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

Hey, Hornbrod! Spence here. My '88 Eliminator was Grey Mist Metallic before 23 years of the south Florida sun made it look like my skin. If you want to see one, watch the movie "Monster's Ball". Heath Ledger and Hallie Berry drive one in it. Just don't watch it with kids around, as Hallie and Billie Bob Thornton drive each other around, too! Roll Tide!

I have an '88 2WD Eliminator that had a driver's seat that was giving me the "pelvic twist". I mean I drove it 250 miles once and couldn't walk right for two days! The seat pan was broken into about 20 pieces on the door side, and a can of pop rivets and biaxial fiberglass couldn't make it better. I gave up on finding a replacement, as Comanches hit the U-Pick at the rate of about 1 every five years down here, and they're usually destroyed by muddin' by the time they get there. What's a guy to do? In my case I had to settle for a pair of '93 Camaro seats, mounted to an aluminum plate, mounted to the Comanche sliders, mounted to the floor. An okay solution, but still just not right. I liked my charcoal tweed 'Manche buckets (except for the extreme lean), and the "batwings" really felt good to my aged, creaky back. This weekend, I found the solution. I was down at the U-Pick searching for a donor Cherokee hood when, to my delight, I came upon a '93 Cherokee Country (that's what the door sticker and decals said) that had the exact grey tweed "batwing" buckets. The only difference that I could see was that they didn't tilt forward because it was a 4DR. But I didn't care. They were in good shape, maybe a little dirty but no rips or holes and, best of all, the seat pans were solid. At $25.00 a pop, it was a bargain! I took them home, stripped them down and put all of the foam, pans and upholstery on my old frames AND NOW I'M STYLIN'!!! The only mod I had to make was to cut a slit for the forward tilt release lever (I also switched the back position levers. ( it was a pain, I didn't NEED to do it, but I did it anyway). Now, everything is back to normal, and I'm ready for the next 175,000 miles!

It will bolt up to the axle okay, but the problem is that the bearing and seal won't fit through the hole. So it needs to be opened up to the same diameter as the bearing/seal recess in the axle tube. then you have to also use the retaining plate for a D44 because the one for a D35 is too small to fit over a D44 seal correctly. Unless you're the proud owner of a Bridgeport and the skills to operate it, I'd have a machine shop do it.

Check the fuse box connections for corrosion. I had a similar problem. My fuse block connections were so corroded that the plastic on several of the fuses was starting to melt. The resistance was enough to cause the headlights to dim, the turn signals to not work, the running lights and backup lights to not work, the radio to turn on but not work, etc.

I ran into this a while back. My D44 had Swiss cheese backing plates and replacements around here were non-existent. Since the baking plates on my dead D35 were like new, I got creative. The D44 had the 10" x 2 1/2" H.D. brakes and the D35 had the 10" x 1 3/4". The D44 backing plate recesses were too deep to use the D35 parts (shoes, etc.). I found that the D35 backing plate bolt pattern was the same but the center hole was too small. I took the backing plates to a local auto machine shop and had the holes opened up to match the ones in the D44 backing plates. I used the D44 retainer plates and all new 10" x 1 3/4" brake parts and, Presto!, Hoopty (my '88 2wd Eliminator) now has a D44 with D35 brakes. Since Hoopty is strictly street, and south Florida is pancake flat, and I rarely haul more than 500 lbs., I haven't noticed any difference in stopping power.

So, did anyone ever get this air dam? I know it's late December, but I just saw this thread while searching for a Comanche air dam. Sure could use one. I made a mold to make fiberglass rollpans. I'm currently getting ready to make another one with an inset for a license plate. If I can't locate a ready made air dam, I guess I'll have to mold up for one of those too. If I do I'll make it look as close as possible to the "Street Comanche" unit.

I was dimayed to find that Land Auto is no longer in business. However, one thing leads to another, and my machine shop steered me to a place that I didn't know existed. Harrison Brothers, a local axle and swamp buggy builder, had a stack of D44 pinion preload shims. They let me mic my way through the stack, and only charged me $5.00 for the 6 shims I selected. They then, without my asking, carefully instructed me on the procedure for installing them correctly, warning that most people (and even the factory) set them up too tight. They said that if they're set up correctly, 300,000 miles of axle duty is not unheard of. They also have a large inventory of new and used axle parts. I'm going to be stopping by there again within the week, so I'll get and post all of the pertainent contact info. Thanx, Spence.

By "lowering" the axle I assume that you mean in the physical sense, i.e. you are lifting the vehicle, thereby causing the axle to be lower in relationship to the tranny/t-case. I found that on one of my XJ's, when I installed a 3" lift, it lost, in effect, 1" of driveshaft length. However, when you compress the suspension to the the point that the driveshaft is on the same plane as the transmission shaft, you've gained that inch back and, as stated by 87warrior, you're now an inch too long. In my case, I'll welcome the crunch.

I am currently going through the same process on my '88 Eliminator 2WD. I got my D44 at a Upick in Clearwater (150 miles away) for $82.79. It was out of an '88 Pioneer with the heavy duty towing package that had 178K showing. The u-bolts are different, which doesn't matter to me, as I'm adding 2" lowering blocks and have to get longer ones from Speedway. The spring plates are the same. Make sure the backing plates are good (it'll have the 10"x2 1/2" brakes) because it's a real b___h finding replacements (at least here in south Florida). The driveshaft used on the D44 trucks is 1" shorter than those using the D44. I'm going to try using my 1" longer driveshaft anyway, if the Pukegoat will swallow the extra inch. The worst (best) thing that will happen is that it will destroy the Pukegoat (oh, bummer! Then I'll have to get a real transmission!).

jpdocdave, History. The original Dana 35 self-destructed at 168K miles. I purchased this '88 MJ Dana 44 from a Upick in Clearwater with 178K miles on it (according to the odometer). It felt good but needed seals. When I took it apart to inspect for gear wear, etc., I found that all looked good, and original, inside. The biggest issue with the whole axle was that the driver's side brake backing plate was corroded with holes through it. It had the 10"x2 1/2" brakes and I couldn't readily find a replacement. The Dana 35 that was originally in the truck still had the factory paint on it and all of it's parts, so I had my local machine shop enlarge the center hole of it's 10"x1 3/4" backing plates to fit the D44. New seals and axle outers were installed, and a new pinion seal as well. It was when re-installing the yoke and pinion nut that the problem occurred, as described at the beginning of this thread. I tried sneaking back up on it but by the time I got to 180 ft/lbs., the bearings were overloading. Thanx, Spence.