AZJeff

Yeah, I might sound like I am stating the obvious, but in my years on the XJ forums, I found a ton of owners who complained about belt squeal, only to discover they were not using a belt tension measuring tool, and/or they underestimated the amount of tension actually required. And you are absolutely correct. The older 4.0 tensioning scheme for the XJ and MJ sucked. It was much harder to get sufficient tension than with the later system (which, unfortunately was used only on the later XJ's.)

The 4.0 in the MJ and XJ models is VERY sensitive to lack of proper belt tension. On top of this, they seem to need a hellacious amount of tension compared to some other vehicles. This means that many DIY guys under-tighten the belt, and noise ensues. Add in belt aging, and crud on the belt and/or pulleys, and it can be really annoying.

If you are attempting to restore the dash so it has the same appearance as when it left the factory, “JustDashes.com” (or any of their competitors, if they exist) are your best choices. The OEM construction is foam over a plastic dash structure, and that is covered by a layer of vinyl. Duplicating that without the right fixtures an d materials will be almost impossible.

I put a complete Teraflex kit on my D44, and although its' been a few years, I seem to remember the spacers that Teraflex provided were of an incorrect dimension. I cannot remember for sure, but I seem to think they were too thick. I am going to go check my records to see what instructions I gave the machine shop that altered them for me.

I tried to type in a description into both eBay and some search engines, and I got nothing. If you have a part number, that would help in a search.

Actually, I would like a few (6?). My interior color is redone to match my 2000XJ dash, so I would respray any color I got with the proper Chrysler "Agate" interior paint.

Several of the interior panels of the MJ have screw holes that are covered by a plastic plug to conceal the hole once the panel is installed. When putting in a new heater core recently, I lost one of my hole plugs. Does anyone have a source of replacments? (other than trying to find some in a junkyard) I supposed I could modify (shorten) the conventional hole plugs that can be had from hardware suppliers, but they are not exactly the right diameter, and the modification will be tricky due to the small size.

What you are talking about are "polyurethane" bushings. Polyurethane is much stiffer than regular rubber, when used in bushings. Its commonly used on applications where precision handling is needed (like on race cars or the like.) It is not used on "regular" street vehicles because the polyurethane transmits much more shock and vibration back into the chassis, and can make ride quality quite harsh. Unless you are running the baja in your MJ, I would steer clear of polyurethane.

THANK YOU!!!!

The AC lines that connect to the evaporator have a secondary "safety clip" that surrounds the joint. It's made of sheet metal, and I assume it's intended to insure the line will not slide apart due to pressure of it's own accord. My MJ, which has a 2000 XJ evaporator in it, has that clip on the low pressure (suction) side, but lacks one on the high pressure ("Liquid") side. Can anyone provide the Chrysler part number (or a source) for the clip for the high pressure side clip?

Interesting.....I admit my forays into major brake system repairs were not steady through my years of working on stuff, since I am not a pro and strictly DIY. All I can say is that, over the years, I never saw anything but the almost clear (straw?) colored stuff, and then the cruddy brown/rusty/icky stuff I removed. Good to know about this.....THANKS.

YUP. This is going to be the best way to determine if starting/running the engine any further is going to do any serious damage to what is in there.

Yep, that drill and chisel method is what I use as well. And air hammer (air chisel, in this case) are a Godsend for this kind of stuff.

That part you state in bold is something I have never encountered, and I have been working on cars since about 1970. I wonder if that was that just a Canadian thing (?)

In additon to the hydraulic arbor press, the OP will need some sleeves to press against the outside edge of the currently installed bushings. Pressing against rubber doesn't do very much, even at 13+ tons of pressure. It MUST be exerted on the outside sleeve of the old (and then the new) bushing.

Agreed. The connector in front of the radiator is NOT a vacuum connector. It's an electrical connector.

Good brake fluid is clear, with a slight tinge of a yellowish color, but certainly NOT green or brown (or any other weird color.) It seems that your brake system is contaminated with something besides plain brake fluid. Since your plan is to remove the master cylinder from the booster, you might want to consider making the plunge to put a new master cylinder on the vehicle while you are at it. They are not that expensive, and with a new one, you know the start of the system is not contaminated. As far as getting the fittings loose from the MC, if the car lived it's life in AZ, a "flare nut wrench" will keep the chances of rounding the hex shape on the nuts to a minimum. If that STILL seems to be likely, then I vote for heat from a propane torch next, to break up the rust between the nut and the steel line. The area around the MC has lots of room, so the chances of burning your MJ to the ground are slim, as long as you use some thought before waving the torch over anything and everything. (I have used the torch method to loosen fittings on cars that lived in corrosion central, better known as N. Illinois, when I lived there years ago.) Once you have the new MC installed, and begin the bleeding process, if the fluid fails to run clean after a significant amount of fluid has been pumped through the system (1 quart or more), then maybe it's time to consider replacing wheel cylinders and calipers as needed. Funky brake fluid will attack and damage all the parts of the system, especially anything with rubber seals that slide. Sorry.....

