Pete M

your truck has shift-on-the-fly capability. :thumbsup: it's in your owners manual if you're blessed to still have one. if your tires are slipping because of the rain, then they will certainly be able to slip and balance out the tension in the t-case. dry pavement is to be avoided. but even then, there are owners out there that have done it and been fine. it's all about risk. the longer you drive in 4wd on dry pavement, the greater the chance of something going wrong.

yes, wet roads are ok for 4wd. You can shift in and out as you please, so just shift smartly. :thumbsup: permanently locking the CAD doesn't affect anything you can or can't do with 4wd. you might want to get some better tires. :D

wanting to drive back tomorrow to beat the snow. :( but will withhold judgment until the morn.

the key is to find a good dd, and DON'T TOUCH IT. :no: Touch the other ones that I know you have. :D my dd is a minivan. winter performance is excellent (though it's not like I live in Colorado), it has been pretty darn reliable, there's plenty of room for hauling projects around, and I've got no inclination to heavily mod the thing. :D well, maybe an inch of lift and some 29" tires... :rotf:

yes,t he 2.8 has a mechanical pump. last time I had issues with my 2.8, it was a bad connection at the power wire going to the coil.

very good point. :thumbsup: U-joints don't like change.

I'm assuming they would already know, but fyi any front bumper that is to be used for extraction MUST have long support runners that go back along the frame and use extra bolts. Stock bumpers only bolt to the very front of the sheetmetal and were only designed for absorbing a crash.

yes and if you ever need to remove it, be very very careful. they like to snap off at the block. :( a couple days of regular soakings in PB Blaster is advised.

try cleaning up the wire connection to the pressure sensor.

ohhh. you can just cut that out. It's pretty unnecessary. 2 of my MJs don't even have it anymore due to the rampant rust. :(

what do you mean by removing the top part of the frame? Look into getting a 96+ AX-15 with the t-case still attached. You'll have some of the best stuff ever put into a Jeep (external slave on the t-case and a sealed rear output on the t-case). :thumbsup:

installing a limited slip could cost 800 or more and needs to be done by a pro. installing a "lunchbox" locker should cost under 300 and you can do it yourself. Do you have a means of safely extracting your truck from the mud that doesn't rip parts of your truck off in the process? Don't do a mod that'll get you even deeper into trouble until you have a safe means to get yourself back out of trouble. :thumbsup: for example, hooks and brackets up front, hitch in the back.

do you have solid extraction points front and rear?

might be as simple as needing the linkage adjusted. while he's under there, look for shot or missing plastic bushings in the linkage and any rust around the handle area (less of an issue with a jeep that new).

ever picked up a 2wd MJ driveshaft? the ones with the rubber isolator? :D thems heavier than they look. :yes: but regardless, I was thinking more along the lines of damaging the u-joint if it fell to the pavement.

the U-joint is likely just frozen in with rust. you can try kicking it, or prying with a prybar, but be prepared that it can quickly come crashing down when it frees up.

did you swap out the oil pressure switch for the oil pressure sensor?

If it isn't yet in the archives, it's somewhere in the collective wisdom. :D

dents? got a photo?

When I get back in town I'll ask about getting a trial run of the fusion program. I'd like to see what all I can do as a admin.

I meant the thick u-bolt plates that are separate from the thin shock mount plates. They are separate in all my MJs, and I keep forgetting that I found them integrated together on that 92 MJ. I guess I'm assuming an XJ would have the thicker structural plates.

stop/tail lights are all the same double filament bulb, 2057.

the connector for the rear harness is right behind the drivers side rear tire. corrosion in there robbed me of brakes lights a while back.

be prepared to spend gobs of money and fight cooling issues. :thumbsup: But if you can it right, you now have a v8 in a 3500 pound truck.

The guys that have done it to the rear only have not reported any changes in driving characteristics. :thumbsup: