terrawombat

Thanks for the words of encouragement. This isn't my first rodeo in regards to rebuilding an engine, but is certainly the first time I've tried something like this... Low budget is an absolute must for this project. I bought the TJ engine on the cheap for around $140 because of the busted mounting tabs. I felt it was worth it because I was getting a coilpack, '99+ style intake and various sensors I could use on my '01XJ. Of course, the coilpack broke when they loaded it on my truck, but anyway... I should have every part that I need to complete the job sans a few gaskets. Even have a brand new RMS, head gasket, valve cover gasket, and oil pan gasket that have been sitting on my shelf asking to be used so I can even reseal this engine up pretty good. One other thing I'm concerned with is that the original flywheel that came with the TJ engine was a little bent so I tossed it. I'll have to use the flywheel from the XJ engine, which wasn't part of the original rotating assembly on the TJ engine...still should be okay, I hope...

A quick aside: The first person I proposed this idea to was the machinist at the shop I always use for engine stuff. His response was a very sarcastic, 'I'd like to see that when it's finished.'

I'm trying to do this cheap, really cheap. MY '88MJ Pioneer is in line for a new engine. A shame since the one that is currently in it only has 78K miles, but it was well beaten on and now has low oil pressure and an overheating issue. I currently have a stripped down '01XJ 4.0L block that is in good condition and a complete '00TJ 4.0L block that I suspect has low compression on cylinder #4, not to mention also has physical damage to the motor mount attachment points. In my research of the two blocks, I have found there are too many differences in the blocks to convince me to use the TJ block in my MJ, so here is what I propose: Remove the entire rotating assembly from the TJ block - crank, pistons, rods, rings, bearings, oil pump - and transplant it into the bare XJ block. A couple of things I would do are: 1) Hone each cylinder to break the glaze 2) Plastigauge all rod and main bearings to verify that clearances are within spec. If not, replace bearings as needed 3) Inspect oil pump and replace if needed 4) Inspect piston ring endgaps to verify they are within spec. Replace as needed. 5) Find the right cylinder head from a JY or inspect the one on the current engine, although I feel it's trashed. Here are my thoughts. It's not an ideal situation, but the entire rotating assembly in the TJ block should be balanced from the factory so transplanting it into another block shouldn't cause too many odd vibration/balancing issues. I know a lot of people are going to say, 'while you're in there, might as well replace the main & rod bearings and the oil pump and the piston rings.' Okay - but now we're talking a couple hundred dollars in parts...might as well find a low mileage used XJ engine at that point. I don't like the idea of reusing the piston rings, but if they're on a freshly honed cylinder wall and the end gaps are within spec, they should work fine and once they work themselves into the walls, I shouldn't be burning much oil. Shouldn't... Please, I'd like to hear your thoughts on this very budget-minded idea...

Cool. I, like you, don't like the earlier style keyfobs. I'm not sure who they're made by but they look dated and feel very cheap. The '99+ ones made by TRW have a much sleeker look and are more robust. They also fit in your pocket better, too.

It looks like I can obtain temp. tags from an Ohio BMV for about $20.00. I'll just have to schedule the meet/swap early in the morning so I can get to one of the BMV branches to get the tags...

He said he has a notary on hand so that shouldn't be a problem. I'm just worried about the 'plate applied for' deal. I know it's commonplace in the south to do that as I saw at least a dozen or so vehicles with that when I was in NC for a week and commented on how odd it was, but I have never once seen that in NJ, DE, PA, MD, or NY in my 25 years of existence...

Thanks for the info. I've seen the 'Plates Applied For' sign on vehicles before...but ONLY in the south. I don't think I've ever run across that here in the Yankee states so I'll have to double check to make sure that is actually legal. And, technically and legally speaking, I haven't really applied for plates, I just made a sign that says I did :D

Kind of off topic question, but... If I have a '98XJ with RKE and I also want to use the 99+ style keyfobs, is this 99+ keyless command module plug and play into a 98XJ harness? I know I threw a lot of years out there, but it does make sense if you read it carefully :D

Yep, I think I said that I'd do that in one of my posts...

He says he has a notary available at all times so that won't be a problem. But he's not going to mail me the title of his car until he first looks at my vehicle and determines if he wants it. I could drive out to OH and he could say, 'nah, no thanks.' Won't matter much to me since I have to drive out there anyway for a wedding, but that negates any transferal of ownership via mail. I need to know what I can do on a Saturday when no motor vehicle place is likely open and I'm 500 miles from home.

In a couple of weeks I'm going to be doing a straight trade - '91 YJ for a '92 MJ (member on this forum). He lives in Ohio and I live in NJ. I will be driving the YJ out there and, if everything goes as planned, will be driving the MJ back home. The insurance part of this is easy - I can call up my provider up and have a temporary card faxed to me, but what do I do about ownership, registration and plates? I certainly can't visit my local NJ motor vehicle commission while I'm out in OH... There has to be a legal way to do this, but I haven't been able to get a straight answer from any of the well educated employees at the MVC. They told me to have the seller mail a signed title to me and I could get it registered and plated. Yea, right, the owner is just going to sign away his vehicle and send me the title in the mail... My current plan of action is to have my insurance provider fax me a temporary ID card before I leave, drive out there, take the plates off my YJ, swap them onto the MJ, get a signed title and bill of sale from the PO and drive it back. The plates will be registered to a red '91 YJ and they'll be on a white '92 MJ, but if I have proper proof that the vehicle is MINE, I shouldn't have any problems...right?

I was under the impression that adjustable ball joints were only necessary for front axles that are bent, tweaked, or were screwed up from the factory.

