jeepcoma

No need for the FSM, there are plenty of good pics and links on this forum (see my "Snow and no 4x4 thread", I linked to at least one from here) and it does literally take only a few minutes. I'm pretty sure the XJ linkage would be swapable, as long as the transfer case is the same (I think the linkage is the same from pics I've seen you between cases but I'm not sure). I've been looking to replace mine as well and like the looks of this unit but can't get over the price. :eek: Novak Linkage edit (forgot a few other things) If your light was working previously and just stopped, it's probably a vacuum line leaking. Mine had enough vacuum to turn the light on but there's a small leak, so enough torque would drop the vacuum and pop the collar off. I since bypassed the CAD and in fact now have a better front axle I'm waiting to put in with a one-piece axle. btw if you need help wrenching I'm just around the corner here in RI

The light is activated by a switch that's turned on when the vacuum for the CAD slides the collar over and locks the front axle. This is a completely separate action from the transfer case actually engaging the front, which is done physically when you move the lever. If the CAD has been bypassed, is broken, or any of the wiring is bad (including the light bulb) you can still be in 4wd but no light on the dash. Best way to actually check if the transfer case has engaged is to raise all four wheels off the ground and spin them. The linkage could be crapped out though, especially if you're having trouble moving it freely there's a good chance of gunk buildup. Once you start fighting the gunk all the linkage pieces start bending and flexing in ways they're not supposed to so you might need to play around with the position of the lever before you've actually engaged the 4wd.

Took my MJ in for inspection today and failed safety for a few things :(. I need new ball joints for the front, both upper and lower for both sides. I saw the tech looking up the parts on his computer and he listed part numbers from the NAPA site, Upper ball joint 2601291 and lower ball joint 2601292. I'm trying to find some cross reference lists but no luck. Are the MOOG part numbers K3134T and K3161T respectively? There are a bazillion part numbers out there for many different brands, I just want to make sure that I order the correct parts. Napa and Autozone both have two version (cheap and premium), plus several aftermarket companies. I've done some searching and Moog seems to be held in high regard, but I'm on a tight budget right now and this is an unexpected cost to deal with, so I'm trying to shop around for a good price. Thanks in advance

Hey Pete, the shifter linkage you mention... would it happen to be the Novak SK2X? It looks like a nice piece but is pricey at $150 for some plates and rods :eek:

Yay for some progress. I modified the CAD to be engaged full time. When I took it apart everything seemed to be working nicely though, it was clean and all the pieces moved smoothly. I didn't have any trouble sliding the collar piece up the shaft, and I didn't even have to hunt for the c-clip when it went flying on the ground. Here I am contemplating the workings of the CAD while enjoying an ice cold beverage. Afterwards I played around with the 4wd linkage some more. I think it's fubar. I removed the locknut, which should allow the rod to slide freely forward and backward, but instead it's rusted in place and no amount of persuasion with a hammer got it to budge. I ditched trying to adjust it and instead just need to be able to switch into 4H and 2H so I can drive it on pavement tomorrow for state inspection (yay). With the lever forced all the way forward into 2H I was able to knock the lever at the t-case side another good 1/2 inch or so - the reason why I couldn't disengage 4H once I got it in yesterday. I realized that was the reason for the bolts missing from the cabin that hold the lever in place, it was a mickey mouse job to get the broken linkage to work. Once I removed the holddown bolts I installed yesterday, I was able to shift into and out of 2H and 4H, although it's only a temporary fix since really all I did was put it back the way it was before. I did still get some noises from the t-case though with the truck stationary, I think it was just because I can't really tell now when it's fully engaged or not since the Part-Time light doesn't come on anymore. That shifting package that bolts to the tranny sounds like a solution I'll have to start looking for. I'm a little confused about what the CAD bypass actually does now though, because when I was in 4H mode I was able to spin a single front and a single rear wheel in the snow. I thought that when you engage 4H the front axle will act like a solid and the front wheel rotate at the same rate 100% of the time. Maybe I'm just not sure how the front axle works between 2 and 4wd modes. Does the front work just like the rear open differential? If so, then what's the point of the CAD? I thought it was to allow the front wheel to turn at different rates when cornering, but if it's bypassed, won't that cause problems with sharp turns at low speeds? Anyway, here's how I spent my New Year's Day:

