cruiser54

My buddy from Alaska is removing his LED headlamps as they don't melt the snow off......

Typical result.....

There's a reason I wrote this: I'd be looking up ABOVE first, and VERIFYING the source of the oil leak YOURSELF. Everybody, who doesn't own or have to pay for or perform your vehicle repairs, loves to poke their noggin UNDER the Jeep and come out bearing the false bad news that your RMS is leaking. Many mechanics, friends, people on Jeep forums who can’t see your Jeep from where they’re at, and good old Uncle Bob seem to enjoy telling you it’s the rear main seal. Has a catastrophic ring to it, doesn’t it? A simple leak at the back of the valve cover or other source could produce the same symptoms. You don’t need to be a mechanic to figure this out. If you have good eyesight and a dim flashlight, you’re good to go on your own. Don't jump on the RMS/oil pan gasket bandwagon right off the bat. Almost any oil leak on your 4.0 is gonna drip from the RMS area for two simple reasons. First off, the engine sits nose-up and any oil will run back to the RMS area. Secondly, the RMS area is also the lowest point on the engine. Simple physics and the old plumber's adage apply here. "$hit flows downhill". Valve cover gasket, oil pressure sending unit, oil filter adapter seals and distributor gasket, in that order, have to be eliminated as possibilities first. Revised 02-26-2013

I agree.

Don't diagnose the quirks just yet. Do my Tips 1 through 5. Make sure your intake manifold bolts aren't loose and that the hoses under the throttle body are in great shape.

I would also do #13.

Don't even think DIAGNOSE until you've done the Tips suggested and take those known issues out of the equation. We'll get it fixed.....

Thanks. Eyes weren't focused yet. LOL. OP: Click on the link in my signature and do Tips 1,3,4,5 and 11.

Yep, true for Renix. The HO's however have a separate 15A fuse for the reverse lights in the PDC. Only those 91 and 92 bastard editions.

Here: Bypassing the Power/Comfort Switch on a Renix Jeep Remove and unplug the switch. In the harness are 3 wires One has a stripe, one is tan, and the other black. Make a 4" jumper wire with a male spade at each end. Plug one end in the cavity for the tan wire and the other in the cavity for the striped wire and you'll be in permanent Power mode. Stuff the harness back in and reinstall the switch for looks. If you happen to have a 91 or 92 XJ/MJ and it has the Power/Comfort switch, just jumper the Tan and Blue wires in the harness plug. NEVER include the black wire when jumpering!!!

That's because the Power/Comfort switch and reverse lights share the same 7.5 amp "trans" fuse in the fusebox........

What year?

I wrote this up years ago for cases like this: I'd be looking up ABOVE first, and VERIFYING the source of the oil leak YOURSELF. Everybody, who doesn't own or have to pay for or perform your vehicle repairs, loves to poke their noggin UNDER the Jeep and come out bearing the false bad news that your RMS is leaking. Many mechanics, friends, people on Jeep forums who can’t see your Jeep from where they’re at, and good old Uncle Bob seem to enjoy telling you it’s the rear main seal. Has a catastrophic ring to it, doesn’t it? A simple leak at the back of the valve cover or other source could produce the same symptoms. You don’t need to be a mechanic to figure this out. If you have good eyesight and a dim flashlight, you’re good to go on your own. Don't jump on the RMS/oil pan gasket bandwagon right off the bat. Almost any oil leak on your 4.0 is gonna drip from the RMS area for two simple reasons. First off, the engine sits nose-up and any oil will run back to the RMS area. Secondly, the RMS area is also the lowest point on the engine. Simple physics and the old plumber's adage apply here. "$hit flows downhill". Valve cover gasket, oil pressure sending unit, oil filter adapter seals and distributor gasket, in that order, have to be eliminated as possibilities first. Revised 02-26-2013

Fuel pressure test, but loud is generally a sign of pending failure.

