terrawombat

Unless you go with factory OEM carpet, you're going to have to do some trimming. In my opinion, regardless of what the description says about how plush or what thread count their particular carpet has - it's all the same. I wouldn't be surprised if 75% of the aftermarket carpet companies all got their carpet from the same manufacturing plant. Aftermarket carpets CAN look good with proper trimming, but don't expect them to last the tests of time.

I have seen many MJ's & XJ's with that same shift handle. Don't know why it seems so popular :dunno: . It was in mine when I bought the truck. That type of shifter wouldn't allow me to use my standard "side-grip" style shifting technique - a habit I picked up from driving my 3000GT as the gears wouldn't grind if I shifted that way.

Time out. The Mopar hinge repair kits (if they are what I think you are referring to) are for when the body side of the hinge pulls away from the door post. Where is the movement in yours? You may not need a repair kit, you may just need a new hinge pin. Where does one find said kits? Both hinges on the drivers door on my one MJ are both completely ripped off. On my other MJ, the top hinge on the drivers side has started to separate from the body. I was planning on purchasing some steel and rewelding the body myself, but I'd like to take a look at these kits before I do that.

Yes, I installed the Fel-Pro double lipped seal. However, my crankshaft had a nice groove all around it from the previous seal so I'm not having high hopes for this one either. Also, a piece of metal chipped off the edge of the "groove" for the seal on the block side. That really has me worried like it could have been the reason for my massive oil leak in the first place, but other than replacing the block, I don't really know what else to do. Just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best at this point.

Could possibly be unrelated - but the ground wire going to my fuel pump is very finnicky. Sometimes I have a good ground sometimes I don't. Obviously when the ground sucks, the truck won't fire up because the pump just won't kick on. I've put a jumper wire from the ground terminal directly on the fuel pump body to a spot on the frame that I wire wheeled down the bare metal and haven't had a single starting problem since. However, if this was your problem, you wouldn't see any pressure at the fuel rail when the truck was having trouble starting. I don't know if you ever mentioned if you had fuel pressure at the rail when the truck wasn't starting for you or if you ever even tested it under that circumstance.

Mine will hold pressure for quite a while before it gradually bleeds off to zero. The regulator is attached and manages the return line. There should also be a check valve in the fuel pump which won't allow the fuel to bleed back through that line. With the engine shut down, the injectors should also all be shut, thus your pressure should be maintained. Notice the large use of the word 'should.'

Your truck seems to be exhibiting very similar symptoms that my '88 4.0L did about a month ago. I was banging my head against a wall because the thing ran fine months prior, but then wouldn't start up at all and would constantly foul up the plugs. I think issue turned out to be bad gas. I removed the fuel tank from the truck, removed the fuel pump, and drained ALL of the gas. Put fresh stuff in, cleaned up all of the plugs, and the truck fired right up, although it still seems to be running on the rich side. It looks like you've already went down this route so it probably won't help you too much, but I'm curious to see if you can isolate the problem. I also had a colder thermostat in my truck (180 degree) and swapped that out for a stock one (195 degree). These trucks use coolant temperature as one of the main ways of determining the fuel/air ratio and if the truck constantly runs cold, the computer will run it rich. Your fuel pressure readings seem to be in the ballpark. I'm pretty sure with the truck running and the vacuum line disconnected from the regulator, you should see about 39 psi. With the vacuum line on, it should drop down some (I think mine runs in the 25-28psi range, but I can't quite remember). When you shut the truck down, does the fuel pressure drop to 0psi or will it hold at 38-40psi? If it drops to 0psi right away, then you know you've got an issue with the fuel system somewhere. When you kill the engine, the regulator is supposed to shut off and hold pressure so that when you go to turn the truck on in the future, the rail is already pressurized and ready to go.

Loosened the crank bolts and came out no problem. Thanks for the tips!

Scratch on the crank I assume? I put a little nick on the mating surface between the block and the main bearing cap right where the bottom half of the seal lies, but I'm hoping that the recommended RTV that goes there will fill any irregularities like the one I just created. Also, there was a small chip of metal already missing on the metal lip that is between that ring on the crankshaft and the "housing" for the upper half of the rear main seal. Kind of hard to describe, but I could take a picture if necessary. Wondering if that missing metal is the reason for the leak at the seal in the first place and if replacing the seal will help at all...If it doesn't, I don't see much of a choice but a whole new block... The crank was unharmed in the process, but like I said above, the block took a little bit of a beating. The main bearing journal on this crank didn't look so hot, though.