mvusse you're right about PB blaster. I've actually been using both, the reason for the WD-40 is that I've got a full can that's easy to squirt 2 feet or so with good aim onto the hard to reach parts. My can of PB is almost out so I have to be able to reach everything in order to spray it with a dribble. But it's been blasted with the PB a good 3 times or so over the past few days. I have the floor console apart so I'm also spraying down from the top and up from underneath. The floor isn't mushy from rust, but for some reason I can't figure out, one of the previous owners removed some of the hold-down bolts that attach the gate to the floor. So it was held down by just one bolt (or two, I can't see if there are four total but probably are), the one (or ones) on the driver's side. When you go to move the lever, you can see the whole thing just flexing. I don't know how long it's been like that, but I'm sure it hasn't been good for the floor integrity or linkages, which is probably why they're bent out of shape and not working right.

Today I dug out the snow and got underneath and started poking around. I believe I have two separate problems. 1st is the CAD. It's all covered in crud and I haven't taken it off yet, but I did run the engine and could hear a vacuum leak when I moved the vacuum lines around. I couldn't really localize the noise, it didn't seem like it was coming from the attachment section but rather so I pulled the hoses out of the looms up until the point where it breaks away. I wasn't able to find anything obvious, but it seems like the best solution here is to disable the system and force it on full time. I suppose I could replace all the lines, but that's probably more trouble than it's worth for a system of dubious merit. One question though, where in the engine bay does the vacuum originate from (my hood is frozen shut at the moment, until it thaws out a bit)? While I was playing with the vacuum lines, I also noticed this hose dangling. It's not the source of the vacuum leak, but I'm not sure what it's supposed to be for. Any ideas? Okay so that's one problem, the grinding noise I'm getting when the front wheels are trying to pull and the CAD isn't fully engaged. Secondly is the linkage. I sat under the truck and had my wife push and pull the lever while I watched to see what was going on. It's definitely not right, but I'm not sure what it's supposed to look like. When pulling the lever back to 4L it takes a lot of force, and I could see the section of the floor the linkage is bolted to deforming from the strain. Also, it looks like the linkage is just twisting to the side instead of moving backwards. Here are two pics I got of the mechanism operating. You can see how it just sort of folds off to the side. And finally, here's a picture what that nut exposed. Is that the trunnion lock bolt I'm supposed to loosen for the adjustment? I've got the whole thing soaking in WD-40 again, I'll go out and see if anything has loosened up. I'm wondering if I should just replace the entire linkage mechanism, I'm wondering if things have been bent out of spec from being operated like this for so long. How much effort is it supposed to take to operate this thing?

Ah, thanks for the clarification. Will dig a hole through the snow and check it out tomorrow, starting with vacuum lines and leaks. The noise was definitely more pronounced when turning, and also if I intentionally gunned the engine while driving on the snow to break the tires loose it would do it. Aside from the linkage being very difficult to move and apparently not moving the t-case lever the full range, the noise and problem I'm experiencing seems very similar to the problem covered in this thread. Once he locked the CAD it went away.

Found these great CAD pics others might find useful: viewtopic.php?p=21636#p21636

Thanks for the pic, I had seen that before but also found other recommendations about putting it in Neutral instead of 4L. Actually after reading further, I found a post that states 91+ went to solid axle, so I might not even have vacuum CAD? If that's true, from what I understand, the transfer case lever manually shifts into 4wd and there is no vacuum operating anything at all. If that's true, what could be the source of the grinding/ratcheting noise and no front drive? Also, is the part time light then operated by a switch, or something else?

I've also read about manually locking the vacuum actuated front axle disconnect. I might check into that more but the fact that when the lever is in 4L it's actually in neutral and now when in 2H it's actually 4H still leads me to think it's just the linkage.

