buckwheat

For cheap aftermarket look at Fey/ Westin. They are somewhat close to original. For more expensive, check out jcroffroad and nates. jcr has a really nice build it yourself bumper. I haven't looked as much at nates, but others have it and use it.

Make sure to look at your harmonic balancer. The rubber inner ring likes to disintegrate which causes it to wobble and creates sounds + eats belts. Also make sure to check for any coolant or oil leaks. If that stuff is dripping onto the belt it can cause lots of noise.

Honestly my pan looks pretty rusty. Are there any good quality replacement pans that anyone knows about?

So I pulled all the bolts for the oil pan. Any advice on how to break it loose? That thing is STUCK to the bottom of the block.

87 MJ with 4.0L engine and BA 10-5 tranny. Recently I took my MJ on a 1900 mile drive across the country. At about 950 miles I noticed it was running a little rough and had a slight knocking/ tapping sound at idle up to ~2500 rpm. I checked all fluids and topped everything off, including front and rear diff, transmission, transfer case, and engine oil. I also replaced the air filter because it had foamy, cream colored crap in it, basically soaking the entire thing. I am guessing it was extremely aerated oil and water. Drove it the 950 miles back home. The tapping/ knocking sound was about the same. Sometimes it wouldn't be there, and at times it would get a little louder. I had no real choice, so I kept driving. At about 1800 miles into the trip there was a snapping sound and the tapping/ knocking got a lot worse. I finished driving it home and parked it. To my knowledge it was not producing any smoke from the tailpipe at any point. I never saw any kind of cloud behind me as I was driving. Today I started looking at it. The brand new air filter has about 1/3 of the length soaked in oil, but not foamy and creamy like before, just plain oil. I drained the engine oil and if you look really close at it with the sunlight shining directly into it you can see a bunch of glimmers suspended in the oil. I also tested compression on all cylinders. Number 1 through number 5 all had ~ 125lbs (wrong unit of measure I am sure, ignore that), but cylinder 6 had 0lbs. Also the spark plug from cylinder 6 looked black and oily. The other spark plugs ranged from the perfect camel brown to sort of white/ lean mixture looking. Finally, I decided to remove the valve cover to get a look at the lifters and push rods. As soon as I removed the first valve cover bolt, coolant started pouring out. Several more of the VC bolts had fluid behind them as well. I didn't think the VC bolts went into the water jacket? All of this to ask for your opinions. What do you all think might be wrong, and where should I go from here? I was thinking to remove the oil pan and take a look at the crankshaft and bearings and the piston skirts. Anything else I need to do or look into?

For me (I have huge hands) I found that I needed even more room than just removing the clock panel. So I went underneath and removed the speedo cable from the retaining bolt right below the firewall. This is outside the cab. This gave me enough slack to push the cable into the cab and pull the gauges out a solid foot. Plenty of room to work and fiddle with connectors.

In that case, check out a fix for it HERE.

AMC86kid: Try the following next time you have a question. go to Google and type in "site:comancheclub.com" followed by the keywords you are interested in. Then read the first five links that come up. If you do not find your answer by that point in time, feel free to start a new thread. You have asked some good questions, but as stated, a LOT of your questions could be answered by searching the interwebs a little bit. Keep going and keep asking, just try and do some research first.

@ PIKE: Sorry to go off topic, but what tires do you run? I have looked for a narrow 33", but the best I found was BFG 33x10.5x15.

My assumption would be in using a tach from a 6 cylinder engine in a four cylinder engine doesnt work. Since it is based on the ignition system, wouldn't that change based on how many cylinders are firing? Sorry if this is incorrect information.

Lizard Skin has 3 products that you can apply, but do not have to. Since my truck is a daily driver I put down the ceramic coat, the sound proof coat, and the top coat. However, you can do only one of those if you are interested in only one item. I have noticed a big improvement in sound and heat conservation since I sprayed it. Its only been in for four months, but the top coat seems strong and has not scuffed or peeled at all. Just food for thought.

