ParadiseMJ

Actually it will happen, I was just hoping it would happen easily. ...with a little cutting & welding it will happen.

I scored a steel fuel tank skid off of a LWB MJ. IIRC those have 23-24 gallon tanks, my MJ has the smaler tank (17-18?). So will the skid from a LWB fit my SWB? It's not the plastic cover, it's fairly beefy with 6 or 7 mounting points. I'm OK with cutting it a bit but I'd rather leave it intact.

Another wiring thread. The PO of my MJ did a fine job at ripping the dash wiring to shreds. He also severed a perfectly fine trailer wiring set up. The fuse block looks good and dry but it looks like a tab or two might be slightly corroded So my problem(s). The headlights work fine - hi and lo beam. Most of the dash lights work, but weak (headlight switch?) The tail lights (running lights, brake lights) work fine. The front blinkers do not work, the corners work, parking lights, no, but nothing blinks up front. (headlight switch?) The rear blinkers, arrgh, both blinkers AND the reverse lights blink at the same time. The flashers work fine, by themselves OK No interior lights (door switches look suspect) (headlight switch rheostat??) Any BRIGHT ideas?? :idea:

I'm putting the wiring back together on my project truck. 88 MJ Pioneer 4.0 BA-10. I'm posting a few threads to get my way around this. When I get a bit more info I'll share what I get in a build thread. When I start it up the "part-time" light comes on, but it's not in 4WD. Then it will go off, then on, off etc. Just when I'm starting it, the "arrow" on the same light panel comes on, then goes off. Sitting in the driveway, if I rev the engine past 2K RPM the arrow comes on, then off. Did I say it's not in 4WD. I've never seen the arrow on my 90 XJ. In 4WD or not. What does the arrow indicate?

I followed the manual...it said "tap the pan lightly from side to side" until it breaks loose...four hours later I was standing there with a wrecking bar and a BFH. My brother came over, sprayed the whole edge LIBERALLY with "gasket remover". The next morning the pan was hanging down sitting on the axle. A little more spray and time and the cork gasket peeled right off. Fel Pro rubber 1 piece, only way to go, spendy but well worth it!!

I did the headliner on my XJ first...the MJ was a piece of cake after that. Pick your fabric but definitelyuse the 3M product.

I checked my friends Tacoma today. Bed measured 6'3" long. It also seems that the "bow" of the roof was different and the angles from the side are forward, not straight up and down. I also saw a decent Brahma shell on a SWB MJ today at the yard. Perfect fit. But it was the older style with the "bubble roof". Not my cup of tea...but may solve the height issue. A custom shell would be great but might be spendy. Seems there are enough shells to go around at $200, keep looking.

I'm pondering this right now. All the bed bolts are off as the PO had removed it and did not bolt it back down. I also need to know THAT process. My MJ is virtually rust free except for superficial stuff. So far I've sanded and primed all I could but I'm (just for my own satisfaction) re-removing the bed. I was thinking I'd actually Herculine or POR15 the space between on both sides (with the bed off) and the frame rails for protection and then have the shop paint as far as they can for cosmetics. Keep it up, share your results, I'll do the same.

Thanks for the question. I'm headed to a large parking lot today at the Pick n Pull, just for information, with a tape measure

Wait a minute...wasn't that my original smart a$$ reply. :huh???: :D :D

Wouldnt this be considered part of doing my homework? I'm asking for someone with more knowledge than myself to give me some sound advice. Is that cheating? I have measured the box. Like I said I'm not looking to buy new, therefor I won't be calling any manufactures. I fully comprehend that they don't have a shell specifically for an 88 MJ . Since i don't have or know anyone with a mazda,s10,dakota,ect ect. i can't just go measure their dimensions to match them up. Thanks for all your great advice. I guess I should clarify my reply since some folks seemed to take offense to it. I was not directing my reply to the OP, nor was I just coming back with a "smart a$$" reply. I simply think it is impractical to expect that you can just find a perfect fit by a model number and/or year without utilizing the tape measure (as in, measure twice or four times, cut once) If it were me I would be unhappy with a camper shell that didn't fit within "perfect" parameters. Those parameters (or misfit thereto) would include even a 1/4" of over or under fit on either side, back of the gate, over the front and above or below cab height. There is also the angle of the cab to shell to consider. aluminum shells are different than fiberglass/plastic shells. Older models are different than the newer ones (cause the trucks whether they're Chevys, Fords, Dodges or even Jeeps are different.). I see alot of shells on all kinds of trucks that some look like a perfect fit, some look good or at least OK and some look garage sale "whatever" fitment (i.e. not square, latches don't fit or even work, above or below cab height etc.) Everyone has there "that'll work" zone. If I was spending a couple three hundred bucks (even $50) on a part of my rig I would want it to fit, look, seal up, and ride just like part of the rig itself. Otherwise it's just a hack job. I would also want the tailgate end to fit so that the locks would work and so there were no air or water leaks. I would also insist that it matched up with the rear window. Sorry if that was not understood. :cheers:

The REAL answer is do some homework. Measure the bed dimensions(maybe someone will be kind enough to post up some measurements so you won't have to). Then, measure or otherwise determine the size of the camper shell. Then match up the measurements. Even Leer, BesTop or any of the manufacturers don't necessarily have a camper shell laying around specifically for an 88 Jeep MJ. They'd ask you to measure it!

