AZJeff

The rivnuts needed to attach the M10 OEM bolts are gonna be pretty big, and to get a solid clinch of the nut into the frame, you are going to need a LOT of force on the pulling mandrel. I don’t thing the mechanical tool I have would clinch a rivnut that big properly. Do you have access to a hydraulic clinching tool, because that would do the job MUCH better on a rivnut that big.

I bought a CSF from Rock Auto about 3 years ago, and found the workmanship (and thus performance) to be totally accceptable. I know that other guys have reported otherwise, but that has been my experience with both my current MJ and my previous XJ. I am a big fan of the open cooling system because they are "self-burping" and thus the issue of air trapped in the cooling system seems to be non-existent.

Any manual transmission RWD car/truck/Jeep can be flat towed. Just be sure to put the transmission in neutral, and keep the parking brake off.

There is another way to reset the switch, but it depends on how easily the small spool valve in the distribution block will move. Some can be VERY difficult to get them to slide. Here is what you do: Unscrew the plastic switch body from the distribution block and look down into the hole in the block with a flashlight. You will see the spool valve in the bottom of the hole. This is what the plunger on the switch is in contact with. CAREFULLY using a small pick, you can usually push the spool valve back to it's center position. (The center position is where the diameter of the spool valve is smaller than the rest.) Once the spool in centered, the switch can be reinstallated, and should remain off.

More than anything else, this is dependent on the quality of the raw acrylic resin used in molding the replacement lenses. Keeping them out of the sunlight when practical will help. (You should see what AZ sun does to plastics out here, even those that are “UV stabilized”). The best thing to extend their life is probably limiting sunlight exposure, and that applies to ANY taillights, not just ones on an MJ.

Wanna know another way to clean up oxidized copper wires? Cleaners like "CLR" or other similar mild acids will eat away the oxidation. Of course, one needs to make sure that the cleaner is flushed away with water so the stuff doesn't continue to eat the copper wires.

I understand the comment about corroded wire being difficult to solder. I have a work around I have used for years: crimp on solderable butt splices. Once the wires are stripped, then a crimped sleeve is used to attach the two pieces, and then the whole assembly is soldered. Finish up with heat shrink, and the joint is as good as new.

The 4.0 engine in the MJ and XJ has what I call a "intolerant" cooling system. When all the parts of the system are in "as new" condition, the system can keep the vehicle temperature within design limits just barely. Because of this, the vehicle cannot tolerate any serious degradation of ANY part of the overall system. If any parts of the system starts to degrade (pressure tank, water pump, thermostat, cooling fans, or radiator), now the system can no long do the job, and it starts overheating. Start with the pressure tank and its' cap. If that isn't holding pressure, it needs to be fixed so it does. I am thinking that, since you report you are overheating at road speeds, your cooling fans are not the culprit, because enough air enters the radiator without the fans under those conditions. Then look at the radiator itself. Is the coolant nice and clean, or does it look grungy? Grungy coolant tends to imply poor cooling system maintenance, and that leads to clogged radiators. I am thinking this is where your issue is, but I hate firing the parts cannon without further examination.

One of the common issues that crops up here on Comanche Club are electrical "gremlins" due to poor electrical connections. Often these can be traced to the actual connectors in the wiring harness itself. In a former life, I was a mechanical engineer who spent a lot of time around electrical connectors, so I have a decent knowledge of what makes a good connector. I won't mince words--the connectors Jeep used in the 1980's were very primitive. The designs Jeep used were just very prone to environmental damage, which makes the connectors intermittent. On my MJ, I have chosen to replace connectors that don't have a specific interface to a component. What that means is, if a connector is in the middle of a wiring harness (with both a male and female end), whenever I am working on that section of the harness, I cut out and replace that connector with a more modern type, one that has modern environmental sealing built into it. What I have been using is a connector series made by "AMP", which has a long history of being a supplier to the automotive industry. I have used products from AMP in my career, and this design is perfectly suited for replacement use in vehicles. This series is sold on Amazon, and the connectors come in a variety of sizes (number of connections). Each connector already has a "pigtail" of wiring on it, so no special crimping or installation tools are needed. To make reliable connections, one would either need to solder these connectors on to the existing wires, or use the type of butt splices that have a heat-shrink covering that provides a waterproof seal over the splice. (I choose soldering, since I know it's the most durable.) Here is a photo of a few of the sizes of the connector family, for reference. They go by the "MUYI" brand name. They are made in China (of course), but they are licensed from AMP.

