schardein

I've looked at swapping a GM chime module for the Jeep XJ/MJ one, and the pinout was different. I was even willing to re-pin the connector on the Jeep to make it work, and I gave up. I've also tried a Dodge Dakota buzzer from a similar year, and the pinout was different. Not sure why the manufacturers saw a need to "reinvent the wheel", but it seems that's what they did.

Sounds to me like the mechanic didn't torque them. I usually don't share this because of comments I get, but I've been torquing the lug nuts on my CJ7 with 35" tires to 65 ft lbs for over 22 years, and never had a problem on or off road. I currently use a light coat of Tef-Gel anti-seize compound, and I use a torque wrench religiously, with the correct tightening pattern, and run the pattern twice per wheel.

I have the blue and black warning buzzers if you are looking. The black box will buzz when the seatbelt isn't latched, and when the door is opened with the key left in the ignition. The blue box does the same, but adds a warning for the headlights left on when the door is opened.

Exactly!

To take this a step further, the only way he (oops, I mean "the inspector" because I had a female inspector once, that was an interesting experience) could identify a NSS "did not work" would be to attempt to start it in gear. Not a cool move, in my opinion. Leaving the vehicle in neutral, with the clutch pedal out, and trying to start it, and expecting it not to start, and it does, only proves the clutch safety switch doesn't work, which as Pete pointed out, The MJ doesn't have that either. I would be very interested in what procedure they used to come with the theory that the NSS is bad. In either case, the only approach I can think of is to tell them the truck doesn't have either one because it's a 1988, and then before they can argue, suggest they search for a replacement part for a MANUAL trans application, then wink and say "you won't find one".

One of the big reasons I do not miss living in VA. I remember failing a safety inspection because my bumper mounted fog lights did not have covers. They weren't factory, and I had covers, just not with me. But what if they had been factory, and I didn't have covers? Those yearly inspections are garbage. My county also had an emissions inspection every other year, also garbage. The surrounding counties did not, lucky them. The place I had my inspections done was also a repair shop. Is that the same in your case? Perhaps explain to them that 1988 manual transmission Jeep MJs did not have a NSS, and when they argue, tell them if they can find the proper part, you wil pay for it to be installed. If they can't find the part, then it must not exist. Best I can come up with.

Yeah I have the side marker ones. And a set of the retainer rings.

I've got a couple OEM turn signal surrounds (molding, grille), but no headlamp bezel. And I'm smiling at "headlamp". Spoken like a true parts guy. Don't most people call them headlights?

Nice looking rig. The wheels aren't my thing, but that's just me. I do find it odd that the ad doesn't mention the rear D44. Is that because a true aficionado would know it when they see it or... because the seller doesn't know?

Yes that front one looks like a weak attempt at copying the stock front tow hook brackets. The mounts on the side are probably a side tube step or running boards.

Looks like a good day at the yard!

Wow, very cool. I have a small collection of Jeep brochures but mainly CJ stuff. If I hadn't found this steering wheel, I might have looked at that picture and just thought it was a trick of the light that made it look black. It's crazy after years of learning about these old Jeeps, to learn something new.

The cab harness? And/or the engine side harness?

Good info. I find it interesting that the instrument cluster housing is white, like the 91+ electronic clusters. It can become confusing when someone says "all speedo cable clusters are blue". I used to say it. Not true. The cluster was a 3/4 cluster, with the blue mark at the cold end of the temp gauge, which is what I look for to quickly identify very early clusters. The lower dash wasn't horrible but did have some cracks. When you say the clutch setup, is it the bell housing that is worth grabbing, and/or the pedals? The engine compartment was mostly complete if someone needs early 4cyl stuff. The yard is 1.5 hours away, but I could try to head back if there is something anyone wants.

So the local Pick-n-Pull had a 1984 XJ (4cyl, manual, 4x4, 2dr). Of course I had to go take a look. Initially I was interested in grabbing the axles if they had 4.11 gears, but turns out they were 3.73. Always interesting to look at the really early XJs. Notice the bucket seats with no headrests, A pillar trim that doesn't use screw covers and of course the cowl panel with the single windshield squirter. One thing that caught my eye was the steering wheel. The spokes seem to be painted (powder coated?) black from the factory. I've never seen that before. Also scored a Cordovan steering wheel from an 88 XJ on this trip. And a 91 MJ tilt steering column!

Yep, in this picture that bracket is upside down from what it should be. Sounds like you have it corrected now. The mounting hole is concave on one side, the concave side should face the kick panel, putting the light out of sight, above and behind the panel.

The boss on the timing cover is for old diagnostic machines that had a probe that fit the boss, to read the timing, which was then indicated on a screen. Unless you have one of those old machines, the boss does nothing else and has absolutely no purpose. The battery tray being plastic means it won't rust or otherwise be affected by battery acid and corrosion. It's not the most horrible design out there, compared to looking at other vehicles with the battery tray rusted away to nothing. If you only tighten down the battery hold down bolts enough to do the job, it should last a long time. Gorilla tighten it, and it will crack. These days, you can find late model XJs in the junkyard and about 1 out of 3 will have a decent battery tray. They are sized slightly different, but do interchange.