I've found this helpful in the past.

Mine was gone when I bought the truck. I found a nice intact board at the JY. Wrong color for me but it looked like the PO had replaced it, the fabric is relatively new. I had previously done the one in my XJ and so I'm going about picking fabric etc. now. I've already insulated the ceiling with the foil/bubble wrap stuff. That's working for now.

Maybe someon was thinking they needed an secondary gound?? :dunno:

I wanted to add some Kc's/Hellas on the front of the XJ (90 Laredo) and I THOUGHT that the plug behind the grill was just for that (although I didn't have a switch for the dash). After some digging I was told that that connector was for the OH console outside temp sensor/sender. Since I didn't have one, they were available on a 1990 (the OH console) I was also told that Jeep put the wiring there on all models "in case" the factory/customer wanted to add the option (kind of like having 2 TPS connectors for auto or stick option) This is second hand info, but may be useful.

Wow, the write-up with the blue hoses...IMO is overkill and waaay to expensive. I spent: New 3 row (1992) radiator (CSF) $160 - shipped OEM waterpump $40 Overflow bottle - not pressure bottle - just overflow - $8.00 Hoses - all - Gates - $85 (asking for 1992 parts at NAPA) ...no heater control valve...not necessary. Coolant - $20 T-stat - $5 New rad cap - $7.00 Total + $325 First, flush the whole system with the old parts in place, removwe the hoses from the heater core and flush it back and forth a couple times to get the crap out of it. I did not remove the whole header panel. I just pulled the radiator, changed out the waterpump (I also did the fan clutch while I was there). Remove all the hoses from the system. Replace with new, remove pressure bottle "shelf", good place for overflow to go. You may need to be creative with the hoses but that's the easiest part. The only problem left is how to use and activate your e-fan. I just put mine on a switch through the e-fan relay and it works fine...and I don't have to wonder when or if it's going to kick on, user friendly. Unless you are going hog wild wheeling, you don't need to and shouldn't spend $600+. Unless of course you want the cool blue hoses.

I loaned (yes, LOANED) my 90 XJ to my brother to take to Tahoe for the week so I don't have it here for reference. But crawling around under the 88 MJ I noticed that the front sway bar *seems* beefier that what I remember on the XJ. Is there a stock difference or is it just my imagination?? The MJ is not a MT model (only 4 leafs,,,and a short bed)

Local guy on craigslist has an AW4 for sale. He says 20K on a rebuild. He rebuilt it an 20 K later the the engine blew. so...I'm going to look at it today. Is there anything obvoius I should be looking for that would tell me whether I'm looking at a decent tranny...or not. It's off of an 88 XJ 4.0. I have an 88 MJ 4.0

I got a hitch too, the guy sold it to me said "Ah, ten bucks for scrap". I promptly paid and left...smiling like this guy :D

Went to AutoZone today to pick up a part...there was a lady there with a nice stocker MJ at the counter asking the kid why she didn't have any heat...I recognized her because she owns a little bar & grill up where we go wheeling all the time. He said "you need a new heater core and a heater control valve". Tried to sell her a core, coolant, hoses, hose clamps and said "Oh yeah, changing a heater core in those Jeeps is easy". Shameless. She said it wasn't leaking or using any coolant. I went out to the parking lot with her and asked her to fire it up, turn on the heater...only air out the defrost so we looked over the vac lines and sure enough the HVAC line was cut/broken. Went in and asked the kid for a 1" piece of vac line. Spliced them together, ba-da-bing, full on heat thru all the vents. She told me that drinks were on the house the next time we're up there. We're there alot.

I don't take alot of pics of myself but here's a few. Hauling a xmas tree out of the woods Welding on my canoe trailer... Canoe trailer finished and hooked up to XJ before "the Big Trip". 2 weeks through the Sierra/Cascades. Plumas County, CA elev. 6500 in November, 30 miles from my door. MJ pics to follow

When I got an aftemarket bumper on my XJI moved the "football" up where the coolant pressure bottle used to go because I converted to open cooling. I have it strapped to the firewall. I had to remove the platform where the pressure bottle was. On the MJ I just have a ball (no cruise control). I have converted that to open cooling too. Since the ball is smaller than the football I'll do the same with the ball and be able to put a smaller overflow bottle right next to it, that's todays project. I'll take a picture.

I found an AW4, but has a 23 spline output. So my NP231 (88) is 21 spline or so I read. Do I have to get a TC with a 23 spline, or can the shaft be swapped. I've done just about everything else on this thing but I have yet to swap a tranny/TC.

I think you can pull them out...forward...and they'll stay out to facilitate windshield access, at least that's what I remember on the GC I was looking at.