Gene

http://imgur.com/UC3OBNV http://imgur.com/lhrSlAC http://imgur.com/TS23REi http://imgur.com/Zsqd49q http://imgur.com/nrxPN61 http://imgur.com/874IzkR

Hi everyone, Darn this foum and everyone on it! About a year and 1/2 ago I was ready to accept that my Comanche was at the end of the line. Then I found this forum, and really got the bug again. Except for the rust, the Comanche is running quite well. Plus the sentimental value, I've had it since it was new. So today I was underneath, mostly checking the front end for the death wobble, which I put in another post. But as I looked back, I thought the frame looked way worse than I remembered. So I poked it, first with my fingers, then with a hammer and chisel, finally with an angle grinder. There are sections, especially where the cab meets the bed, where there is basically nothing there. The area around the transmission crossmember seems sound, and the area around the spring shackle seems good. I don't weld, but I have a friend who is a good welder. He hasn't seen this yet, but in talking to him he thought that perhaps using angle iron, 3/16 inch, may be 2 inch by 3 inch, would repair this. The 3 inch would go up the frame vertically, the 2 inch would span the bottom horizontally. Then it would be welded to the 2 inch angle iron that was on the other side of the channel. Am I nuts to even consider this? Any other thoughts about this? I have not posted pictures before, I'm going to try to do it in the following post. Thanks for everyone's thoughts. Gene

Hi everyone, 88 Comanche 4.0 long bed 4 wheel drive. I recently ran into the death wobble, first time in about 20 years. Ironically, it happened after I switched tires from winter studded snows to summer tires. So I think the immediate cause of this is tire balance. However, today I was checking the front end. It looks like there is quite a bit of horizontal play where the track bar meets the frame. This is a factory set up, the end looks like a tie rod. I haven't taken it apart yet, but it looks like the stud may actually be moving within the hole, as opposed to the stud moving at the track bar end. If the mounting hole is elongated, what's the best way to handle this? It looks like the bracket is bolted on, but it looks like the original bracket is no longer available. There appear to be aftermarket track bars, and aftermarket brackets, that are not tie rod end style. Would this be the way to go? Any recommendations on specifics? I'm starting another thread about frame rust, that will determine whether the Comanche lives or dies, but I'd like some ideas on this as well. As always, thanks for the accumulated wisdom of this forum. Gene

http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/spied-wrangler-jl-pickup-testing-on-public-roads/ar-BBBfsdI?li=BBnb4R5 I still like the Comanche look better! Gene

http://comancheclub.com/topic/52578-empty-gas-tank/?hl=drain+fuel

Hi Brian, I am a HUGE believer in Stabil. I have some small engines that are run less than yearly, they start easily even with year old fuel. BUT you should drain the tank of the poor quality fuel that is in there, and start over again. There are threads on draining the tank by pulling the fuel pump relay and jumpering at this location to run the fuel pump. Then remove the fuel filter, or tap into the fuel rail under the hood, slip a hose over one of the fittings, and you can pump the gas tank dry. Then add 5 gallons fresh fuel with 2 ounces (I think follow their directions) of Stabil. Good luck! Gene

It actually does look like a roll pin. A lot like a roll pin. Gene

I'm not posting this because Luk is not a good brand. I've had no experience with them, and they do seem like one of the leading aftermarket brands. However, I don't think that the principal that "they had good products 15 years ago", unfortunately, is necessarily true. This is been discussed in several threads. There are several companies, Moog comes to mind, that used to have exceptionally good quality, and now are mostly Chinese junk. Here is a link which discusses this. http://comancheclub.com/topic/52667-aftermarketfactory-parts/?hl=aftermarket So, I think in such discussions, the question is more "has whatever brand had good quality parts recently?" Several of the gurus of this board suggest that Mopar parts are well worth the extra cost. Gene

Hi cruiser, You are far far braver than I would have been. I would have worried about silly things like wheel lockup… Skids… And death. Gene

Can I ask....why????? Gene

Oh my.... Sorts of puts a burned fusible link in perspective.... Hope everyone is safe! Gene