I cannot get the upper half of the rear main seal out for the life of me. I even used my air hammer to try to get it to budge and nothing. I'm guessing the entire crank needs to come out? And this was supposed to be easy...

Lets not get ahead of ourselves. Might be a good time to cut out any floor metal that has rusted through, patch weld, seal, and THEN POR-15/Herculine the floor ;)

I imagine that slow release clutch was also intended to save drivetrain components. The compression test results are dry - I haven't done a wet test on the thing yet, but I will as soon as I replace my timing chain. I'm also going to be redoing a dry test when the new timing chain goes in just to see what, if any, difference there is considering how much slack there is in the chain on there currently. I was laughing to myself when I was moving the crankshaft in miniscule amounts and the camshaft had yet to turn since the slack in the chain hadn't been taken up yet. That's the plan at this point - fix the chain and ride the thing until it dies. It's a shame that someone neglected the poor thing somewhere in its lifetime. The truck only has 106K miles on everything, but the inside of the engine would suggest it has 300K or more. Ideally, in the future, I'd like to purchase a wrecked 97+ XJ and swap body parts over as well as the engine. I also want to get rid of my Peugot 5-speed at some point, too. Another day...

The engine I was referring to isn't the "DSM" engine you're thinking of with crank walk - that would be the 2.4L I4 from a particular generation (I can't remember which). This engine came out of a Dodge Stealth (also technically a DSM, but usually people think of Eclipse, Talon, Laser when they hear that acronym). The Mitsu 3.0L V6 SOHC is actually a very stout engine when properly maintained - I sold a Stealth with one of those engines in it that had over 235K on the clock and was still going. Last I heard, the new owner blew out the transmission and swapped in a manual and has been doing fine since. For the leakdown tester, you need to have both valves closed, basically. I guess I should have clarified that when I was saying TDC, I was on the compression stroke. The other time the piston would be at TDC would be at the end of the exhaust stroke/beginning of the intake so the valves would be in limbo and you'd never get a seal for a leakage test. Your homemade tester is something I'd like to try, although it's more of a rough check that makes sure your piston either holds pressure for a while or it doesn't. I bought my tester in hopes that I could quantify the cylinder leakage with a percent loss - At this point, that was just wishful thinking. Dry compression test results on a warm engine, throttle full open, no spark plugs in any cylinders, 15 cranks per test: 1 - 140 psi 2 - 145 psi 3 - 155 psi 4 - 160 psi 5 - 140 psi 6 - 160 psi DSM - Diamond Star Motors - A joint venture between Chrysler and Mitsubishi in the early to mid 90's. They shared a lot of parts and cars with each other during this time (3000GT/Stealth, Eclipse/Talon/Laser etc). In the "tuning" world, if you refer to a DSM, you're almost always talking about an Eclipse/Talon/Laser. I'm going to do some more tinkering with my HF gauge. The first problem right off the bat with it is that the operating instructions are just flat out wrong. They tell you to connect the close the regulator, connect the tester to a cylinder and then gradually open the regulator until the 'percent loss' gauge reads 0%. Basically, their instructions read such that you'll get a 0% loss on every cylinder you ever test. You're supposed to hook the tester up to your air compressor with it NOT attached to the engine and bring up the regulator until it hits 0% on the percent loss gauge. Once you have that set, you hook it up to the cylinder and you should be able to measure the percent loss of the cylinder. That website you posted is one of the ones I used to get the correct instructions. I will also replace the timing chain once I can verify the health of this engine a bit better.

