KJ1H

Whoops, I forgot to post this update: Project MJ: Four Point Oh No Long story short, I've lost both lifters on #2 cylinder. Things have been on hold since that discovery, mainly to focus on getting my fiancee moved to our new house without the help of the Comanche. I've read up on replacing the lifters, and am planning on ordering the parts soon. I've never pulled a head before (at least with any intention of the motor ever running again afterward) so this is new territory for me, but the 4.0 is such a relatively simple motor I'm willing to take my time and dive in. If I'm lucky, I can get what's supposed to be my winter vehicle back together before the end of winter. :laughin: There's some good news that I haven't included in an article yet. I do appear to have good oil pressure, and after adding a little ATF to the soon-to-be-changed oil (a tip I learned here on this site), the oil warning light turned off. Aside from the obvious lifter issue, the engine appears to be fine, and well worth replacing the lifters (and the pushrod that bent). I'm hopeful that this repair, new oil, and new gaskets will solve a bunch of engine problems at once and let me get back to putting this truck on the road!

Thanks for the tip! I'll be ordering engine parts from them as soon as I know my other monthly bills are covered. :thumbsup:

The problem is, in fact, in the #2 cylinder, though not what I expected. Both lifters are bad, and obviously that rocker arm isn't pointing in the proper direction. Stupid auto parts stores near me don't have an oil pressure tester - none of them! So I've ordered one and will confirm that I have pressure (or not) before proceeding. Thanks for all the input!

Gene, I don't really want to run the engine any more since the oil light is on, but I can tell you that the knocking increased and decreased with engine speed. I'm ready to do an oil change if that would help, but if the engine is toast there's little point. I'm also pondering pulling the valve cover to check the lifters as Bo suggests. I have an oil leak anyway and a new valve cover gasket is where I'd start.

I'm getting a little scared here. My truck has run a little rough since I got it, but now it's hit new levels of roughness. Despite an oil leak, the level hasn't fallen to more than halfway between the "full" and "add" marks, and I recently topped it off to "full." Soon after shooting this the oil light came on so I shut it down, and confirmed that the oil level is still full. Bad sensor, or a lack of oil elsewhere in the engine? Don't know. I hope I haven't killed this motor...

More progress: Project MJ: Lights, Bumper, Action! tl;dr: All lights are fixed and the proper color. Replaced crappy sealed beam headlights with Autopal H4s. Installed the front bumper. Yes, it's crooked. I'll also mount the front plate properly later. Found and installed seat belts. Then I used it to help me finish moving out of my old place. With my fiancee's two month old Certified Pre-Owned Ford Flex running out of front brake pads (they should never have passed CPO inspection) it was out of action most of the weekend, but the MJ saved my butt and let me finish moving on schedule. I need to track down and fix an oil leak. I also need to install that muffler - this thing's loud! And I need to find time to go visit Eagle and pick out a replacement driver's door. This truck's previous owner can hook me up with a new gas tank at his cost, but that may wait until after the holidays because money.

1988 Jeep Comanche Pioneer 4.0 / Auto / 4WD / Dana 30 front / Dana 44 rear / LWB Build date: Unknown, sticker illegible. Purchased December 2015 Current location: Central Massachusetts Status: Fixer upper - registered, drivable, runs rough and needs inspection Notes: Originally red exterior. Was poorly painted before I got it. Now has mismatched XJ passenger door. Mismatched XJ fenders waiting to go on and needs new driver's door - will paint it all one color when done. Grey interior, vinyl bench seat, column shift. Ford cop car spotlight installed by a previous owner. Big Ton package - hence the Dana 44 rear. Nice Leer cap with roof racks. Custom made rear bumper by a previous owner. I intend to modify it to add a receiver hitch. Current owner: Me!

Bench. Yes, the B-pillar assembly. The buckles were unbolted but left in the seat, so I still have those.

It looks like the driver's seat belt went missing among the uninstalled interior parts included with my Comanche. For general safety, as well as the law, I need one. Is this the same part as an XJ? What years are compatible? Thanks!

Ooo, definitely interested in the door! And a non-leaky gas tank, if you have one. I still have to go through all the parts that came with the truck (it was delivered last Thursday) but if I can't find the driver's seat belt that might be an important part to get, too... Thanks!

Thanks for the feedback so far! Though the truck is Mary Jane, my fiancee and I end up calling it MJ for short. Not too creative, but whatever. :dunno: I've posted a couple of other pieces to Right Foot Down about my Comanche project: Assessing and Planning Patching and Drilling Holes tl;dr: Overall, the truck is solid. It steers and stops well. The engine is misfiring, consistently so I think it's a single cylinder out of whack, and I've acquired the bits and pieces for a tuneup. I discovered a leaky gas tank - the hard way. :fs1: I'm going to try the JB Weld gas tank patch for now, and I also found a new replacement online for about $100, so that'll be the eventual fix. I did some crappy bondo work to get it to pass MA inspection. I don't care that the driver's door is ugly. I'm going to replace it later anyway. I attached my rear plate to the custom bumper. I need to reinstall the front bumper, bolt in the seat and seat belts, and then it'll hopefully be on the road. I'm also still moving to my new garage house, so it's been tricky working on the Comanche with everything I own scattered everywhere. I hope to get it running well enough to help me move. I just haven't had enough time to work on both projects!

Following with great interest. I have a newly acquired garage as well, and it's been so long since I've set one up I'm learning all about these new fangled LED options for the first time. Thanks!

It's a great way to try a color on for size. I dipped my Subaru BRZ's stock wheels gold to give it more of a rally car look, and they came out looking great. It's also good to know I can peel them back to stock if I want. For your truck, how about a dark grey gunmetal sort of color? It's not black, but it's not as flashy, either.

Thanks! Been a little preoccupied with the new house. Just got in today. The MJ arrives Thursday, so I'll be moving all my tools and such over to the house so I can get to work on it when I need a break from moving! :D

Nice! I've had three Miatas myself, all red 1.6 NAs. I autocrossed a lot myself, both in MA (Renegade Miata and Boston BMW) and with the Cumberland Motor Club in Maine. These days I have a Subaru BRZ, and while I haven't autocrossed much I did a few track events at Thompson and Palmer last year. It's a lot of fun, but I know that all real sports cars have pop-up headlights.