Hi mpd, So when you get the hood open, check this http://www.bteventures.com//mj1988electricalmanual.pdf Page 8 per manual numbering, page 9 per PDF. If your wiring is the same as 88, there are 4 green fusible links, each connected to a red wire. So the broken link could be ignition switch fog lights headlights or air conditioner clutch. Interestingly, the wiring diagram shows an 18 ga fusible link protecting 12 ga wire for several of these. This is a really small link, normally the link is 4 numbers smaller ( 12 ga wire would be protected by 16 ga link) So I would think this would make "accidental" burnout (vs true overload) more likely. But BE SURE to replace the burned section with fusible link wire. Good luck getting the hood open! Gene

Hi everyone, I'm going to take the minority view on this. I think it is possible that that fusible link just corroded and failed, it was not necessarily overloaded. I can't get quite enough resolution on the picture to say this definitively. However, the same link on my 88 does have a nick in the insulation, and I can see some corrosion in the wires underneath. (It's on my one of these days list…) Since the fusible link is undersize anyway, compared to the rest of the circuit, if the wire had some corrosion, I could see it failing with a normal load. Of course, to be sure to replace it with another fusible link, and keep an eye on it to be sure the new one doesn't fail, is certainly necessary. Gene

Pull the battery terminals and clean the terminals and posts until nice and shiny. Do this first even if they look OK. Gene

Oh, oh, au contraire, mon ami

Leave it to Hornbrod to ALWAYS find a way to poke at us Renix owners :rotfl2: It's OK, we're just "UNIQUE"! :yes: "UNIQUE" is one word you could use to describe the Renix system. "ABERRANT" or "DEVIANT" would be more apropos. :rotfl2: Well aren't we using big words today??!! :rotf: :laughin:

Here is a link http://whiteproducts.com/fusible-faqs.shtml that talks about some of this. Gene

Rule of thumb for fusible links: Fusible link is four numbers higher than the wire size it is protecting. 10 gauge wire protected by 14 gauge fusible link, 12 gauge wire protected by 16 gauge fusible link, and so forth. Like most rules of thumb this is generally applicable, at least it's a starting point. I don't have any specific information on our MJ's, I've never had to replace one. However, it looks like you are planning to replace fusible links with fuses. This is not a direct amp for amp swap. Fusible links will tolerate overcurrent much longer than a fuse will. So generally speaking, a fusible link is designed to prevent catastrophe, basically to prevent a wiring harness from burning up, causing extensive damage or even setting the vehicle on fire. A fuse, on the other hand, typically is designed to open quickly to protect an electrical component. Even if you could find an exact amperage for a fusible link, a fuse of the same amperage would be much more likely to burn out. Gene

I think stock length is around 12 feet, possibly a little less. I believe I had a 25 foot coil, replaced both lines to the rear, and had may be a foot and 1/2 left. This was several years ago so don't hold me to specifics. Gene

Just ordered from Morris 4X4. $24.98 including shipping. ($19.99 plus 4.99 shipping) So no leaking now....After using probably 1 gallon of gas the dripping stopped....I may be lazy for a while and just not fill the fuel tank completely.... Gene

Hi Tj1, Fantastic information! Thanks so much! Gene

So this http://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=99511&jsn=16 may be the best option. I still had the old gas tank (some advantages to being a pack rat) and the hose is 1 1/2 inch inside diameter. This one appears to be corrugated so it probably would be able to better withstand the bending necessary. I'm pretty sure the length was just under 1 foot. It looks like if you order this from Rock, you have to get a 3 foot length. I haven't checked to see if it's available locally. Gene

Hi everyone, About a month ago I replaced the gas tank in my 88 Comanche longbed. The fuel filler and vent rubber hoses were deteriorating. I searched online, couldn't find replacements, so I wrapped them in about three layers of electrical tape and reinstalled. Everything seemed good. Until today. I filled the gas tank, noticed a smell of gas, and a few drops of gas on the ground. It's coming from the outboard side of the tank, about where the rubber filler hose would be. I haven't had a chance to crawl underneath and look, but I'm imagining that the filler hose is leaking. I have once more searched online, and can't find anything. What have people done in the situation? Is universal fuel filler hose available and adaptable? If I recall correctly, I think the filler was 1 1/2 inches inside diameter, about 11 inches long, and the vent was 5/8 inch inside diameter, about 14 inches long? All comments appreciated! Thanks. Gene

Lots of info in this thread http://comancheclub.com/topic/52642-removing-fuel-rail-88-40/ Gene

Hi everyone, Using an HO manifold on a Renix 4.0- Is there an advantage, or is this a cost/availability issue? Thanks! Gene