91Pioneer

I cleaned the connection with brake cleaner, it was clean but now it's super clean and tight. The sensor is more $ than I was expecting but I'll probably still replace it at some point. I wonder if I could take it out and scrub it with a scotchbrite pad and put it back? Hmmm.... I know the coolant itself is almost all water and rusty so yeah.... I do plan on replacing the thermostat and flushing the coolant soon anyway.

I noticed that while cranking only the temp gauge spikes to the top and then comes back down once the engine starts. Is that a clue? Next up I'll clean off the sensor connector with brake cleaner and see if that helps. Given the relatively cheap cost I may order the temp sensor next time I'm ordering from RockAuto.

RockAuto has them, they are cheap. I have OEM Mopar ones on my 89 now - 55175009 and 55175008 - I got them back in 2020, not sure if they are still available OEM new.

I used my IR gun and checked a few spots at the thermostat housing after a 20+ min drive. It was 181*F to 192*F so I guess the thermostat is doing its job and might just be the right spec. The gauge is incorrect I suppose.

My truck seems to run rich it seems all the time but I’m not sure how it’s programmed for closed/open loop if that’s based on time or temp. I can check that.

What should my temp be after driving around town for 20 mins on a fairly warm day? It seems low, I think the previous owner put in a lower temp thermostat (the truck came from FL) I bought a new 195 thermostat to put in and flush the coolant, hopefully I’ll get to that next week.

I'm ~2 hrs from the border and I decided that I need to stop delaying purchases on things that don't ship to Canada. I usually only cross the border to pickup packages like once a year and it's usually in winter. So I figured enough is enough, this place will handle almost any size package and save me time and gas so in the end it's probably still worth it. I will have to go to the border if I get something large though maybe like tires or bigger. Shippsy has multiple locations, I picked the BC location to save on shipping on this side of the border since it's closer than the ON address. I have found many eBay sellers that won't ship to Canada. Half the time if I contact them they will turn on global shipping but half the time they just say no. There is a "global shipping" option that sellers can use, they ship to a US eBay warehouse address so it's much easier for them, and then eBay handles it from there.

I ordered from their eBay USA store and have it shipped to a US address and use this package forwarding service https://shippsy.com/r/PY90Ya the nice part is the company brings it across the border and then ships it out to me using Canada Post. The actual fee they charge and the shipping on this side of the border was both reasonable. I just ordered something from Amazon USA last week and it's on it's way through there, but that's a tool not an MJ part.

I edited my post. I contacted their tech support and I submitted for a replacement to RockAuto. The tech said if it's new and overcharging the 80% most likely cause is a failed internal voltage regulator.

OK well I did a couple of things, I set the battery charger on my 91 battery, not on my 89. SO... I swapped in the 91 battery which tested good, AND I put on a brand new positive battery cable because the terminal looked a little sketchy but was tight. And, it's still overcharging. My old battery was sitting at 3.8V so I don't know why that is, maybe it's bad or maybe the alternator damaged it? UPDATE: I called AC Delco tech hotline. They said the voltage regulator is bad and I need to warranty it. UGH he explained that's why my battery drained overnight. OK unfortunate but it is what it is.

Sweet! How easy is it to install the tailgate cable? The cable is cleaner and quieter. I literally last week just put on the new Key Parts replacement rubber bumpers, top quality. It looks like those need to be removed to use the cables.

Would those discolored spots clean up? My truck is fully restored looks like new with new Comanche fender emblems so I want the nicest one possible. Hmm the guy on eBay that sells new emblems might want to repop these too??

I have another battery I could try tomorrow out of my 91. My battery did take a beating this past week driving and charging when not driving but I did not drive very far.

I ran it for about 3-4 mins and did a few voltage readings. Currently now after that with it off its 12.5V at the battery. When I started it for 2 mins at idle it was putting out 17.7 - 17.8V, with the high beams on it was 17.1V, with high beams and vent blower on high it was 15.1V. With DRLs on and vent on high was 16.9 - 17.0V. I shut it down then because the fuel pressure regulator was leaking pretty good. Maybe the fuel pump is going crazy and pushing way too much psi. I will put the battery charger on it overnight and try more tomorrow. I have things to do tonight.

My 89 MJ had low voltage and it was dying so I kept it on the charger when I wasn't driving it. Today I put in a brand new AC Delco 335-1008 alternator that I got from RockAuto, it says it fits my truck. https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=3468069&cc=1181674&pt=2412&jsn=1 Anywho I fired it up and the charge gauge went to the middle right away then climbed up to the red zone overcharging. I shut it down within like 15-20 seconds as I'm worried. What should I do now? The voltage regulator is built in in '89 but it's brand freaking new. Should I run it longer so it "learns" the voltage or what? I think I'll go back and let it idle for a minute or two and see if that helps calm it down. Grounds are good, battery connections are tight. No obvious any other issues. I didn't touch anything other than the battery terminals, the BAT terminal on the alternator and the wiring plug on it.

Bump.

They worked fine. I doubt an auto parts store will have them but you could try. A dedicated fastener store would be a better option. Grade 10.9, don’t get 8.8 which will be more common.

I just went through this exact issue on my 89 MJ. Except mine were E-torx bolts. The bolts are flanged M12 x 1.25 - 35mm length, grade 10.9 I went to the junkyard, there were no XJs so I grabbed two random bolts that were laying on the ground and matched the spec. I took one of my bolts there to compare.

I bought a BONDO fibreglass kit, it came with the fibreglass sheet and resin in one box.

I fixed my 88 MJ headliner by using fibreglass cloth and resin, it had some rips and bad spots in it, I had a corner ripped off even that I used resin to reattach it. I think you could do the same to yours...?

I wonder if you could use a metal washer and/or small piece of plastic / PVC tubing to repair?

My 89 MJ has one melted fuse connection. How hard is it to change the fuse box?

I wouldn't be interested at that price... if you are powder coating anyway why not go with cheaper regular steel?

My "new" truck is missing the tailgate emblem, I'm looking for a 4.0 Litre emblem.

I'm still very confused by all that going on LOL but I did solder an extra ground wire from the ground wire coming out of the blower motor (just past the connector) directly to a bolt on the inner fender where I also ground the battery. The ground is direct and pretty short so that must be an improvement. I think I have the fuse area "good enough" for now, as there is a small jumper wire with a 25A fuse in it with spade terminals on the end. It goes from ACC to the blower fuse spot and I have inserted toothpicks to ensure a very tight contact on the terminals. It's so tight I could barely plug in the spade terminal, so at least those connections are very solid now.