I did, but like I said earlier, I'm using a Harbor Freight leakdown tester with incorrect instructions and those YouTube videos I posted of the kids with the same tester is where I'm at right now - basically saying WTF? I tested the first two cylinders before I gave up, but I did get the pistons at TDC (it's pretty obvious when they are with the oil pan off), started the pressure at 0psi and slowly ramped it up to about 90psi. The cylinder holds some pressure and you can hear a little bit leak by, but I really don't have any way to quantify it with a percentage loss. Now, according to some websites, you're supposed to connect the pressure source (air compressor) up to the tester without the other side connected to the engine. You slowly bring up the regulator until the percentage loss gauge reads 0%. You then hook up the tester to the cylinder at TDC and take a reading off of the percentage loss gauge. Now, for the two cylinders I did that to, I came up with around 80% loss. So, 80% of the air I put into the cylinder is getting blown right by the rings? Would a cylinder with a leakage THAT high still give me a compression reading WELL within spec? I tend to think not. I also tend to think this harbor freight tool is a POS, but I knew that already ;) I have a Mitsu 3.0L V6 SOHC engine sitting on a stand that I know was in good shape when it was removed from a wrecked car. I'm going to try the same leakdown procedure on that engine and see what kind of results my HF tester gives.

Interestingly enough, no, not really. Yes, it does have some blowby as its evident from the oil buildup on the air filter, but it's nothing compared to some of the 4.0L Jeeps I've seen in my lifetime and were still running around like nothing was wrong. I believe my buddy even rerouted his PVC hose from the airbox to an oil catch can and that truck still seemed to run fine even with its 250K+ mileage. Anyway, an engine rebuild definitely wasn't in my budget, so if that's what it's going to need, then it'll definitely have to wait. I've got some other projects going on in conjunction with the MJ that are currently sucking up most of my time/money, so I'll most likely get the new timing chain kit, swap it in and call it a day. I'll keep my eye out for some older or wrecked Jeeps for a possible cheap 4.0 swap.

I was looking at Cloyes sets on RockAuto.com ($45 + shipping) or S.A. sets at Advance Auto ($55 and local pickup). I'll most likely wind up getting the one at Advance Auto since I can take the old set with me and compare to make sure I get the right parts. My local store has the timing cover gasket kit in stock, but will need to special order the chain set for me. However, before I go putting money into the timing chain, I want to verify that my piston rings aren't shot. I have a cylinder leakage tester, but it's from Harbor Freight and not only are the instructions that came with it wrong, but all of the things I've found on the internet for cylinder leakdown tests seem to contradict each other. I found this video on Youtube, which made me laugh because I went through the EXACT same thing this guy went through and asked the same questions to myself.

Shot a little movie to illustrate my timing chain slack. Also cranked the engine over - let me know what you think.

I will take some pictures after work today - sorry about that, forgot to bring down my camera. I should just leave it down at my shop (shop and home are 3/4 of a mile away) since I don't ever use it for anything other than taking car/truck pics :) I generally reserve the common sense portion of my brain for items like 'put the toilet seat back down after I pee,' 'pot handles go to the inside of the stove,' 'your car keys will be in the last place you left them,' 'when the dog sits by the door and cries, it probably needs to go out and poo.' I have since removed the last common sense entry from my memory bank and have now added, 'if there is a considerable amount of slop in my timing chain - replace it.' Thank you. And I forgot to mention the nice buildup of sludge in the bottom of the oil pan - so somewhere down the life of this truck, one of the owners was very, very mean to it. I was doing oil change/filter/lube every 1,000 miles or so for a while. This was used primarily as a farm truck for short distance runs and a lot of heavy hauling so I wanted to always make sure it had fresh oil in it. It then started developing a problem where the fuel would find its way into the crankcase - at which point I was changing the oil every 100-250 miles - but that has since been fixed (I hope). Anyway, I'm going to run a leakdown test on the engine today. I realize these tests should be done on a warm engine, which I can't do with no oil pan/oil, but I'm going to perform it anyway to see kind of results I get. I have a funny feeling that a few of the cylinders have a considerable amount of leakage - when I was turning the engine over by hand, I could hear air blowing back down at my head from the cylinders above... ...Now, why the hell is my dog sitting by the door crying?