Took my MJ out to run some errands today, it was snowing and I thought it'd be a piece of cake. Yesterday I took apart the mini-console and bolted the transfer case lever back to the body (it was held it by only one bolt, and flopping around); once I did that I was able to shift it into all positions, although it was a bit sticky. I figured it was just from lack of use and crud buildup, the previous owner had been using the 4wd last year and said it was working, and I've been spraying everything with pb blaster daily to loosen things up. Being all excited for the snow I went out and shifted to 4H, and was greeted by a glowing light indicating part time 4wd. It doesn't seem to fully engage though, I could hear clicking noises coming from what sounded like the transfer case; it sounded like rocks being ground up, or if you've ever had the displeasure of hearing what an automatic transmission sounds like when forced into Park while in motion, that was it. I'm guessing that it's just the linkage out of adjustment, and that despite being able to move the lever from 2H all the way to 4L it's not really doing it. I rowed through the settings a few more times, and when it was in 4L it was actually in neutral, and now I put it in 2L and the part time light is still on. I read the easiest way to adjust is to loosen the linkage, manually place the transfer case to neutral and then put the lever in neutral, and then tighten the linkage again. Does the transfer case shifter have obvious detents in it that you can feel when shifting manually, like an automatic transmission that you can feel click into each setting? Best case scenario is that it's just the linkage not being properly operated by the hand lever. What would the worst case scenario be, or other common failures for an AX-15/NP231 combo? Does anyone have any pictures of this area? I'll go out and crawl under the truck in the snow to fix it but it'd be preferable to know exactly what I'm doing before lying in a foot of snow.

Thanks for the tips, will check things out in more detail tomorrow. Wasted most of the daylight at the DMV today, grr. There is definitely too much tension on the cables, I'll see if I can adjust it a bit looser tomorrow and if it'll allow the brake to hold, but I'm worried the damage to the teeth is already done. PM me for a price Ed I might take you up on your spare. Anyone have a link to a diagram for the ratchet mechanism?

Look great, did you get the whole unit or just the fabric? Mine is completely gone and am looking around for new fabric. P.S. How do you play pool in that tiny room? :eek:

I'll take your interior. I bet it doesn't smell like cow poo either!

I've been going through my MJ to check things out before I have it inspected. It should pass no problem except for one issue I found: the parking brake doesn't stay down. There's a lot of tension on the pedal, it's really hard to push down to any degree, and there's just too much force for the holding ratchet to keep it depressed. I've tried putting the pedal down to different amounts, either just engaged or to the floor or anywhere in between and it's the same, it'll just pop back out. I haven't had a chance to really get under there and take a look at the adjustments, so before crawl under does anyone have any tips or tricks, or links to diagrams? While I'm under there I need to re-adjust the transfer case linkage too.

That's probably the same problem I'm having. The lever moves, but it just flops about and never feels like it's engaging the switch. The previous owner had the column apart to try and fix the steering so it's possible it's just not put back together correctly. Even if both lights were burned out on the high-beam, wouldn't the high beam light still go on? I'll probably start a project thread for all this. Just wanted to show off my new acquisition :) btw I've already got a few projects. Whatever J E E P stands for I'm sure it relates to emptying my wallet. Regardless, it's just going to split the pie of other projects that already empty it, including a '73 AMC Javelin and an antique Ukranian motorcycle. Plus a house and a wife. Those pie slices get awfully thin... :(

Yup I finally got my hands on one. Found a nice '91 just over the border in NH with all the important features I was looking for: 4x4, 5spd, 4.0, lwb w/ cap, and pretty clean (not much rust) @150k miles. The good is that it's in nice shape mechanical and body wise with just some minor work to be done. Lots of things have been replaced and it was well maintained. The bad is the interior. It was owned by a dairy farmer, so the whole thing smells like cow poo. The floors are pretty good, but the carpet and seats need to get ripped out and there's no headliner, so that needs to be replaced. Just has the simple gauge pack, no tach and only idiot lights. The 1st owner (I'm the 3rd) had installed some sort of sound system, so I'll need to sort through that crap and see if that's the reason there are thing rattling behind the door panels. The tilt steering wheel flops up, not because of the tilt mechanism but one of the bearings is gone in the column that needs to be replaced. The high beams don't work, it might just be disconnected. Also all the shift linkages need some serious adjustment, I'll start looking for some guides but does anyone have some links handy? There are some minor problems and quirks that I'll need to start fixing but all in all it's a solid foundation for me. I'll be getting plenty of use out of it. So here are some pics: In the snow before I got it (that's mud and dirt along the bottom) 4.slow Pretty clean bed (not the crap part of course) Only serious rust spot on the truck, driver's side rocker Me as a happy new MJ owner!