Another aspect of restoring my taillights invovled fixing the holes where the bulb sockets attach to the reflector portion of the light housing. Below is how I fixed that

I have also added a write-up on how to repair the hole in the reflector housing where the bulb socket does it's "twist lock" engagement. Mine were all trashed. That write up is in my thread about the taillight restoration in the DIY section.

CROSS POSTED THE SCREEN SHOTS FROM THE WRITE UP HERE, SINCE THIS IS THE "DIY" SECTION:

So I have tried to screen shot the pages of the PDF. They are pasted below.

PDF is uploaded. There are tons of pictures, so downloading it is the best way to see the details. MODS-- I couln't get my document to copy/paste into the main message screen because I had photos with highlighing lines, etc. Thus, I just uploaded a PDF. If you can tell me how to fix this, I will repost directly into message screen for easier viewing.

https://comancheclub.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=71012&key=b31d72426b0ba9585df16f78806701eb

I bought a set of the reproduction tail light lenses from Key Parts. While doing the install, I did a write-up of what it took to get good results. Is anyone interested in me posting a PDF of the procedure I went through?

That’s not the thread I was thinking of, but the link has the correct info on how to obtain just the shaft/bearing assembly, and reuse the old bracket.

There was a thread about this topic on one of the XJ forums years ago, wherein a guy figured out a standard part from one of the main National bearing suppliers that is pretty much a drop in fit. Of course, one needs to get someone to has a hydraulic press to remove the old one and install the replacement. I cannot remember which XJ forum it was, but I know “Eagle” was on that same forum at the same time, so maybe he remembers. With the OEM stock of these bracket/shaft assemblies drying up, we might all be needing to use this alternate approach soon.

That bearing is pretty worn. MOST of the upper "frosty silver" layer is gone, and that's a sign of wear and tear. Assuming the crank itself shows no scoring due to dirt or metallic stuff, a new set of bearings might fix this.

I am guessing, based on the description of the lower steering column you stated above, that there was some sort of change to the column during the "body refresh" on the XJ in 1997. My column is from a 2000XJ (along with the dash), and the lower portion of steering shaft is a solid rod with two "flats" on it, forming what an engineer calls a "double-D" shape. The upper shaft section is a hollow tube with the same shaped "double-D" on the inside. The two pieces slide into each other, and don't seem to have anything to prevent them from sliding in or out until the respective halves are connected to the body and the steering gear, respectively. You can literally push the lower solid section up into the upper hollow part without using a hammer (I greased mine to help with this.) Oddly enough, this same type of joint was used by Ford on my old 1991 F-150, and that shaft developed some slop in that "double-D" slip joint. I fixed it by drilling a hole on one of the flats on the "D" of the hollow portion. Then, I welded a nut on the outside over the hole, and used a set-screw and a locknut to take up the slop between the two halves. Note: I did NOT tighten the set screw to the point that the shaft could not telescope.

Where is the suspected slop in the steering column? Is it on the coupling that attaches to the input shaft on the actual steering box?

There are several reasons why auto makers have used HVAC systems that employ a small radiator to provide cabin heat. The biggest of which, of course, is that an internal combustion engine (ICE) generates LOTS of excess heat, so using it to heat the cabin is "free" so to speak. Electric vehicles don't have that luxury, of course. However, they have NOT chosen to use what is commonly called "resistive electric heating," mainly because it is HORRIBLY energy inefficient. What they do instead is to employ a heat pump, which is an air conditioner in reverse. This solution is EXPENSIVE, and thus it's the primary reason that cars with an ICE don't use it. Others have pointed out that a properly maintained cooling system will allow an ICE equipped car with a traditional heater core to last MANY, MANY years. Going to the trouble/expense of trying to remove the heater core as a failure point might end up introducing a WHOLE BUNCH of other more complicated/expensive pieces in your solution.

As a retired mechanical engr., the first thing I did was read the tech. specs. On the various ThreeBond adhesives, and I saw a couple that might be effective for this application. But…..I could not find anything on their website on how to buy their products through any retail channels. Which product did you choose, and how did you obtain it?

I am with Cruiser. Drill and tap deeper, and use sealant on the threads when they penetrate the water jacket. Older Ford V8's had threaded holes that penetrated the water jacket, and sealant kept those from leaking.

I never heard of "Threebond", so using my Duck-Duck-Go skills, I saw they make a plethora of different adhesives. So which one did you use, and why? And what retail source is there for the stuff?