I would recommend you do Lizard Skin for the interior. Costs more, takes more time, but a much better final result. My truck is quieter now than when it had carpet + jute backing. Well worth it. As for the bed, have you thought about herculiner?

I might be missing it, but would this work on Renix also, or only HO?

I have been considering getting LED headlights. The only thing that worries me is winter driving. I have read that ice and snow will build up on them since far less heat is generated. Is there a way to cope with this? Also interested in your opinion when you get the lights installed Tex06. Having a cheaper option that trucklites would be nice.

IMO for $1400 it better be a damn easy process. So easy that when you are done paying its already installed for you.

Hornbrod, Do your part numbers cross for all years? Or could it be another Renix vs. HO thing? And since I am asking stupid questions, here is another one: Would different transmissions change starters and bolt lengths? Or is the bellhousing part uniform across all the MJs and XJs?

Thanks Cruiser. Got it tightened down again. Now I have something else to be paranoid about and check constantly. I would like to rebuild my old starter instead of relying on stuff from the parts stores. Is there a walkthrough on it? I seem to remember Hornbrod having trouble finding correct brushes recently? Really any good articles I can read over to prepare for it would be nice. Thanks for all the help gents.

Any info on the bolts so I can put it on properly?

1987 MJ with 4.0L and BA 10-5 Went to town for dinner tonight and when I tried to go home my truck wouldn't start. When I turned the key I heard the fuel pump prime and the starter whirl, but the engine wouldn't turn over. Looked under the truck and realized that the starter was just barely hanging in the bellhousing. Top bolt is MIA, bottom one is scarred up. I got it home, however I am left with two questions: 1: What size are the starter bolts? I have access to two 90 XJ's for parts, both with the 4.0L engine. One is an auto and the other a manual. Would the bolts from those be the same as mine? Not sure since the bellhousings would be different since they are different transmission, right? 2: When I hillbilly fixed it in the parking lot (still had the bottom bolt, and tightened that one to seat the starter down) it sounded horrible starting. It would crank fine for 1 second, then clunk and cause the lights on my dash to dim for 2-3 seconds, then go back to sounding fine for 1 second, etc. The truck has been doing this for the past year, just not as bad as it was tonight. Does this mean the starter is at the end of its life? Could I use one of the starters from the parts XJs mentioned above? Thanks in advance for the help. EDIT: I also remember reading a thread on rebuilding your starter, but I can't seem to find it. Could someone link it for me?

#9: You might have. #11: I was advised against doing this, just because the old and new panels are completely different. Why would you want to do this?

I also had a squeaking belt (VERY LOUD) and spraying it with belt conditioner would stop it for about 5 minutes. Turned out that my harmonic balancer was shot and would wobble just enough to cause the sound. Of course it took me 2 months, lots of annoyance, and three shredded belts before I figured it out. So definitely check your HB and see how old/ worn it is.

Just FYI, this is a four year old thread . . .

I would recommend taking out the bolts/ nuts first, but yes.

Here are some links that might help, check them out: http://comancheclub.com/topic/43128-vacuum-line-mess-on-a-1987-renix/ http://comancheclub.com/topic/44121-renix-25-vacuum-lines/ http://comancheclub.com/topic/2023-a-couple-25-vacuum-and-electrical-what-goes-where-questions/ And just a hint. Before asking for help try searching for your issue. Most likely it has come up before. Read through the old advice and then if you still need help post and explain what you have already done. For me it works best to google the following : "site:comancheclub.com *** " where you put your issue where the asterisks are. Post back if the links and searching doesn't help.

My response was for Hell Creek;s question about Seafoam. But now to answer your query: This is a quote from Marvel Mystery Oil's website "How much Marvel Mystery Oil® (MMO) do I put in my gasoline tank? Marvel recommends using 4oz of MMO for every 10 gallons of gasoline." MMO can also be used in the oil, in motorcycles, as a fuel stabalizer, etc. One of those nice things to keep on hand. Again, just my opinion.