JeepinSoldier

My base 1990 also had the old style gas/speedo/idiot light cluster :ack: In the process of a full cluster swap. :D

Here is the thread here with the information on the gauge cluster swap. I used the link to the NAXJA forum for a great writeup with lots of pics. Changing the odometer was not that difficult. Just be careful with the small copper colored clip. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18602&p=190361&hilit=gauge+cluster+swap#p190361

The CI diesel oil? :hmm: Willy Yup! I have been using this oil in our 05 Excursion diesel, and we use it in the rescue trucks at work. Good stuff. Other members here recommended it for the high mileage 4.0 because of the additives in it. I just put some in the Manche and it seems happier. :D The recomendation and reason why is here: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=18783

Thanks for the advise. :cheers: When I swapped the cluster in I installed new water temp and oil pressure senders. The exact part #'s on the NAXJA thread. I posted this in tech and after help there I think all the gauges are working except the temp gauge which is bad. The tach just seems slow to react as well. This site is great!

Thanks for the advice! Exactly the help I needed. Ill borrow an idle tach and a volt meter to check those gauges tomorrow. I just checked the temp gauge per your questions. The truck has been sitting for hours and is completely cold. Turning the ignition switch to the 'run position without starting dropped the needle to the line before the 210 line. It does not drop to the left (100). Disconnecting the wire at the sender does not do anything - the needle stays at the line before the 210 line. Grounding the wire to the block or head makes the gauge needle move all the way to the right WAAAAY past 260. Almost to the small screw in the gauge before the wire was removed from ground. I diddnt want to fry the gauge. Starting the engine and letting it run with the wire connected moves the needle from the line before 210 back to 260.

I just swapped my 1990 idiot light cluster for a full gauge cluster out of a 86 or 87 Cherokee. I liked the look of the old school gauges. However it does not seem to be working properly. The temp gauge starts at about 210 and then maxes out to the right and stays there. The volt gauge seems to read high. Finally, the tach seems to read under revs by the engine sound and is very slow responding to revving the engine in neutral. The Spedo, oil pressure and fuel gauges seem to work fine. Here are pics of the install before starting the engine and after driving a little. Any ideas? I used the swap instruction here and on the NAXJA website. I swapped the oil and temp switches for the EXACT part numbers stated on the NAXJA site. The water temp sender is a Wells TU 108. Now it says on the box 'water temperature switch' I assume I need a sender, and the switch is the same and just turns on a light - but I used the part number listed. I just might try a newer cluster. Too bad - I like the looks of this one.

Off to the tech threads to ask questions. :(

Pulled the dash bezel and installed the clock. It was easy after I found the stock connecter buried back inside and tucked under the rest of the harness. It just plugged right in! It did not seem to work so I unplugged it and checked the bulb inside. Sure enough, burnt out bulb. Checked the bulbs in the full gauge cluster and they seemed the same, so I pulled a good bulb and put it in the clock. Success. Clock works fine and looks good. Next I started on the cluster swap. While pulling the idiot light cluster - like others here - I broke the clip on the speedo cable connector. :mad: Now that I have removed a cluster and understand how it all works back there I think I could pull another without breaking it. (I have thin fingers LOL) Swapped the clusters per the instructions in the tech threads (Search is great) and just stuck the back of the speedo cable on the speedo hoping it would work. The results are a little underwhelming. The speedo works fine but the temp gauge stays maxed out, the volt gauge seems high, and the tach seems to read under the actual RPM for the engine sound and is slow to respond to revving the engine in neutral. Here are some pics of before and after.

Next I took some before pix of what I'm starting with and then started on my gauge cluster swap. Here is your standard radio missing, filthy carpet, idiot light cluster, bench seat Comanche. I have spent several weekends scrubbing it out with simple green. I also have replaced the shot sunvisors and the shifter boot with all the holes in it.

You will be very happy this mod. Nice looking Jeep(s) :D . :popcorn: - Rich Thanks for the compliment Rich! Like I stated before, things are going slow becouse I'm trying to do this as cheap as possible as we are buying a house. Changed the transmission oil with the synthetic recommended in the oil thread in tech (Shifts great now, even when cold! :D ) Changed the engine oil to Rotella 15-40. Cleaned up the gauge cluster I posted a pic of earlier by disassembling the clear plastic lens, carefully cleaning all the dirt out of it, and polishing most of the scratches out of the lens with Novous scratch remover plastic polish. Also rolled the odometer forward per the instructions here and on the NAXJA site. Alot of good info! :cheers: Scored a Cherokee digital clock off of e bay to install while I had the dash apart:

We use the Rotella 15W40 in our 05 Ford Excursion Turbo Diesel because thats what the diesel guys recommended. Ill use that in the Manche too. Think its OK to use the Rotella 15-40 in all the vehicles including the 4.0 in the 05 Wrangler Unlimited? I also stick with the good Wix filters from NAPA. No Fram ever.