Yes, this is true, but the spring perches were placed right about where MJs ones are located. I'm going to head back there one of these days, possibly even before work, to grab a few more items that I missed and I'll be sure to take my camera with me.

I'll admit - the ballroom/dining room portion was funny watching the chairs go back and forth, but the cargo area was just scary.

Yea, definitely was not a D44. Either a 8.25 or D35.

I can nab one for ya next time I go to the junkyard. I have a spare, but it's missing the faceplate, for lack of a better term. You can plug it in, but can't select power or comfort.

I'm almost certain it's not a D44. I remember the cover plate being oval in shape and not the funky shape of the D44.

It may be a Cryco 8.25 from a nearby XJ, but I didn't take a long time to look at it. I'm going to tape the rear diff. cover plate labeled picture to the top of my toolbox so I know what to look for. One thing I'm certain of - it wasn't a D44. When I go back I'll take another look. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to pick it up if it's an 8.25 in decent shape considering I have a D35 waiting to blow up on me. Plus, someone did all the hard work of pulling it out! Was it possible to get a D44 in a 2WD 5-speed MJ?

I've been telling myself for weeks that I need to check out the local pick'n'pulls to see what they've got. The only time I ever went to one was with my Dad when I was much younger and I think we were looking for a drivers mirror for his GMC Sierra. This was the first time that I went to one with my own agenda. The task was simple, obtain the following parts for my MJ Pioneer: Seat belt buckles out of an XJ (for my bucket seat conversion) Center console and all mounting brackets Full gauge cluster Sun visors and clips Power/Comfort trans switch The place I went to is called Junkyard Barbie in Morrisville, PA. They stayed true to their name and painted their office pink. I pay the $1.00 admission and talk to the guy for a bit and then check out the map of the yard. I knew I was in the right place when the map was labeled, "Fords, Chrysler, Imports, SUVs, Trucks, Cherokees." They had a whole section devoted to Jeeps and although this yard isn't that large, they had about 9 XJ's to pick from, most of them in the '88 to '95 year range and one '97+. They also had an '83 Wagoneer, but the axles were missing, although they left the rear springs. I thought I read somewhere that those springs can be used on our MJs - I'll have to look into it further. As I was picking through the XJs getting my parts, I took a little break and scanned the yard when I turned around and saw this: An '89 (I think) MJ SporTruck 2wd w/4.0L and 5-speed. The interior was pretty much all intact minus the B-pillar lights and best of all, the headliner was there and in GREAT shape. I was running really short on time as I had to meet someone an hour south for a possible addition to my vehicle fleet so I didn't get too much. I'm going to go back and try to pull every MJ-specific part that I can. The tailgate and rear bumper were gone as was one of the headlights. The other headlight was there but had a small chip. I'm going to take it anyway as it's relatively minor and can be used as a good spare. The passenger B-pillar plastic had a big crack in it, but the drivers side looked good. The interior was exceptionally clean and I'm thinking about yanking the vinyl floormat if I get that far. Someone pulled the D35 rear, but then just left it sitting behind the truck, but I think they took the shock mounts. The paint on the truck still shined and was a lot better than mine - only a couple spots of fading - truck only had 141K miles on it...too bad. I'll also grab the VIN when I go back to add it to the registry. All in all, a fun day that was prematurely cut short. I rushed and missed a lot of stuff so I'm going to try and go back Saturday. What I did get was: MJ headliner Sunvisors Sunvisor clips XJ center console Power/Comfort trans switch 97+ front door weatherstripping Rear plastic piece that goes between the B-pillars Full gauge cluster XJ seat belt buckles Rod that goes between the rear axle and load sensing valve As many interior screws as I could throw in my toolbox They charged me $60 for all of it, which I thought was decent - mainly for the good headliner. That was my favorite snag of the day.

Went to the pick n' pull and saw the lights, but forgot to get them! They had about 8 XJs from '88 to '95 and one '98XJ Classic and a '89MJ so I had my hands full getting some stuff. Got a lot of good things for $70 - will post pics later. Need to go back to get a few things I forgot.

Yea, that's the problem - I don't know of any either. I should have just pulled the carbs, drained them and stored them off the bike, but I rode them 1-2 per month during the winter when we'd have those freak warm days. The particular bike I was taking about was a Yamaha Maxim X 750cc that has very finicky carbs. I have another, older Yamaha Maxim that has been sitting for about 2 years completely untouched. Put a new battery in it last week, filled it with gas and it fired right up and ran okay. :dunno:

Neat - I like it. As long as you properly winterize that bike and don't let the crappy ethanol gasoline gum up the carbs, you'll have thousands of cheap, reliable miles out of that guy. I threw in the towel on my carb'ed bike after I completely disassembled them and ultrasonically cleaned them (to the point where you could eat off them) four times in two years. Replaced it with a 1000cc fuel injected bike. It has some get up and go ;)

Cool. This was for the Pioneer, by the way. I'm going to hit the pick'n'pull tomorrow morning as the local place by me advertised on CL that they just got an '88XJ in...hope it's not too picked over because I have a laundry list of things to pull from it. Thanks guys!

Am I supposed to have interior lights by my feet on the driver and passenger side? I read a couple threads on here where people had replaced bulbs to get those working so I poked around under the dash today to try and find MY bulbs and I didn't see anything. Was this an option that my truck doesn't have or am I not looking in the right place? Just got my factory B-Pillar lights working today so maybe I'm being a bit too greedy :D BTW, ultrasonically cleaning the B-Pillar lights in white vinegar works wonders on making the copper contacts look new again.

Not doing a whole lot of work, but gotta get this guy around somehow...