spence

The insert in my throttle body that the vacuum hose to the M.A.P. sensor has had a history of coming out from time to time, so it's one of those things that I check frequently. It popped out on me the other day, so I finally decided that it was time to do something about it. I unplugged the hose and took the rubber connector out of the T.B., cleaned it and the holes in the T.B. with some acetone, carefully applied some Permatex black gasket maker to it and sealed it back in. Hopefully this will solve the problem. While I had the connector out, I notice that in addition to the hole that the M.A.P. hose goes in, there is another one above it. I can't believe that this would have been designed to have an open hole with no filtration, etc. going right into the intake system. I've researched my available sources to see if there is another hose or fitting or plug that had been removed, but can find no mention or pictures regarding this. Anybody out there know? By the way, we're talking '88 Renix. Thanx.

Doh! Don't know why that didn't cross my mind (probably couldn't penetrate the crust). You're absolutely right, JeffN! Thanx for the kick! And PeteM, the wheel bearings appear to be fine. With the calibrated "Wheel of Fortune" spin (with the wheel on), it will rotate several times before coming to a stop, with no wobble or noise. With the wheel on, the equally calibrated "Side to Side and Up and Down Wheel Shake Check for Play" revealed no play, and that, in conjunction with the "Grab the Brake Rotor and Push In and Pull Out" check for play in that direction (which also revealed no play), tells me that everything is hunky-dory with the wheel bearings. I had the same situation with my 2 door XJ some years back. Gary Donney, the best durn front end guy in these parts told me that he's seen many that were nowhere close to spec, apparently right from the factory (couldn't be from hard landings, right?). At that time, he fixed everything ($$$$$). But you could take your hands off the wheel at any speed and that XJ would go straight as an arrow. And the front tires did nothing but wear evenly for the rest of the time I owned the vehicle. I'd take it to him, but I'm too broke and he moved to South Carolina or somewhere like that. So, I guess it's time to see what Moog's got. Thanx again for your input!

Does anyone know of a way to adjust the camber, short of bending? I have an '88 2WD Eliminator that's wearing the inside of the front tires (driver's side worse than the passenger side). There's no cupping on the tires, which tells me that it's not a toe-in, toe-out problem.... the wear is nice and smooth and even. If you look at the tire from the front, you can see the angle. From the information that I have, there's not supposed to be any camber at all (0 degrees). Any thoughts?

Hey, earl*t! NICE JOB! Whachagotgointhere? Are you slammin' it, or did you just make a beauty of a rollpan to crunch on a tree? I like your fit and fill at the bedside corners. Keep up the good work! Spence

Hey, Jeepco. I guess, when you're talking about a truck collision, nothing much holds up! Most of the "fiberglass" stuff that's out there for cars and trucks is either thin chopper gun stuff or the Detroit version of fiber reinforced plastic (once again, thin). It's made this way to save weight and money (petroleum products are getting expensive, ie: that 55 gallon drum of polyester resin that was $400.00, is now over $1,000.00). I'm referring to normal, low speed "bumping" into things, where metal would bend and stay bent. It's kind of a moot point anyway as if, say, you backed into a tree with a rollpan equipped vehicle, the rollpan might flex and be okay, but the beauty of the undamaged rollpan would certainly be diminished by the crunched tailgate and bed floor! Anyway, a positive flat wouldn't be too hard to do, so I'll see if I can work one up. Stay tuned. Thanx, Spence P.S. By "long side" and "short side", I was referring to the offset license plate insert on the rollpan I made. The driver's side would be the long side, and the passenger side would be the short. S

The problem with the centered license plate inset is clearing the spare tire well. Now it would be possible to mold a centered positive flat for a plate. I had considered doing that, but I liked the lines of the insert. When I've finished the mold, I'll pop an airdam to make a modified plug. As for fiberglass vs. steel, fiberglass can take a pretty good tap without damage. Steel (sheet metal) dents and stays deformed (stretches). I'll be doing two oval nerfs, a longey for the long side and a shorty for the short side. I'm having them made from brushed finish anodized aluminum. In south Florida there are a lot of talented aluminum fab shops that make stuff for boats and trucks. Most use 6061-T6 alloy/heat treat, which acts a lot like light weight spring steel. Streetjeep2.5, nerfs (classic hotrod style) are either oval or "weak "S", right? I'll see if I can find a rear hit '97+ at the U-Pick for referrence. I included the bumper in my design to maintain the handsome, classic Squareokee/Comanche look. Even the Street Comanches kept these lines in their airdams. Thanx, Spence

Yeah, Rob. nameless4@msn.com will put you in touch. I just took the pics this morning, before I started putting the surfacer on them. Spence