I know it's a 2.5, but do the ground refreshing and connector refreshing just to be sure. Renix Ground Refreshing The Renix era XJs and MJs were built with an under-engineered grounding system for the engine/transmission electronics. One problem in particular involves the multiple ground connection at the engine dipstick tube stud. A poor ground here can cause a multitude of driveabililty issues, wasted time, failed emission tests, and wasted money replacing components unnecessarily. The components grounding at the dipstick tube stud are: Distributor Sync Sensor, TCU main ground, TCU “Shift Point Logic”, Ignition control Module, Injectors, ECU main ground which other engine sensors ground through, Oxygen sensor, Knock Sensor, Cruise Control, and Transmission Sync signal. All extremely important stuff. The factory was aware of the issues with this ground point and addressed it by suggesting the following: Remove the nut holding the wire terminals to the stud. Verify that the stud is indeed tightened securely into the block. Scrape any and all paint from the stud’s mounting surface where the wires will attach. Must be clean, shiny and free of any oil, grease, or paint. Inspect the wire terminals. Check to see that none of the terminals are crimped over wire insulation instead of bare wire. Be sure the crimps are tight. It wouldn’t hurt to re-crimp them just as a matter of course. Sand and polish the wire terminals until clean and shiny on both sides. Reinstall all the wires to the stud and tighten the nut down securely. While you’re in that general area, locate the battery negative cable which is fastened to the engine block just forward of the dipstick stud. Remove the bolt, scrape the block to bare metal, clean and polish the cable terminal, and reattach securely. Another area where the grounding system on Renix era Jeeps was lacking is the engine to chassis ground. There is a braided cable from the back of the cylinder head that also attaches to the driver’s side of the firewall. This cable is undersized for it’s intended use and subject to corrosion and poor connections at each end. First off, remove the cable end from the firewall using a 15mm wrench or socket. Scrape the paint off down to bare metal and clean the wire terminal. Reattach securely. Remove the other end of the cable from the rear of the head using a 3’4” socket. Clean all the oil, paint and crud from the stud. Clean the wire terminal of the cable and reattach securely. A suggestion regarding the braided cable: I prefer to add a #4 Gauge cable from the firewall to a bolt on the rear of the intake manifold, either to a heat shield bolt or fuel rail bolt. A cable about 18” long with a 3/8” lug on each end works great and you can get one at any parts store already made up. Napa has them as part number 781116. A further improvement to the grounding system can be made using a #4 cable, about 10” long with 3/8” terminals at each end. Attach one end of this cable to the negative battery bolt and the other end under the closest 10mm headed bolt on the radiator support just forward of the battery. Napa part number 781115. For those of us with Comanches, it’s very important to remove the driver’s side taillamp assembly to access the ground for the fuel pump. Remove the screw holding the black ground wire. Scrape the paint from the body and corrosion from the wire terminal. Reattach securely. If you want to upgrade your grounds and battery cables in general, contact Jon at www.kelleyswip.com. He makes an incredible cable upgrade for a very reasonable price. Revised 03-04-2013 I suggest unplugging EVERY electrical connection in the engine bay you can find, whether engine related or not, and spraying it out with a good electronics cleaner, visually inspecting the terminals making sure they haven’t retracted into the plastic holder, and then plugging it back together. There’s a critical 10-pin connector for the front lighting system located in front of the air cleaner and behind the left headlight assembly. Don’t miss that one. Also be sure that the connectors to the ballast resistor mounted near the air cleaner housing are clean and tight. ALL of the relays should be removed, the terminals wire-brushed until shiny, and the receptacles sprayed out with contact cleaner. Then plug them back in. I do this on every Renix Jeep I purchase or work on for someone else. Revised 07/23/2012

WJ versus 95 to 96 XJ booster Actually, the WJ booster is in some ways easier than the 95 to 96 XJ. I've done both. XJ, you don't have to mess with the firewall. No big deal anyway. But, you have to move the washer reservoir. And, once the original booster comes out, the bracket inside the cab moves and makes it a bear to install the new booster. WJ you have to bend the firewall lip, but don't move the washer bottle. As an added bonus, the mounting studs of the WJ booster are a bit smaller and it's easier to get in. Another bonus with the WJ is that it has FLEXIBLE lines from the master cylindere that make putting things together MUCH easier.

Absolutely.

You can, but so little is lost.

1.whats a spal controller? 2.i've not tried a pressure test yet, ill try that in the morning. 3.my coolant tank lid is in good condition. Where is the coolant leaving the system when it overheats? Not the coolant bottle cap? The coolant forces its self from the bottom of the coolant tank Then the tank is bad...... Replace the tank and install a 703-1396 cap on it and go from there.

I'm assuming that also. Just wanted to point it out.

My 2 cents. Forget the stupid lights. Do the CAD fix in the link below. Rely on transfer case shifter position rather than lights. We did it for decades. http://comancheclub.com/topic/17377-cad-fix-1/

so all i have to do is remove the CAD cover and move that ring to the left, and reinstall the cover upside down? Read the write-up. Takes less than half an hour.

VERY WORTH DOING!!! I got the master cylinder and booster from Rockauto for about 100.00, it took me a few hours to install everything I was able to do it one Friday night after work and have never looked back this along with a set of steel braided brake lines will have you stopping on a dime, you can find tons of info on this on the internet. Don't second guess it you're upgrading the most important system of your truck. 94 worth doing? You sure. I've done the 95 to 96, and the 99 to 04 wJ with excellent results.

1.whats a spal controller? 2.i've not tried a pressure test yet, ill try that in the morning. 3.my coolant tank lid is in good condition. Where is the coolant leaving the system when it overheats? Not the coolant bottle cap?

Nah!! I just want you guys to enjoy your Renix Jeeps as much as I do.