You have it backwards. Apparently you haven't worked on many classic American engines, because I'm 65 years old and I had never encountered a timing chain tensioner until the 2.5L Jeep engine came along. And I siuspect the real reason Jeep used it was that they wanted to use the same timing chain and gears in the 2.5L as in the 4.0L, but the 2.5L has a slightly lower deck height. If the camshaft is proportionally lower in the block, there would be some initial slack in the chain that would beed to be taken up. Plus, the factory chain is a roller type chain. They don't normally wear out. On my '88 XJ I changed the timing set at 150,000 miles or so because I figured it was time. I was wrong. I had assumed the cam gear had nylon teeth like the old AMC V8s. Nope. Both gears are steel. There was NO slop in the original chain. However, since I had the new set ready to go in I installed it ... but I would not hesitate to throw the old parts into a motor for a heap. Haven't tore into an American engine since my high school auto shop class nearly a decade ago - I've dealt with mostly imports with timing belts and, of course, tensioners :) In your second paragraph, you mentioned there was no slop in the chain - meaning slop between the links or no sagging in the chain when it was installed on the engine? Because I can tell you I've got A LOT of sag in the chain as it sits on the engine right now. My initial measurement of 1/2" of slack may have been a little conservative as I went back under the truck and it was closer to an inch! If I had my camera with me down at my shop, I'd snap a couple pictures to show you exactly how much slack we're talking - maybe I'll remember to bring it with me tomorrow.

Doing a little investigation, it seems as though the 4.0L do NOT have a timing chain adjuster, but the 2.5L do? What makes the 4.0L so special that Jeep/AMC thought the timing chain wouldn't stretch over time?

I think I probably already know the answer to this, but... I went ahead and pulled the oil pan off today because I had really nice leak somewhere near the rear of the pan. Anyway, I noticed that I could see the timing chain when I was under the truck and looking towards the front of the vehicle. Out of curiosity, I stuck a screwdriver up there to check and see if there was any slack in the chain. What I found was that I could pick the chain up a good 1/2" or more and it would flop back down when I let go. Now - I don't have much experience with these particular engines, but I've done more timing belt jobs than I can count on the Mitsu 3.0L V6 and slack in the belt is BAD. So, it sounds like the chain tensioner on my engine is shot, but I'm reaching out on here for a second opinion :) Thanks!

The problem is getting a plate back there since there is no sizable hole to access anything unless you "make" your own. I need to do a door hinge fix on my truck, too, and have been mulling over some possible ideas on how to go about it. I think I'm going to cut the old plate out like you did and cut a piece of sheet metal out that is a bit narrower than the hole and bridge the gap with weld. Then, I'll have new sheet metal to weld the existing door brackets too as what I have right now looks just like those last pictures you have. I'm going to run into the same problem as you, though - my welder most likely won't do the 3/8" steel on the hinge, but I'll practice on some scrap to be sure of that.

Not much to update - Went on a skiing trip and Canada and was sick for a couple days, so I haven't really been doing too much to the truck. I also picked up a 6' x 10' utility trailer for free and have been bringing it back to life and it has been my top priority at the moment. I need to get it on the road so I can pick up my girlfriends motorcycle and bring it back to my shop to repair it. Anyway, I hit the bottom of the truck bed with the wire wheel and am almost ready to spray some undercoating on it. I bought two bottles of Gravi Tex Plus to put on the bottom of the bed as well as the cab, but I need to do the floor repairs to the cab before I shoot it with undercoat. Also got new mirrors, fuel tank straps, and a catalytic converter for the truck. Progress is slow, but I don't have a whole lot of time to work on the truck with my 9-5 on the weekdays and visiting my girlfriend on the weekends.

Before you do any more diagnosing, get the fuel pressure back to where it should be. Gas in the connectors is an indication that you have a fuel leak at the rail and your pressure not holding when the key is switched on is a confirmation of that. Getting the fuel injectors to seat into the rail can sometimes be a real PITA. Make sure your o-rings are all in good condition with no cuts or you'll most likely get a leak. Once you get 39psi of fuel pressure at idle and with the vacuum line removed from the regulator, report back here and we can go from there, but I have a feeling once you obtain that, your problem will be solved.

Has it been that long that you've forgotten how to spell the name of the greatest hardware store in NJ, FAZZIO'S? Yea, I wouldn't mind taking a run over there if I don't just pick up some sheet metal locally. Could always use help on this thing - not a lot of exciting stuff happening to it right now, mostly wire-wheelin', sanding, cleaning, and prepping for paint. As you know, my shop isn't heated so it can get cold down there fast, but my door is always open - mainly because I don't think it shuts. And you don't HAVE to miss your XJ - you can practically pick up the same one you had for less than the cost of dinner for you and your girl in NYC.