Yeah, taking bushings out of ANYTHING can be fun if you don't have a large arbor press and, more importantly, the right size bushings to press on the sleeve of the rubber bushing assembly. On an MJ/XJ, unless you have a lifted vehicle, I recommend replacement control arms. They can be had pretty inexpensively (under $20 each), and beat the hell out of burning out the rubber as Cruiser was demonstrating in the photo above. The only area where you will have to use brute force is the upper control arm FOREWARD bushing, which is pressed into the axle housing, and is not part of the control arm (unfortunately). If you have access to an air chisel, that job isn't too bad. Otherwise, a hand chisel, a pair of Vice-Grips to hold the chisel, and a machinist's mallet are the next best approach. (I am not real fond of burning out those bushings in the axle under the car, because of the proximity to things that don't like flames.) As far as the leaf spring bushings go, you need to make sure that your springs are original Jeep parts, first. On my MJ, some previous owner had switched them out for some aftermarket springs, and none of the OEM replacement bushings had the correct outside diameter to press into the spring properly. I ordered bushings from several sources, all of which would not fit right, until I gave up. I wound up taking the spring apart, and taking the main leaf to a truck spring shop where they matched up and installed some bushings using their press. Then I put in new centering pins and new inter-leaf plastic anti-friction pads and reassembled the spring packs. If your springs are OEM, it would still be easier for you to find someone with a large arbor press to remove/install the new bushings rather than burn and beat the old ones out (and beat the new ones in.)

Agreed, and to elaborate on the response before the one from Pete, I will say, from personal experience, that a cracked head or head gasket won't manifest itself as water the the tailpipe. The pressures from the combustion process will drive exhaust gases INTO the cooling system, not the other way around. My first clue to a cracked head (yes, one from a 2000XJ with the infamous "0331" head casting) was funny looking oil. The exhaust looked perfectly normal.

If I was buying the stuff, I would go with Wagner pads from Rock Auto (semi-metallic) for $25. For rotors, don't bother with cross drilled and slotted stuff for a small 4WD truck. Unless you drive like you are on the Baja, you won't get them hot enough to notice any benefit. Again, from Rock Auto, Raybestos can be had for $29 each, but there are other comparable brands (Centric, Bendix, etc.) for similar prices. I would stay away from auto parts stores "house" brands like Autozone's Duralast stuff. They tend to be mediocre quality at premium prices.

As long as you catch the balancer before it rubs a hole through the timing chain cover, you will be OK. The actual Vibration Dampner (aka Harmonic Balancer) can be had for anywhere from $30 to $60, depending on brand and source. I bought a Dorman when I redid mine, and it was $60, but I see Rock Auto has an ATP brand for $40. Both are decent brands.

Yeah, I did some searching on the NAXJA site, and it appears that once I plugged the SKIM reader in and tried to start the Jeep, I "programmed" the PCM to search for a valid SKIM key (which I do not have). The ONLY solution is to have the PCM reprogrammed to NOT search for a SKIM key. So now I get to send my PCM to a computer place to have them program the PCM to NOT look for the SKIM key. That was a $145 mistake. I have already gone out and taken the connector for the SKIM reader and put a piece of heat shrink tubing over the plug, so it won't be reconnected again and repeat this mistake.

I know this is a topic that does not pertain to factory OEM MJ's, but my vehicle has been modified to have the instrument cluster and PCM from a 2000 XJ, and I need the advice of an expert on this later type of XJ. The steering column in my MJ came from a 2000XJ, and it has the "SKIM" security feature as part of the ignition switch. For as long as I have owned the vehicle, the SKIM reader that surrounds the key lock inside the column has been disconnected. (This is good, because I do NOT have the custom programmed keys needed to "talk" to the SKIM reader.) This means the SKIM reader doesn't talk to the PCM, and is thus the security feature is inoperative and my MJ behaves like a "regular" 2000XJ. So here is my problem: I accidentally plugged the SKIM reader back into the wiring harness in the steering column while doing some dash work. When I finished the dash project, I attempted to start the vehicle. It started and ran for about 3 seconds, and then shuts off. I realized my mistake, and disconnected the SKIM, but I think I have created a problem. Every time I try to start it, the same thing happens where it starts and runs for 3 seconds, and then dies. Disconnecting the battery did no good. I think what has happened is that I have "taught" the PCM that a SKIM module is active the Jeep, and so it is looking for the custom keys. Short of having the dealer use a "DRB Scanner" on the vehicle to retrain the PCM that it doesn't need to "see" a SKIM, what other ways can I defeat this goofy security feature?

For some mysterious reason, the senders on the MJ/XJ vehicles with actual oil pressure guages are kinda flakey, and don't seem to be very robust. There are countless stories of guys confirming pressure via a mechanical guage and finding it was actually within normal spec. Once the sender was replaced, all became well again. I am not saying your issue is "for certain" the sender, but starting with a mechanical guage confirmation is always a good first step.

Cruiser is correct. It's damned near impossible to reach the bolts with a normal sized torque wrench. In addition, the torque level, if you really want to measure it, is in INCH-POUNDS. Most DIY guys don't have inch-lb. torque wrenches. After working on cars for 50+ years, I have a highly calibrated wrist just like Cruiser has, and that works fine for things like valve covers and oil pans.