I'll go ahead and throw this info out there. Along with the different wiring plugs, the mounting brackets were also different. However, they interchange and mount the same way. Some other tidbits of knowledge, the brackets used a hex head screw on the early models, 1984-86ish. 1986ish and later used a Philips head screw. The very early models I have found (84-85) used two black wires instead of the pink and black wires on later ones. Again, everything interchanges except for the wiring plugs (84-89) & (90-96).

Yes, I think the AMC cover uses a traditional PCV valve.

Every 2.5L crankcase ventilation vacuum fitting I've ever looked at was completely blocked like the one in the video. If it is blocked, the crankcase isn't being evacuated by engine vacuum, which can result in engine oil leaks from the pressure trying to escape. In the long term, the result can be excessive deposits left in the engine. Fortunately, the fix is simple. Pull the vacuum hose off (check that it's not blocked, as well), unscrew the brass vacuum fitting. Clean from the vacuum line side by inserting a 5/32" drill bit and twisting it between your fingers. Once most of the gunk is out, use a 5/64" drill bit to clean the orifice on the engine side of the vacuum fitting. Do this by hand, not with an electric drill- the goal is to remove the deposits, not enlarge the openings. I follow this by scrubbing the inside with a cotton tip applicator* soaked in brake cleaner. The cotton tip may get stuck in the fitting- push it out with the 5/64" drill bit. *The cotton tip applicator is like a long q-tip with a wooden handle, I get them from Amazon in packs of 1000 for gun cleaning and general shop use. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Cotton+Tipped+Applicators+6+inch&i=industrial&crid=2YOQIPGJ13S0D&sprefix=cotton+tipped+applicators+6+inch%2Cindustrial%2C377&ref=nb_sb_noss_2 When that's done, it can be screwed back in and the vacuum line reconnected. You may want to use some sealant on the threads. I'm fond of Loctite 545 pneumatic/hydraulic thread sealant. I use it on all my air tool connections and it works better than thread tape in preventing leaks. It's not cheap, however. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=loctite+545&i=automotive&crid=3RLNRXE2O0JZ7&sprefix=loctite+545%2Cautomotive%2C327&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 Spending a few minutes on the buffer wheel is completely optional.

I have several of these Commander lights. They are to big to fit the stock opening. If you are ok with modifying your stock opening, they might work, although I think the S10 Blazer cargo lights are a better option.

I make my own cables. I've dealt with what you are doing many times. One of my go-to solutions is to use that factory boot, but trim about 1/4" off the end where the cable comes out. This effectively makes the opening bigger, for the bigger cable. I also source boots with a slightly longer end that the cable comes out of from 99+ Chevy trucks, and do the same trick of trimming the end off.

I've done the LS swap in my CJ and an LJ.

I can offer a little info. I had the steering box in my 83 CJ rebuilt, and replaced the 20:1 ratio with the 16-13 variable ratio. The difference was subtle, but was an improvement. The 20:1 box was about 4 to 4.25 turns lock to lock, and the variable was about 3.5 turns. I got a steering box out of a ZJ for my MJ, but haven't put it in yet. I think it is a bolt in. If your MJ is about 4 turns lock to lock, you probably have a 20:1 box, which is "slow" compared to modern cars. If you plan to pull a box from the picknpull, here is a tool list I made when I did mine. Pitman arm puller (if they charge it separately and you want to save money) Pitman arm nut 1 5/16" (3/4" drive set) P/S line wrenches 18mm-3/4" Pinch bolt for intermediate shaft 13mm Steering box mounting bolts 5/8 wrench (7/16" bolts) Drag link nut 3/4"

I'll relate a cold start story just for fun. I live in Missouri, and it doesn't get super cold here, but it does dip into the negatives from time to time. I had parked my 2001 Chevy 2500HD (330,000+ miles at the time) in my shop overnight. It got down to about -10 F that night. When I started it, got a strange rubbing noise from the engine bay. It stopped after about a minute. I drove to work, drove during lunch, drove home. Got home, crawled underneath and started looking. The engine cooling fan had rubbed on the bottom of the fan shroud, actually wearing a hole in the shroud at the very bottom. My theory is the almost 20 year old motor mounts contracted enough in the cold to let the fan hit the shroud. And just to mirror that story, when I first bought my 91 XJ, I would get these strange noises as I drove down the road. Finally found the transmission mount was completely oil soaked and sagging, and also allowing the transmission/transfer case to "bounce" up and down almost 2 inches as I drove down the road. Replacing the mount fixed the strange noises. If it isn't the blower fan, you might want to crawl underneath and just look around, and push and pull on things.