Okay. So I got sick of trying to find a rollpan and airdam for my street (2WD) Eliminator. Being in the custom boat business, the most logical thing to do was build my own. So I did. Made them out of foam core, 18oz. biaxial cloth and West System epoxy. Very labor intensive, but it allows you to get exactly what you want. And STRONG! Now, I couldn't build them like THIS at any kind of reasonable price, but what I'm considering doing is popping a mold off of these if there's any interest (actually, I was thinking of doing it anyway, just in case I crunch one. I don't want to do it the hard way again!). So, I guess I'm asking if anyone out there that would be interested? The molded versions would be gelcoated mat and biaxial polyester resin construction (epoxy's too dagone expensive). The color would be white. Rollpan would probably be in the $100 neighborhood and the airdam about $125 ($150 w/ aluminum brackets and stainless hardware). There will probably be some trimming and fitting involved, as Comanches and Cherokees are only CLOSE in fit due to twenty-some years of being tweeked and knocked around. The airdam will fit XJ's. I'd like to post some pics, but I'm a 57 year old computer illiterate without a clue. I read Taz's how-to on a thread and thought "Wha?"! So, your 2 cents? Thanx!

I have an '88 2wd Eliminator that I just swapped columns in. Mine: 2wd, 5 spd., tilt. Donor: '93 XJ, auto (on floor), tilt. Went right in. Only mod was to safety wire the linkage for the tranny ignition lock-out in the up (towards the steering wheel) position, and remove the associated cable bracket. VERY IMPORTANT!: Get the key for your donor column's ignition! Keep your '88 door key!

No drain, no boss on my '88 MJ w/'88 MJ D44. I thought about it though when I overhauled it, but, lazy a$$ that I am, I decided that unbolting and prying off the lid every time I want to change the Mobil 1 would be much easier (than installing a drain). Doh! If I had a drain plug I would deny myself the opportunity to spill huge amounts of diff oil all over the shop floor, not to mention the invaluable practice at cursing that would be lost. And think of the mental anguish that those wonderful employees at Permatex would have to endure as their job security was threatened by people installing drain plugs in their punkins! No, I'll never put a drain plug in mine. I couldn't live with the guilt!

Hey, Akula69! Thanx for the tip. I crawled (@57, it was more like struggled) up in there this afternoon and gave everything the calibrated eyeball. All looked okay so I went into the shop and got the old column out for a little old fashioned disection. After seeing and understanding how everything is supposed to work, and the function of each wire, I compared it to the new column. Noting that everything was the same, I figured that I either had a bad (poor) connection somewhere or I had gotten a column with a bad switch (the XJ WAS in the junkyard, right?). I unplugged and re-plugged each connector several times, making sure that I really scraped them in there, and when I finished, I crossed my fingers and tried the turn signals out. SUCCESS! I tried them with the headlights on, with the wipers on, with the headlights and wipers on, and in all combinations I now have my turn signals! The righthand turn position (up) is still kind of feeble, but I think with use and abuse, it will improve. Now for a new power steering pump......Thanx, Spence

Swapped in a steering column from a '93 XJ into my '88 MJ. Everything went smoothly, and all works well except that now I have no turn signals. I notice that the turn signal stalk does'nt want to stay up very well for right hand turns, so the switch might be bad, but the left turn position "clicks" in nicely and there's no action, front or rear, in the turn signal department. Is there a difference in wire positions on the steering column plugs between an '88 MJ and a '93 XJ? Guidance anyone? Thanx, Spence

Thanx for the input. Looks positive. I'll have it in, right or wrong, Saturday. Spence

The 10 slot grill was '86 & '87. The 8 slot started in '88. I think the '84 ('85 model) through '86 XJ Wagoneers had a 21 slot grill if you want something different. Looks like a 10 slot with a gland problem.

Well, the bushings in my steering column are so shot that when I spun the wheel for a hard left the other day, the steering wheel shot out of the window and gave the passenger in the car next to me a concussion. This embarrased me so badly that I clamped vise grips on the stub and headed over to the U-Pick to see what kind of replacement I could come up with. Found a donor Cherokee with a really nice, tight, matching grey column and it was complete with a MINT leather wrapped sport wheel AND THE KEY WAS IN THE IGNITION! It just doesn't get any better than that! The driver's door was gone, so I'm not too sure what year it was, but the engine had the Chrysler intake, and the key was Chrysler, so it was somewhere between a '91 - '96. Mine's a Renix, but I bought it anyway. It looks like it has the plugs that I need, but there are some extra, mysterious plugs as well. If anyone has had experience with a similar swap, I'm all ears. Thanx, Spence