the airport off the expressway (Landstar exit) and grab a used one (they've got plenty) for $35: http://www.upullandpay.com/locations/or ... Guide.aspx If you're lucky, and go to the far end of the first Jeep row, you will find a ZJ with the box already pulled and sitting on the driver's floor. I pulled two and left one behind.

Not sure what year you have, but for 1992 (and probably same for other years), the parking brake strut (the bar) looks to be PN 8350-4372 LH and 8350-4373 RH The spring is 8350-4310. They are all available here: http://www.moparonlineparts.com/ and will cost you about $26 total. Or check your local dealer. The E-brake cables look to be available from RockAuto in Wagner, Dorman, and Bendix. Those are a mess!!!!

What he said. It's a means of locking the nut in place, which means the next person to remove it will have an even tougher time getting it off.

I run 5W30 in everything (I'm in Florida), and believe that as long as you meet or exceed the API service rating specified by the manufacturer you're good to go. Frequent change and high quality filter. I read somewhere recently that, like gasoline, most major oils today are essentially same. I prefer Castrol, but couldn't begin to offer a good rationale.

So I'm planning to swap in a 242 for the 231. Everything I read says, "get the linkage". So I got the linkage, and it's real obvious it isn't going to work. Lengths are all wrong. My 231 is installed on a manual trans. The 242 came from an auto trans. I have the parts catalog for my year, and for the 231 application it shows different linkage depending on whether auto or manual, however, for 242 application it does not show different linkage auto vs manual. This lulled me into thinking the auto 242 linkage would work on my AX-15. Not. :rant: And, to top that off, even though the 242 came from same year vehicle (1992) it has a 21 spline input shaft. I've read the FSM regarding teardown of the 231 and the 242 and it looks to be open heart surgery to swap those. The whole thing has to come apart, piece by bloody piece. So, remind me please, how badly did I want to do this swap? Suggestions?

ZJ (93-98) box should be a bolt-in, plus slightly quicker ratio. I doubt it's any more heavy duty, but I don't think these things are terribly weak. I'm getting ready to install one this weekend, and hoping the pitman arm is the same. Otherwise it requires around 150 ftlbs of torque plus staking (per FSM).

I had to do the same. Sawzall metal blades - several of them. It seems unlikely that the axle would have shifted laterally even if the spring centering pin failed, because of the clamping force of the torqued U-bolts. To confirm, I suggest measuring along the top of the axle tube from outer U-bolt to break backing plate to confirm same on both sides. I suggest also measuring from the front leaf spring bushing back to the axle tube and see if same on both sides. These should tell you if axle shifted relative to leaf springs. I also think it's most likely to be worn out spring and/or shackle bushings. Contact me offline if you're interested in a set of new OEM spring bushings. JKS makes really stout shackles that have grease fittings. That way, twenty five years from now, the next owner won't have to cut the bolts.

Finally figured out where the (dealer) NLA parts may have gone. Old inventories get sold to these folks: http://www.vpartsinc.com/index.php They're not cheap, but if you gotta have it new and original, look here before giving up.

RE: "It could blow out and shoot right through the hood like a rocket!" Interesting visual. I had a 49 Chevy pickup that lost one fan blade, right through the inner and outer fender, at waist height, not 10 inches outboard of where I was standing. That was more than 40 years ago, and I still shudder when I think of it. Thank goodness Comanche hoods are stout. Flying spark plugs just ricochet harmlessly back towards the ground.

Well, I should 'fess up. The 20-24 mpg is real, and carefully calculated on long interstate distances, but that was when I had the 3.07 gears, and I'm certain the 3.55's will lower that some. On the money side, my darling bride of 31 years will tell you (but pay no mind to her sarcasm) that I have a long standing habit (she calls it an obsession) with improving vehicles, one at a time. The list is long, and right now it's a Comanche. I tell her that, if it weren't for cars and trucks, I would be spending the money on things she would certainly not approve. :D I may try the Seafoam, because I hear it makes great billowing clouds of smoke, and will give my neighbors something else to talk about.

Ahhhh, good stuff - thanks!

Ok, so I finally gave into the urge to buy a set of injectors from the Precision Injector folks (http://www.precisionautoinjectors.com/), who happen to be just a few miles from me. You've probably read or heard about them here or elsewhere. Got the tour - cool setup - nice guy! Saw more injectors then I thought ever existed. Anyways, I've pulled out my old ones, the originals and never before removed with only 75k miles, and I saw lots of black crust in the manifold bores - Lots of it!! Never encountered the likes of this before, even on much higher mileage vehicles. So I'm wondering if you all think I should just ignore it, or try some brand of marvelous snake oil that claims to remove this crud, or pull the manifold and boil it (don't really want to do that), or just yank this motor and go for the stroker Opinions please. BTW, never had any problem with how it runs or fuel consumption (20-24 highway) but wanted the flow balanced, four hole, Bosch units to see if they make any difference.

I didn't read all 213 previous posts, so shame on me if this has been suggested before. What if there were a folder for just images, and they were posted with an effective, short caption (like "seat parts diagram", or "1986 ignition schematic", etc) where folks could upload scanned pages, or images, or such, that others could search through to hopefully see what they needed. Tom

Probably the second-most asked question there is (and the first one has nothing to do with vehicles), but the answer to both has the same general theme, you only get what you're willing to pay for. So, here's what comes to my mind: Reduce rolling friction (alignment spot-on, wheel balance spot-on, no brake binding, no bearings binding, good inflation, etc.) Improved breathing (less restrictive exhaust, less restrictive intake, open up the throttle body, etc.) No ignition weakness (plugs, wires, coils, etc.) Lowest viscosity oil your climate will permit. Do ALL of this, and you may see 5 peak HP gain at the most (my WAG). I think Pete is right on the money that gears will make more effective use of the power you do have, but if you want to add real horsepower you have to spend real money. What comes to mind first (my suggestion of bang for the buck) is a cam, with higher flow injectors, and improved PCM mapping. My guess is, that would set you back around $500 or so. It is also known to fuel an insatiable quest for even more power. I've learned one thing about chasing horsepower, and that is, when you fix the weakest link, you get to discover what the second weakest link is.

If I understand your question correctly, you are intending to install a newer transfer case into an older MJ. The transfer case you want to use has an electronic speed sensor, and the vehicle you plan to install it into uses a mechanical cable. Correct? If so, I think all you need to do is make sure you also get the right sending unit. The sending unit, either electronic or mechanical, installs into a hole in the output housing. They are interchangeable, and use the sane pinion gear. My confidence of this is based on today's experience at the JY where I scored an NP242 from a 1990 XJ. It has a mechanical speedometer, and my 1992 has an electronic speedometer. Except for the connection (cable vs wire), the sending units are identical. You probably already know this, but the sending unit has three positions, depending on what range drive gear you have. 26-31 teeth, 32-38 teeth, or 39-43 teeth. The donor vehicle may have a different drive gear than what you need and you may need to make an adjustment.

While the tank is out is a great time to treat rust (if any) in that region and apply undercoat.

Coating is POR-15, and I'm pretty sure the width is same for both axles. The snout is one inch longer.

She's prettier than a 17 year old on prom night (well almost)! '01 XJ Chrysler 8.25 with 3.55 gears, Powertrax No-Slip, RS 9000 shocks, HellCreek MT2200 springs, JKS greaseable shackles, Spidertrax spacers, Tom Woods drive shaft (thanks to very helpful CC member) and '97 ZJ disc brakes. This mod was made possible only by the support and experience of the experts on this forum - thanks! Now I'm going to drive it a while before tackling the front (but I'm on my way to JY to scout for parts)