Thanks for the responses! Think the transmission is worn even though the symptoms just started when the weather got cold? The trans shifts fine once it heats up and did before. Ill go straigt to the synthetic.

I have a 1990 4.0 4x4 with the AX 15 5 speed. Did use the search before posting this. First I used the transmission thread and identified my transmission as the AX 15. The transmission sometimes does not want to shift into first or reverse. and sometimes second and third feel rough. All symptoms when cold. Once the transmission heats up it shifts fine. Another Jeeper said change the oil in it. He recommended first using regular 75W - 90 to clean it out a little, then switching to a synthetic. What synthetic would the Comanche experts recommend! :bowdown: Mobil1? Royal Purple? Amsoil? What oil would you recommend for a 4.0 with 183,000 miles?

Thanks! Willdo.

OK, after reading through the forums here I decided that I wanted to pull my bench seat and do the XJ bucket seat/console mod. I have been scouring Craigslist and the local Jeep club forums. Saturday I picked up this: I like the old school look on the blue background - but will it work in my 90 MJ? Today I picked up theese: Front buckets and console from a 95 XJ that a fellow Jeeper here on FT Belvoir is parting out. Guess I gotta get sending units for the cluster and 2 door cherokee seat pedastels now......... I have read the thread on Cherokee seats in an MJ. I know you can just bolt the buckets to the bench mounts, but is it hard to modify the seat mounts from the 95 to work? Ill prob do the bucket seat swap after I get the new carpet in. I also got the sunvisors from the Cherokee and just those were a great change. The thrashed originals looked pretty bad. they caught your attention right there in your field of view.

Love seeing these trucks come back to life! I like the bucket seats and console.

Those seats and your entire interior look great! Good job on the wheels as well. Gonna have to take one of those power balls to the wheels on my LJ. They are starting to look crappy. Wondered if they worked well. Now I have my answer!

Thanks! I have already realized why my bench seat no cup holder Manche has brown stains all over the grey carpet LOL.

Great website and post! Thanks. Confirms mine is a base (Base model armrests in the doors, manual windows and locks) - that was ordered with some good options: 4.0, A/C, and 4x4. :D Only around 200,000 Comanches made, and less each day. Pretty special truck. Wonder why they are not worth more......

True....... Just Empty Evrey Pocket. The belly up skid for the LJ was $350. But to install it you needed: Body lift $150 CV driveshaft $300 Adjustable rear upper control arms $300 Total for the mod: $1100. :ack: Fixing up the MJ will actually be a bargian until it comes to the body, paint, and offroad mods............

Thanks! :cheers: They are kind of expensive and I did not want to have to send em back if they diddnt fit.

:rotf: that won't last for long. Yeah, the parts that I'm looking at next weekend will be a couple hundred dollars, and that Hanson winch bumper is $700. :doh: I only paid $900 for the truck LOL.

I'm hoping to install a new carpet set in the MJ soon and of course I don't want it immediately trashed. I have the Husky liners in my Wrangler and really like them. Will the front liners from the 84-96 Cherokee fit the MJ?

Wow! What a sharp looking truck! :thumbsup: The interior is awesome. What year Cherokee did that console come from? I may have to ditch my bench seat LOL.

Thanks for the info. I was looking at Bushwackers because a friend has them on his Cherokee with 32's and I liked the look. If the Comanche looks fine with stock flares and 31's Ill leave the stock flares alone. Whats a mark?? Thanks for the welcome and other replies as well. After having to get a second job to support the other Jeep for awhile, I'm going to go slow on this one and do it in small projects as inexpensively as possible. I just got a line on some parts from somebody who is parting out two Comanches. He says that he has excellent condition: Headliner/backer board, Sunvisors, Bench seat, Shifter boot, instrument cluster w/tach, tire winch, and driver side mirror. We will see next weekend after payday. I did a little project today satisfy my need to fix up the truck a little. While driving the truck around, the rear suspension sounded like an old bed on a honeymoon night. Crawled underneath and found the rear shocks in bad shape and the metal sheath on the e brake lines rubbing against the brackets. Broke out Powertank and the impact :D Check out these rusted beauties. Replaced them with theese. Shocks were $21 each at Napa and made in the USA. :thumbsup: No more annoying squeeking and the truck dosent feel so bouncy and light in the rear end any more. Also learned the joy of working on a truck with even a little rust when I tried to remove the rusted solid tire winch. I had soaked the bolts with PB blaster for 4 days, but all of them still broke off in the frame. :mad: Looks like Ill be drilling em out and retapping them.