I've had lots of success with using 60w or 100w droplights as heaters... defrosting frozen lock cylinders, drying out engine ignition components in the rain, block heater for the motorcycle, just this past weekend the oil in my 2-stoke snow blower was like glue in the fuel line so I heated the tank with a bulb to liquefy the oil enough to drain and remix it. Other than that, there's always hair dryers and space heaters.

After I got the first batch of photos I spoke on the phone with one of the dealers; we talked for a while about the condition of the truck etc (all good from their point of view of course) but anyway before hanging up I said that the fair market value of the vehicle in "GOOD" condition is around $1400-1800 and I wouldn't be spending more than that. He said he'd talk to the manager blah blah sales BS, but he did later email me more pictures even knowing there's no way I'd pay close to what they're asking. They got the vehicle as a trade-in for something, so I'm guessing they didn't spend a lot on it. If they were more of a "newer car" dealer I think you'd be right in saying they should fix the exhaust, but with a name like "Cheap Heaps" I think they are just interested in flipping it. If they are reasonable in their prices I'm very tempted. One of my good friends runs a body shop so labor to get floorboards replaced and sourcing out replacement parts isn't cost prohibitive. As long as the purchase price is realistic I'm happy to spend some money after to get it in nice shape. I'm looking for a vehicle that will last years, not just a winter beater (unless that's all I can find), so I'm going into any purchase knowing I'll need to spend some extra money on it. Trust me I'm looking!

That's probably what will happen. I won't pay more than $1400ish for it, and they were supposed to call me back again today and send some more pics but they haven't so I'm guessing they'd rather try to screw someone else and get more money for it. I'm still hunting around, it'd be nice if I could find something closer and a 4x4.

No lights for me, but in the spirit of xmas sharing I thought I'd share my decorations :)

Thanks for the input guys. I was talking to the guy selling the truck yesterday on the phone as I looked through all the pictures, and mentioned a lot of this to him. At the time I hadn't noticed the after-muffler exhaust missing; that won't pass inspection in RI so it definitely needs to be replaced, depending on how the cat is it'll be at least a cat-back replacement. The floorboards did look bad and I figured I'd have to replace them soon, but from what you're saying it's more like ASAP. Despite the cons, there are several definite pros to this truck. It certainly seems worth saving, and fairly easy to make into a great truck that will last for years. The dealer is supposed to send me some more photos today. I've got some more ammo to negotiate with, so we'll see how things go. If I can get them to a reasonable price I think I'll go for it. I'm hoping their desire to get it off the lot quickly will work in my favor too. btw.... sticker price is $2850 :rotf:

Calling all experts, I'm looking at a Comanche for sale some distance away from me. I've gotten some photos from the dealer, but they're not of the best quality. Certainly not as good as a personal inspection, but it's a bit far away for a casual inspection. Anyway, I was hoping someone could identify what this is, circled in red below? I'm not really sure what it could be, first inclination is some part of the exhuast? It looks like something broken off at the end, but I'm not familiar enough with these to know what it could be (I'm familiar with the AMC 258 and engine bay of an Eagle 4x4 but not the MJ). Speaking of the exhaust, the muffler is hanging by some wire and doesn't appear to extend any further back, and there's some obvious rust under the floorboard. I have some more pictures here. It looks like there was a front-end collision of some kind that forced the bumper in and buckled the fender. The exhaust system is hanging by a thread, at best (pun intended?). Some dents in the usual places, clearcoat almost gone on the roof, and some rusty sections will need to be repaired... but still, the frame looks incredibly clean. There doesn't appear to be rust in any of the places that would indicate problems. Can you guys lend any insight? It's a 92, 4.0, 5-spd, longbed 2wd with 100k miles. Fair market value seem to be about 1400-1800 which is what I told the guy I spoketo about it. I think if they're willing to sell it in that price range it'd be a worthwhile purchase.

With SP2, try this: Start->Run (or winkey+R) and type in "services.msc" Scroll down to "Indexing Service". Is "startup type" set to automatic? Is "status" listed as "started"? If it is, right-click on the service, click "properties", and change it to manual and apply. Then hit the stop button (or just reboot).