Pete M

Change the oil every 2000-2500 miles and treat it kindly and it might last a good long while.:D Or it might explode tomorrow. :dunno: It's really hard to say. Mine has over 200k on it. It sucks, but it still pushes the truck forward. eventually. That engine is up there with the Peugeot transmission and Dana 35 as the worst things Jeep put in our rigs. All three have a propensity for failing when you least expect it. My 88's peugeot blew up as I was just cruising along with rush hour traffic on the freeway. Bang! My 88's Dana 35 blew up as I turned a corner. Bang-Bang-Bang-Bang! My 86's 2.8 is still kicking, but she ain't winning any races. Bang! (that bang was the 86's muffler blowing up last summer). :shake: Treat it nice and she should last. But be prepared and read up on the 3.4L swap. :thumbsup:

Welcome to The Comanche Club, may I take your order? :D http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides ... 4654634270

My sister had a 2000 TJ and never had an issue with that. :thumbsup: I'd thought XJs got a slightly different version than the TJs? Something about courser cut gears in the TJ?

:thumbsup: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=14889

I got to wheel with one of Rick's buddies in Moab and he brought one of his Scouts. This was apparently one of the better condition versions. :shake: It was fun watching it bounce up and down on the body mounts. :D

Rust free, runs and only 500 smackers?! maybe it's a good thing I don't have money or land. :D Not!!

I'm assuming this is a 4.0L wrangler... Bad news: Last year for the AX-15 was 99. :( Good news: that Jeep should have the NV3550, which is even stronger :D Even better News: Yes, it'll go into your Jeep with pretty much the same amount of work as the wrangler AX-15 :thumbsup:

Not really. Ineffectiveness was a big reason why Michigan threw it out the window. There are soooo many ways around the system (like the one you've found). It's just a big scam to get your money.

I would permanently engage the CAD. :thumbsup:

Rear window, doors, windshield, hood, firewall, cowl duct, AC drain, and gaps or holes in floor to name a few. Pretty much any place it could in theory, it could in practice. Best bet is to clear out the carpet and seats, sprinkle baby powder around on the floor around the edges, and use a hose to find the leak. :thumbsup:

Sounds like it's time to replace that rear hood gasket. Or do as I did and squirt a bit of silicone in the gasket to prop it up some. :thumbsup:

I'd get the high alt one. It advances the timing slightly and is good for more power. :D If you find out which is which, let us know. :thumbsup:

To switch to the entire HO package, you'll need, well, the entire HO package. The complete wire harness (even under the dash). If you can get a donor vehicle, it's pretty straight forward. It's been done before. :thumbsup: If you don't want to swap out the entire harness and dash, but you need an engine, top to bottom, I'd keep looking for a Renix-era truck that has exactly what you're missing.

Got a link to them?

Yes, that is true. But it's the caster that you're setting by adjusting the control arm length. The camber isn't adjustable by itself (without special ball joints). It just sorta follows along with the caster. Set one and you should be good with the other. hogelectra, I wouldn't worry too much about the pinion angle, as it's close enough with such a mild lift. Just make sure your caster is correct (and your toe setting too). An alignment should tell you that.

caster

Hmmm. I wonder if one of those is the high-altitude version... :hmm:

My suggestion to every MJ guy/gal out there; remove all the vacuum actuated crap in the 4wd system, shim the CAD to be engaged all the time, and then rely solely on the huge shifter handle next to you to tell if you're in 4wd or not. :D Been working great for me in my ex-2wd 88.

Trust me, I am happy about that. :D I'll gladly visit for a couple weeks some day, but I couldn't take all the asinine rules. :ack: As I understand it, Georgia has differing rules county by county and it was a requirement for my bro-in-law to live in a county that was both wet and smog test free. :D

The sniffer test (at least how it was run here in Michigan years ago) was just a tax on the poor (new vehicles don't fail, old ones do). What a scam. Thank goodness it finally went away. :D

Or drive there like I did. :D

Exactly how much of the cherokee are you wanting to use?

It can be argued that chains have their place in certain light duty recovery situations, but it is of the utmost importance that chain and strap never EVER be mixed. The same strap that can make a missile out of a poorly attached tow hook (or clevis or tow ball) can whip a broken chain through the air with the greatest of ease. :eek: I've seen it happen and I will go out of my way to prevent someone from attempting a pull like that. I can't even just turn my head and walk away (although running is more likely). I've seen vehicles with snapped leaf springs, bent axles, missing sway bars, missing ball hitches, bent roll bars, bent trailer E-chain attachment points and more, just because they were used as recovery points. Even an otherwise simple looking recovery can turn dangerous if done wrong and the physics involved need to be understood or at least treated with respect. :thumbsup:

Essentially you'll need an entire 4.0L XJ/MJ to accomplish the swap. :(

Personally, I prefer the look of the Cherokees to the GW woodgrain. :thumbsup: